Not My Boy

November 16, 2020
Near the start of this middling domestic thriller from Simmons (Where She Went), six-year-old Liza Harris disappears while catching frogs at the creek bordering her Philadelphia Main Line neighborhood. After canvassing the community, the police settle on two suspects: 11-year-old Miles, and Miles’s uncle, Ben, who lives next door. Miles and his mother, divorced ghostwriter Hannah, are new to the area, and someone’s surveillance camera caught Miles burying an animal in the backyard—behavior the cops deem suspicious. Meanwhile, Ben’s security system captured footage of Liza visiting their house at a time when his wife—Hannah’s older sister, Hillary—was retrieving their daughter from summer camp. The stress of the investigation pits the two sisters against each other until their mother, judgmental busybody Eva, suggests the three of them join forces to catch the real culprit. Simmons squanders an intriguing premise and emotionally fraught setup with uneven pacing, a dearth of action, and a rushed denouement. Underdeveloped characters and poorly defined stakes further disappoint. Fans will hope for better next time. Agent: Anne Bohner, Pen & Ink Literary.

Starred review from December 1, 2020
What is supposed to be a new beginning for the newly divorced, hardworking Hannah and her 11-year-old son, Miles, turns out to be anything but in the latest from Simmons (The Fifth of July, 2017). In order to build stability for her highly sensitive, animal-obsessed son, Hannah surrounds him with family: she purchases a small house next door to her sister Hillary, and her mother lives one town over. What she didn't expect was a 6-year-old girl to go missing, and for the entire neighborhood to suspect Miles of foul play. While trying to protect her son, Hannah begins her own investigation, which leads her to discover a secret about her sister's husband, Ben, that rips Hillary's family apart, and soon Ben is suspect number one. The sisters, who were once so close they were thought of as one person, become enemies as they each defend their respective families until their mother intervenes. Told from alternating perspectives, Simmons throws readers right into the middle of the mystery and keeps them guessing the whole way through. Readers who enjoy the suspenseful reads of Liane Moriarty won't be able to put down this novel.

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