Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Still Missing, a harrowing abduction and rape story, was one of the most popular crime/suspense novels of 2010 and it has been a New York Times best-seller ever since. It is the first book written by Chevy Stevens – and it is surprisingly good for a debut novel.


Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two years old real estate agent, once an independent and brave young woman, changes tragically after being abducted by a supposed client, a sadistic psychopath. The Freak, as Annie calls him, takes her to a remote mountain cabin where drawers are padlocked and doors are made of stainless steel. To escape him seeems impossible. The Freak wants Annie to be „a good wife” and controls every moment of her life. She is allowed to go to the bathroom in a scheduled time. He shaves her legs and watches her whilst she has a bath. He beats her, rapes her every day and, worst of all, impregnates her – naturally she feels repulsed by the baby which soon ends up dead.
After a year of suffering, Annie, troubled and mentally scarred, flees. She returns home to her drinking and selfish mother, her all-too-nice boyfriend, and best friend… but she only feels safe when her beloved dog is around. She cannot bear people touch her, and her career as a realtor is over. However, it seems that The Freak had someone who actually wanted him to abduct Annie. She has a terrible suspicion… I warn the future readers that Still Missing has a disturbing and unexpected twist at the ending.
The story is written in a first person narrative, as an angry, bitter, and insecure Annie shares her graphic tale with her psychologist.
The characters of Still Missing are brilliantly drawn, and the plot is full of twists and tension. Violence is not overtly graphic and gory but realistic and credible (sadly enough, we could see these things happen in real life, just think about the case of Natascha Kampusch). Chevy Stevens was criticised for using crude language. However, the nature of the book makes it not only understandable but also necessary. There are things in human mind that can be expressed only by the crudest words. Besides, colourful language was also used by the best of authors, from horror master Stephen King to Nobel Prize winning, bold, honest Elfriede Jelinek.

Chevy Stevens worked as a real estate agent. The idea of Still Missing is based on one of her worst fears that could concern a female realtor.