The Boy by Tami Hoag

A Mystery/Thriller, 2018 by Dutton, 603 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Content Warning: child abuse, spousal abuse, bullying, implied sexual assault, suicidal thoughts and actions, death. 
• The first book in this “series” featuring the same characters came out in 1997. I DID read that book but it’s been AWHILE. Even if you preordered this one and grabbed it the moment it hit shelves, it had still been over 20 years since you were with these characters. That’s a long time to forget. 
• Kelvin. He’s awful and abusive to the people in his home. I couldn’t STAND him and I wanted so much better for Cameron. It was PAINFUL to read his chapters. If you have trauma surrounding parental or spousal abuse, I’ll respectfully recommend you skip this one. 

What I Did Like:

• Right away, I LOVE these main characters. I vaguely remember them from the previous book but the lack of familiarity with them did not hurt. They’re wonderful. You fall right into their easy relationship with each other and get comfortable. I adored them!
• The end of the book just flies by as everything starts to come together. It brings it all together in a cohesive way that answers all your questions.
• It’s not always what you expect. That’s nice from a mystery/thriller, especially for someone who reads a lot of them. The author didn’t go for the obvious or the cliche here. It’s original, even if that is painful. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of a detective thriller who want something that isn’t cliche and obvious. 

My Rating: 4 Stars

• But watch those content warnings.