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Graphic,
Dark,
Unconvincing

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Three Weeks to Say Goodbye

by C.J. Box

Published: 2009-01-06
Hardcover : 352 pages

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Introduction

After years of trying to have a baby, Jack and Melissa's dream has come true with the adoption of their daughter Angelina. But a phone call that comes nine months after the adoption is unexpected and devastating. The birth father, a teenager, never signed away his parental rights. And his father, a powerful Denver judge, wants him to own up to this responsibility. It is immediately apparent that there's something sinister about both of them and that love for Angelina is not the motivation for their actions. As Angelina's safety hangs in the balance, Jack and Melissa will stop at nothing to protect their child, and when a horrifying game of intimidation begins, it is clear this may be a battle to the death

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Excerpt

Saturday. It’s important to me that I work hard, even in a
bureaucratic environment where it’s not necessarily
encouraged or rewarded. You see, I’m not the smartest guy
in the world, or the best educated. My background doesn’t
suit me for the job. But my ace in the hole is that I work
harder than anyone around me, even when I don’t have to. I
am the bane of an office filled with bureaucrats and I’m
proud of it. It’s the only thing I’ve got.
Before doing anything, though, I punched the button to
retrieve my voicemail.
“Jack, this is Julie Perala. At the agency…”
I stared at the speaker. Her voice was tight,
cautious, not the confident and compassionate Julie Perala
from the adoption agency Melissa and I had spent hours with
while we went through the long process of adopting
Angelina, our nine-month old. My first thought was that we
somehow owed them more money.
“Jack, I hate to call you at work on a Friday. I hope
you get this and can call me back right away. I need to
talk with you immediately – before Sunday, if possible.”
She left the agency number and her cell phone number
and I wrote them down.
Then: “Jack, I’m so sorry.”
...

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Discussion Questions

1. THREE WEEKS explores a very real (if fictionalized) situation where an adoption goes horribly wrong. How could Jack and Melissa McGuane handled the situation differently than they did?

2. The novel's core is the balance between good and evil. At what point does a good person become evil if the actions the good person takes are for the right reasons? On the same track, the judge by all accounts is an honest and fair judge in the courtroom. Is he wholly evil, or simply criminal by taking things too far?

3. Cody Hoyt has his own definition of justice, yet he's an effective Denver detective. What makes Cody tick?

Weblinks

»	Author's Website
»	Publisher's Book Information

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

As a voracious reader myself, I know what it's like when a book grabs you by the throat and heart and won't let go.

Writing THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE was a lot like that. The story gripped me in a way that was both exhilarating and a little frightening. It would not let go. And it took me to some dark places I'd rather not go again.

The premise of the new novel is based on an experience that actually happened to some friends of mine. After years of trying to get pregnant, my friends chose to do a very noble thing: adopt a little girl. They loved and cherished their new little daughter. Then came a phone call from the adoption agency: the father - a teenage slacker backed by his suspicious father - had never signed away parental custody. The boy suggested he might just want the little girl “back at home.” It was a nightmare scenario. My friends found themselves being held hostage to the impulses and whims of a teenager who had the power to control their lives and take away the child they loved.

Luckily, my friends were much wiser than Jack and Melissa McGuane of THREE WEEKS. But when they told me their story, I couldn't help thinking of the decisions they could have made. And what might have happened if they did.

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 1 members.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

"Violence 4 fun?"by Grace D. (see profile) 08/11/19

I finished the book just to find out why Uncle Jeeter even existed in the book. Turns out, there just isn’t enough violence without him.

"not "book club" material"by Eve L. (see profile) 04/17/09

This is the kind of book to read in between your book club choices. Even for that, I didn't care much for this book. I know that a lot of "suspense" style books have a plot that is maybe a little far-fetched,... (read more)

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