TSS: Leaving Yesterday by Kathryn Cushman

My son was dead. I knew it the minute I saw the black-and-white car pull to the curb in front of my house.

Title: Leaving Yesterday
Author: Kathryn Cushman
ISBN: 9780764203824
Publisher: Bethany House/2009
Pages: 311

Alisha Stewart has lost her older son in a violent death and the other one Kurt took to drugs after his brother's murder. She hasn't heard from him for the past 18 months and fears the worst when a police officer turns up at her place. But the police is there to question Kurt about a murdered drug dealer. Then Kurt calls from a rehab and Alisha is grateful for being given a second chance. It turns out that he is the murder suspect and Alisha doesn't know how far she can go to protect him.

Leaving Yesterday deals with more than the prodigal son. Alisha and her husband Rick, are separated and now she is struggling being a single mother looking after their 10-year-old daughter, Caroline. She is also involved with church work, spreading the message of right and wrong. When she has to decide between her son and seeking the truth, she is in a dilemma. Here a mother's love weighs against the right path.

Kurt has turned around his life for the better and he deserves a second chance. He doesn't remember his drug-hazed days and is not sure if he killed the drug dealer or not. Everyone is desperate to find out the truth and Alisha leads the way, fully well knowing the consequences, if Kurt is found guilty.

The book tends to deviate at places, dwelling on the separation of Alisha and her husband, Rick. But I liked the bonding between the siblings, Kurt and Caroline. They adore each other. On seeing her brother, Caroline's happiness spills over the pages and the reader can feel the palpable affection between the two.