*Originally published 2017/07/14
THOSE GIRLS written by Chevy Stevens
2015; 384 pages (St. Martin’s Press)
Genre: mystery, suspense, psychological thriller, Canadian
(I received an ARC from PUBLISHER through NetGalley)
Rating: ★★★
Dani, Courtney and Jess have had to take care of themselves since their mother passed away. They work hard at the ranch they rent their home from and keep each other going. Trying to stay out of their father’s way, as he is often drunk and violent, they lose all they know when a violent episode gets out of hand leaving their father dead. They pack a few things and head west to Vancouver (BC). On the way, the truck breaks down and their rescuers become their worst nightmare. Barely alive and scarred from the past few weeks the girls are taken in by a couple who help them get on their feet with new identities.
Eighteen years later, the past comes to haunt them.
I really enjoy Chevy Stevens books as her writing is raw and filled with suspense that keeps you up nights reading. While the rawness was evident in this book I found the suspense a bit lacking. I finished this book mostly because I like the author. The writing was well done but the story sometimes lagged and I didn’t like the abrupt change from Jess to Skylar. I may be judging this novel a bit harder as I expected more from Stevens…and cannot wait for the next book! As always I love her setting of Vancouver and bringing it to life.
THAT NIGHT Written by Chevy Stevens
2014; 384 pages (St. Martin’s Press)
Genre: mystery, suspense, psychological thriller, Canadian
(I received an ARC from PUBLISHER through NetGalley)
Rating: ★★★★
“As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent
complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn’t relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren’t easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night.
Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison.
Now thirty-four, Toni is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she’s doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy—not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni’s innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni’s life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night.” (From Amazon)
Ever since I have read Chevy Steven’s first novel I have added her to my must-read authors and That Night does not disappoint. It is a very good suspense/mystery set in BC, Canada (Campbell River to be exact). I like how Stevens flips back and forth between the “teen Toni” and “adult Toni” seamlessly. It does not seemed forced or cheesy as we learn how the past unfolds to what we now know.
NEVER KNOWING Written by Chevy Stevens
2011; 410 pages (St. Martin’s Press)
Rating: ★★★★
“At thirty-three Sara Gallagher is finally happy. Her antique furniture restoration business is taking off and she’s engaged to a wonderful man. But there’s one big question that still haunts her — who are her birth parents? Sara is finally ready to find out.
Sara’s birth mother rejects her—again. Then she discovers her biological father is an infamous killer who’s been hunting women every summer for almost forty years. Sara tries to come to terms with her horrifying parentage — and her fears that she’s inherited more than his looks — with her therapist, Nadine, who we first met in “Still Missing.” But soon Sara realizes the only thing worse than finding out your father is a killer is him finding out about you.
Some questions are better left unanswered.” (From Amazon)
What another great psychological suspense thriller by Chevy Stevens…what is the worst that can happen when looking for your birth parents? Poor Sara finds out there is a lot of bad things. I love the setting of Vancouver as I can not only picture what Stevens’ has written but also know it is correct. I am so glad that there is no sophomore curse!
STILL MISSING Written by Chevy Stevens
2010; 352 pages (St. Martin’s Press)
Genre: mystery, suspense, psychological thriller, Canadian
★★★★1/2
“On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.
Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.” (From Amazon)
WOW! An amazing psychological suspense thriller. I have not read a suspense book this great in a long time. It is written by a Canadian author – Vancouver in particular – so that caught my eye. I enjoyed the Canadian references and the descriptions as it fits what I see every day. It is from the point of view of an abductee and is well-written with a rawness and compassion that I have not seen in awhile. Still Missing has you from the moment she is taken from the street and I had a great afternoon and evening reading!
I somehow missed her 2013 novel, Always Watching and short story, The Other Side so I will be reading them soon.
CHEVY STEVENS grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. For most of her adult life she worked in sales, first as a rep for a giftware company and then as a Realtor. While holding an open house one afternoon, she had a terrifying idea that became the inspiration for Still Missing. Chevy eventually sold her house and left real estate so she could finish the book. Still Missing went on to become a New York Times bestseller and win the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Chevy’s books have been optioned for movies and are published in more than thirty countries.
Chevy enjoys writing thrillers that allow her to blend her interest in family dynamics with her love of the west coast lifestyle. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s camping and canoeing with her husband and daughter in the local mountains.
Author’s Website
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