Review: Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens (audio)

Title: Never Knowing   

Author: Chevy Stevens   

Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie  

Published:  July 2011, Brilliance Audio 

Length: 12 hours, 14 min  

Source: Personal copy via Audible

From the acclaimed
author of STILL MISSING comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s
search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers.

All
her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an
adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents,
Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up
for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take
steps and find closure.

But some questions are better left unanswered.

After
months of research, Sara locates her birth mother—only to be met with
horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her
mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting
women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing
worse than finding her father is him finding out about her.

What if murder is in your blood?

Never
Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to
understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can
survive…

My thoughts: Back in 2012, I listened to Chevy Stevens’ debut novel Still Missing and remembered what an intense thriller it was. I was eager to listen to her other books and finally got around to the next one. While her books are not connected, there are some recurring characters – mainly the psychiatrist, Dr. Lavoie, though she plays a background character.

Much like in her previous book, this book is set up as therapy sessions. Sara, adopted as a child, has always wondered about her birth parents, and now as she is planning her wedding, she finds she wants those answers more than ever. But some secrets as best left untouched as Sara soon realizes – all her investigating and digging into her birth parents opens up quite the Pandora’s box. 

The tension and suspense of this story keep you thoroughly engaged and you don’t want to walk away until it’s all figured out. As Sara starts working with the police to help capture the Campsite Killer, red flags started popping up as to who can really be trusted. And then the ending…WOW!!! I thought a few times I had it all worked out, but then a new twist would be thrown in and I was back to square one, but never did I see that ending coming.

This really is a case of being careful what you wish for and for Sara, I think it’s a lesson well learned! I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get to the rest of Chevy Stevens’ books. She definitely writes the type of book that just begs to be listened to and I think that’s what I’m going to do – audio for this author!

Audio Thoughts: Carrington MacDuffie does a phenomenal job with this story. The pacing, the anxiety she infuses into her voice, the stress during the sessions when Sara is unsure what is going to happen next – all this really enhances the overall experience of the psychological thriller.

*** Devourer of Books
hosts Sound Bytes  – a monthly link-up to share the audio books that
everyone is listening to. Stop by and you just might find your next
audio book!