Today, Hartford Books Examiner reviews Wendy Corsi Staub’s new thriller, Live to Tell, which will be available in bookstores tomorrow. The first of a planned trilogy, it marks Staub’s Avon Books debut.
Live to Tell opens with a breathtaking chase scene throughout the streets of a chaotic New York City, where a desperate man hides a memory stick containing highly incriminating evidence in the lining of a stuffed animal. That animal is then turned in to Grand Central Station’s lost and found--a fateful event that will plunge the Walsh family into life or death game of cat and mouse, as young daughter Sadie unwittingly finds herself in possession of the secrets that someone would stop at nothing to protect.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Congressman Garvey Quinn is riding a wave of popularity that could very well land him in the White House one day. But is his idyllic public image a mere façade? What dark truths hide behind the portrait of normalcy that he and his family work so hard to present? Elsewhere, in a quiet Connecticut town, Brett and Elsa Cavalon are still hoping to uncover the answers to their son’s disappearance fourteen years ago. While these families are secondary to the Walshes, you can’t help but wonder how their stories intertwine…
Staub’s characterization is particularly strong in Live to Tell. The author is well known among her fans for her ability to craft tales of domestic suspense, and so it comes as no surprise that the protagonist here is a young mother who must shield her children from the evil that lurks in the shadows of everyday life. But the circumstances of the Walsh family—Lauren and Nick’s recent divorce, Nick’s romantic relationship with another woman, and the impact of the separation on their children—make Lauren and her kids particularly vulnerable (not to mention sympathetic to the reader). Staub exposes these raw emotions to maximum effect, creating moments of interplay between characters that range from heart breaking to infuriating and that are every bit as compelling as the mystery that lies at the heart of the story.
When Nick fails to return from a vacation rendezvous, his children become upset at his apparent indifference and Lauren vacillates between anger and worry, trying to quell their fears even as she struggles to come to terms with her own. Is he merely being derelict in his parental duties or is there something more sinister at play? As questions begin to unfold, Staub expertly shrouds her characters in doubt, and red herrings abound. The reader is always one short but significant step behind the author as she ratchets up the suspense to nearly unbearable levels, tying together seemingly unrelated storylines in a conclusion that resolves one mystery while opening the door to another...
In short: Much like a roller coaster, Live to Tell starts off slow and deliberate but quickly builds up speed, delivering twists, turns, and thrills before coming to a satisfying halt—all while leaving open the possibility to another go 'round.
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Be sure to join Hartford Books Examiner tomorrow for your chance to win a copy of Live to Tell as author Wendy Corsi Staub shares a behind-the-scenes look at her new series.
Wendy will be appearing in CT on the following dates:
Thursday, February 25 -- Borders, Fairfield at 7 p.m. (More information here.)
Saturday, February 27 -- Elm Street Books, New Canaan at 12 p.m.
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Related articles from Hartford Books Examiner:
Book Review: Dying Breath by Wendy Corsi Staub
Wendy Corsi Staub's Dead Before Dark
Behind-the-scenes with Wendy Corsi Staub (Part 1)
Behind the scenes with Wendy Corsi Staub (Part 2)
Wendy Corsi Staub re-launches her young adult series, Lily Dale
Comments
John, thank you for the wonderful review. And, Connecticut readers, I hope to meet some of you later this week!! Best, WCS
HI John
I see you mention Wendy quite a lot in HBE but I've never come across her work. I guess I won't know if I enjoy it until I read one - as a fan, where should I start?
Thanks!
Hi Kate -- Thanks for reading HBE! I have read all of Wendy's suspense titles, and have enjoyed them all. (She also writes chick lit. and a YA series.) Most of her books are stand-alones, so you don't need to read them in any particular order. A few of my favorites are ALL THE WAY HOME, IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, KISS HER GOODBYE, and DEAD BEFORE DARK (which is a follow-up to DYING BREATH). LIVE TO TELL is the first book in a new trilogy for Avon Books, so that might be a good place to start. (My first was ALL THE WAY HOME, and I've been hooked ever since.) You can usually find a decent stock of back titles at Borders or Barnes & Noble. If you give Wendy a try, let me know what you think!
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