Jesse's Girl by Gary Morgenstein

Product Description
The story opens as a jarring phone wakes lifelong Brooklynite and widowed father Teddy Mentor well after midnight. It's the Montana wilderness program saying that his 16-year-old adopted son has run away - and they haven't a clue where he's gone. Only two weeks ago, Jesse had been taken to the program by escorts to deal with substance abuse problems. Jeopardizing his flagging PR job in New York, Mentor rushes across the country to find Jesse, who is off on his own quest: to find Theresa, the sister he's never known. When Teddy finally discovers Jesse at a bus stop in Illinois, he is torn between sending him back or joining his son on a journey to find this girl in Kentucky. But he decides to go and they become embroiled in a grisly crime when Theresa's abusive husband Beau attacks her - Jesse stabs the big beast of a man, leaving him for dead.

My thoughts
“Jesse’s Girl” by Gary Morgenstein is an interesting venture into family dynamics. The main character, Ted Mentor is the father of a sixteen-year old adopted son with drug problems. The story opens up with the Jesse (the son) running away from rehab. We also learn in the beginning that Ted’s estranged wife was recently killed in an auto accident. Leaving Brooklyn and his job, Ted travel to Montana to find his son. After finding him it is a roller coaster of a ride as they travel the Midwest and try to reconnect. Okay, Ted tries, Jesse could care less. With that said, I could not put the book down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and how these characters will react. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a heartwarming family drama.