Julie's Review: That Night

Author: Chevy Stevens
Series: None
Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 384
Obtained: Publisher
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: An outstanding mystery from the first line
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Review: That Night is a powerful novel of freedom, forgiveness and moving forward. It is also about an extreme case of bullying. It is about the troubled teen who perhaps isn't all that troubled but looks like it compared to her sister. It's about the unconditional love that really does survive a worse case scenario.

Toni is a 17 year old girl who likes to party a little, sneak out at night to see her "bad" boyfriend and fights with her mom. So basically she's a typical teenage girl only compared to her goody-goody sister, Nicole, she looks like a complete screw up. Toni is also bullied at school by a group of girls who used to be her friends. The bullying starts off slowly and is the sort of thing that Toni could ignore. Unfortunately, this group of teenage girls are evil but are popular and so nice to the parents, they couldn't possibly be doing the things that Toni says they are doing to her. The only one truly in her corner is Ryan, her "bad-boy" boyfriend.

That Night is a complex, multi-layered novel. Ms. Stevens is brilliant at hooking you and keeping you hooked. She slowly unwinds the mystery of what happened 15 years ago on "that night". We also learn about Toni's prison experience and her path to try to acclimate back to society after 15 years away. What broke my heart the most was her relationship with her mother. Their relationship was contentious when Toni lived it at home and it only got worse once Nicole was murdered. She wouldn't even give Toni the benefit of the doubt. She had already convicted her in her heart and mind.

As I read the novel, my emotions were all over the place. I was mad, I was sad and I was hopeful. I was also cautious. I wasn't sure if I should believe Toni or not, not matter how badly I wanted to.  I think that goes to the great ability of Ms. Stevens to tell a fantastic story. In the end, I believed Toni and wanted her to get justice. Even with justice, she will never get her sister back or the freedom of those lost 15 years. She will also never get her relationship repaired with her mother.

If you are looking for a fantastic mystery that also makes you stop to think, then That Night is for you. I've read 2 other of Ms. Stevens novels and this one is her best so far.


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