The Perfect Son

McFadden, Freida.  The Perfect Son. Poisoned Pen Press, 2024.

Pages:  306

Age Range: Adult

Genre: Mystery

Setting: Long Island, NY

Merits: 

McFadden is the master at the unexpected twist.  Nearing the end of the book, nearly everything a reader believes gets turned around to reveal a totally unexpected plot twist!  Chapters are short, so the cliffhanger type of ending makes a reader keep reading.  Characters are sympathetic and realistic.  The mental health issues in this book are newsworthy portrayals of sociopaths and psychopaths.

Unique Quality: 

An adult book does not always have as main characters young people, but don’t be misled. This is a book for adults. 

Detractors: 

The main character spends a great deal of time thinking of what she might or could do rather than acting on instinct.  The character of the sister is in denial; therefore, she seems a bit unrealistic concerning what has been a part of her household most of her life.  She could not have been so oblivious as to what occurred.

Main Characters: 

Erika Cass - the mother of Liam and Hannah

Jason Cass - the father of Liam and Hannah

Liam Cass - 16, described as a psychopath by many; has a history of activities that qualify him as dangerous; his mother sees him as her favorite; he’s always polite and shows respect to his parents

Hannah Cass - 14, the youngest of the Cass children; a typical, mouthy teenager who is inconstant battle with her mother

Olivia Mercer - Liam’s love interest; a pretty and quiet girl who disappears 

Tyler Martinson - a former best friend of Liam’s, a football player, a defender of Olivia

Dr. Hebert - a psychologist that Liam meets with as a child

Plot: Erika Cass knows that she should not have a favorite child, but she does.  Liam is polite and always treats her with respect.  Hannah, on the other hand, is constantly battling her.  Jason, Erika’s husband of nearly twenty years, thinks things will work out with Hannah, and he is always telling Erika that things will be fine with Liam.  She worries too much.  He’s just a boy who thinks like a boy.  Erika can’t keep herself from worrying about Liam.  He has done things. There was an incident in kindergarten where he duct taped the hands and feet of a little girl and left her in a closet.  Liam was expelled from that school.There were the hamsters that he let starve so he could watch them die.  There was another incident with a teacher in middle school. And the things he says!  He says he wants to get married so that he could stuff his wife in a deep hole and never let her out.  Erika worries even though she had him see a therapist, Dr. Hebert.  Liam was not right, and Erika was constantly on guard to make sure he couldn’t act on an impulse he had.  

Liam talks to a girl he likes, Olivia Mercer, and invites her to watch a debate he is in.  She is warned by her best friend, Madison, as well as others that Liam is crazy.  They refer to incidents he’s been involved in, but Olivia knows him from class, where is kind and polite.  She disregards her friends and others’ warnings. 

Liam invites Olivia out after his track practice to get milkshakes at a local place, and they are having a good time.  He has just begun to hold her hand when her mother calls and demands that she come home. Liam is saddened that Olivia has to leave, and Olivia is totally embarrassed by her mother.  That night, Liam sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night and tosses rocks against Olivia’s window to get her attention.  She meets Liam outside and they kiss.

The next day, the police are called to Olivia’s house because Olivia is missing!  All signs point to Liam who is eventually charged with her disappearance and possibly her murder.  He denies everything despite all of the evidence. A neighbor saw him with Olivia in the yard that night.  Erika’s car’s last GPS location was Olivia’s house.  Liam had taken her car in the middle of the night!  The family hires a lawyer.  Jason believes his son. Erika wants to but cannot.  She knows too much about what Liam is capable of, and she begs Liam to tell her where Olivia is!  How can a mother believe this about her child?  This is tearing apart the family.  Hannah cannot go to school; too many people there believe her brother has killed Olivia.  Jason cannot go to work; what clients would want to work with a murderer’s father?  Erika tries to keep to herself, but terrifying phone calls and a brick through a window assure that she cannot hide from this either.

SPOILER - Stop reading unless you want to know the end!

Despite all that is going on with the Cass Family, Olivia is seen and heard.  She is in a deep hole.  There is a skeleton there that she names Phoebe.  There is a possible way to reach the gate over the top, so she uses a bone of Phoebe’s and digs away until she forms a mound to stand on.  However, when she was dumped into the hole, she hurt her ankle and can barely put weight on it.  

Occasionally, her captor opens the gate and drops a few supplies. She has some water, a piece of bread…  She will starve or die of dehydration if he doesn’t come back soon.

The reader hears the captor’s voice, taunting and cruel.  

One night, Liam tells his mother they must go out.  She is resistant but also afraid of Liam.  She even wonders if he will soon kill her too.

SUPER SPOILER  - Definitely don’t read past here unless you want to know the surprising twist!

Liam takes her to the woods.  Where the road ends, they see a bicycle. The reader does not know whose it is but it might be Madison’s.  

A walk in the woods leads to a cabin, where a Prius is parked.  Jason’s Prius.  Liam is surprised that his mother doesn’t know that her husband is a psycho. Hannah had followed him to this location the night before and told Liam.  Erika doesn’t believe her kind husband could ever do this, but Liam assures that he is right.  He tells his mother that Jason doesn’t work in the office he claims to - Liam has called there and has been told his father is not there.  Jason travels for work all of the time.  Or does he?  Liam bursts out of the car, running toward the cabin, where he meets his father as he is coming out of the door.  Liam demands to know where his sister and Olivia are.  

Jason turns the tables on his son, and tells Erika that they must call the police. Liam has killed both Olivia and Hannah.  Erika is devastated.  Jason puts his arms around her to comfort her, unknowing that he has a knife in his hand.  Liam lunges at his father and the knife falls. Liam pins his father to the ground after punching him in the face.  Liam tells his mother to get the knife, and she does. Jason tries to keep her from giving the knife to Liam claiming that the son is the psychopath, but Erika gives the knife to Liam, who uses it expertly to stab his father.  They watch him die.  

Erika is inconsolable.  Her daughter is dead.  Liam convinces her to go in the cabin; they might be able to save them, and sure enough, they hear the girls’ voices. Liam climbs down into the hole to help hoist them up to his mother.  

An investigation ensues, where Erika tells how she used the knife to kill Jason. She needs to protect her son, who is not who she thought he was.  Much adjustment will need to be made to their lives, but Olivia remains a part of it since he saved her and is definitely not what others warned her about.  Yet, Erika still wonders about Liam. Is he the perfect son?