Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

It's no secret that Sara Gallagher is adopted. She's always been curious about where she comes from, but in planning her upcoming wedding the question has been weighing on her. What if there's some sort of medical concern that could affect her or her children? Wouldn't it be better to know? A bit of searching reveals the identity of Sara's birth mother but her response to Sara's attempted contact is upsetting to say the least. What's more, Sara is sure that the woman has lied to her about her father. She decides to go one step further and hires a PI to find out more. What's discovered is more shocking than she ever expected: Sara is the daughter of the notorious Campsite Killer. Her birth mother was the one and only survivor. Somehow, the press gets wind of the story and soon a man identifying himself as her father begins to contact Sara, catapulting her and her family into turmoil and almost certain danger. 

Chevy Stevens literally burst onto the thriller scene with her intense debut, Still Missing. Never Knowing is no less intense or shocking than its predecessor. Stevens again delves into the psychological aspects of the affects of crime on her lead character. This time around, rather than being a victim, Sara must question everything she knows and finds herself examining every aspect of her own life and behavior in search of connections or similarities that might be ascribed to her terrible origins.

Each chapter begins as a session with Sara's therapist. Sara narrates the events as if she is recalling them to a second party, which makes for an interesting framework to the story. 

Never Knowing is a quick read that I was tempted to finish all in one go -- and nearly did. The pacing begs for it! 

Both Never Knowing and Still Missing are out now in paperback. If you're a fan of dark thrillers, I highly recommend checking them out.