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Nine Years Gone
Nine years ago, Steve Hale saved the love of his life from her abusive and very powerful stepfather by helping her disappear and framing him for her murder. Today, that stepfather is dead, executed by the state of Missouri for a crime he didn’t commit, and Steve has a loving wife, a little girl who depends on him, a home, a career – everything he ever wanted and believed he could never have. He also has a new voice mail from a woman the rest of the world believes is dead. A reunion with his former girlfriend quickly sours when Steve realizes that her stories don't match up – the one she told nine years ago and the one she told today. As he unravels her twisted knot of lies, he discovers that events are already in motion and plans are being carried out. Unwittingly, he’s hurtling toward a dark secret – one some very dangerous people are willing to protect at any cost. “Like Blue Velvet and Hitchcock films, NINE YEARS GONE tries to capture something dark and sinister just beneath the thin facade of everyday living... Thrilling, disturbing and at times gut-wrenching, NINE YEARS GONE is a fast-paced, tightly executed thriller with little breathing room and a penchant for not being able to be put down for long.” —IndieReader "Chris Culver is a daring new voice in crime fiction." —Jeff Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Downfall "Chris Culver is a writer to watch for years to come." —C.J. Box, New York Times bestselling author of Breaking Point and The Highway About the Chris Culver is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Ash Rashid series of mysteries. After graduate school, Chris taught courses in ethics and comparative religion at a small liberal arts university in the south. Between classes, he wrote The Abbey, which spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He and his family live near St. Louis, Missouri, where Chris is working on his next novel.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2014
117 people are currently reading
1785 people want to read
About the author
Chris Culver
38 books238 followersChris Culver is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Rashid series of mysteries. After graduate school, Chris taught courses in ethics and comparative religion at a small liberal arts university in southern Arkansas. While there and when he really should have been grading exams, he wrote The Abbey, which spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller's list and introduced the world to Detective Ash Rashid.
Chris has been a storyteller since he was a kid, but he decided to write crime fiction after picking up a dog-eared, coffee-stained paperback copy of Mickey Spillane's I, the Jury in a library book sale. Many years later, his wife, despite considerable effort, still can't stop him from bringing more orphan books home. The two of them, along with a labrador retriever named Roy, reside near St. Louis where Chris is hard at work on his next novel.
Chris has been a storyteller since he was a kid, but he decided to write crime fiction after picking up a dog-eared, coffee-stained paperback copy of Mickey Spillane's I, the Jury in a library book sale. Many years later, his wife, despite considerable effort, still can't stop him from bringing more orphan books home. The two of them, along with a labrador retriever named Roy, reside near St. Louis where Chris is hard at work on his next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 3, 2019
Nine years have passed and now Dominique Girard has recently been executed and for a crime, he didn't actually commit. For the past nine years, three friends Steve Hale, Vincent and Isaac have been living with a secret as nine years ago they helped their friend and Steve's girlfriend at the time disappear and they set her stepfather up to take the fall. Their plan worked perfectly as Tess vanished into the night and Dominique ended up having the lethal injection. Steve and the others moved on with their lives as Steve married Katherine and is expecting his first child and looks permanently after his niece. Isaac is busy dating Samantha - Tess's younger sister and Vincent is still continuing with life. Now Nine years later, Steve gets a phone call from Tess - who is back in town under the alias of Holly Olson. She wants Steve back in her life and to run away with her, the thing is Steve is happy with the life he has built. Tess won't take no for an answer and pulls Steve into a dangerous game of cat and mouse as he tries to protect not only his friends and their dark secret but also his newly built family. Tess is a different person now and blames Steve for the past nine years and wants revenge as in her eyes if she can't have him, then no-one can. Can Steve protect his new life or will he find himself playing a very dangerous game with Tess to survive? Find out in this 2014 mystery read "Nine Years Gone". Nine Years Gone leaves, readers, wondering themselves, how far would they go to in order to keep a dark secret from bubbling to the surface.
September 12, 2014
This was one of those books where I enjoyed most of it but then parts of it just left me floating, lost, wondering when the book was going to reel me back in again. I have never read any of Chris Culver's books before so had nothing to compare too.
Nine years ago, Steve Hale saved the love of his life from her abusive and very powerful stepfather by helping her disappear and framing him for her murder. Today, that stepfather is dead, executed by the state of Missouri for a crime he didn’t commit, and Steve has a loving wife, a little girl who depends on him, a home, a career – everything he ever wanted and believed he could never have.
Steve Hale is attending the execution by lethal injection of his ex partner's Stepfather, it's because of Steve that the man is lying on that table after eating his last ever meal on earth. That's a pretty heavy scene in itself. But it's a darn good opening to this book too.
Things start to take a turn in Steve's life for the worst when he is suddenly contact by his ex who has been off the radar totally, in hiding for the last nine years. Steve never thought he would hear or see her ever again, it's not a welcome phone call. Not at all. Even I had a bad feeling about it, never mind him.
It's a difficult book to share without spoilers but essentially the plot weaves around the return of his ex and what she has come back for. Steve has a lot to protect, after all it's because of him an innocent man was framed for her murder and she's not even dead, if that comes to light there is only one place Steve will end up. Prison. For a very long time.
It's a game of psychological cat and mouse reeling many characters both innocent and not into this dangerous game that is being played out in Steve's life. Suddenly his peaceful and happy family life is at stake. Just what is he or can he do about it?
For me the plot was really good at the start but the whole middle section of this novel I found was dragging a lot, there was not a whole lot really going on and I kept pushing on through it, word after word. Thankfully the book does shift up a gear again towards the final third of the book leading to an eventful even if somewhat predictable ending.
Frustratingly, I didn't really connect with any of the characters in this book, all of them came across as a bit flat to me, nobody really had an impact or will be memorable. This was a book I liked but did not love and I had higher hopes for it as I have heard he's a really good author. I am going to try another of his books and see what I think from there.
Essentially the book tackles the issue of consequences for actions taken, and what can be done when the past returns to haunt you in ways you have never imagined. How far will one man go to protect all that he loves and holds dear. Will the past reveal it's ugly secrets and destroy it all? Those my friends are the questions only the book is going to reveal to you.
Overall it was a reasonable read but I think it had a lot more potential to inject some real thrills and more psychological drama into it than what it has as the plot itself is interesting and clever. It's just the overall execution fell flat in some parts of the book. But I did like it, just did not love it you know? I am sure many will. As with all things, it's all subjective.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nine years ago, Steve Hale saved the love of his life from her abusive and very powerful stepfather by helping her disappear and framing him for her murder. Today, that stepfather is dead, executed by the state of Missouri for a crime he didn’t commit, and Steve has a loving wife, a little girl who depends on him, a home, a career – everything he ever wanted and believed he could never have.
Steve Hale is attending the execution by lethal injection of his ex partner's Stepfather, it's because of Steve that the man is lying on that table after eating his last ever meal on earth. That's a pretty heavy scene in itself. But it's a darn good opening to this book too.
Things start to take a turn in Steve's life for the worst when he is suddenly contact by his ex who has been off the radar totally, in hiding for the last nine years. Steve never thought he would hear or see her ever again, it's not a welcome phone call. Not at all. Even I had a bad feeling about it, never mind him.
It's a difficult book to share without spoilers but essentially the plot weaves around the return of his ex and what she has come back for. Steve has a lot to protect, after all it's because of him an innocent man was framed for her murder and she's not even dead, if that comes to light there is only one place Steve will end up. Prison. For a very long time.
It's a game of psychological cat and mouse reeling many characters both innocent and not into this dangerous game that is being played out in Steve's life. Suddenly his peaceful and happy family life is at stake. Just what is he or can he do about it?
For me the plot was really good at the start but the whole middle section of this novel I found was dragging a lot, there was not a whole lot really going on and I kept pushing on through it, word after word. Thankfully the book does shift up a gear again towards the final third of the book leading to an eventful even if somewhat predictable ending.
Frustratingly, I didn't really connect with any of the characters in this book, all of them came across as a bit flat to me, nobody really had an impact or will be memorable. This was a book I liked but did not love and I had higher hopes for it as I have heard he's a really good author. I am going to try another of his books and see what I think from there.
Essentially the book tackles the issue of consequences for actions taken, and what can be done when the past returns to haunt you in ways you have never imagined. How far will one man go to protect all that he loves and holds dear. Will the past reveal it's ugly secrets and destroy it all? Those my friends are the questions only the book is going to reveal to you.
Overall it was a reasonable read but I think it had a lot more potential to inject some real thrills and more psychological drama into it than what it has as the plot itself is interesting and clever. It's just the overall execution fell flat in some parts of the book. But I did like it, just did not love it you know? I am sure many will. As with all things, it's all subjective.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 12, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. Its got to be one of my favourite mystery books.
I thought that the main character was relatable, just an average guy would had done what he thought was right and was now paying for his mistakes. His past came back to haunt him when his ex-girlfriend, Tess comes back after nine years.
His wife is lovely and takes it all so well, I don't think my reaction would be as good as hers finding out my husband had framed someone else for murder. Parts of the story made me fear for the whole family.
Chris Culver had definitely put a lot of work and research into the book. The little details that he thought to include were great and made the story more believable. And he certainly knows his stuff about crime.
I would recommend the book to anyone who likes a mystery book as overall it was really good and kept the suspense going. I couldn't guess what was going to happen, and even if I did guess, there was no way I would have thought got it to go quite the way it did.
I received the book through a Goodreads giveaway.
I thought that the main character was relatable, just an average guy would had done what he thought was right and was now paying for his mistakes. His past came back to haunt him when his ex-girlfriend, Tess comes back after nine years.
His wife is lovely and takes it all so well, I don't think my reaction would be as good as hers finding out my husband had framed someone else for murder. Parts of the story made me fear for the whole family.
Chris Culver had definitely put a lot of work and research into the book. The little details that he thought to include were great and made the story more believable. And he certainly knows his stuff about crime.
I would recommend the book to anyone who likes a mystery book as overall it was really good and kept the suspense going. I couldn't guess what was going to happen, and even if I did guess, there was no way I would have thought got it to go quite the way it did.
I received the book through a Goodreads giveaway.
July 9, 2014
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway (thanks, Goodreads!), and wanted to assign exactly 2.5 stars. This story has an intriguing plot, not believable, but most of them aren't to a small or a great extent... unfortunately, Culver just had too many scenes that felt implausible and/or dialogue (both inner and outer) that sounded like a soap opera or made-for-TV movie. Entertaining, certainly, but I think he means the reader to take this more seriously than I was able to, given the necessary suspension and re-suspension of disbelief required. In addition, it feels like there's still too much "author talking", even for a novel narrated by the protagonist playing detective. Sure, we expect some drawing attention to oneself -- but this just gets awkward in too many places, sacrificing story flow for navel-gazing by the main character. I wanted to like this, but it just wasn't quite there. I'd give Culver another shot, though.
December 31, 2014
This is quite complicated with a lot of twists and turns, but I have to mark it down to two stars, because the author felt that he had to kill off the main character's dog--not necessary and definitely an off putting device in my mind. A bunch of people get killed, but luckily not the pregnant wife and niece whom they are adopting. Try again Chris Culver--show some humanity toward dogs!
August 14, 2015
Story was interesting, but VERY predictable. The story relied heavily on the protagonist's, in my opinion, stupidity. I figured things out way before he did. And it really bothered me that he lied all the time to everyone. The story was also a little disjointed at times. I think it could've used a really good editor.
May 12, 2015
This is a book warning that your past can come back to haunt you. The book is full of mystery and suspense.
Steve helped his girlfriend escape from an abusive stepfather and they framed him for her murder. He was put on death row and after nine years he has just been executed. Steve is now happily married with a little girl- but his ex suddenly contacts him out of the blue. Her account of the past doesn’t tally with the one she told when they were together. What can he do to keep his family safe- this doesn’t have a good feel and he’s worried?
What does Tess want from him and why is she back? Can he go along with what she wants and risk his future? He doesn’t want to go to prison for his part in the past- but she has that hold over him.
My first novel by Chris Culver- but I would definitely read more.
Many thanks to Net Galley for a copy of the book/
Steve helped his girlfriend escape from an abusive stepfather and they framed him for her murder. He was put on death row and after nine years he has just been executed. Steve is now happily married with a little girl- but his ex suddenly contacts him out of the blue. Her account of the past doesn’t tally with the one she told when they were together. What can he do to keep his family safe- this doesn’t have a good feel and he’s worried?
What does Tess want from him and why is she back? Can he go along with what she wants and risk his future? He doesn’t want to go to prison for his part in the past- but she has that hold over him.
My first novel by Chris Culver- but I would definitely read more.
Many thanks to Net Galley for a copy of the book/
July 25, 2014
I won this in a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
I found the story not quite believable. It held my interest in parts, but only sporadically. Steve was far too naïve, and showed no guilt regarding his past, and why would such a happy, married father with a great stable life, even want to see or think about the ex girlfriend and those circumstances? I needed a somewhat more convincing plot.
I chose to enter the contest because I was intrigued by the blurb. I’ve not read anything by this author before.
I found the story not quite believable. It held my interest in parts, but only sporadically. Steve was far too naïve, and showed no guilt regarding his past, and why would such a happy, married father with a great stable life, even want to see or think about the ex girlfriend and those circumstances? I needed a somewhat more convincing plot.
I chose to enter the contest because I was intrigued by the blurb. I’ve not read anything by this author before.
July 27, 2014
Not quite Gone Girl and a few clicks BELOW Harlan Coben, but all in all, a good read. It seemed somewhat easy to figure out, but, yet, had some good twists here and there. I would recommend this to my reading friends.
March 17, 2015
I liked this book, but it got a little busy towards the end. There were times I felt the main character was making silly decisions in the way he was dealing with the situation.
Outside of that, this was well written and it kept my attention to the end. I'd read other books by this author.
Outside of that, this was well written and it kept my attention to the end. I'd read other books by this author.
March 17, 2015
Ending was very anticlimatic
June 21, 2015
Eh. Didnt rly care about the characters, dont even understand why she was so mad at him in the first place??
January 15, 2018
This isn't for me. I got as far as 12% and called it a day. It's written in a very strange fashion and continuation appears to be minimal at best and mostly every mention of Ashley, Steve's niece, was cloaked in this very odd, peculiar, secretive style I just couldn't understand. Maybe it was a case of "all will become clear" later on but, for example, he insists she sings in the bath and he and his wife make love in a spare bedroom far away from her room and one morning Ashley asks him who was giggling the previous night...."which made his smile disappear and he needed to cough to cover his momentary pause before answering." Huh' ?? I wasn't sure how old Ashley was but really ?? He also didn't want an old female friend to drop by as it would scare Ashley....
This old female friend he'd not seen in almost a decade and she'd phoned him to reconnect and sort of "threatened" him with turning up at his house as she stated she'd like to see Katherine again, who he's married to. Then a little further in they meet face-to-face and he tells her that Ashley's living with them, as if she knew her when she probably didn't as she's not been around for nine years and THEN she exhibits surprise when he mentions Katherine being his wife !! She clearly knew this since she'd made her veiled threat the night prior to this meeting !!He named his dog after an uncle Simon who was still around, I believe. Probably one of THE most bizarre books I've ever picked up !!
I was irritated at only 5 pages in when he spelled Tess's surname Gerard. One of the main characters and her surname was Girard. Pretty unforgiveable when you created this character. That was the only error I'd spotted but it was a true howler.
As I mentioned, all the nonsense I describe above might have bearing on what was to come but I had seen enough and just didn't get it at all. It left me baffled.....
This old female friend he'd not seen in almost a decade and she'd phoned him to reconnect and sort of "threatened" him with turning up at his house as she stated she'd like to see Katherine again, who he's married to. Then a little further in they meet face-to-face and he tells her that Ashley's living with them, as if she knew her when she probably didn't as she's not been around for nine years and THEN she exhibits surprise when he mentions Katherine being his wife !! She clearly knew this since she'd made her veiled threat the night prior to this meeting !!He named his dog after an uncle Simon who was still around, I believe. Probably one of THE most bizarre books I've ever picked up !!
I was irritated at only 5 pages in when he spelled Tess's surname Gerard. One of the main characters and her surname was Girard. Pretty unforgiveable when you created this character. That was the only error I'd spotted but it was a true howler.
As I mentioned, all the nonsense I describe above might have bearing on what was to come but I had seen enough and just didn't get it at all. It left me baffled.....
May 5, 2017
Nine Years Gone by Chris Culver is book about friendship and first love and the extremes that some people will go to hold onto and protect the people that they love.
Tess and Steve grew up together. First becoming best friends, then girlfriend/boyfriend, and even each other's first loves. There wasn't anything that the other wouldn't do for Tess or Steve. Then one day, Steve learns something about Tess' stepfather that changes both of their worlds in an instant. Steve and some buddies help Tess disappear and frames her stepfather for her murder.
Nine years later, Tess returns - but she wants Steve to forget about his newly pregnant wife, his niece, and the life he knows and has built to run away with her and she will do everything possible to make him be hers...even if it means she must kill everyone in her path to do so.
I enjoyed this book so much so that I had to finish it - I had to know what was going to happen. The characters are developed, it is well written (except my Kindle version left off words at the end/beginning of some pages, but I still got the jest of what was going on), to the point that I cared about Steve and the decisions he was going to make.
Tess and Steve grew up together. First becoming best friends, then girlfriend/boyfriend, and even each other's first loves. There wasn't anything that the other wouldn't do for Tess or Steve. Then one day, Steve learns something about Tess' stepfather that changes both of their worlds in an instant. Steve and some buddies help Tess disappear and frames her stepfather for her murder.
Nine years later, Tess returns - but she wants Steve to forget about his newly pregnant wife, his niece, and the life he knows and has built to run away with her and she will do everything possible to make him be hers...even if it means she must kill everyone in her path to do so.
I enjoyed this book so much so that I had to finish it - I had to know what was going to happen. The characters are developed, it is well written (except my Kindle version left off words at the end/beginning of some pages, but I still got the jest of what was going on), to the point that I cared about Steve and the decisions he was going to make.
May 14, 2022
Steve Hale is married and they are expecting their first child. They are already raising his Niece. They have a great life, but Steve has secrets that now might be out for all to know and it will ruin everything he has now.
Nine years ago was different for Steve. He had loved another woman, Tess. When Tess returns from a trip with her family, she is a totally different person and Steve finds out what happened. Her stepfather had used her to further his career. Now trying to help Tess get peace and revenge against the stepfather, Steve and his two friends set the stepfather up for Tess' disappearance.
Now, he has just witnessed the stepfather being executed for her murder and Tess has just shown up in town and wants Steve back.
A great one, not to be missed. Lots of twists and turns!
Nine years ago was different for Steve. He had loved another woman, Tess. When Tess returns from a trip with her family, she is a totally different person and Steve finds out what happened. Her stepfather had used her to further his career. Now trying to help Tess get peace and revenge against the stepfather, Steve and his two friends set the stepfather up for Tess' disappearance.
Now, he has just witnessed the stepfather being executed for her murder and Tess has just shown up in town and wants Steve back.
A great one, not to be missed. Lots of twists and turns!
January 15, 2021
Nine Years Gone by Steve Hale is a thriller that jumps at you from the beginning. Steve once helped his high school/college girlfriend frame her stepfather for her murder. He moved on with his life, got married has a baby on the way, and believed that she had moved on as well.
After the stepfather is executed, the ex turns up. She won't take no for an answer. Steve learns that maybe she isn't quite the victim she portrayed herself as being. But she's back and Steve had better be concerned for the safety of everyone he knows.
Solid thriller, this book kept me up late at night turning the pages. Very good read!
After the stepfather is executed, the ex turns up. She won't take no for an answer. Steve learns that maybe she isn't quite the victim she portrayed herself as being. But she's back and Steve had better be concerned for the safety of everyone he knows.
Solid thriller, this book kept me up late at night turning the pages. Very good read!
October 19, 2018
Written by the same author as the Ash Rashid novels, this book is chock full of crazy twists and turns. The initial premise that a young man would let another man not only go to prison but be executed for a crime he knows he did not commit was initially very off-putting to me. However, the novel moves forward drawing indepth characters and a fast-paced story line, that allows you to put your initial revulsion aside and read on. I recommend, reading on...
June 8, 2017
It started as a very good mistery story, flowed into an ok mistery story and ended up an average action movie. It lacked some cars crashing and explotions, but the gun firing and goose chase was definitely there.
Some points of the plot were left unexplained and hanging in the air. Now, reading some of the comments, I figured it was a common point.
Some points of the plot were left unexplained and hanging in the air. Now, reading some of the comments, I figured it was a common point.
March 4, 2018
Well written.
Mystery, suspense and above youth stupidity. This stupidity is coming back to haunt those involved and get a dog killed in the process – not cool.
Some things you can not get away with, think and think again.
A perfect family and strong friendship ends not well when mistakes from the past become a living nightmare.
Mystery, suspense and above youth stupidity. This stupidity is coming back to haunt those involved and get a dog killed in the process – not cool.
Some things you can not get away with, think and think again.
A perfect family and strong friendship ends not well when mistakes from the past become a living nightmare.
Read
June 24, 2022An abusive father framed and imprisoned for murdering his daughter; a murder for which he is sentenced to death. But wait, after 9 years the 'murder victim' is very much alive. Turns out she is very manipulative and will use her former lover to do her bidding. An extremely complex and convoluted story.
May 7, 2017
It held my interest from start to finish but in the end I was disappointed. Not sure why.
May 26, 2017
Really good, interesting premise and first third/half - then it kinda goes downhill to a fairly by the numbers climax and finish
September 5, 2017
Was not a huge fan of this book! Ending was very disappointing, in fact the writing really wasn't that good!!! I had got this book on bookbub and I am glad I didn't pay anything for it!
November 2, 2017
Good psychological thriller. Had me guessing until the end. Easy to read and I didn't want to put it down. I would highly recommend to my friends!
October 12, 2021
This book is a bit of a slow burner and I was about to DNF the book, to be honest, but the storyline grew as the story progressed. Was a compelling storyline.
not-interested
January 12, 2022CW: Animal (dog) killing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2017
I was really excited to read this book after reading the summary but I was disappointed. I struggled to finish it; it was extremely predictable and I finished it purely just to see if I was right.
Easily forgettable.
Easily forgettable.
November 5, 2014
3.0 out of 5 stars -- When the past you thought you'd safely hidden comes back to ruin your present...
Steve Hale is thoroughly enjoying his life with newly pregnant wife Katherine and his niece. Everything looks promising with his little family and career as a novelist when he gets a message from someone he should not be hearing from -- an old girlfriend, Tess. The thing is, Steve, his uncle, and his friends helped this girl out of a serious family problem 9 years ago -- they set up her wealthy stepfather, Dominique Girard, to take the blame for her "murder." Her reappearance could ruin everything if people find out she is still alive. But, in fact, Tess does intend to cause trouble -- in the worst way. She feels that Steve ruined her life and she wants it all back.
Although an intriguing premise, this suspense thriller operated on many implausible levels that defied belief. There were too many co-incidences and improbable behaviors and reactions considering the situation, and it finally all basically annoyed, rather than interested, me. I really didn't grow to like any of the characters who were one-dimensional and had nothing that engaged my empathy or concern. There was no moment when I didn't anticipate the actions of Steve despite that "go it alone against the arch psycho Tess" action that occurred. I'm not sure but I feel the author was trying to come up with some kind of convincing anti-hero in Steve and justifying what he and his cohort had done to "save" Tess earlier. I'm not even sure that Tess was reliable enough that I believe her account of what her stepfather actually did or didn't do. She lies. It was all a muddle and I was just glad to get to the end.
This is the first book by this author that I have read. I might try another, but there were so many instances and small things in the book that he didn't portray accurately that I am not sure. Much of the narrative was "telling" and would go off on a tangent that wasn't relevant to anything and added none of the "local flavor" to the story. Enjoyable enough, but nothing I'd urge on another mystery thriller fan.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-book ARC to review.
Steve Hale is thoroughly enjoying his life with newly pregnant wife Katherine and his niece. Everything looks promising with his little family and career as a novelist when he gets a message from someone he should not be hearing from -- an old girlfriend, Tess. The thing is, Steve, his uncle, and his friends helped this girl out of a serious family problem 9 years ago -- they set up her wealthy stepfather, Dominique Girard, to take the blame for her "murder." Her reappearance could ruin everything if people find out she is still alive. But, in fact, Tess does intend to cause trouble -- in the worst way. She feels that Steve ruined her life and she wants it all back.
Although an intriguing premise, this suspense thriller operated on many implausible levels that defied belief. There were too many co-incidences and improbable behaviors and reactions considering the situation, and it finally all basically annoyed, rather than interested, me. I really didn't grow to like any of the characters who were one-dimensional and had nothing that engaged my empathy or concern. There was no moment when I didn't anticipate the actions of Steve despite that "go it alone against the arch psycho Tess" action that occurred. I'm not sure but I feel the author was trying to come up with some kind of convincing anti-hero in Steve and justifying what he and his cohort had done to "save" Tess earlier. I'm not even sure that Tess was reliable enough that I believe her account of what her stepfather actually did or didn't do. She lies. It was all a muddle and I was just glad to get to the end.
This is the first book by this author that I have read. I might try another, but there were so many instances and small things in the book that he didn't portray accurately that I am not sure. Much of the narrative was "telling" and would go off on a tangent that wasn't relevant to anything and added none of the "local flavor" to the story. Enjoyable enough, but nothing I'd urge on another mystery thriller fan.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-book ARC to review.
October 28, 2017
This was a very suspenseful mystery about how your past life can come back to haunt your present life. It held my interest from start to finish but I was quite disappointed with the anticlimactic ending.
November 17, 2014
Nine Years Gone by Chris Culver is a mystery/suspense book that has a good premise: things that you do in your past may come back to haunt you. I think for many people, this is a lesson that needs to be learned. It is one that Steve Hale should have learned nine years ago.
I will not go into a lot of details about the story because you can read the synopsis for that. What I will do is give you my opinion of this book. At times, I thought this book was very suspenseful and had me frantically turning pages to see what would happen next. At other times, I found myself skimming the pages because my interest was not really being held. I am glad that I continues reading it because, overall, I enjoyed the book. Some things seemed to be far fetched and hard to believe, but then again it is a fiction book. One such things was that at one point in the book it appeared as though Steve’s friends did not even like the person that they helped and risked their freedom for. I think if I was going to do something that may cause me to be imprisoned, I would really have to like (if not love) that person. I can not figure out why they agreed to the plan.
The writing style is descriptive and at times, very suspenseful. There are some twists and turns that I did not see coming, And I really like that. At some points in the book, I felt it was a little wordy. I thought the book was well plotted and well crafted, and the character development was pretty good.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery/suspense. I have not read any other books by Chris Culver but I plan on checking out his other books. I did like the book and I’m glad I read it, but I think it could have been better. But of course, that is only my opinion and you may totally disagree. Read it for yourself and decide.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I will not go into a lot of details about the story because you can read the synopsis for that. What I will do is give you my opinion of this book. At times, I thought this book was very suspenseful and had me frantically turning pages to see what would happen next. At other times, I found myself skimming the pages because my interest was not really being held. I am glad that I continues reading it because, overall, I enjoyed the book. Some things seemed to be far fetched and hard to believe, but then again it is a fiction book. One such things was that at one point in the book it appeared as though Steve’s friends did not even like the person that they helped and risked their freedom for. I think if I was going to do something that may cause me to be imprisoned, I would really have to like (if not love) that person. I can not figure out why they agreed to the plan.
The writing style is descriptive and at times, very suspenseful. There are some twists and turns that I did not see coming, And I really like that. At some points in the book, I felt it was a little wordy. I thought the book was well plotted and well crafted, and the character development was pretty good.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery/suspense. I have not read any other books by Chris Culver but I plan on checking out his other books. I did like the book and I’m glad I read it, but I think it could have been better. But of course, that is only my opinion and you may totally disagree. Read it for yourself and decide.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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