Authorized Overview:
All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara did not have an ideal home life. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and to find closure.
But some questions are better left unanswered. After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother — only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: Her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her.
What if murder is in your blood?
Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive....
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. At open houses, waiting between potential buyers, she spent hours scaring herself with thoughts of horrible things that could happen to her. Her most terrifying scenario, which began with being abducted, was the inspiration for STILL MISSING. After six months Chevy sold her house and left real estate so she could finish the book.
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 hiking with her husband and dog in the local mountains.
My Review:
Isn't Chevy Stevens beautiful, for one thing? She is, and she has the mind of an incredible writer years beyond her age.
Ms Stevens has done it again! After her hard-hitting, smash hit "Still Missing" which I reviewed last year, and urge you to search for here, she has come up with a new book that even trumps that one! See a more comprehensive study of "Still Missing" and "Never Knowing" on her website at: http://www.chevystevens.com/
Chevy is a master of the suspense novel...a spider spinning her web around us like a delicate lace until we're captured, turned this way and that, in the intrigue and thrill of her nightmareish story. It's thrilling--a reader's best hopes for a suspense novel.
"Never Knowing" makes us feel confined and trapped in the seemingly "no win" situation that Stevens's protagonist, Sara, finds herself. This gut-grabbing reaction she creates is akin to watching a movie and losing oneself in the action. It's not until you put the book down for a bit that you realize it's had you under this spell.
As the narrator of her own story, Sara's feelings and actions become real. The more we read, the more allied we are with her point of view and the more we're drawn into her web of danger and isolation.
As stated in the book overview, Sara is an adopted daughter who as an adult with her own child, decides to look for her birth parents. She walks into a journey of horrors since her adoptive parents never chose to share any part of her past with her. Chevy creates not only a note of suspense here, but the central expression of isolation and distrust Sara has experienced all her life. Chevy seems to be saying it's not what we're trusted to know that harms us, but what is kept from us.
Within this situation that careens out of Sara's control, it was difficult for me to like any of the other characters in the novel. None of them seem genuine, and they are cloaked in a distance that makes it impossible to really support her or her efforts. Even her husband, Evan, fails to come through for her. Her family were all disappointing, and symbolized to me the isolation many of us feel when we must face some of the most heart-wrenching mountains in our lives--stunned when we discover we're emotionally estranged from those we most hoped would be there for us.
Strangely, the person who appears to come closest to supporting her is a police detective assigned to her as he tracks her psychotic father. An institutional figure...interesting in 2011. The outcome here is very interesting.
On another significant point: A unique method Ms Stevens employs in her novels is her main character's interactions with a psychotherapist. The therapist acts as Chevy's and our sounding board; a "voice of reason" in the protagonist's mind, and a way to help navigate her feelings and actions within the maze of her personal conundrum. This technique is both effective and terribly engaging. It's a writing method I find unique. It allows us to probe the thought patterns Sara employs. Just mesmerizing and a glimpse into how the author builds her story.
In summary, Chevy Stevens has a gift for writing that sets her apart from the ordinary. Her intelligence shows! She's an author who is making a niche for herself in these competitive and often repetitive times. Her work is outstanding.
I'm a huge fan who will run at break-neck speeds to get her next book hot off the presses! I suggest you do, too.
I'm a huge fan who will run at break-neck speeds to get her next book hot off the presses! I suggest you do, too.
5 stars without hesitation for "Never Knowing" by Chevy Stevens.
Deborah/TheBookishDame
*Please let me know how you like it!
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