Scared To Death

Live to Tell #2

by Wendy Corsi Staub

Elsa Cavalon—petrified that the nightmare from fifteen years earlier is beginning all over again . . .

Marin Quinn—hiding with her daughters in their concrete fortress, her storybook marriage over . . .

Perfect strangers whose once-perfect lives were cruelly shattered, they're bound by a long-lost child, a fragile strand of newfound maternal hope—and mutual loneliness. Yet Elsa and Marin are never truly alone. Someone is always nearby, watching them and their children. Someone driven by vengeance and the simple poetry of nursery rhymes . . . Someone who must satisfy a dark need with innocent blood. And now time is running out for two mothers stalked by a cunning mastermind who wants to leave them . . .

Scared to death

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Romantic Suspense

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 28, 2010

About the author

New York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than ninety novels, best known for the single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books and the women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham have also appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookscan bestseller lists.

Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.

Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.

Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.

Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.

A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.

She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.

Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elsa and Brett Cavalon's son Jeremy disappeared 15 years ago. About a year ago, they learned Jeremy had been taken overseas and murdered. Now they are trying to adopt 7 year old Renny. Marin Quinn is Jeremy's birth mother. Marin has 2 teenaged daughters Caroline and Annie and her congressman husband is in jail for murder. Someone is stalking the families.

I should understand the style this author uses for this series by now since I've read several of the books. The story jumps around without warning, not even a new chapter to help out the reader. I think this style distracts from the story, but that's just me. I guess I need all the help I can get while reading. My favorite character was Renny. Although the ending was unrealistic, I liked it.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an amazing and crazy ride! Full review coming soon!

If twists, turns and pulsating plots are what you are craving, than look no further than Wendy Corsi Staub and her newest release, Scared to Death.

Upon receiving Scared to Death, I was anxious and thrilled to get started. Just the cover and title evoke images of suspense and edge-of-your-seat thrills. Often, when I have such high hopes for a book, it may fall short of those expectations, however Scared to Death topped all hopes that I had before cracking open the binding and diving in.

Scared to Death is the second in a trilogy by Wendy Corsi Staub. The first being Live to Tell, previously released February 2010, Scared to Death, the newest release, and the third, Hell to Pay coming in 2011. I have to be honest and say that I have not yet read Live to Tell, however, after finishing Scared to Death, I will be doing so very soon. A very tight story, Scared to Death can easily be a stand alone book, in and of itself. However the back story that is provided throughout the book, really and truly makes the reader ache to read the previous story, to find out exactly how things played out before the current happenings - which proves what a talented author Wendy Corsi Staub is, in my opinion.

In Scared to Death, Elsa Cavalon and her husband, Brett, are in the process of adopting Renny, a sweet little girl, who has a horrendous fear of enclosed spaces. For the Cavalons, dealing with claustrophobia is a drop in the hat compared to what they had gone through fifteen years ago, with the kidnapping of their little boy, Jeremy. With the discovery of Jeremy’s death, a year ago, Elsa is able to bring some closure to that part of her life and move forward with Renny and their lives together as a family. What Elsa doesn’t expect is for her nightmare to come racing back to her, leaving her running for Renny’s life and perhaps even her own. How can such a horror possibly strike twice?

Also entwined within Scared to Death are Marin Quinn and Lauren Walsh. It is Marin’s husband who was behind the kidnapping and death of Jeremy, so long ago. That discovery has left Marin blindsided and horrified, trying to cope with life and her two teenage daughters. When an apparent threat is thrust unto her unruly daughter, Caroline, Marin must decide if her daughter is only acting out for attention, or if there really and truly is a threat. Lauren, whose story is the central focus in Live to Tell, plays a supporting role and appearance in Scared to Death. It is Lauren who Marin turns to for help and an ear to listen. Their unlikely friendship has become one that sheds a slight beam of light on an otherwise black hole in their lives.

Wendy Corsi Staub does a magnificent job of switching character perspectives throughout the entire story. One paragraph is told from one character’s point of view, then will be switched and told from another character’s point of view. This is done in such a seamless manner that it adds a completely new dynamic to the story itself. There is never a lapse in action or suspense and the surprise ending is rather a shock - at least it was for me. The characterization is done in such a way, that each and every character is quickly and easily brought to life upon the pages - even the most secondary of character plays an important role to the overall telling and plot of the story.

Though I have read a few books penned by Wendy Corsi Staub and have enjoyed her work, Scared to Death is, by far, my favorite. The plot twists and turns are endless, the suspense is spine-tingling and the shock value of the ending is incredible. I highly recommend Scared to Death by Wendy Corsi Staub to anyone who loves an excellent suspense-packed story that will leave you enraptured from start to finish.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, psychological thriller. A lot happens in this book at a very quick pace. Crazy ending.

[Beth Lechman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one will keep you guessing with an explosive ending you don't see coming.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could, I would have rated this book 3 1/2 stars rather than a full 4 stars. I am basing that on the fact that I found the first half of this book both confusing and somewhat dull. It is second in a trilogy, the third not yet being out on the market yet. The author makes vague references to the first book/storyline, but I am not so adept at recalling all the details of past books. I read far too many books to keep track of intricate storylines from books read so far in the past. So this book was, therefore, a rather confusing read for a while until the author finally let more and more details of the fist book trickle into this 2nd one. Shortly before I reached 200 pages, the pace of the story picked up and was not quite so dull and I finally felt like I knew and understood all the vague references.From this point on, I felt like the author totally redeemed herslf and I was hooked. If only the first half could have been as thrilling.

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

The characters are difficult to keep straight, and the story drags on and on. I'd say this book goes no where fast.

[Caryol Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending is so unrealistic and utter nonsense. Come on - really? Jeremy just clicks?

[David Danin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasn't scared to death unfortunately. The last chapter was probably the only one I really cared about. The perspective changes are a bit too choppy in my opinion but the story over all is tragic and definitely makes you think of how fragile humans are. The interconnection between the characters is great but we also have loose ends with some friends introduced in the book (wish those could have had a more satisfying storyline or end point). I cared about the story for the most part, following families broken mentally and physically, seeing how they face their demons (or not). A difficult read though.

[Anastacia Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better flow than the first book, not a lot of wasted space, which is great. There was a lot going on all the time to keep you sucked in. A definite, who done it, book. It could have been tidied up nicely after this book, and ended, so I'm curious what the third book has to offer. Hopefully not just a long drawn out, where are they now, segment. But we shall see.

[George Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent novel. A very good story.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2nd book in the trilogy picks up right where book 1 left off, which I like. Very suspenseful, good mystery. I'm ready for book 3!

[Amy Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good. I thought I had everything figured out & then they lifted the veil and showed everything. Not a sappy ending thankfully but a nice ending.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read like one big anxiety attack!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great follow up to the first book. I couldn't put it down. Now on to the 3rd in the series.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

p

[Kristeen Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round up to 4.5 stars.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6
A good twist if not a little much. Will read the 3rd one at some point.

[Gale Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Wendy Corsi Staub and won't be the last. Lots of twists and had me guessing right up to the end!!

[Lynn Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page turner

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can devour these books in less than a day, the writing is that good! I love how you think you know everything and that there is nothing left to surprise you and by the last chapter you are caught of guard!

Summary:


Coming off of the last book (Live to Tell) The Cavalon's have adopted a daughter named Renny and the Quinn family is dealing with the aftermath of their husband/father being in prison for a terrible crime.

The book opens with Jeremy Cavalon alive and in a hospital in Texas recovering from surgery. It turns out that after he was left in India by his biological father (Garvey Quinn) he was basically left to fend for himself on the streets. He was taken in by a man that he refers to as Papa who took Jeremy in and physically and sexually abused him.

Throughout the book, the Elsa and Brett Cavalon feel as though someone is threatening Renny and that she is in danger. Renny woke up screaming one night and said there was a person in her room. The family was also sent pictures of Renny. A Spider Man action figure was put in Renny's bag. This action figure holds significance to the Cavalon's because it is the toy that Jeremy was playing with when he was abducted. A woman posing as Renny's new social worker ends up kidnapping Renny.

Marin Quinn is also being threatened. She was recieving threatening texts and feels as though her daughters are in danger.

Multiple people are killed because they know the truth about who this killer is or because they got in the way.

Through 90% of the book- the reader is led to believe that the person that is stalking the Quinn's and Cavalon's is Jeremy. You would think this because the stalker's narrative is talking about how Marin and Elsa let Jeremy down because all of these awful things happened to him after he was kidnapped and how they need to pay for what they did. It turns out that the stalker/killer is really Jeremy's girlfriend LaLa Montgomery who he beat with a golf club when he was 7 years old because she laughed at him.

In the end, The Cavalon's and the Quinn's go on a family vacation to Disney world because they feel safe now that LaLa was taken in by the police. I have a feeling that this trip won't end in a "happily every after"

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Elsa Cavalon is awakened from a sound sleep by someone calling “Mommy” she immediately thinks of Jeremy but Elsa and Brett Cavalon lost Jeremy, their adopted son. Jeremy was taken from the Cavalon’s and recently they were told that Jeremy had been murdered. Now they have a new daughter and hope to adopt Renny soon. It is Renny crying out to her mother and Elsa finds a window open in Renny’s room, a window that Elsa knows she locked before going to bed. Not only is the window open but so is the screen. So begins Elsa’s new nightmare.

Jeremy wasn’t a perfect child but he was loved and when he disappeared Elsa almost lost her mind. Brett and Elsa hired a private detective, Mike Fantoni, to search for Jeremy when the authorities had given up. Now Elsa and Brett turn to Mike to help solve the new threat that has come into their lives.

Meanwhile Jeremy’s birth mother is living her own nightmare. Marin Hartwell Quinn is starting over since Garvey Quinn, her politician husband, was arrested. The Quinn’s have two daughters, Caroline and Annie. Although Garvey Quinn was arrested for another crime, Marin knows that Garvey was responsible for the kidnapping of Jeremy.

Now someone is watching both families. Could Mike Fantoni have made a mistake and Jeremy is really alive? Or has someone else decided to bring even more tragedy to the two families who have already lived through enough.

Lauren Walsh and her three children are the third family discussed in this novel. Evidently Lauren’s husband Nick lost his life after becoming entangled in the Garvey Quinn web but exactly how was never made clear to this reader. Lauren and Marin have become friends since the tragedy in both their lives.

Scared to Death is full of suspense and keeps the reader guessing. Wendy Corsi Staub’s previous novel Live To Tell is another book that keeps the reader guessing. Both books take a little while for the reader to get adjusted to Staub’s style of writing but both are exciting books.

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staub steps back into the frayed lives of the families torn apart by one man’s ruthless obsession in the much-anticipated follow up to “Live to Tell” with the emotionally charged release of “Scared to Death”.
Marin Quinn is a woman adrift in uncertainty and guilt in the wake of her husband’s greed and deception. The family’s very public fall from grace and her inability to overcome the personal mortification she feels, has become a catalyst to justify the isolation she’s forced on herself and children. But she soon learns that separation from society doesn’t necessarily mean you can successfully hide.
Elsa Cavalon has finally begun pulling the pieces of her fractured life together. After the devastating kidnapping of her adopted son years before and the mental break that followed, she and her husband are working toward adopting a young girl. For Elsa, nothing matters more than motherhood and she’s vowed to protect this child fiercely. She won’t turn her back again.
This should be a period of healing, but for some the price paid for past misdeeds hasn’t been sufficient and it’s time for Marin and Elsa to pay the piper. Teaspoonfuls of terror are the ideal beginning to help them fully understand they’ll never be free.
The outcome initially appears obvious, but that just wouldn’t be Staub’s style. Each twist and turn is methodical, meant to build anxiety as she cleverly yanks the rug out from underneath.

Reviewed by Suspense Magazine

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of convoluted until you get into the story, which I guess many books are. It didn't hold my attention like some books. I see her next book uses some of the same characters which are in this book. I think some of these characters were in her other book too. A young man was abducted as a small boy from his adopted mother's back yard. The man who abducted him was his birth father. He was taken to India where the mistress of the man was to get rid of him. She chose to take him down to a busy street where she purposely lost him. He was picked up by a pedopile and returned to the U.S. He suffered years of abuse until his new father died. Now he is back looking for redemption. He partners with a young woman who he attacked in a fit of rage as a small boy. Three women are also in the picture, his birth mother, his adopted mother who is going through the process of adopting a little girl and a friend of his birth mother.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

" Elsa Cavalon—petrified that the nightmare from fifteen years earlier is beginning all over again . . .

Marin Quinn—hiding with her daughters in their concrete fortress, her storybook marriage over . . .

Perfect strangers whose once-perfect lives were cruelly shattered, they're bound by a long-lost child, a fragile strand of newfound maternal hope—and mutual loneliness. Yet Elsa and Marin are never truly alone. Someone is always nearby, watching them and their children. Someone driven by vengeance and the simple poetry of nursery rhymes . . . Someone who must satisfy a dark need with innocent blood. And now time is running out for two mothers stalked by a cunning mastermind who wants to leave them . . ." (From Amazon)

This novel did not give much information about the previous book so I was lost (I did read the first but did not remember a thing as it was awhile ago)! The conclusion was pretty obvious

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed with this series. I think the overarching story has a lot of potential and the character development is good, but it all falls so flat for me. I feel like either we shouldn't get the perspective of the killer at all, or we should just know who it is and develop the suspense from there. I feel like getting the perspective the way it is, is just really lacking and it is so obviously trying to point us toward a particular person that the reader has to believe it can't actually be that person. I also dislike the fact that we get no answers as to why the killer did the things they did. Why kill certain people, but given the chance, not kill other people? It's inconsistent. I hoped that this second book would have fixed some of the issues that bothered me about the first book, but unfortunately it is just more of the same. It's a shame. I'm not going to bother reading the third.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granted reading book #2 1st would lead to confusion of sorts, but I don't think that was the case. The story begins with one person, Jeremy, the lost thought dead but not dead adopted son... Then we have his adoptive family, still grieving but trying to move forward and near the end of their trial period for adoption of a daughter. All of a sudden there is this other family in the story, shamed by the patriarch an evil political leader (I don't think there are any other types but evil...but I digress)... Next, another family, grieving over the murder of the husband/father... I was ready to get out a pad and pen to keep track or throw it down and get another book when suddenly...it all made sense! They were all linked... ahhhh

I am impressed with the author for her ability to have so many story lines and people in one book and have it all tie up neatly in the end.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stay tuned....this is the second one in the series and there is another one coming out which moves forward 15+ years in the future! I had a very difficult time getting back into the characters and remembering the storyline from the first book. As I don't rewrite the plot and try not to give spoilers, my goodreads posting from the first book wasn't helpful to me!!! I only wish the 3rd one was out now as I KNOW that I will have a horrible time remembering all the plot twists and "who done it" between now and then. Hope she gives enough recaps to remind me of the events from this book. Staub has a fabulous way of writing that creates TRUE intrigue and suspense....she really twists around the characters and plot line to make a shocking conclusion. Well done!!!!!!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scared to Death was an excellent suspenseful novel that kept you guessing until the very end. Staub does a great job at building a successful who done it by carefully weaving together a mystery of what happened fifteen years ago along with current events that leave two families terrified of what would happen next. All of the main characters are well developed as the story progresses and you find yourself finding something to care about in all of them. This book was my first introduction to Staub and I will definitely be checking out her books in the future. If you like mystery, suspense, and thrills, then this is the book for you.

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading "Live to Tell," I knew I was going to read the whole trilogy. I read a few other Wendy Corsi Staub books in between, all excellent thrillers, but I had to get back to this story. I'm so glad I did because this book was even better than the first. It was scary, suspenseful, and well-written. There are so many characters and each is fully-developed in his or her own way. I cared about every single one of them. And just when I thought I was sure of what was going on...BAM! Wendy Corsi Staub got me with a surprise I did not see coming! The twists are done well, not cheap or illogical. Just great writing. On to the third in the trilogy....

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't realize that this was the second book in a trilogy, the first being "Live to Tell." You can still understand what is going on without reading the first book, but it would have been nice to have the back story. This book jumps from character to character so it gets a little confusing at first, but once you figure out who is who then you start to get excited about who going to read about next. Can't wait to get my hands on "Live to Tell" to get the back story and for the next book, "Hell to Pay," to come out on September 27, 2011.