Review of "You Were Always Mine: A Novel" by Nicole Baart

Jessica and Evan Chamberlain, who live in a small Iowa town, are parents to 13-year-old Max and 6-year-old Gabe. The couple adopted Gabe as an infant - right after losing their own newborn - and Jess compulsively clings to the little boy. In fact, Jess is so obsessed with being Gabe's mother that she almost refuses to acknowledge the existence of a birth mother, forbidding anyone to even mention her.

Evan, a compassionate family physician, feels differently. He's been exchanging the occasional letter - and photo - with the birth mother by way of the adoption agency, and has learned something about her in return. Evan kept this a secret from Jess, which put a strain on the marriage. Moreover, Evan recently embarked on a clandestine project concerning adoptions, and his distraction caused so much strife that he and Jess separated. So after 15 years of matrimony the Chamberlains are living apart.

Jess, a high school teacher, is having a hard time with this. She misses Evan; teenage Max has become surly and withdrawn; and Gabe keeps saying he wants his daddy to come home. Jess nurtures hope for a reconciliation until she gets a phone call that changes her life. Evan's body has been found on a Minnesota road, the apparent victim of a hunting accident. Jess can't take this in: Evan doesn't hunt and had no business being in Minnesota!

Jess feels compelled to learn more about her husband's death, and becomes something of an amateur sleuth. She meets with Deputy Mike Mullen, the Minnesota cop who informed her of Evan's death, and retrieves some of Evan's belongings. Jess also learns that Evan was in contact with Gabe's birth mother, which devastates her. To find out more about this, Jess visits the adoption agency; consults with her friend Meredith - who was her original adoption counselor; looks through Evan's apartment; etc. As a result, Jess unearths a lot of information, much of which is very mysterious. Furthermore, Jess believes someone searched her house, though nothing seems to be missing.

As all this is going on, Max - who got into serious trouble at school - has to make public restitution, and Jess's frantic and time-consuming detective work leads to suggestions of child neglect. How much more can she take?

Luckily, Jess's dad and step-mom help with the boys and her friend Meredith provides the occasional meal and emotional support.

The book is a slow burn rather than an action thriller, but the step-by-step reveals will please mystery lovers who like to puzzle out the plot points. I was surprised at the motivations of some of the characters, but the book's climax is exciting and makes sense.

The novel is cogent and well-written. I have to say, though, that I found Jess less than completely likable. Jess's smothering behavior toward Gabe, and her determination to keep him from learning anything about his birth mother....EVER.....struck me as neurotic and unhealthy. Furthermore, it can't have done Max much good.

Overall, I enjoyed this mystery and would recommend it to fans of domestic suspense stories.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Nicole Baart), and the publisher (Atria Books) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars