Review – My Son John

Charles Peterson stepped into the kitchen, two police officers in his wake. Liz felt hairs at the nape of her neck rise, before she heard her ashen-faced husband whisper brokenly, “It’s your mother…she’s dead.”

Tears trickled down Liz’s face, and she felt her world spin out of control. She moved to Charles side and sank into the comfort of his arms, sobbing. Questions made her head pound, her temples throb, what…how…when…but she only managed, “What…why are the police here?”

Charles struggled to whisper the words, “Murdered. Your mom was…brutally…murdered.”

It would take days for Liz to accept that fact. But soon, she would remember that morning as the calm before an emotional storm that tore her family apart and made her question her sanity.

The story unfolds moment-by-moment, through Liz’s eyes, their son, John, and daughter, Sarah. Readers feel the family’s pain, confusion, and inability to grasp what has just happened as shock and incredulity claim every waking moment.

The Peterson’s had raised their Christian family in church traditions, played family games, and shared mealtimes. They practiced their faith, and honored God. When the “unthinkable” happened, it divided their lives into the “before” and “after,” and each one struggled to find God in the ashes that remained.

My Son, John reads like a true story torn from today’s headlines, but its fiction. I turned the pages faster and faster and then began to skim, just to find out what happened next, it’s that good. It’s a story that stirs the soul. WARNING: Don’t start this book without a box of Kleenex nearby.

This small book with a big message relates an emotional and chilling story of murderous violence, but it’s also a story of what unconditional love means, and the cost of unconditional forgiveness. The story will remain in your memory long after you close the book.

Chapter by chapter discussion questions, a book list, and ministry resource contact information complete the book. Chosen “number one book by The Book Connection” for 2009, http://tinyurl.com/ybdtfyx I agree with and applaud their choice!