The Good Father is a story of a father/son relationship that goes awry after a divorce. The son ends up dropping out of college and ends up being accused of a terrible shooting. The story is part psychological portrait, part mystery, and while I wouldn't call it fine literature, it was a very fascinating read. I finished it in a couple of days because it was hard to put down for me.

Most of the story is told through the eyes of the father, and I found this point of view to be very interesting as a parent.

Interwoven into the perspectives of the father is the story of the son and how he gets in such deep trouble. There are many anecdotes of the most famous assassins/shooters of modern day times - - and these serve to illuminate the tale of the son.

All in all, a great read, albeit not an uplifting one. I think parents and/or children of divorce will find it easier to relate to the storyline as a whole. I was quite tempted to give it five stars, but I usually reserve those for books with more literary merit, and there were some elements that weren't totally believable. . .but it was a thoughtful, well crafted, and disturbing story. It would be a strong book club selection. ( )

As with most books by this author, it's well written, paced and shed's light on areas most of us have put aside. Sad in many ways, its story told by a father crushed by his past whose sadness grows with each chapter. Being in denial of decisions we make never moves us forward and in this case, he has to come to grips with it. I was particularly moved myself since in ways, my life paralleled his son, minus the violence. Regardless I also enjoyed details from assassinations I was familiar with yet unaware of the particulars. ( )

It took me a while to get into this, and there are some things I didn't like about it (the narrator does go on a bit at times) but the second half had me gripped. It's a very mature kind of thriller, emotional and thoughtful and (once it gets going) completely absorbing. ( )

This was one of the best books I've read in awhile. It's a story of a father of a kid accused of assassinating a popular national candidate. And of the kid. And it's really wonderfully told. ( )

It took me forever to finish this book because life kept getting in the way but now that I have I have just one word: WOW! I really wanted the son to be innocent and I was saddened when he wasn't. It definitely tore at my heart that the father let go of his son and had to watch him die. I think anyone can relate to having to let their family members go and watch them die. It is a must read.