About ‘The Boy in the Basement’ by Angela Lacy McClintock::
Genre: Thriller; Murder Thriller; Contemporary Fiction; Mystery; Romantic Subplot
It’s Halloween 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. Jennifer Riley, CPS supervisor and her team, face a nightmare line-up of child abuse cases. A young boy, imprisoned by his mother, in the family basement, fights for his very life. A baby girl, whose parents are drug addicts, is on life support from a traumatic brain injury. Despite the signs and natural assumptions that could lead the team to the perpetrators, the investigators discovered that the truth is never that simple. The team must navigate the “who” and “why” of these cases, with guidance from Jennifer. But when a ghost from her past reappears, Jennifer is shaken to her very core. One of her former foster children, who had survived the system, is murdered. What follows challenges her beliefs. Will her own self-doubt derail the team? A romance is the last thing she wants. But maybe, it is just what she needs.
Author Angela Lacy McClintock has made a powerful debut with ‘The Boy in the Basement.’ It tackles topics of abuse, addiction, challenges to moral convictions, doubt, loss, self-care, understanding, mental illness, and mental health. McClintock has a definite message for readers, which she relays in an entertaining tale.
Set during Halloween season 2019, the story follows the events surrounding three CPS (Child Protective Services) cases, starting with a nine year old boy who has been locked in a basement by his mother, who may or may not decide to come around every day to feed him. The lead investigator, Jennifer, works to guide Daniel and Michael through the cases they are assigned while she herself is thrown off kilter when a girl (now woman) she once saved is murdered at the hands of her abusive boyfriend.
There is an emotional core to the novel that was not what I expected and I mean that in the best of ways. Typically in these sorts of stories, the major focus is on the children, whether that is a character-driven narrative about their development or one plot-driven about their escape. While still illustrating what these children went through that led them to be investigated, McClintock has put primary concern on the CPS workers rather than the families. We learn of horrific events coming to pass when they are reported to CPS and journey alongside the investigators as they get to the root of the issue (if they are able to get to it at all), then must say goodbye to these people with little more than hope that there are no repeat tragedies.
It’s raw insight into the lives of those tasked with one of the most mentally taxing jobs there is and how they must learn to cope in a way that keeps them sane without sacrificing their compassion for those involved as well as prudence in the job. Something I greatly appreciated about the novel is Jennifer’s insistence on the investigators not judging the parents, but rather doing everything to understand why they are the way they are and have done the things they’ve done. It is exceedingly difficult to see a mother beat her son nearly to death and not want to beat her in kind. However, as Jennifer explains, it isn’t about giving leeway, but rather that if we can understand the why behind people’s actions, we can then work to prevent such occurrences and even reverse the damage causing people to act as they do.
That said, she finds it hard to take her own advice about compassion and self-care. I absolutely loved the ways her convictions were challenged and how she stumbled or overcame them each time. I’m sure many will be able to relate to her struggle. Another thing I appreciated was the knowledge on “Secondary Trauma.” I think most of us have heard the whole topic of therapists needing therapists, but they aren’t the only ones. I never really thought about how constant bombardment of child abuse cases might severely affect the mental welfare of the CPS investigators. The author puts it in easy perspective though and Jennifer stresses to her underlings the importance of taking care of their own emotions.
‘The Boy in the Basement’ is a fast-paced, character-driven novel bursting with emotion. McClintock has written the psychological trials of all the characters incredibly well, even that of the “villains.” The book is a fantastic challenge to the audience’s own morals by presenting points of view on tough topics in a way that makes them easy to receive. Throughout the story’s dark overtone shines a sense of hope that is wrapped up nicely in a happy(ish) ending.
Get the ebook on Amazon Kindle!
(also available on Nook)
Get the paperback on Amazon!
(aslo available on Barnes&Noble)
You can find the author on:
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Author Website
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((Review submitted to Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes&Noble, austinmacauley.com, ))
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