Alex

Myles is a troubled sixteen year old boy from La Jolla, CA who openly smokes marijuana at home and is struggling in school. After his parents, Wade and Fiona, find oxycontin hidden in his room, extreme measures are taken. Two men are hired to come into the family home at four in the morning and involuntarily taken Myles to Hidden Road Academy, a treatment facility in Utah. The hope is that after a year at Hidden Road Academy, Myles can have his life turned around before it is too late.

While Wade and Fiona hope that the year Myles spends at Hidden Road Academy will be the nudge he needs to change his life, Myles quickly finds himself back to his old ways weeks after returning home. He has snuck away to Tijuana, Mexico. A bad decision turns into a crisis as Myles disappears.

This is the setup for Carl Vonderau's excellent novel, Saving Myles. After Myles disappears we are treated to a dark and sinister story about the length parents will go to protect their children. This story dives deep into the underworld of Tijuana and San Diego and how the tentacles of organized crime can quickly find you sucked in with no way out. In addition, Vonderau also explores family and the complicated dynamics of a trouble teenage child along with two parents who have to juggle their undying love for their child alongside a rocky marriage chalked full of resentment.

This novel is fast paced and an excellent read throughout. I especially enjoyed the structure of each chapter being told from the point of view of either Myles, Wade, or Fiona, which really puts a spotlight on the family dynamic in this story. In addition, I also appreciate that unlike many crime or mystery novels that place the focus of the story on law enforcement investigators, this novel strictly focuses on the victim and his family.

Given that this the first time I've read a novel from Carl Vonderau, I look forward to reading his previous novel, Muderabilia, alongside any future releases.

Highly recommended if you enjoy crime thrillers.