Saving Max
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Max Parkman is perfect in his mother's eyes. Until he's accused of murder.
Attorney Danielle Parkman can't deny her son's behavior has been getting worse—drugs and violent outbursts have become a frightening routine. But when she receives the diagnosis from a top-notch adolescent psychiatric facility that Max is deeply disturbed—and dangerous—it seems too devastating to accept.
Until she finds Max, weapon in hand, at the bedside of a fellow patient who has been brutally stabbed to death.
Separated from Max and trapped in a maelstrom of doubt and fear, Danielle's mothering instincts snap sharply into focus. The justice system is bearing down on her son, so she must use her years of legal experience to find out the truth, no matter what that might be. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her son truly a killer?
Previously published.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Parents of children with serious behavior problems will find their worst nightmares come alive in Texas attorney van Heugten's debut, a murder thriller. The worries of single mother and Manhattan attorney Danielle Parkman about her son, Max, a high-functioning 16-year-old with Asperger's, escalate when she discovers he's using drugs and keeps a journal filled with violent suicidal writings and drawings. Max's outbursts have also left Danielle with more than a few bruises and scrapes. When the boy's doctor recommends Maitland Psychiatric Asylum in Plano, Iowa, Danielle reluctantly agrees. Danielle soon has her doubts about Maitland, especially after staff members diagnose Max with "an extreme form of psychosis" and refuse to let her be a part of her son's care. Her misgivings intensify after Max is accused of killing a fellow patient and she's arrested as an accessory. More than one harrowing twist toward the end compensate for the "stiffened spines" and "horrified glances."
