I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad

 

When Wayland Maynard is eight years old, he sees something no child should see.  He is sent home from school sick and when he arrives there, sees his father's truck in the driveway.  Curious as to why his father would be home during the day, Wayland goes in just in time to see his father shoot himself in the face with a shotgun.

Eight years later, Wayland's life has never recovered.  His mother, who had been a stay at home mom, now has to work two jobs to keep them fed.  His younger sister has gone off the rails, dating a bum who has managed to get her pregnant already.  Wayland is a loner at school, the other kids leaving him alone due to the tragedy.  He has one friend, Clay, a jock who Wayland befriended when Clay moved to town.

One day as Wayland is sitting on his bed, a revelation comes to him.  The man who shot himself had feet that dangled from the bed rather than reaching the floor.  Wayland's dad was tall and that should never had happened.  Wayland pulls out the note he never has told anyone he found that day.  It still says the same thing, "I am Not Who You Think I Am".  He puzzles about what that could mean.  Eight year old Wayland had no resources to investigate the death but sixteen year old Wayland is determined to find out all he can about the death.  With the help of Clay and a new girl at school, Juliette, Wayland starts to dig into the case and everything he finds deepens the mystery.  Can he find the truth after all this time?

Eric Rickstad has written a mystery that grabs the reader on the first page and propels them along.  Wayland is sympathetic and the author has captured the thoughts and actions of a teenage boy caught in misery and determined to find the truth.  The passages between Wayland and Juliette as they explore their new relationship are particularly well written.  This book is recommended for mystery fans.