Product Description
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 ain 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 investigation into the identity of her
captor.
Still Missing is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral,
brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.
Amazon Exclusive: Lisa Gardner Reviews Still Missing
New York Times bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her
career in food service, but after her hair caught on fire
numerous times she took the hint and focused on writing instead.
A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest
in procedure, cutting edge forensics, and twisted plots
into a streak of 11 bestselling suspense novels, including her
most recent release, The Neighbor. Read her guest review of Still
Missing:
Heading to a beach? Boy do I have the book for you!
Every now and then a new author comes along that totally knocks
one out of the park. As a reader, I’m always thrilled to discover
a great new voice. As a writer, of course I’m insanely jealous
and suffer a terrible case of why-didn’t-I-think-of-that? Given
that debut author Chevy Stevens is young, beautiful and talented,
I’ve been gnashing my teeth for months!
Still Missing represents psychological suspense at its very
best. Realtor Annie O’Sullivan is abducted from an open house and
held captive for a year in a remote cabin by a sadistic
survivalist who considers her to be his wife as well as preferred
breeding stock. His goal is to get her pregnant and live
creepily-ever-after as the last man and woman on earth. Her goal
is to get away from him.
Now, you know Annie wins this war as the book opens with her
talking to a therapist. So you may ask, where is the suspense? I
can’t give you a simple answer to that, other than to say every
page crackles with it.
Still Missing creates one of the most haunting narratives I’ve
read in years. On the one hand, survivor Annie is tough, angry,
and brittle. The very worst has happened to her, and she escaped
through her own ingenuity and frankly, savagery. On the other
hand, survivor Annie is jumpy, terrified, and -deprived. All
these months later, she still can’t pee “off schedule.” In one of
the more moving scenes of the novel, she downs a gallon of iced
tea in order to force herself to urinate by her own free will.
She can’t do it.
In addition to her compelling heroine, Stevens has created one
of the best psychopaths since Hannibal Lecter—and that’s not
something I say lightly. Annie refers to her captor simply as The
Freak. Much like Hannibal, The Freak considers himself to be a
civilized human being. Intelligent, good looking and resourceful,
he’s an excellent “husband.” He has provided a charming cabin. He
supplies fresh food—sometimes so fresh that city slicker Annie
must bleed it out first, but details, details. Of course he has
expectations of his wife. She must be well groomed, properly
garbed, and 100% submissive. All failures to comply are met with
The Freak’s idea of appropriate punishment. The Freak is also
thoughtful and tender. Want to stop ing for a few nights?
Read the scene where The Freak first shaves Annie. And he means
it in the nicest sort of way.
Stevens skillfully juxtaposes the back story of Annie’s
captivity with the front story of a woman desperately trying to
recl her old life. As with all great suspense novels, the
surprises abound. Annie thought she’d survived the worst with The
Freak. But has she?
As the taut cat and mouse game unfolds, you will cheer for
Annie. You will hate The Freak. And you will be absolutely
mesmerized by the last line of this novel. Then, most likely, you
will return to page one, and start it all over again.
So give yourself a summer vacation. Check out debut author Chevy
Stevens, and soon you will be Still Missing.