Ill Will

In this intensely readable and shadowy novel by Chaon (Await Your Reply), Dustin Tillman is a 40-year-old psychologist who has recently lost his wife to cancer. Dustin is no stranger to tragedy, having lived through the mysterious murder of his parents and relatives many years ago. Now he learns that his adopted brother, Rusty, found guilty of committing those murders, has been released from prison. A former police officer whom Dustin is counseling has involved him in an amateur investigation of the mysterious deaths of local youths in the area. Meanwhile, Rusty has been contacting Dustin's son Aaron, who is struggling with a dangerous drug habit and is just now learning of his father's tragic past. When Dustin loses contact with his son and finds out that he had been in touch with Rusty, he is drawn toward a confrontation that is both horrific and inevitable.