Synopses & Reviews
“An electrifying read… I haven’t read anything so terrifying since Red Dragon.” —Stephen King A tale of desire, obsession, and deadly mystery, with echoes of Vertigo
Dr. Caleb Maddox is a San Francisco toxicologist studying the chemical effects of pain. After a bruising breakup with his girlfriend, he is drinking whiskey at the speakeasy House of Shields when a hauntingly seductive woman appears by his side. Emmeline whispers to Caleb over absinthe, gets his blood on her fingers, and then brushes his ear with her lips as she says goodbye. He must find her. As his search begins, Caleb becomes entangled in a serial murder investigation. The police are fishing men from the bay, and the postmortems are inconclusive. One man vanished from House of Shields the night Caleb met Emmeline. When questioned, Caleb can't offer any information. But he is secretly helping the city’s medical examiner, an old friend, understand the chemical evidence on the victims’ remains. Caleb’s search for the killer soon entwines with his hunt for Emmeline, and the closer he gets to each, the more dangerous his world becomes. The Poison Artist is a gripping literary thriller about obsession and damage, about a man unmoored by an unspeakable past and an irresistible woman who offers the ultimate escape.
Review
“Pulsates with suspense that gets a power boost from the jaw-dropping but credible closing twist.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“The ‘what would I do aspect of the reading experience may make this a match for some Jodi Picoult readers as well. Highly recommended.” Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“Sure doesn't read like a first book. In fact, it's a knockout, a psychological thriller that pulls no punches...” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“Stevens's blistering debut follows a kidnap victim from her abduction to her escape — and the even more horrifying nightmare that follows... A grueling, gripping demonstration of melodramas darker side.” Kirkus (starred review)
Review
"Engrossing, terrifying and ultimately full of girl-kick-ass, Still Missing will suck you in from page one." Chelsea Cain, author of Heartsick, Sweetheart, and Evil At Heart
Synopsis
On the day she was abducted, Annie OSullivan, a thirty-two 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 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.
The truth doesn't always set you free. Still Missing is that rare debut find — a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.
Synopsis
Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of 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.
Synopsis
On the day she was abducted, Annie OSullivan, a thirty-two 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 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.
The truth doesnt always set you free.
Still Missing is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.
Synopsis
“Pulsates with suspense . . . jaw dropping . . . enthralling.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
On the day she was abducted, Annie OSullivan, a thirty-two-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 shes about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.
“Will have you glued to the page.”—People magazine
Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent captive in a remote mountain cabin—which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist—is the second narrative recounting the nightmare that follows her escape: her struggle to piece her shattered life back together, the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor, and the disturbing sense that things are far from over…in Still Missing.
“Explosively frightening…Chevy Stevens is sure to rock lovers of the thriller genre.” —USA Today
Synopsis
A tale of desire, obsession, and deadly mystery, with echoes of
Vertigo
About the Author
Chevy Stevens is the author of Never Knowing. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a realtor. When she held open houses, she had a lot of time waiting by herself between potential buyers, and Stevens would spend this time scaring herself with all the things that could happen to her. The most terrifying scenario she thought up became the story behind Still Missing. Stevens grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island, and she still calls the island home. When shes not writing, shes hiking with her husband and her dog in the local mountains.
Reading Group Guide
1. How would you describe Annie's character...especially those qualities that enable her to survive her ordeal at the hands of The Freak? How well might you have fared?2. At some point during captivity, Annie begins to almost like The Freak. She goes to far as to admit that "sometimes he's kinda sweet." Although identifying with a captor is a known phenomenon—referred to as the "Stockholm Syndrome" in psychiatric parlance—how do those feelings develop in Annie?3. Are the early parts of the novel, the sex scenes, too lurid for your taste—do you consider them sensational. Or are they an integral part of the plot, necessary for us to grasp Annie's tormented state?4. Is "The Freak" a good name for Annie's abductor? What would you have called him? Describe him.5. Chevy Stevens has written her book as a flashback, the present peering back into the past. We know at the outset, therefore, that Annie escapes her ordeal. Why might the author have structured her book in such a way?6. David-The-Freak tells Annie that she is perfectly safe with him. There's a degree of ironic truth in his statement. How so? (Consider what happens when she escapes to freedom.)7. Describe what Annie finds once she returns home—starting with her mother and the accident that took her father's and sibling's lives. Then there's the old boyfriend, Luke, as well as her best friend.8. What prompts Annie to realize that her captivity was intentionally set-up by someone in her old life?9. What is the significance of the title, "Still Missing"?10. In all, does this book deliver? Were you held in suspense? Or did you find it predictable? Was the ending satisfying? Courtesy Molly Lundquist from LitLovers.com - Resources for Book Clubs & Readers