Upstanding Young Man
- Judith D Collins
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
By: Sharon Doering
Narrator: TBA
Audible Studios
ISBN: 978-1368113793 Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Publication Date: 08/12/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
In a quiet Chicago suburb, a star wrestler goes missing weeks before his high school graduation, shattering his mother’s carefully curated image of domestic bliss.
A pulse-pounding thriller with complicated family dynamics, perfect for fans of domestic suspense writers like Mary Kubica and Jennifer Hillier.
Meg Hart has taken great pains to create her perfect All-American family. It looks effortless, but that’s because she’s been smart about it.
However, on a brisk spring morning weeks before his graduation, her son McClane goes missing. And as the investigation deepens, the police zero in on her as their perfect suspect. Tragedy has struck this family before, and all signs suggest that she is the source. Add in her elusive husband’s strange behavior and inconsistencies in her story, it becomes clear that she has plenty to hide.
Before he disappears, it turns out McClane has secrets of his own: a pregnant girlfriend, a shocking truth about his wrestling career, and a chilling discovery—the person he trusts most has betrayed him in the worst way.
Alternating between Meg’s perspective in the initial days of the investigation and McClane’s in the hours leading up to his disappearance, Upstanding Young Man is packed with relentless tension and short, fast-paced chapters that will keep readers up all night.
Praise
“Upstanding Young Man is a thought-provoking thriller that makes you question how much you know about your family—and your children. Beautifully written, suspenseful to the very end, this book packs an emotional wallop. Doering’s books just get better and better!”
—Samantha Downing, international bestselling author
"When a young man goes missing, the action unfolds like a bolt of lightning as his mother tries to uncover the secrets he's kept, while revealing some of her own. Using a split time frame and dual narration, Sharon Doering offers adept insights into the dynamics of family relationships while exploring the terrifying ways that life can change in the blink of an eye. A compelling read!"
—Wendy Walker, bestselling author of psychological suspense
“Tense, evocative, and surprising, Doering’s Upstanding Young Man grabs you and won’t let go.”
—Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author
“Sharon Doering’s latest, Upstanding Young Man, is a raw, unflinching study of the perfect family’s ugly underbelly. A fresh, harrowing commentary on modern motherhood with one of the most well-drawn characters I’ve read in ages. With gasp-worthy twists and an ending that will leave you breathless, Upstanding Young Man is a beautiful and brutally honest portrayal of how easily we lose sight of those we love most. Readers will devour this story and, in turn, it will stay with them long after the last page is turned.”
—Danielle Girard, USA Today bestselling author of White Out
“Upstanding Young Man is a riveting novel that shows what can happen when the people we love become unrecognizable, even dangerous—and how far we will go to protect them, no matter what. Smart, twisty, and deeply unsettling, Sharon Doering will have you wondering if there’s anyone in your life you can totally trust.”
—Laura Leffler, author of Tell Them You Lied
“Sharon Doering is a fearless virtuoso, and with Upstanding Young Man she offers readers a tense, beautifully observed and gorgeously penned meditation on family dynamics—by turns nerve-shreddingly suspenseful, caustically funny, and heart-shattering—that explores the full scope of maternal love while engaging with the specter of societal misogyny and the violence it engenders. An absolute must-read!”
—Elizabeth McCullough Keenan & Greg Wands, international bestselling authors of Trust Issues
“Sharon Doering's Upstanding Young Man is propulsive, observant, juicy, heartbreaking, and acerbically funny, crime fiction at its best. You will tear through this tale of a family tearing itself apart from within. And your head will echo with the voices of beleaguered mom Meg Hart and her son McClane, the beloved kid who goes missing.”
—Bryan Gruley,Amazon #1 bestselling author of Bitterfrost and the Starvation Lake trilogy
"Upstanding Young Man dragged me into the depths of family secrets and didn't let me up for air until I hit the final page. Doering does it again in this taut suspense with gut-wrenching stakes. A must read!" —Elle Marr, Amazon Charts bestselling author of Your Dark Secrets
About the Author
Sharon Doering has worked on Wall Street, in a lab, and as a science professor. She has also been a good waitress, a mediocre bartender, and a terrible maid. She lives in Chicagoland with her family and a big, silly dog.
Upstanding Young Man is her third novel.
