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In her latest book, Chevy Stevens takes a minor character from her other two books and puts her center stage, bringing us a strong psychological thriller. Dr. Nadine Lavoie is a staff psychologist at a Victoria, BC, psychiatric hospital when a suicidal patient is brought in. Lavoie connects immediately with Heather, especially when she learns that Heather and her husband recently left The River of Life Spiritual Center.
The center is run by Aaron Quinn, who forty years ago started a commune where a teenaged Lavoie lived with her mother and brother. But many of Lavoie's memories of that time have been wiped away, leaving Lavoie only with a crippling claustrophobia and uneasy thoughts of Quinn, who is now a respected leader; his spiritual center is not only prosperous, but shares the wealth with the community. As Lavoie begins to dig into her memories—and the center—she feels someone is watching her. Is it just paranoia or is there more to it?
A subplot deals with Lavoie's twentysomething daughter, who has left the house and is a drug addict living on the streets. While she helps others, Lavoie feels extremely guilty and embarrassed that she can't help her own daughter.
This psychological thriller reveals itself slowly, as memory after memory comes flooding back, and each revelation brings Lavoie closer to the truth, but also closer to danger for herself and her daughter. The audiobook is narrated by Joyce Bean, who perfectly captures the 55-year-old Lavoie, a sensible, strong woman who nevertheless finds herself suffering panic attacks and doubting herself. And Stevens has drawn the characters so well that you'll hold your breath until the very end.
§ Lourdes Venard is a newspaper editor in Long Island, N.Y.
Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, September 2013
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