Mad Honey - a compelling story about love, loss and secrets.

A major theme in Mad Honey is the concept of what we choose to keep as secrets and what is our right to privacy. We first meet Olivia McAfee, who has the interesting vocation as a beekeeper. She fled an abusive husband and moved, with her son Asher, to a small town in New Hampshire. She has kept her abuse a secret. Asher is popular in school and is a star hockey player. When he meets Lily Campanello, the new girl in town, they become very close, very quickly. She also has her own secrets. After one of their quarrels where they didn't speak for a short period, Asher goes to Lily's house only to find her at the bottom of her stairs. While in shock and grieving at the loss of his girlfriend, Asher is soon arrested for her murder. The story is told from the perspectives of Olivia and Lily. Olivia wants to believe in her son but has to consider that Asher may have inherited her ex-husband's violent rage. Lily's story, told during the periods leading up to her demise, reveals a complex and smart young woman who is finally becoming her own self in her new setting. Seeing all her possibilities makes knowing she dies, especially tragic. The story is both a compelling courtroom drama as well as a sad story of a life lost.

Authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan have successfully written together for the first time providing a seamless story that doesn't feel like two writers were involved. They tackle some very serious issues which are handled with sensitivity. The courtroom action kept me on the edge of my seat. And gaining some insight on the world of beekeeping was a nice bonus.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books / Random House for the opportunity to read Mad Honey in advance of its publication.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Contemporary Fiction / Mystery.

Publication Date: October 4, 2022.

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