Solid 4.0 out of 5 stars - not "nature vs nurture" but WHAT MAKES A GOOD FATHER?

This book reminded me of We Need to Talk About Kevin because it was about the anguish experienced by a parent when a child does something inexplicably heinous. Although in the former, the child, Kevin, had something obviously wrong with him from the beginning -- with Daniel Allen (or Carter Allen Cash), it was more insidious.

Dr. Paul Allen has a happy life. He's remarried to Fran and they have twin 10-year-old sons when they see the horrible news on television one evening while having a family dinner night. How can his son have done this? What made him snap? Is it because Paul divorced his son's mother and fled across the country leaving Daniel behind? How much guilt do parents bear for how their child turns out?

These are the questions that Paul Allen faces as he confronts the fact that his son is convicted of killing the Democratic frontrunner for the next Presidential election. He is fully convinced that his sensitive son could not have done this deed and goes to great lengths to try to discover where his son has been and what he had been doing over the years leading up to that fateful day. The journey of discovery is a very painful one and it takes great courage to confront truth.

This is an emotional and gripping read and I recommend it.