When I received this book from Netgalley, I decided to read the first book in the trilogy (Fall from Grace) before reading this one. As it turns out, this is actually a prequel which can be read on its own (although there are bits that make more sense if you've read Fall from Grace). It's made clear in the first book (a murder mystery/thriller) that the victim, Ben Blaine, was a brilliant writer, but not much of a father or husband. Loss of Innocence takes us back to 1968, when Ben was a young man, and while told from the viewpoint of a young woman named Whitney Dane, we learn what shaped Ben into the writer, husband and father that he became. It turns out that Patterson was born about the same time that Whitney was, so was living through that point in time at about the same she was. And being just a bit younger I remember those times well, although as a high school student rather than a recent college graduate. He gives an excellent sense of the turmoil of that time, and it's interesting to see the parental units from Fall from Grace as young people trying to find their place in a rapidly changing world.

A coming of age story, this is a departure from Patterson's usual thrillers, and left the mystery of how Ben died unanswered. I look forward to reading the final book in the trilogy to learn the answer.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Great read. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Book that you can't put down. Many twists and turns