This book is good, but not captivating like the first. I never quite understood why he felt that he needed to go back and see his mother. One thing that I didn't like about this book is how it talked so much about the writing of "A Child Called It". Though that is how the relationship between Dave and Marsha developed.
Another reviewer mentioned that he never explained why his mother had become so evil. I was thinking that too, but came to the conclusion that as a child, and even as an adult, he really didn't know. My personal guess would be mental illness and alcoholism.
It was also mentioned that he stayed loyal to his father until the end, and she wasn't sure why. If you read all 3 books, Dad stayed at the firehouse more and wasn't around. As a child, he idolized his father and his father never hurt him. I think Dave also saw more, especially when his father died, how his mother was toward his father and realized that's part of the reason he stayed away.
All in all, if you have read the first 2 books, you should read this one. You will see how Dave did in the Air Force and see how he handled things with his birth parents in his adult life.