Mother May I

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. [em]Agent: Caryn Karmatz Rudy, DeFiore and Co. (Apr.) [/em]