Il coule aussi dans tes veines

by Chevy Stevens

Ile de Vancouver, Canada. Sara Gallaguer, 34 ans, mère d'une fillette de 6 ans, sait depuis toujours qu'elle a été adoptée. Mais dans un atmosphère familiale très compliquée, et alors qu'elle se prépare à épouser Evan, la jeune femme décide de découvrir qui sont ses vrais parents. Ses recherches ne passent pas inaperçues et alertent son père biologique, qui n'est autre que le tristement célèbre Tueur des Campings, un serial killer que la police canadienne cherche à coincer depuis des années. Quand ce dernier, qui prétend se prénommer John, prend contact avec elle, Sara est prise au piège. Elle refuse de lui parler, mais John menace de tuer si elle le rejette. Et il passe rapidement à l'acte...

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Adult Fiction

474 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

CHEVY STEVENS lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s spending time with her family and their two dogs. Chevy's debut novel, STILL MISSING, was a New York Times bestseller and won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Her books, including THOSE GIRLS which Stephen King called "incredibly scary" have been published in more than thirty countries. Her eighth novel, THE HITCHHIKERS, is out Oct.7/25

Reviews

[Norma ~ The Sisters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another excellent psychological thriller by CHEVY STEVENS that was extremely hard to put down and also grabbed my attention from the very first session (chapter).

THE COVER didn't come into play on this one as this book was chosen to be read solely on who the author was although I do find the cover somewhat appealing.

NEVER KNOWING is a fitting TITLE for this novel. Is it better to know or not to know the truth?

NEVER KNOWING has us following along Sara Gallagher's search for her birth parents through sessions with her therapist. I found that I didn't really enjoy this method as much as I did with STILL MISSING as it didn't feel quite as compelling to me.

I liked Sara's CHARACTER and her voice throughout this novel. I felt sympathy for her as she unravels the details and the truth about her birth parents and thought that she handled herself very well throughout most of her ordeal. She was impulsive, obsessive, brave, and passionate. I really like CHEVY STEVEN'S writing style and how she delivers the storyline as she keeps you entertained and interested to the very end. I found it to have a solid plot which was easy to follow along with the storyline and all the secondary characters involved.

I did have a slight suspicion on how one of the characters was going to be involved but I felt that the reveal was still shocking and satisfying. The ENDING was intense, satisfying and very pleasing for another enjoyable read by this author.

To sum it all up it was a suspenseful, fast-paced, quick & easy read with a satisfying ending. Would recommend!!

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars/Fiction; Suspense

First-read win from GR! Thank you!

I know that I am going to be in the minority here, but I did not care for this book.

What can I say? It never takes me longer than a few days to finish a book and after reading Still Missing in one day, I was sooo anxious for Chevy Stevens' new book. But this one? It took me over a week to read and that is only because I forced myself to finish out of gratitude for the first-read win.

None of the characters are likeable and the plot unbelievable. The storyline would give the impression that it is a page-turner, but it really isn't. I wanted to like it, I really did. The main character, Sara, is so annoying that I had to put the book down several times out of frustration. Please somebody, if I ever sound that way, punch me in the throat.

The only redeeming character was Sara's fiance, Evan. Why he even bothered himself to have a relationship with a person like Sara is beyond me. Quite a few times during the book, he would say something rational to her and she would totally blow him off. But the male cop, Billy, whom she claimed was 'just a friend' would say the same thing and she would swoon. Give me a break.

About a third of the way in to reading the book, I fanned through the last few pages hoping not to see Evan's name. I tried to telepathically let him know to get out while he still could. At a little over half way, I could care less about the story and its sure-to-be dramatic ending. I wasn't disappointed, it was certainly 'unreal'.

I was actually relieved when the book ended and I could move on. Sorry Ms. Stevens, this one was a miss.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chevy stevens is fast becoming one of my favourite authors in this genre she brings substance & a solid plot that gets you right into the book.


All her life Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents being an adopted child with two sisters Lauren & Melanie who were born naturally to her parents, Sara did not have a normal ideal home life.


She has always wondered about her real mother now she is engaged to Evan & has a 6 year old daughter Ally she wants to find out who she really is.


Sara decides to pursue looking for her real parents she researches & finds her real mother Julia who works as a professor at the university but also finds that she is the only survivor of THE CAMPSITE KILLER!!! the further she goes she unravels details of her fathers background which she finds distressing.


So now Sara is determined not to believe that her father john could be a killer but the deeper she goes the more John draws her into his games she decides to meet him to stop the carnage.


one by one people are being killed or hurt even Ally disappears which heightens the terror that Sara is feeling. I felt angst for Sara & thought she was a real heroine throughout this novel.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first time in a while that I wish I could give negative stars. Because I had enjoyed the previous book? Because of the staggeringly high rating? Because it is just so God awful?
Yes.
Stevens has, with this lousy waste of paper, capitalized on The Laziest Ways to Write a Novel. They are:

1. Use a contrived, unrealistic, and wholly ridiculous tactic, such as Sessions with (an Oddly Silent) Therapist.

I think she did this last time, and it annoyed me then too, but I was forgiving of it, I think, because the writing was good and the story interesting and now and then the frame was plausible. Here??? No, no and NO. Basically, the "sessions" allow Stevens to spew narrative with no thought to polish, character development, or subtlety. She plunks down a chapter's worth of the day's run down, complete with several eye rolls per page musings and sarcasm, with zero plausibility as far as remembering detail or the session taking on weight - so, we essentially have - Hi Nadine, another crazy day in the life of a psychopath's daughter, here is precise dialogue from three days and lots of plot, and then I'll make sure to drop your name again at the end.

2. Presentation of Wholly Undeveloped and Yet Still, Somehow, Really Unlikable (and Not in a Good Way) Characters

Main chick Sara - Super Mom, adores her daughter Ally, her fiance Evan is just fan-flipping-tastic, then she has these brothers in law who are Bad, and then this sister Melanie who is completely nasty - I am pretty sure Sara has zero friends and that makes total sense - so the cast of characters are largely one dimensional, boring, or over the top fabulous and serve as mere puppets to move along the plot which is, in essence: the super supportive and super everything Evan warns Sara about researching into her adopted parents, but she does anyway, and discovers that her dad is this serial killer. Now, this could actually be interesting, except the writing stinks, and so all of the intense issues such as emotional DNA and baggage of being the product of a rape is either spelled out or completely neglected so that we can have:

3. Sorry Excuse for a Book, ie, a Thinly Plotted and Really Tired Cat and Mouse Game with the Requisite "Didn't See THAT Coming now DID You" Twist that Actually, Yes, I Did, You Ninny

Right, so, because the ONLY thing about this book is plot, and even that is contrived and painful, you'd think at least there'd be something there, but no. I can appreciate a murder mystery so long as there is also substance and interesting take aways. Here there was only, whoops! potentially scary moment just barely evaded. Wait here's another one! And all the while I have the fabulously dull Sara narrating, who not only reinforces #2 of my list by making sure we know that the people she loves are perfect (I cite, for example, "Even has never pissed anyone off in his life" [this reader begs to differ]) but then, when Tension is introduced so as to, ha, deepen the book, we see that actually, yes Evan can be quite annoying. Though for me this was always the case.
But I digress.
The point is this - excellent premise, inexcusably bad execution. Weak characters, seriously eye rolling prose (I cite when Serial Murderer Dad makes a comment about wanting to protect daughter Sara, who is hiding from him - now that's ironic, right? Don't worry, she then says, in case we didn't catch that, how ironic that was. But wait! What if we STILL don't get it? Fret not gentle reader! The next line is, being that I was trying to hide from him, and he wanted to protect me! Ah! Whew! THAT cleared up THAT mystery) and zero charm and zero anything of worth. Gaaaaaaah!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary A Thon: Read a book with plants on the cover

Never Knowing is my second Chevy Stevens novels. Last year I read Still Missing which I liked a lot so when I saw Never Knowing at Half Priced Books in the clearance section I was YES!

Never Knowing is about Sara Gallagher who has always known she was adopted. Despite having a loving (if troubled) family has always felt the desire to know her birth parents.

I guess no one ever told those old sayings "Be careful what you wish for" and " If you go looking for something, you just might find it".

Sara tracks down her birth mother who wants nothing to do with her. Hurt Sara sets out to find out why her birth mother seems to hate her.

And boy does her birth mother have a good ass reason for hatred. Sara's birth father is a serial killer who raped and nearly killed her birth mother.

Sara unable to leave well enough alone then sets out to learn more about her serial killing daddy.

BAD IDEA!

From there Never Knowing just spirals out of control in the most entertaining way. While Never Knowing wasn't as great as Still Missing it was still a pretty good read. I might have given it 3.5 stars if I hadn't found Sara so irrational and annoying. At times I was hoping Sara would be brutally murdered just so I wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. But eventually Sara comes to realize her own faults and I stopped rooting for her death.

A fast paced and entertaining read.

[Kristi 🐚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chevy Stevens doesn't mess around. Like a racehorse out of the gate, her books take off like mad wildfire, simmering and sizzling along the way. And, faithfully, NEVER KNOWING never lets up until its knock-over, finish-line ending. Intense, yet simple, uncomplicated, perfectly enthralling.

Like her previous best-selling psychotic thriller, STILL MISSING, her new story, NEVER KNOWING, is a book of therapy sessions, this time gracing us with the voice of passionate, and a tad neurotic, 33-year-old likeable Sara, adopted as a baby, yearning for an explanation of her childhood and the choices made by her biological parents, and presently a doting young mom of six-year-old Ally.

The harrowing answers revealed and spine-tingling events do not disappoint in this crazy, nonstop psychological game of cat and mouse. I was joined at the hip, again, for days with this advanced readers' copy until its conclusion.

Thank you, Kate, at Macmillan, for this great mystery escape therapy session of my own.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good psychological novel with interesting characters. Keeps your interest through the whole book, read it in one day because I wanted to see what happened. Chilling take on what an adopted womans finding her birth parents can encounter. Liked the ending too.

[Sara the Librarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book gave me a migraine equal to the ones the two main characters suffer from. I was not particularly taken with the "Lifetime" movie plot of Stevens' previous novel "Still Missing" and honestly picked this up without realizing it was the same author. Her characters are heavy handed and extremely black and white and once again Stevens feels the need for a truly unnecessary twist ending that has no real bearing on the rest of the story. A novel that actually concentrated on the relationship between the protagonist and her father would have been interesting, instead what should be the key of the entire novel gets pushed to the periphery in favor of a stereotypical controlling boyfriend, a daughter with obvious mental problems that are completely ignored by everyone, a neglectful and abusive adoptive family and a sociopathic younger sister. I cared less about this woman's serial murdering father and more about why all these other horrible people never got THEIR comeupance. Stevens has obvious talent as a wordsmith but her characters and plot are SEVERELY lacking. I'd stay away from this unless you don't mind paper thin story telling and completely unbelievable characters.

[Νόρα · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ένα ακόμα διαζύγιο με τη συγγραφέα.Δεν ξέρω τι συμβαίνει με τα αστυνομικά βιβλία τα τελευταία χρόνια.Έχει επέλθει ένας κορεσμός στο είδος,έχω διαβάσει πολλά και έχω γίνει απαιτητική;Οι συγγραφείς δεν ξέρουν να γράφουν ή μήπως όλα τα παραπάνω;
Πάνω κάτω στο ίδιο επίπεδο και στυλ γραφής με την εξαφάνιση,δηλαδή κάκιστο,μονόπλευρο,βαρετό,ανούσιο,
με αγωνία μηδέν.

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gripping thriller by Chevy Stevens.



The blurb caught my attention right away: my Dad, the Serial Killer!
Sara is happy: she is engaged to be married to a wonderful man after years of bad relationships and substance and alcohol abuse. She knew she was adopted and one day she gets a lead to her birth mother.



Things go drastically downhill once she attempts to meet her birth mother, who wants nothing to do with her. But somehow, her link to the Campsite Killer is leaked to the Press, and it isn't long before Dear Old Dad comes a-callin'!




Suffice it to say that the Campsite Killer locates Sarah and her daughter, Ally, and Sarah is forced to make some life altering decisions of her own. There are not one but two twists in this story!
There is a fair amount of violence in this one, but most of it is off page, with the exception of the two twist-filled sections at the end of this book. This was a great, compulsive read!

[Maria Bikaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Δυναμικό ξεκίνημα, το στορυ φανταζε ενδιαφέρον κάπου το χασα στην πορεία. Αρκετά καλό αλλά όχι καθηλωτικό

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this novel was good—some may even call it great—I couldn’t help but feel like this was a repeat performance of Still Missing. Had I not just read Ms. Stevens’s debut novel a couple months prior, I might have developed an entirely different opinion on the matter. The first time out the unique structure captured my attention and had me flipping pages faster than a sugar addict working his way through a dozen doughnuts, but this time the polish had worn off, and while I still devoured NEVER KNOWING, I flipped the pages with less enthusiasm.

The first half of the story, while certainly good, needed an adrenaline injection. Sure, the character and story development proved entertaining, but this is supposed to be a thriller. And when it comes to page-turners, I want to dangle on the edge of a cliff by my fingernails while a dog is nipping at the tips and a psycho serial killer points a revolver at my shaking corpse. The suspense and adrenaline came, but by then I had already pondered the existence of the universe more than once.

Sara Gallagher, though, proved to be an intriguing character, and one I understood a bit too well. Taking the world’s problems on her shoulders, she blames herself for anything remiss, prefers knowledge to a lack of awareness, and shoulders more problems than are hers to bear. Yeah, she may swallow the occasional white pill, but she has migraines, sister, along with a wedding to plan and a somewhat absentee fiancé who likes to play in the woods.

Even her relationships reminded me of my own. She had her first love Derek where she was head over heels and enamored and lost herself and ended up in what was ultimately an unhealthy relationship before she found Evan, her true love. This scenario resembled a bit too uncannily what I had faced before. At the time I had no real comparison for relationships and love and clinging to someone so tightly and losing myself so completely that I almost became two different people: one when I was with her and one when I wasn’t. Once I was in, though, I ended up so far inside the threshold there was no easy way to get out, without one of us clinging to that cliff, so I did what made sense at the time: I expunged myself from the situation.

Not being able to fix that relationship or somehow make it work, despite analyzing it from every angle, bothered me a whole hell of a lot more than what my ex thought of me. In fact, I still feel like I failed the universe somehow. But I’ve come to terms with my problems without the aid of prescription medication just as I’ve come to terms with my misgivings of this novel.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a few incidents of the word "rape," I read ahead--and no. Just no.

...and after a three-day break from women-and-murder books, I'm ready to try again.

...and now I am two chapters in and I'm pretty sure the protagonist is the villain of the story. I mean, she's completely self-centered and emotionally manipulative--has more than a few megalomaniac tendencies--indulges in behavior that makes her a stalker and bully. Surely the reader isn't meant to sympathize with her??

Also Stevens' writing skills are a bit less than robust.

...and now I am four chapters in and I hate all the characters and I hate the storyline and I am not going to read any more because everything about this stupid book makes me want to throw up. I would give it -7 stars if that were an option.

...and now it's two weeks later and I think I have to try reading this stupid thing AGAIN because for some ridiculous reason I can't stop THINKING ABOUT IT. It's like my brain won't rest until it has consumed every last horrible page. UGH

I am under no illusions that it is not bad and that I will not dislike it once I've finished with it. I feel as if the author is trying to force me to sympathize with a character who doesn't deserve it, and that sensation isn't one that dissipates easily. But apparently I must soldier on.

...and that's two more chapters down. Am now starting chapter 7. It's like being stuck in an especially gross episode of "Law & Order: SVU."

...Now I'm to chapter 8. This fucking book. I can't figure out why anyone would even WANT to write a story like this. It's just SO gross; it makes my brain feel like it's coated in toxic sludge. Also one of the very few characters I don't yet abhor is turning out to be an asshole. Shocking, I know.

...Through chapter 11 of this fucking book, which is about halfway, which ISN'T FAR ENOUGH OMG. Still really gross.

I don't always think of the author writing the novels I read, but with this one I'm thinking the heck about Ms. Stevens. I want to ask her: Why did you decide to write a book featuring such irredeemably awful human beings? Why did you want to write a story about such a brutal, vicious crime? Why are so many of the women portrayed as stereotypical bitches? Why are the Bad Guys so unmitigatedly bad? Why did you make it so impossible to sympathize with the protagonist?

Also, why does the story sort-of-but-not-really take place within the framework of a series of conversations the horrible protagonist has with her probably-horrible therapist? Because it seems to be completely useless, not to mention distracting. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??

...Through chapter 15, and literally the only thing that has happened in the past four chapters is that both the protagonist's whining and Stevens' writing quality have reached peak levels of awfulness. I HATE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. >:(

...Through chapter 20. This bullshit book can't end soon enough.

...THANK GOD I AM FINALLY DONE WITH THIS STUPID FUCKING BOOK. I wish I had a hard copy of it just so I could watch it go up in flames. (I had to satisfy myself with firmly deleting it from my Kindle app.)

Also I very much dislike Chevy Stevens right now and if I ever meet her I am going to tell her to go straight to hell and flip her off probably.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sara Gallagher’s biological mom gave her up for adoption after birth and a family whose Alpha male didn’t want her because of the circumstances of her birth adopted Sara but to please his wife he went along with the adoption.

The adult Sara, wanting to be part of a family, searches for her biological mother and learns she was given up because she, Sara, was a product of rape. Instead of Sara respecting the privacy of her biological mother, she disrupts her biological mother’s life because in Sara’s mind what she needed was more important.

When John, Sara’s biological dad contacts Sara and tells her had he known about her he would have been a presence in her life. Sara, afraid for her life and her daughter’s life contacts the police who used Sara as bait to capture John.

Never Knowing should have been a winner with its premise but the story lacked the wanting to know what happens next that makes a book a page-turner or a good read.

When I read a book there is always one or more characters that I come to care about or whom I can relate to but I couldn’t relate to any of Never Knowing characters and I didn’t like any of them.

I also questioned who the audience of Never Knowing was. To me, it was geared towards a young audience or an audience who merely wants to be entertained and not simultaneously entertained and challenged.

While the author had the opportunity to make Sara a smart, enterprising problem solver, the author followed in the tradition of so many authors and made Sara not only pathetic but also weak, paranoid, stupid, careless and needy, who lacked self-confidence and self-worth and who bordered on narcissism.

Chevy Stevens missed the opportunity to educate while entertaining.

These types of stories turn me off because they don’t represent the 21st Century female! And on top of all that Sara popped over the counter pills to cope with stress rather than deal with it straight on.

[Frank Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF...I MAY go back and finish this because it wasn't horrible, just REALLY long! I felt like it was the same same chapter after chapter and never-ending, dragging on until the final reveal, which I really want to know what it is, I just don't want to waste anymore more with the stuff in between, if that makes sense?! Someday when I run low on reading material I will make myself finish the last 150 pages. Still a Chevy fan though, don't get me wrong!

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Έχοντας διαβάσει την "Εξαφάνιση", το πρώτο πράγμα που σκέφτηκα όταν έπιασα ετούτο εδώ ήταν "πάλι σε ψυχολόγο εξομολογείται η πρωταγωνίστρια την ιστορία της;!". Δεν ξέρω, είναι κοινό μοτίβο σε όλα τα βιβλία της αυτό το πράγμα; Όχι ότι επηρεάζει την πλοκή, απλά αναρωτιέμαι... 😝

Η ηρωίδα του βιβλίου είναι υιοθετημένη και αποφασίζει να αναζητήσει τους βιολογικούς της γονείς. Κάτι που πολλοί άνθρωποι σε παρόμοια κατάσταση έχουν επιχειρήσει να κάνουν κατά καιρούς. Αυτό που οπωσδήποτε δεν φανταζόταν η Σάρα, όμως, ήταν το γεγονός πως όχι απλά η βιολογική της μητέρα δεν θέλει να έχει καμία σχέση μαζί της, αλλά και πως ο πατέρας της είναι ένας ασύλληπτος serial killer και πως η ίδια είναι προϊόν βιασμού. Τότε αρχίζει ο εφιάλτης της, κάνοντας τη Σάρα να μετανιώσει την ώρα και τη στιγμή που αποφάσισε να ψάξει το γενεαλογικό της δέντρο.

Η πλοκή κυλάει αβίαστα και οι σελίδες φεύγουν γρήγορα. Είναι ενδιαφέρουσα η ιστορία, αλλά δεν σου κόβει πια και την ανάσα. Τη Σάρα πότε τη συμπαθούσα και πότε μου έσπαγε τα νεύρα, ανάλογα με τη συμπεριφορά και τις αντιδράσεις της. Αυτό που μου φάνηκε πολύ ενδιαφέρον ήταν η σκιαγράφηση του πατέρα της, ενός ανθρώπου που έχει σκοτώσει ένα σωρό άτομα μέσα στο πέρασμα των χρόνων, αλλά μπορεί να δίνει και την εντύπωση ενός φυσιολογικού πατέρα που θέλει να γνωρίσει την κόρη του και δεν καταλαβαίνει γιατί εκείνη νιώθει αποστροφή ή φόβο για κείνον. Όχι ότι φτάνει ο αναγνώστης σε σημείο να τον λυπηθεί, φυσικά, αλλά ίσως προσεγγίζει λίγο το να τον καταλάβει. Μιλάμε για ένα διαταραγμένο μυαλό και εξίσου διαταραγμένο ψυχισμό εξάλλου - πώς θα μπορούσε να είναι αλλιώς;! Το τέλος είναι ανατρεπτικό και ουσιαστικά μια έξτρα 'αποζημίωση' εκ μέρους της συγγραφέως, για όσους νόμισαν πως όλα τέλειωσαν λίγες σελίδες πριν. Αμ δε!

Είναι ένα ωραίο βιβλίο σε γενι��ές γραμμές, περνάει όμορφα και γρήγορα ο χρόνος ενώ το διαβάζεις, αλλά οπωσδήποτε δεν είναι της κατηγορίας "αυτό είναι ΤΟ θρίλερ" ούτε και θα το θυμάσαι μετά από καιρό, νομίζω.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about a Canadian furniture refinisher who gets so much more than she ever bargained for when she thinks it's a great idea to search for her birth mother the day before her wedding. Right away I thought, who actually does something like that? Obviously, Sara Gallagher.

Sara has never been comfortable with her adopted family. Her adopted mother is loving and kind, but her relationships with her adopted father and her two non-adopted sisters is much rockier. So, she decides that she wants to celebrate her wedding to Evan, the handsome man who shares a daughter, 6-year-old Ally with Sara...by trying to track down her birth mother...the mother who gave her away when she was a baby. Right away Sara learns that the art-history professor who calls herself Julia Laroche is actually her birth mother. So why is she demanding that Sara stay far away from her and why did she change her name from Karen Christianson?

Sara soon discovers that her mother is the only woman to survive an assault by a serial killer known as "The Campsite Killer"... can you count to nine? ...the assault occurred exactly nine months before Sara’s birth. “I was born in fear,” Sara says. She should have left well-enough alone. She soon finds that her troubled past history is the least of her problems. News of Karen and Sara's link to the "Campsite Killer" quickly leaks onto a gossip blog and spreads like wildfire bringing Sara’s father (“You can call me John for now”), racing into her life in several ugly and uncontrollable ways. This is the man who’s murdered 30 people and until now had no idea he even had a daughter...but he’s eager now to form a relationship with her...of course while trying not to allow himself to be recaptured. Then he makes a lot of even more impossible demands and threatens to kill again if Sara doesn’t meet every single one of them. Worse yet, the mounting pressure leaves her feeling more and more that she is like her father the serial killer.

A fairly good story...until the very end where it felt that it went "off the rails", and most folks won't particularly like the character of Sara, I didn't...but still a very worthwhile read.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned.

I could not bear to finish this book. I got 2/3rds of the way in and had to give up. All the characters are so pathetic, boring and obnoxious and ruined what might have been an interesting plot (adoptive woman descovers her mother is the only victim of a serial killer to get away. Her father is the serial killer). The main character's daughter is the main reason for giving up though. She is 6 years old and is the most obnoxious, rude and downright unpleasant child I have ever come across (in literature, tv, films and real life). All the scenes with her in them play out like this:

Daughter gets really really angry because she cannot have waffles for dinner or has to pick one present to buy some kid for their birthday. Daughter throws a MASSIVE tantrum. Daughter then kicks things or throws books at dogs. Mother cries and vaguely tells daughter off then gives into her every desire. But I suppose if the author had given the mother the ability to say "No" and to discipline her child, she wouldn't have been able to write umpteen pages on serial killer's genetics.

[Elaine R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Η Σάρα Γκάλαχερ αποφασίζει να μάθει την αλήθεια γύρω από τους λόγους, που οδήγησαν τους βιολογικούς της γονείς να τη δώσουν για υιοθεσία και άθελά της, ανοίγει το κουτί της Πανδώρας· αν δεν το είχε κάνει, δε θα υπήρχε και βιβλίο άλλωστε... Ενδεικτικά αναφέρω κάποιες δραστηριότητες που θα είχε προτιμήσει από την έρευνα στο internet, αν ήξερε τι την περιμένει: bungee jumping πάνω από ηφαίστειο, parapente στο παρά τρία, κατάβαση και διανυκτέρευση στον Καιάδα, δυο παρτίδες πρέφα στο καφενείο του χωριού, τρία επεισόδια του "Ρετιρέ" χωρίς διακοπή... Εντάξει, στο τελευταίο, το παρατράβηξα λίγο...
Το βιβλίο δεν είναι κακό, αλλά δεν είναι και καλό· έχει πολλά κλισέ, κουραστικούς διαλόγους που επαναλαμβάνονται κάθε δέκα σελίδες, αντιπαθητικούς πρωταγωνιστές και ανταγωνιστές, αμέτρητα φλιτζάνια καφέ που τους κρατούν στην τσίτα και μαζί και τον αναγνώστη και σαν να μην έφταναν όλα αυτά, ένα κοριτσάκι που πετάει κάποια στιγμή ένα βιβλίο στο σκυλάκι της... Αυτό το τελευταίο, μου πήρε ώρα να το ξεπεράσω και να γυρίσω σελίδα...
Το τέλος ήταν παρατραβηγμένο και η ανατροπή δε με έπεισε· ήταν σαν να τη βρήκε η συγγραφέας στο κουτί με τα δημητριακά και ελλείψει εμπνεύσεως είπε: γιατί όχι; Κάτι σαν να ετοιμάζεις τούρτα γενεθλίων και θες να είναι ξεχωριστή, διαφορετική και αποφασίζεις αντί για συνηθισμένη γαρνιτούρα να βάλεις μπεσαμέλ... Ελάχιστοι θα τη φάνε κι ακόμα λιγότεροι θα την εκτιμήσουν...
2.5 αστεράκια προς 3... 2.75 για την ακρίβεια. Θα ήταν πολύ καλύτερο με τη μισή έκταση...

[Maria Pomeroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book!!!!
This is my second book by Chevy Stevens and, I feel, it is just as good as her first book, "Still Missing".
This book is about a 34 year old woman, who was adopted at birth by parents who subsequently were able to conceive two more daughters.
The adoptive father is somewhat abusive emotionally, his wife is psychologically absent and the two younger sisters are mean, hateful and vindictive.
Sara is 34 and has a 6 year old (annoying, unlikable) daughter and a very supportive fiancé.
Sara is going to need her supportive fiancé, because she insists on opening up "Pandora's Box" against all warning on the label in search of her birth mother.
I am not going to reiterate again (maybe one more time) how the saying , "Let sleeping dogs lie" is SO TRUE in this book.
Sara finds her birth mother, who runs away from her multiple times, actually packing up, leaving her tenured, professorship and moving away in fear of the "Campsite Killer" (Sara's alleged father).
Well, I think you are going to have to read the rest yourself because I cannot go into all the roller coaster, tilt-a-whirl, hurricane-like twists and turns awaiting you!
Must Read!!!!!

[♥️Annete♥️loves❤️books♥️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instead of reading the actual book, i listened to the audio version and can't say i was thrilled. First of all, the narration was slow and dull, plus nothing special happened in this book for almost 12 hours of listening. We have a whiny heroine, Sara who is adopted and wants to find her real parents. When she finds out her real dad is a serial killer, Sara has to deal with this pshychological traumatic burden. In the meantine the Police asks her to help them arrest him and she begins contacting him by phone. Each time he reaches for her, he discovers she lies to him about her personal life, afraid as she is of him. They arrange to meet but each time the meeting is cancelled. All the story is, mostly, about these calls with endless and meaningless blah, blah and the twisty ending is unbelievable and unrealistic. Therefore 3 stars only because it's Chevy Stevens and i really loved her "Never Let You go".

[Vaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Chevy Stevens knows how to write a good psychological thriller! I couldn’t leave this book of my hands… imagine being adopted, knowing it and at some time discovering that your biological father is a serial killer!! It is difficult to handle; I liked that Sarah, was describing the story as small talks to her therapist! The development of the characters, main and secondary, are well built. Do not expect to discover many actions scenes and detailed “murder scenes”; this book is mostly from Sarah’s aspect and also about the “connection” her biological father wants to have with her.. I recommend this book to anyone who likes this kind of a book!!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adopted Sara searches for her birth parents, only to find out that her father is a serial killer. He's never been caught so he's still out there, and now he wants to get to know his daughter. I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, it was hard to put down.

[Jacqie Wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book was 2 times too long and the protagonist too irritating.

I'm 1 for 1 at this current time for Chevy Stevens, and it makes me nervous. This book is about a woman who was adopted at a young age, and she is trying to figure out who her real parents are. Turns out her dad is the Campsite Killer- a notorious serial killer that raped her real mom and killed many other women.

After finding this out and contacting the police, she spends the rest of the book talking on the phone with her serial killer father, trying to set up meetings to meet with him so the police can catch him, and just being a REALLY stupid and annoying protagonist. I couldn't get over just how dumb she was, and I don't know much about actual police procedures, but I felt like this is not how an investigation would go in real life (do cops really put people's lives in danger like this!?).

Last but not least, the ending was all for nothing. It was very predictable, but also I feel like there was no point to the story. I really dislike thrillers that spend too much time telling you a story, just for you to get to the end and find out the story actually meant nothing.

I'd highly recommend skipping this book.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hard to put down. I read two hundred pages the first day I started reading "Never Knowing." The story never lets up from page one and the ending has a real twist. A twist that I never saw coming. Since I am a big fan of thrillers, I tried to come up wth the plot twists as I went along. Chevy Stevens threw me a big surprise! I love this book.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Gallagher has always felt like someone who didn't belong in her family. She's known about her adoption from a young age, but it was the birth of her adoptive parents' two biological daughters that really set her apart and accentuated the "not belonging."

So when she searches for her biological parents and finds her mother living nearby, she thinks she may have finally found a place of her own. But Julia, her biological mother, openly rejects her, and soon Sara discovers why. Her birth father is a serial killer whose only living victim was Julia. And she herself is the product of that rape.

Just when Sara begins to realize that sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for, she is drawn into a plan by the police to help capture John, the Campsite Killer. How this all comes about is part of the web of complexity that makes up this story.

Who can you trust when everyone around you begins to try to control, dominate, and change who you are? And what is the price of knowing where you belong? These themes propel this story forward along twisting and mysterious pathways.

I liked how Never Knowing kept me moving along rapidly, however, and when I thought I finally had it all sorted out, there were still a few more surprising turns to throw me off course. A five star read that will grab you and keep you turning pages.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m between a 4 and 5 star rating, but I’m going to go with 5 because I thought the idea behind the book was great! What if you were adopted and find out your dad was a rapist and a serial killer?!?! From there the surprises keep coming! Who exactly can Sara trust?

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow Chevy Stevens has done it again! What a twist. I can only hope that she continues with more and more!!

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about a woman who decides to find her birth mother after 35 years. Sarah hires a PI and finds her mother and also discovers that her father is a serial killer. This is all determined by page 27. The rest of the book deals with the police trying to get Sarah to arrange a meeting between her and her father so they can capture him. Sarah’s father calls her many times on the phone and there are three meetings that they set up. Of course each one falls through. The book has a happy ending but boy did it take a long time to get there. I felt the book was very slow and I felt like there was not anything new added to the story after page 27.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable! How can so much happen to one person, and keep happening, and keep happening.......

Sara Gallagher was adopted. All her life she had wondered about her birth parents, and although she loved her parents, especially her mother, when her 2 sisters, Melanie and Lauren, were born (both naturally to her parents), she felt left out, never being good enough, never as good as her sisters.

So, with her gorgeous daughter, 6 year old Ally, and a wonderful fiance Evan, and the preparations for their wedding going ahead, Sara thought it was time to find her birth parents. She wanted to know medical history, for Ally, she wanted to maybe have her birth parents at her wedding.

But when she finally found her birth mother, Julia, she was met with rejection, horror, and the knowledge that there was much more out there that she needed to know....but maybe she shouldn't try to find out. Evan was against her going further, she didn't tell her family for fear of upsetting them.

Suddenly the devastating truth erupts...it's out there, on the internet, throughout the town, with the journalists...she just wants it to stop! And she realizes that to find her birth father will be bad, but if he finds her, it'll be so much worse!

With the police involved, her birth father ringing her day and night, wanting to meet her...the police decide to use Sara as bait to catch him.......she knows it'll never go away or get better until she fixes it!

This psychological thriller is Chevy Stevens' 2nd novel, and while I loved the first one, this is so much better! The twists and turns, the ending so much different to what I expected, the horror of what was happening...I couldn't put this book down.

Praise of this highly touted debut includes comparisons to Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gardner, and ...the 'What would I do?' aspect of the reading experience may make this a match for some Jodi Picoult readers as well. Highly recommended

Read it if you dare!