Jacquelyn Mitchard Boeken

Als gevolg van een weddenschap met haar beste vriendin schrijft de veertienjarige Arley Mowbray uit Zuid-Texas een brief aan een gevangene. Hij, Dillon LeGrande, veroordeeld wegens een gewapende roofoverval en bijna twee keer zo oud als Arley schrijft terug. Zijn hartstochtelijke, poëtische brieven brengen haar hoofd op hol. En tegen alle logica in wordt de intelligente maar naïeve Arley roekeloos verliefd op Dillon - een liefde die breekt met alle regels. Dillon overreedt Arley in het geheim met hem te trouwen. Van een onschuldige tiener wordt zij tot de echtgenote van een misdadiger - en na hun enige nacht samen de moeder van zijn kind. Wanneer Arley door haar eigen moeder het huis wordt uitgezet is advocate Annie Singer de enige die het meisje wil helpen en haar tenslotte bij haar in huis neemt. Maar wanneer Dillon uit de gevangenis ontsnapt en zijn vrouw en kind komt opeisen, wil Arley nog maar één ding: haar dochtertje Desiree beschermen...

Na de dood van zijn zuster en zwager bij een ongeluk wil een jonge Amerikaanse biologieleraar hun dochtertje adopteren, maar de familie van zijn zwager probeert dit door een rechtszaak te verhinderen.

'Pas jij op je broertje!' zegt Beth Cappadora tegen haar zevenjarige zoon Vincent. Ze staat aan de balie van een hotel in Chicago, waar een schoolreünie wordt gehouden. Een paar minuten later draait Beth zich om, maar dan is Ben, drie jaar oud, al verdwenen. En niemand kan hem vinden. Een grootscheepse opsporingsactie levert, behalve een kleine, rode gymschoen, niets op. Uren worden dagen, weken, dan maanden. Beth wandelt als een zombie door het huis. Ze lijkt vergeten te zijn dat ze nog meer kinderen heeft. Langzaam drijft Bens verdwijning een wig in haar huwelijk. Ondertussen groeit Vincent, in de schaduw van zijn verloren broer, op tot een jeugdige crimineel. Hij tart het gevaar, in een poging de glazen stolp van stilte te doorbreken die het gezin Cappadora omgeeft. Negen jaar later, op een gewone doordeweekse dag, gebeurt er iets totaal onverwachts. En misschien, heel misschien, krijgt Beth terug wat zij voor altijd verloren waande: een reden om te leven.

Jacquelyn Mitchard reaches for heart and mind simultaneously, with both wit and nostalgia but never with sentimentality. Whether writing of gun laws and garage sales, the loneliness of the long-haul single mother, fear of gardening, or the late great American game of baseball, Mitchard stresses the personal stake each of us has in the stand-up drama of daily life. The single mother of five children, she shares her own family's dramas and epiphanies - her own mother's tradition of optimism based on nothing, the early death of her husband, the adoption of her baby daughter - as well as the great wheeling issues that confound 1990s Americans every day. If Jacquelyn Mitchard wore a T-shirt, it would say, "What are you waiting for?" Along with only a few writers of our time - Judith Viorst, Anna Quindlen, Erma Bombeck - Jacquelyn Mitchard is able to concoct a graceful blend of humor, vinegar and eloquence that reminds us that no matter how we change or how far we range, we are all "the rest of us."

When her husband decides to leave, advice columnist Julianne Ambrose Gillis must carry on alone. In his absence, Julie is diagnosed with a serious illness, which drives her children to undertake a dangerous journey to find their dad.

A beautiful late autumn day, an innocent game of hide-and-seek . . . but when twelve-year-old Ronnie Swan emerges from her hiding-place, she finds the brutally murdered bodies of her two little sisters. Nearby, a complete stranger covered in blood, sits sobbing on the family picnic table. The killer, Scott Early, is schizophrenic. And although her parents somehow find the strength to forgive him, Ronnie cannot. Over the years, calmly, systematically, she plans her revenge. But as she closes in on Early, Ronnie will discover the true meaning of sin and compassion - and her decision will change her and her family's lives for ever.

What do you do when the person you love best becomes unrecognizable to you? For Thea Demetriou, the answer is both simple and agonizing: you keep loving him somehow.Stefan was just seventeen when he went to prison for the drug-fueled murder of his girlfriend, Belinda. Three years later, he’s released to a world that refuses to let him move on. Belinda’s mother, once Thea’s good friend, galvanizes the community to rally against him to protest in her daughter’s memory. The media paints Stefan as a symbol of white privilege and indifferent justice. Neighbors, employers, even some members of Thea's own family turn away.Meanwhile Thea struggles to understand her son. At times, he is still the sweet boy he has always been; at others, he is a young man tormented by guilt and almost broken by his time in prison. But as his efforts to make amends meet escalating resistance and threats, Thea suspects more forces are at play than just community outrage. And if there is so much she never knew about her own son, what other secrets has she yet to uncover—especially about the night Belinda died?

The story unfolds two decades after Beth Cappadora's son, Ben, was abducted at the age of three. Miraculously returning nine years later, the family faces the challenges of reintegration and healing as they navigate the complexities of their shattered lives. The narrative explores themes of loss, resilience, and the enduring bond of family.

This gripping family drama delves into the intricate themes of loyalty, deception, and jealousy, showcasing the emotional turmoil that arises within relationships. Jacquelyn Mitchard masterfully weaves a narrative that keeps readers engaged as characters navigate their complex connections, revealing how secrets and betrayals can shape their lives. The story promises to be a compelling exploration of the bonds that tie families together and the struggles that can tear them apart.

Twenty years ago they were high school royalty, the girls everyone envied. But life for Tracy and Holly has subsided into suburban contentment, husbands, homes and families. So when Olivia, the group's glamorous leader, returns to America as a rich widow, they decide to celebrate their reunion onboard a luxurious sailing boat in the Caribbean. Accompanied by Tracy's unruly teenage daughter and an attentive and experienced crew, the three friends set sail for the holiday of a lifetime. But what really awaits them in the sun-drenched Caribbean is more mysterious and terrifying than anything they could have imagine. As their dream trip turns into a desperate fight for survival, the women soon find themselves faced with dwindling supplies, modern-day piracy and, above all, the deep, lonely ocean. To survive, they must rely on the bonds that have held them close all these years, friend to friend, mother to daughter - even as old secrets, old alliances and new treacheries push them beyond endurance... In her breathtaking new novel of suspense, Jacquelyn Mitchard explores the limits of friendship and the truths that bind us to each other forever.