Stay: A Novel (Aud Torvingen)

Nicola Griffith

Book cover for Stay: A Novel (Aud Torvingen)
Book cover for Stay: A Novel (Aud Torvingen)

Stay: A Novel (Aud Torvingen)

Stay: A Novel (Aud Torvingen)

Nicola Griffith

View full details

Description

"Razor sharp."
--New York Times

""If Jack Reacher had a sister, she'd be Aud Torvingen . . . he would love her, but he'd be a little scared of her, too."
―Lee Child

Aud Torvingen returns--against her better instincts--scarred, heartbroken, changed, but tougher and rougher than ever.

Raw with grief, Aud Torvingen wants nothing to do with the world. She is rebuilding a log cabin in the middle of the Appalachians, refusing the efforts of anyone who wants to reach her.

Until Dornan, Aud's only real friend, asks her to track down his runaway fiancée, Tammy. Aud has no love for or faith in Tammy, but she feels obliged to help--and first on the streets of New York City, and then deep in the woods of Arkansas, she finds herself up against Karp, a sociopath so artful that the law can't touch him. Fortunately, Aud has no love for or faith in the law, either--she prefers other tools.

But perhaps even more dangerous to Aud than Karp are Aud's own demons.

As arresting as a razor at the throat, Nicola Griffith's Stay is a ferocious masterpiece of literary noir, a stunning juxtaposition of beauty and brutality. In its pages Griffith fuses Aud's steely moral authority with a new, ever-evolving emotional depth.

About the Author

Nicola Griffith is a dual UK/US citizen who lives in Seattle, Washington. She is the author of award-winning novels including Spear, Hild, and Ammonite, and has written for Nature, New Scientist, The New York Times, The Guardian, and other publications. She is the founder and cohost of #CripLit, holds a PhD from Anglia Ruskin University, and enjoys a ferocious bout of wheelchair boxing. She is married to the novelist and screenwriter Kelley Eskridge.

Critical Reviews

"Stay is a bracing, stylized thriller ... A finely nuanced, frightening plunge into the dark heart of an exceptional woman."
--The Village Voice

"Stay is simply gorgeous. . . There was not one misstep, not one moment when I was not being pulled along hoping for some lifesaving miracle. And when it happens, it feels real."
--Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina

"Aud, the protagonist of this novel, is an intuitive, old-fashioned sleuth who would do Elmore Leonard proud. [M]ore layered than most thrillers, Stay deftly combines a murder mystery with an exploration of loss. Griffith's heroine has earned the right to many more adventures and books."
--Entertainment Weekly

"Stay is simply gorgeous...There was not one misstep, not one moment when I was not being pulled along hoping for some lifesaving miracle. And when it happens, it feels real. Stay made me glad to read it."
--Dorothy Allison

"Nicola Griffith's Aud Torvingen novels are among the finest, most original crime fiction I've read...I am forever Ms. Griffith's fan."
--Robert Crais

"I can't rave enough."
--Dennis Lehane

Publishing Information

Publisher: Picador USA
Pub date: 2025-06-03
Length: 320 pages

The Allstora Membership

Membership Perks:

  • Save 30% on all online store purchases
  • Exclusive access to author's content
  • You pay less, but authors still earn double

Membership Terms:

First Month: $0.00
Monthly price: $5.00
  • To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
  • One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.