Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare – a school shooting where your kids attend school.  The nightmare gets worse as every other parent is reunited with their child except for you.  The police then arrive and tell you that your son is missing and a suspect in the shooting.  Where did you go wrong?  Did you ever know your son at all?

Finding Jake is the excellent story of Simon Connolly, a stay at home father of two children Jake and Laney.  On the dreadful day of the school shooting, Simon finds his world turned upside down and begins to question his life decisions.  Should he have been the stay at home parent even though his wife made more money than him?  Did his introversion rub off on Jake?  Is being an introvert a bad thing?  With the town and media turned against Simon, he continues the search for his lost son while reflecting back on decisions made in Jake’s upbringing.  Will Jake be found?  What caused this school shooting to happen?

Finding Jake was a book that I literally could not put down and read very quickly.  As a parent, I could relate to Simon’s self-doubts about whether you are raising your children appropriately.  I loved the format that would have a chapter in real time followed by a chapter in Jake’s childhood progressing from a baby to current day.  It was also a suspense novel – where was Jake?  Is he a cold blooded killer?  The search for him leads to a surprising and emotional conclusion.  I think this book would be an excellent book club selection and will probably be selecting it in the near future for my book club.

Overall, Finding Jake was an excellent suspense novel that explored tragedy as well as what it means to be a good parent.

Book Source: Review Copy from William Morrow – Thanks!