Helpful Score: 3
Griffith has written a couple of excellent sci-fi novels ('Ammonite' and 'Slow River'). 'Stay is more of a thriller/crime novel, but since I had liked her other books so much, I decided to pick it up.
What I didn't realize is that it is also a sequel (to 'The Blue Place'). It does work as a stand-alone, but I wish I had read 'The Blue Place' first.
In 'Stay' we meet Aud Torvingen - a Scandinavian ex-policewoman & private detective, who is in the middle of reclusively renovating an Appalachian cabin, and dealing with the emotional trauma and guilt of the death of her lover, a woman who had hired her to protect her from assassins.
However, an old friend shows up at the cabin, saying that his on-again off-again girlfriend has disappeared, and he suspects she may be in serious trouble - can Aud help find her? Even though Aud had never liked this woman, she feels obligated to help - and soon is off to New York City to try to find out where she went... uncovering a web of violence, psychological torture and exploitation in the process.
Quite a good thriller - a bit of a slow start, but the writing and characterization really transcend genre fiction. (Although Aud's detecting skills and ninja-type abilities stretch believability just a tiny bit.)
The atmosphere of the novel reminded me just a little of 'Smilla's Sense of Snow,' which is one of my favorite books in this genre.
What I didn't realize is that it is also a sequel (to 'The Blue Place'). It does work as a stand-alone, but I wish I had read 'The Blue Place' first.
In 'Stay' we meet Aud Torvingen - a Scandinavian ex-policewoman & private detective, who is in the middle of reclusively renovating an Appalachian cabin, and dealing with the emotional trauma and guilt of the death of her lover, a woman who had hired her to protect her from assassins.
However, an old friend shows up at the cabin, saying that his on-again off-again girlfriend has disappeared, and he suspects she may be in serious trouble - can Aud help find her? Even though Aud had never liked this woman, she feels obligated to help - and soon is off to New York City to try to find out where she went... uncovering a web of violence, psychological torture and exploitation in the process.
Quite a good thriller - a bit of a slow start, but the writing and characterization really transcend genre fiction. (Although Aud's detecting skills and ninja-type abilities stretch believability just a tiny bit.)
The atmosphere of the novel reminded me just a little of 'Smilla's Sense of Snow,' which is one of my favorite books in this genre.
