That Night by Chevy Stevens

In her latest novel, THAT NIGHT, best-selling author Chevy Stevens tells the story of Toni Murphy, who at eighteen, along with her boyfriend Ryan, were convicted of murdering her sixteen year-old sister, Nicole. Now, after they both have served their sentences and have been released from prison, they try to adjust to life on the outside, separately. Toni is doing everything  by the book, making sure she doesn't get sent back by violating her strict probationary rules. Toni and Ryan have always claimed they were innocent but the eveidence against them was too convincing, leaving almost no one believing them. Toni's own mother doesn't believe her and even her father, whom she's always had a good relationship seems to doubt her innocence but tries not to show it.

While Toni works to get her life back and follow the rules, Ryan is angry and determined to prove who the real killers are.  He starts digging up the past and soon attracts the attention of the group of girls that used to make Toni's life miserable when they was all in high school. The terms of Toni's parole are clear: no contact with Ryan or any witnesses involved in her case. But when it becomes clear that following the rules isn't working, Toni feels she has no other choice than to turn the tables and show the world she did not murder her own sister.

My Thoughts:

This is my second Chevy Stevens novel, after reading STILL MISSING a few years ago. I have to say, I liked this book better. I am not one to shy away from dark storylines, however the content in STILL MISSING was so raw and disturbing and I was surprised by my own reaction. With THAT NIGHT, the story is also tragic but at least I wasn't thinking about it at night while I slept.  The beginning of the book was a bit slow but not slow enough that it kept me from wanting to read it. I knew it would pick up and it certainly did just that. I liked the characters of Toni and Ryan and felt bad for them that no one understood them or even wanted to believe them. The first part of the book is all about bullying and the consequences of those actions. There's also a fair amount of prison scenes in this book but I felt it wasn't too much so that it overshadowed the story. I've read that some reviewers felt it was too much 'Orange is the New Black' for them but I didn't feel that way at all. Toni spent over fifteen years in prison and that time shaped her personality and I felt Ms. Stevens did a great job of depicting that along with  the relationships she developed while in there, whether they were good relationships or bad.

Toni is the one telling the story and the book reads exactly like that. She's an ex-con who grew up behind bars and therefore, she's a bit rough around the edges and it certainly comes across in the way she tells her story. This is not a book written in perfect grammar, but its for a very good reason.  I've read a few reviews where this bothered some readers but I feel it gave the story an authenticity, especially because it was Toni herself who was telling the story..

The bottom line is that I did enjoy this book and though it didn't pack a lot of surprises for me, it did captivate my attention. It was a quick read and part of what kept me turning the pages so quickly was that I was anxious to see if Toni and Ryan would get their justice.

THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens (@ChevyStevens)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published:  June 2014
Length: 381 pp
Source: Galley copy sent by the publisher

Audio Book Review: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Annie O'Sullivan is a successful Realtor, and at 32 years old, feels she has her life under control for the most part. Her life isn't perfect, but she has a good business with new prospects, a beautiful home and a boyfriend who puts up with her hectic schedule and long hours of work. Her family life is not without it's issues: her relationship with her mother and step-father could be better, but time heals all wounds, right?

And then everything changed in an instant.  Annie was hosting an Open House for one of her listings and after a slow day, one last potential buyer pulled in the driveway.  Annie put on her best smile and greeted him at the door.  His name was David and he had one of her fliers in his hands. But he wasn't there to look at the house.  Before Annie knew what was happening, she had been grabbed, forced into his van and taken away from everything she knew - and no one knew she was missing.

She is groggy, confused and has no idea where she is. How long will it be before her boyfriend realizes she won't be making their dinner plans later that evening? Will he think she's just working late again? What is this man planning to do with her? How long will it take her family to realize she's missing?  And how will she survive?

My Thoughts:


When I first began listening to this audio, I thought it was going to be a frightening read - one that I wouldn't read at night, but I soon realized it wasn't frightening in that sense, but in a whole other sense. It unfathomable what she endures at the hands of this man she's never seen before, yet he seems to know about her life. The story takes off rather quickly with the abduction and a rhythm falls into place.  Each chapter begins with Annie at her therapist's office after the ordeal is over.  An ordeal that lasted en entire year. So, the question isn't Did she survive? The question becomes How did she survive being held captive for an entire year by a psychopath?

Each chapter begins with Annie opening up about certain aspects of her abduction. In each session, her tone starts out hard, almost flippant, and sarcastic but as she continues talking, her voice becomes softer and wistful, like it belongs to someone else. Like a movie she's watching in her mind. You can hear the changes happen and feel the feeling of utter amazement in her voice that this terrible thing actually happened to her.

Angela Dawe does a great job narrating this tragic story. You can hear the many emotions in her voice as she describes the day to day events of that year and how she struggles to fight her way back to a life she thought would always be there. I liked the way Chevy Stevens alternates the story between the abduction and her life after her release. It is a very effective writing style and makes for good storytelling.

The ending of the story has a shocking twist that I wasn't expecting.  It is a disturbing twist but in this crazy world we live in, it is completely believable, albeit harshly stunning. Overall, I was happy with the book and enjoyed it, though it was tough listening at times.  It is a very well told story that I'm glad I took the time to listen to.

STILL MISSING
Author:  Chevy Stevens
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: July 2010
Length: 9 Hr 6 Min
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: Audible.com

Friday Finds: 7.9.10

This week I found my pick for Friday Finds while visiting the website for St. Martins Press. I stumbled across a brand new author and her book reached right out and grabbed my attention. Here's the 411 -

The book is called STILL MISSING and the author is Chevy Stevens. Here's the synopsis from the author's website:

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.

She's got a terrific website that you can check out right here. The book just came out and the reviews have been amazing. Since I love reading debut authors, I am anxious to read it for myself.

If you'd like to read about more Friday Finds, visit MizB at Should Be Reading.