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Those Girls

Bookreporter.com Bets On...

Those Girls

July 2015

I can depend on Chevy Stevens to deliver me a page-turning thriller, one that I usually read in one sitting. And she does just that in THOSE GIRLS. The book opens in a small town in western Canada where the Campbell sisters --- Jess, Courtney and Dani --- live pretty much on their own. Their mom has died, and they have bonded together to survive life with their alcoholic father, whose appearances at home are sporadic and volatile. Fear surrounds them; it defines their world.

One night, they take matters into their own hands when their father goes too far; suddenly they are on the run. Along the way, they again hit trouble at the get-go as they find themselves held captive by sweet-talking brothers who make life with their father seem almost warm and fuzzy. Kind strangers step up and help them create new names --- Jamie, Crystal and Dallas --- and new lives. But the sisters are always hiding, wondering who will unearth the secrets of their past.

This is not for the faint of heart --- Chevy does not hold back in her storytelling. It is gritty and edgy, but wonderfully balanced by the intense feelings that these sisters have for one another. Chevy can plot, build tension and rope you into a story. This is her fifth book, and she keeps getting better and better. At a time when I think many thriller writers are “phoning it in,” Chevy’s attention to her craft continues to be ramped up. I love when an author delivers like that!

Those Girls
by Chevy Stevens