Center for Teaching & Learning

Counterfeit Son is crammed with suspense, moments of sadness, and moments of happiness that bring tears to your eyes.  Cameron, the main character, has a father that murders innocent young boys in his basement, and no matter how many cleaners he puts down, the stench of old blood and flesh won't go away.  While his father is in the basement, Cameron looks through the files of the boys his father has murdered. When his father is finally killed during a police shootout, the one thing he had been waiting for might be right around the corner: becoming a normal person.  He decides to steal the identity of one of his father's victims:  Neil Lacey.  He dreams of sailing and Neil Lacey had exactly that.  His wish is granted.
Neil Lacey was gifted with loving parents, pleasures only money could buy, and a nice home.  Only Cameron’s plan doesn’t work all the way.  His so-called sister doesn’t believe the lies that Cameron mimicked from the newspaper articles.  The way he doesn’t act like Neil makes her even more suspicious that he is an impostor.
His father's scheming crime partner, Cougar, shows up after his sentence in prison for murdering a boy.  He wants money from the Laceys, knowing that Cameron is an impostor.  Only then does Cameron find out the truth about the murders and how he was associated with them.
Elaine Marie Alphin had me connect with Cameron by putting a lot of his thoughts and feelings in the book so that the way you were into the book was because of sympathy and feeling guilty that this was happening to Cameron.  I think Alphin does that because Cameron's situation is pretty rare; you couldn't connect with the book if the novel was only description or dialogue.
Also, she puts you on the plot conveyer belt and compels you to read the book because the protagonist has a lot of hurdles thrown at him that he has to avoid.  That makes the novel suspenseful because you keep thinking, "Is he going to get caught?" That was the reason I wanted to read under the covers at night.  Alphin creates suspense in the book while the book moves on.  It makes you think that Cameron's cover will be blown any second and then when he seems safe, you exhale and sigh because he was not caught.  But, then you’re right back where you started, holding your breath on the very next page.  For example, when his "sister" asks who he really is, you don't know if Cameron is going to say, "Well, I am Cameron Miller, the son of the boy who killed Neil," or if he is going to say, "Well, I am Neil. I've only changed because of the experiences that I've been through."  There seem to always be two options to his actions when it comes to lying and telling the truth.  When his sister's suspicions transform into reality, you are holding your breath for what resolution will unfold and how it will change Cameron’s life.  Also, when Cougar shows up, you think:  Well, I was hopeful while it lasted and now it’s over.  Alphin takes you on a roller coaster that you always want to go on, over and over again.
I think that if you liked The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin, you would love Counterfeit Son because they both have a fast-moving plot and they always keep you on the edge of your seats.  Also, there is a pretty big twist in The Perfect Shot and an extremely big twist in , so if you like twists, these two books are must-reads.  Since I have read both, I think that Alphin is not a cliché writer that always writes about the same thing in her books.  Also, she is very original in her ideas to portray a moral so that the So What? has not been portrayed in the way that she has.  That way, the book is not close to something you've read before.
Claire