Mother-daughter relationships take center stage in Jackson's (Never Have I Ever, 2019) latest novel, which digs into how far each will go for the other. Refusing to acquiesce to her mother's pessimistic world view, Bree Cabbat stepped from the wrong side of the tracks into the life of her dreams. She has everything she ever wanted, until her baby boy disappears. The old woman who has taken Robert assures Bree that he'll be returned as soon as Bree performs an errand for her, but when the small task doesn't go as planned, Bree is forced to connect with the kidnapper as a mother if she hopes to see Robert again. Suspense readers will enjoy plot twists and motivations that hit close to home (despite a somewhat predictable ending), but the novel's depth lies in exploring the role of a mother to protect and teach her children. Are we destined to remain our mother's child, surrounded by her protection, no more responsible to others than she taught us? Fans of Mary Kubica and Hank Phillippi Ryan will appreciate the mixture of suspense with complex characters.

Bree Cabbat, the narrator of this gripping domestic thriller from bestseller Jackson (Never Have I Ever), is luxuriating in a life beyond anything she imagined growing up poor in the Georgia sticks--until her infant son is snatched at a musical performance she brings him to at the exclusive Atlanta private school her two teenage daughters attend. After demanding that Bree not contact either law enforcement or husband Trey, a wealthy and socially prominent attorney who's out of town on business, the kidnapper makes it clear she's seeking not money but to settle some sort of personal score. When following the woman's initial instructions goes horrifically wrong, a desperate Bree reaches out for help to a lifelong friend, a former Atlanta detective turned investigator at Trey's firm. As the intrepid, sympathetic pair scramble to suss out the kidnapper's identity, they make some extremely disturbing discoveries that could blow up the life Bree loves. A few of the final twists come off as far-fetched, but the dark secret at the novel's heart rings all too true. Jackson knows how to ratchet up the suspense. Agent: Caryn Karmatz Rudy, DeFiore and Co. (Apr.)

A woman is compelled to commit murder in order to save her kidnapped baby. Bree may not have planned every detail of her life--such as, surprise! her infant son, Robert--but she's pretty content with what she has: two older daughters who dote on the baby; a loving husband, Trey, with a profitable, stable job; all the trappings of an upper-class life. Having grown up without much money or stability, she knows all too well how one cannot take such gifts for granted. When she's haunted one day by several sightings of a creepy old lady, she writes it off as anxiety due to lack of sleep. Later, safe behind the walls of her daughters' private school, she is horrified to turn around and find Robert missing. A note makes it clear that he has been taken by this same old woman. The woman's motivation is murky at first, but her request is clear: Bree must help her take revenge on one of Trey's colleagues, a notorious womanizer, by slipping him some drugged alcohol--or her baby will die. Caught in this devil's bargain, Bree does as she asks, and the man dies a terrible death. Soon, it becomes apparent that he is not the only one in the old woman's sights: She wants to punish those responsible for hurting her own daughter many years ago, and she has evidence that Trey was involved. Bree must do everything she can to save her baby while also, with the help of a handsome neighbor, investigating her husband's past, knowing that time is ticking away for Robert and for the truth about what happened one night, long ago, between two fraternity boys, a girl, and the third boy who witnessed the crime. Despite the rather melodramatic, hard-to-believe premise, the tension is skillfully built. A thriller with a sharp #MeToo edge that examines how "one wild night" can have terrible consequences. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.