Still Missing
by Chevy Stevens
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Book Reviews of Still Missing
Book Review: Don't get all the positive reviews
Summary: 2 Stars
I don't often write reviews, even though I read a ton of books. I just generally find that someone has said whatever I'd like to say, so I can move on. But I bought this book because it had hundreds of positive reviews, so I thought it had to be pretty good. So I thought I'd submit my negative review to counterbalance the positive reviews.
I gave it two stars instead of one because I did finish it. It was not unreadable. But the writing really was amateurish, and the story just plain silly. First of all, the device of having each chapter be a session with Annie's shrink, who is conveniently not allowed to speak is just lazy. And it was poorly done. Having each session start with "Hey, doc, glad you could see me blah blah blah." Stupid. Like something I would have done in high school. And although the words are supposed to be Annie speaking to her shrink, the language did not sound at all the way someone would actually speak. And of course there is not much tension, because you know she survived. But she gets to the end of her story pretty early on, so you know of course there has to be a "twist." Well, the twist was totally implausible. Spoiler alert. There was nothing in this book to indicate that her mother was truly evil, capable of having her daughter abducted. Sure, she was not a great mother, but not so evil that she would have her daughter kidnapped, and then set up another fake abduction after she comes home. Because she's jealous of her sister? Ridiculous. I could get past the silly plot if the writing was really good, or past the bad writing if the story was compelling. This story had neither going for it. I did finish it, was curious to see what the "twist" would be. Was sadly disappointed. Do not get the positive reviews at all.
Book Review: Makes for a breathless read [4.5 stars]
Summary: 5 Stars
Chevy Stevens' debut novel Still Missing is a breathless nightmare of a book. It tells the story of real estate agent Annie O'Sullivan, who is kidnapped by a stranger during an open house she's hosting. Annie narrates the painful story of what happened during and after her abduction in a series of sessions with a therapist. Annie's captor is a violent control freak who terrifies her into obeying his exacting rules: the punishment for disobedience--for, for example, urinating at other than the prescribed time--are severe. (The details may be disturbing to some readers.) But freedom, when it finally comes, offers less comfort than one might suppose. And it remains to solve the mystery behind her abduction: Why her? And why did her captor know so much about her?
Still Missing is written in conversational prose that makes for a quick read. And it's a book that you won't want to put down. Although we know from the start that Annie ultimately survives her abduction, the plot is nonetheless gripping because we don't know how she survives, or whether her ordeal is really over when she gets home. My only complaint about the book is that the voice of the narrator when she's telling her story to the therapist is very different from her voice in the conversational passages that frame her recollections. I assume this is intended to differentiate the earlier, stronger Annie from the damaged goods she is in the present, but some of her recollections are more recent, so I don't think that that differentiation quite works. Also, the voice of the damaged Annie seems younger than that of a 32-year-old woman. I found this jarring, but otherwise this one is a really good choice for when you're in need of a page-turner.
-- Debra Hamel
Book Review: Visceral Read, Summer 2010 Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Chevy Stevens abducted me with her remarkable debut novel. Holding me hostage from the first page until long after the last one. Annie's story has stayed with me.
The plotline was terrific, Chevy deftly handles all the story threads without difficulty. Annie tells her horrific kidnapping story in first person to her shrink. An honest, brutal, tragic story the first person POV makes it cut to the bone. Initially, on her arrival back home she cuts herself off from all the people whose contact she so craved during her yearlong isolation. How can anyone else comprehend what she has endured for the last year? Certainly not her alcoholic, egocentric mother, her unsuccessful stepfather, her passive boyfriend or the steamroller of a best friend, they are part of her "before" life. Annie is ashamed of what she had to do and endure just to stay alive. As a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder victim, she finds it incredibly difficult to adjust to "life after". The PTSD makes her a shadow of her former self, her real self, her real life "Still Missing". Not spending the night in the hallway closet is a personal victory. Confronting personal Paranoia is part of the long readjustment process. Reality is even more difficult to confront in the second half of the book. The pacing of the entire book was perfect. Twists along the way brought unexpected surprises.
This was a visceral read for me. Not since the early works of Dean Koontz (esp. "Intensity") has a book provoked this type of response. I highly recommend this read for "thriller/suspense/crime" fans, just don't make any plans to do anything else.
It almost made me sleep in the hallway closet.
Enjoy the read!
Book Review: disappointing amateurish dribble
Summary: 1 Stars
Still missing is a perfect description of the author's utter egregious lack of talent. If the author, Chevy Stevens, presented this boring paint-by-numbers manuscript to a professor in a first year fiction-writing course, she'd likely earn an F. (The pretty author photo in the back might get her a D, but no more) All fiction writing courses instruct: "show, don't tell". While most of Still Missing is in first person narrative as the protagonist Annie dribbles on and on and on. There is nothing even mildly interesting or entertaining about this novel. You don't get a feel for any of Annie's relationships as with her best friend, Christina. They're all "ghost figures.". Annie comes off as a disembodied spirit, not a human being. It would have been so much better to intersperse contrasting memories of her past normal life during her abduction--and showing, not telling. And I was never transported. I was always aware I was reading a book by an author who was not the least bit talented or entertaining. There was no magic. Like the judges say to America's Got Talent rejects---There's NO WOW factor. An exact opposite of this clunker was Siegel's novel Derailed. It was utterly thrilling.
Has Chevy Stevens ever read any good books? Or was she a bored realtor who when the real estate market tanked, needed to do something to make a living and despite a egregious lack of talent, technique and seasoning jumped ship.
The many excellent reviews have me underwhelmed/flabbergasted. Has the publisher instructed employees to write favorable critiques on Amazon. Probably. I've read thousands of books and I love a good read. This sadly wasn't one of them. It wasn't even passable. It stank.
Book Review: Brutally Effective
Summary: 4 Stars
STILL MISSING is a heavily hyped thriller that consists of three major parts. I found the first two parts very effective, the third part less so.
The first part of STILL MISSING involves the main character, Annie O'Sullivan, being kidnapped and held prisoner by a psychopath. This part of the story is graphic, harrowing, and undeniably suspenseful. I found myself tearing through the pages, anxious to see what would happen next. Without question, this is the best part of the novel, with a great, frightening villain. It's also pretty brutal stuff -- not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.
The second part of STILL MISSING details how O'Sullivan, after escaping the psychopath, tries to recover from the trauma of her imprisonment. Overall, I thought this part was sensitively handled. It's not easy to write about a psychologically damaged character, but author Chevy Stevens does a solid job describing O'Sullivan's efforts to rebuild her life.
The third part of STILL MISSING is more problematic. Essentially, the novel turns into a whodunnit, where O'Sullivan tries to discover the reasons behind her abduction. What follows are a series of plot twists that struck me as cheap and unconvincing -- the kind of lurid, contrived stuff you might find in a James Patterson potboiler. In the end, it's all very readable, but I would have preferred a more realistic and intelligent conclusion.
Still, STILL MISSING is an impressive first effort. This book has gotten a ton of attention, and I can understand why. While I don't consider this a great novel, it's undeniably effecitve. I encourage you to give it a try.
Three and a half stars.