Your Son Is Alive (A Thriller)

James Scott Bell
Available on: Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Read as part of the Cloak and Dagger Challenge 2019!
Overview:
Blurb: It starts with a note that tells Dylan Reeve the son that he and his now ex-wife Erin lost to kidnapping fifteen years ago is alive. This single note, written in crayon, drags him into a world of deadly games, ghosts from the past, and the hope that their son truly is still alive.
Trigger Warnings:
Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Child Abuse, Death, Drug Use (Illicit), Drug Use (Non-Consensual), Emotional Abuse, Food, Gun Violence, Mental Abuse, Mental Illness, Murder, Non-Consensual Touching, Physical Abuse, Poor Coping Mechanisms, Self-Injury, Stockholm Syndrome, Suicide, Toxic Masculinity, Unsafe Lifestyle, Violence, Violent Imagery,
Body Count: 2
The Specs:
- Genre
- Technical Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Suspense Thriller
- Theo Genre: Murder Mystery; Thriller; Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense
- Page count: 339 Pages/1963 KB
- POV: Unlimited 3rd
- Publication information:
- Paperback page count:
- Publisher: Compendium Press
- Language: English
- ISBN-13: 9780910355391
- ASIN: B07CRC52VH
Other Fun Stuff:
To Read or Not To Read (Again):
Donated
Rating out of five: 4.0 out of 5
Representation, Morality, and Sexism Tests:
- Bechdel–Wallace Test:
- Purpose: to establish actual female characters that act independently of male characters in a story.
- Do two female characters talk about something other than a male character? Yes
- Pass or Fail: Pass
- Purpose: to establish actual female characters that act independently of male characters in a story.
- DuVernay Test:
- Purpose: to establish characters of color in a story.
- Are there fully actualized characters of color? Yes
- Pass or Fail: Pass
- Purpose: to establish characters of color in a story.
- Ellen Willis Test:
- Purpose: to show balance in characters regardless of gender.
- Would two related characters still work to carry the story if their genders were reversed? Yes
- Pass or Fail: Pass
- Purpose: to show balance in characters regardless of gender.
- Hays Code Test:
- Purpose: to ignore outdated and queer-degrading/punishing standards that once were the standard for produced mass media.
- Part One: outdated moral guidelines
- Are there any outdated “moral content” rules gloriously kicked in the teeth by this story? Yes
- Are there people of color allowed a happy ending? Yes
- Is there an interracial couple? No
- Is there profanity used at all? No
- Is there one or more homicidal acts and/or murder? Yes
- Part Two: queer representation
- Are there queer characters that get a happy ending? No
- Is there an illegal or otherwise distasteful age gap between characters, queer or otherwise? No
- Do the queer characters die tragically, violently, or at all? No
- Pass or Fail: Half-Pass
- Mako Mori Test:
- Purpose: to assure that in the story there is at least one female character independent of a male character’s story.
- Is there a female character? Yes
- Does she get her own arc? Yes
- Does it do anything other than serve to support a man’s story? Sort of?
- Pass or Fail: Half-Pass
- Purpose: to assure that in the story there is at least one female character independent of a male character’s story.
- Sexy Lamp Test:
- Purpose: to assure that a female character in the story serves as an active protagonist, not just a device to be used by the male main character.
- Would the plot fall apart if the female character was replaced by a sexy looking lamp? Absolutely
- Post-It Note Caveat:
- Would the character be able to be replaced by a Sexy Lamp with a sticky note on it for information conveyance? Not at all
- Pass or Fail: Pass
- Purpose: to assure that a female character in the story serves as an active protagonist, not just a device to be used by the male main character.
- Tauriel Test:
- Purpose: to help support the existence of competent, independent female characters regardless of a romantic sub-plot.
- Is there at least one woman in the story? Yes
- Is this woman competent in her chosen occupation and not immediately shown up by a newcomer male character? Yes
- If she has or develops a love interest during the story, either implied or explicitly stated, does she suddenly abandon her job and/or chosen path to support or pursue said love interest? Nope!
- Pass or Fail: Pass
- Purpose: to help support the existence of competent, independent female characters regardless of a romantic sub-plot.
- Vito Russo Test:
- Purpose: to establish more characters that are on the SAGA (Sexuality And Gender Acceptance), QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) or LGBTQIAP+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic/Bigender, Transgender, Queer/Genderqueer, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic/Agender, Pansexual/Panromantic, and others not listed here) spectrum.
- Is there a character on the queer spectrum? Not specified
- Are they a character beyond their orientation? No
- Do they actually affect the plot? No
- Is the character something beyond a punchline? No
- Pass or Fail: Fail
- Purpose: to establish more characters that are on the SAGA (Sexuality And Gender Acceptance), QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) or LGBTQIAP+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic/Bigender, Transgender, Queer/Genderqueer, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic/Agender, Pansexual/Panromantic, and others not listed here) spectrum.
Overall review:
Thoughts: That the villain was so indicative of the issues with masculine culture right now and very white-knight, a fedora and a m’lady away from the toxic jerks parading about these days was very relatable. I felt for Dylan and Erin almost like they were friends of mine dealing with this loss.
The pacing of the story was pretty good! There was a decent hook and while I wouldn’t re-read this particular volume, I would recommend it to others. And I would absolutely read more by this particular author.
Was it engaging?
Yes
Favorite Character:
Gadget!
Review format updated 5 March 2019
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