My Darling Boy

This gloomy standalone from Cooper (The Couple in the Photo) centers on the strained relationship between English pub owner Chrissy Dean and her former best friend, Alice Lowe. On New Year’s Eve 2021, Chrissy’s 20-something son, Leo, accidentally kills his best friend—Alice’s son, Robbie—during a bar fight in the sleepy village of Cromley. Leo is convicted of involuntary manslaughter and Chrissy is forced to sell her pub. Two years later, Leo is granted early parole, but several villagers, including Alice, bully Chrissy into leaving Cromley with Leo in tow. When Chrissy arrives at the prison to collect Leo, however, her son is nowhere to be found. As rumors circulate about his whereabouts, Chrissy learns from his cellmates that a woman matching Alice’s description visited him weeks before his release and left him visibly upset. Meanwhile, Alice buys Chrissy’s pub and sets about renovating it, relying on the marketing expertise of Georgie Fallows, an overenthusiastic newcomer from London whose eagerness conceals sinister motives. Though certain key scenes play out predictably, Cooper keeps readers on the hook through to the satisfying, if abrupt, conclusion. There’s enough here to gratify thriller fans. Agent: Hellie Ogden, WME. (Dec.)