“Always
Watching” by Chevy Stevens
“Heart-pounding,” (Lisa Jackson) “Harrowing,”
(Linwood Barclay) and “Chilling” (William Landay) are just a few of the words
others have used to describe Stevens’ newest book “Always Watching.” They are
all true. Add one other: “Spellbinding” (Starr Gardinier Reina). That’s what I
thought. This was one tough book to put down.
Psychiatrist Nadine Lavoie meets a patient who
brings to surface Nadine’s own terrifying past, one her psyche protected her
from. But now that she’s remembering, she has to face her past.
Her mother, tired of the abuse by the hands of
her father, brings Nadine and Robbie, her brother to live in a commune when
they were thirteen and sixteen, respectively. Aaron, the ‘leader,’ preached
about living life purely and demanded his ‘residents’ follow his every rule.
When they didn’t…well, they were punished. Finally, Nadine’s father comes and
takes them out, away from the horror of the commune.
Nadine, in her adult years, suffers from
claustrophobia and hasn’t been able to find the root of the fear. But as she
digs deeper into what the commune is up to now, she finds out more than she can
handle.
A violent rage bubbles just below the surface
when Aaron and his brother Joseph are threatened by Nadine’s quest to bring to
light the ugly side of Aaron and his ‘lifestyle.’ Torment can describe what
Nadine goes through as she recalls what happened to her as a little girl and
anguish when she discovers her own missing daughter is now calling the commune
home.
As I said, “spellbinding” is a great descriptor
of Stevens’ story. There aren't many other words to do this book justice.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “The Other Side: Melinda’s Story”
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