What Boys Learn

An Illinois woman suspects her troubled son of foul play in this unsettling psychological thriller from Romano-Lax (The Deepest Lake). After 17-year-old Sidney Mayfield dies of an apparent suicide in the suburbs of Chicago, her hotheaded father blames high school counselor Abby Rosso for missing the warning signs. Then Sidney’s best friend, Izzy Scarlatti, turns up dead in a motel, and the authorities begin to suspect that both girls were murdered. Meanwhile, Abby tries not to worry when she finds women’s underwear hidden among the belongings of her lonely teen son, Benjamin. But Benjamin is caught stealing Izzy’s diary, and police learn he sent the girl threatening texts before she died. Though Benjamin maintains his innocence, Abby has her doubts, particularly given her brother’s psychopathy. Desperate for—and terrified of—the truth, Abby sends Benjamin to a psychologist and launches her own investigation into the girls’ deaths. Cartoonish villains and an overcomplicated backstory somewhat diminish the story’s impact, but on balance, Romano-Lax delivers a tense, twist-riddled exploration of toxic masculinity, parental insecurity, and generational trauma. It’s a thought-provoking suspense tale. Agent: Michelle Brower, Trellis Literary. (Jan.)