Strange But True - by John Searles (Paperback)

About the Book

This novel moves in unexpected directions from a family drama into a kind of mystery/thriller when Melissa Moody, girlfriend to Ronnie Chase, who died five years earlier in a car crash, tells Ronnie's brother and his cantankerous mother that she's pregnant with Ronnie's child.

Book Synopsis

Now a Major Motion Picture starring Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and Blythe Danner.

"Sinister and complex.... You'll race right through it."--New York Times

After a mysterious fall from his New York City apartment, Philip Chase has moved back home with his mother, Charlene, a bitter woman who has never fully accepted the death of her younger son, Ronnie, five years earlier. Surrounded by memories of the family he no longer has, and trying to forget the reasons he left New York, Philip is in stasis.

But everything changes late one windy February night when Ronnie's high school girlfriend shows up on their doorstep. A sad young woman who still bears the scars of the accident that took Ronnie's life, Melissa is nine months pregnant. The father, she claims, is Ronnie.

Now Philip and his mother must confront not only Melissa's past but also their own: the secrets each has buried and the lies each has told. But not everyone wants the past exposed.... At once a moving story of redemption and a heart-stopping work of suspense, Strange but True "will hold you transfixed" (Salon.com).

From the Back Cover

After a mysterious fall from his Manhattan apartment, Philip Chase has moved home with his mother, Charlene, a bitter woman who has never fully accepted the death ofher younger son, Ronnie, five years earlier. Numb from watching too much TV and trading snipes with his mother, Philip is in stasis. But everything changes one winter night when Ronnie's high school girlfriend shows up on their doorstep to deliver the news that she is pregnant ... and the father, she claims, is Ronnie.

So begins the startling tale as Philip and his mother confront Melissa's past and their own. Their search for answers takes them on an emotional journey, placing them in the path of murder and revenge. At once a moving story of redemption and a heart-stopping work of suspense, Strange but True brings to life a cast of characters that no reader will soon forget.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Review Quotes

"The absolute best novel I've read in a long, long time. Part psychological suspense, part character study, and all beautifully written, this is a page-turner with characters you can never forget." - Lisa Scottoline

"A fine, unsettling novel with richly etched characters and a delicious sense of menace." - Dennis Lehane

"Funny, mysterious and poignant, with just enough despair to make the path of redemption open wide, John Searles has created a novel to reread and treasure. This mother/son(s) story is filled with the angst of what might have been, the ache of true love and the terror of loss. This is a genuine page turner written so beautifully, you never want it to end." - Adriana Trigiani

"Energetic and witty...the plot rocks." - New York Newsday

"Pitch-perfect...this novel plays out as vividly as a movie....Who wouldn't be sucked into this story?" - Hartford Courant

"Exceptionally good." - Cleveland Plain Dealer

"John Searles' novel illuminates the intricate dynamics of families with humor, heart, and truth." - Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author of Running With Scissors and Dry

"Funny, mysterious and poignant....John Searles has created a novel to reread and treasure." - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Lucia, Lucia

"This is a page-turner with characters you can never forget." - Lisa Scottoline, bestselling author of Killer Smile

"'You know what's coming next, but you don't know all of it.' This is the reason we keep reading." - San Francisco Chronicle

"This tale has a light, eccentric aspect....You'll race right through it." - New York Times

"Searles' portrayal of a family in collective emotional agony is spellbinding." - BookPage

"Wonderfully entertaining." - Esquire

"Part thriller, part mystery, part coming-of-age fable, this story of a high-school quarterback's tragic death--and a most unlikely pregnancy--will hold you transfixed." - Salon.com

"Imaginative and compelling....John Searles has created a novel that is sometimes eerie, sometimes thrilling, and always completely engaging." - Carolyn Parkhusrt, author of The Dogs of Babel