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Stay
David Sparrow is an awesome stay-at-home dad. He gets his kids ready for school while his wife, Amy, commutes to New York City, where she was recently promoted to Deputy District Attorney. In fact, she just inherited a major case: prosecuting crime lord Dante Payne. Meanwhile, David is content chatting with the moms at school drop-off, and doing housework.
But when Dante Payne takes the fight directly to Amy, attacking her where she lives, David is forced to “reactivate� himself, revealing a history and deadly skill set his wife knew nothing about. And he’ll do anything to protect his family.
Part Taken, part First Blood, Stay is an action-packed, often hilarious, and hugely entertaining suburban thriller.
But when Dante Payne takes the fight directly to Amy, attacking her where she lives, David is forced to “reactivate� himself, revealing a history and deadly skill set his wife knew nothing about. And he’ll do anything to protect his family.
Part Taken, part First Blood, Stay is an action-packed, often hilarious, and hugely entertaining suburban thriller.
295 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2015
16 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Victor Gischler
359Ìýbooks408ÌýfollowersVictor Gischler is an American author of humorous crime fiction.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.
He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.
Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.
He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.
Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
November 20, 2015
Wow! This was quite a page-turner. It moved fast and furious. I love the idea of having your son and daughter strapped into your back seat as you crash through the garage door while shooting out the window as your wife calmly reloads your weapons. Way to liven up suburbia.
This book reminded me a lot of Taken, except with younger kids. I sure hope Mr Gischler comes out with another!
This book reminded me a lot of Taken, except with younger kids. I sure hope Mr Gischler comes out with another!
July 10, 2015
I must say that it sort of bugs me that everything I read about this book mentions the deal with CBS for the rights -- I'm happy for Gischler, but that doesn't make me want to read it more (or less). Still, Stay can at times seem like a really thorough pitch for a movie deal.
Beyond that -- I was a little disappointed. Gischler takes so many suspense novel mainstays -- the special ops guy with a troubled past forced into violence to protect his family, the paranoid old service buddy who's an expert hacker and willing to drop everything to help his pal, the foreign mobsters who will stop at nothing . . . yada yada yada. There was virtually nothing new here. Now just because you have so many genre tropes, doesn't mean the book has to be hacky (I'm not saying this was, but you could see hacky from the front porch) -- take Finder's Nick Heller books. Almost entirely the same tropes, but Finder pulls it off. Gischler doesn't.
The dialogue was mediocre, the characters were thin, the sex was a touch too detailed, the violence was about right (maybe a less detailed than expected a few times). One thing I don't need is the same narrator justifying the use of a head-butt twice in the same novel -- and almost in identical terms.
Ultimately, I wanted more. More surprise, more details, more originality to the characters, more depth to David and Amy (and heck, the bad guys as well). There wasn't enough grit, enough horror, enough....anything. I guess you could say that I think this was a good start -- but not a good final draft. Entertaining enough to keep me turning the page. But could've been so much more.
Beyond that -- I was a little disappointed. Gischler takes so many suspense novel mainstays -- the special ops guy with a troubled past forced into violence to protect his family, the paranoid old service buddy who's an expert hacker and willing to drop everything to help his pal, the foreign mobsters who will stop at nothing . . . yada yada yada. There was virtually nothing new here. Now just because you have so many genre tropes, doesn't mean the book has to be hacky (I'm not saying this was, but you could see hacky from the front porch) -- take Finder's Nick Heller books. Almost entirely the same tropes, but Finder pulls it off. Gischler doesn't.
The dialogue was mediocre, the characters were thin, the sex was a touch too detailed, the violence was about right (maybe a less detailed than expected a few times). One thing I don't need is the same narrator justifying the use of a head-butt twice in the same novel -- and almost in identical terms.
Ultimately, I wanted more. More surprise, more details, more originality to the characters, more depth to David and Amy (and heck, the bad guys as well). There wasn't enough grit, enough horror, enough....anything. I guess you could say that I think this was a good start -- but not a good final draft. Entertaining enough to keep me turning the page. But could've been so much more.
June 9, 2015
David Sparrow is not your ordinary Mr. Mom. Sure, he does the job with great dexterity. He gets the kids to school right on time, makes perfect pancakes, and does the housework according to a precise schedule. But that’s not what makes him different. Because the real David Sparrow is not just some suburban schlub. He’s a Black Ops warrior, one of the Army’s best.
Sparrow is a man with complex and deadly skills. And he's going to need every one of those skills when his wife finds herself in the crosshairs of a vengeful mob boss. If it were anyone else, they’d be dead already. But not David. The bad guys had no idea what they were getting into when they launched an attack on the Sparrow family. Because all of those skills that David honed in Afghanistan and Iraq are now coming to bear on the streets of New York, and he’ll do whatever is necessary to protect his family.
STAY is the kind of book that writers like Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, and Jeff Abbott have seen rise to the top of the bestseller lists. This book deserves to do the same. It's that good, and that fun. Don't miss out on one of the summer’s most entertaining reads.
Sparrow is a man with complex and deadly skills. And he's going to need every one of those skills when his wife finds herself in the crosshairs of a vengeful mob boss. If it were anyone else, they’d be dead already. But not David. The bad guys had no idea what they were getting into when they launched an attack on the Sparrow family. Because all of those skills that David honed in Afghanistan and Iraq are now coming to bear on the streets of New York, and he’ll do whatever is necessary to protect his family.
STAY is the kind of book that writers like Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, and Jeff Abbott have seen rise to the top of the bestseller lists. This book deserves to do the same. It's that good, and that fun. Don't miss out on one of the summer’s most entertaining reads.
October 2, 2015
This book was recommended to me by a friend here and it's a good read.
Our protagonist David Sparrow is a stay at home dad. He's on, "extended leave" from an SOG and sort of in limbo about that. This does not however keep him from being a dynamite stay at home parent.
Then his wife (a prosecutor) gets involved in a case that puts a target on her and then by extension the kids.
And as we expected from page one David needs to draw on his experience to save them and put an end to the threat.
There's plenty of action here though the plot isn't anything really new. It's not handled badly and the fact that you have seen the plot points before doesn't take away from the overall enjoyability of the book.
I can recommend this one. Enjoy.
Our protagonist David Sparrow is a stay at home dad. He's on, "extended leave" from an SOG and sort of in limbo about that. This does not however keep him from being a dynamite stay at home parent.
Then his wife (a prosecutor) gets involved in a case that puts a target on her and then by extension the kids.
And as we expected from page one David needs to draw on his experience to save them and put an end to the threat.
There's plenty of action here though the plot isn't anything really new. It's not handled badly and the fact that you have seen the plot points before doesn't take away from the overall enjoyability of the book.
I can recommend this one. Enjoy.
June 27, 2015
There are some books that are like 30 year old single malt, that need to be savored. Other books, like Victor Gischler's STAY, are like caramel corn and need to be devoured quickly and without thinking. In terms of a light summer read, an addictive thriller, STAY cannot be beat. The action is non-stop, the characters implausible but knowable (even the villains), and the resolution deeply satisfying. The pages flew by quickly and each chapter leaves you wanting more. At the novel's conclusion you still want more, and I hope Gischler gives it to us. If you love Jane Austen, this is probably not for you; if you like Duane Swierczynski, you will love STAY.
October 28, 2019
A fun shoot'em-up-bang-bang. That's the label my family gives to mindless action flicks & this book read like one. It will make a great movie & they shouldn't change it much. That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I did. The author avoided jumping the shark & kept it logical. He pushed the edge while retaining good writing & consistent logic. The characters were well done without a lot of gray or angsty questions. Everything was pretty straight forward, a nice change of pace.
The narrator was good & the plot made sense for the most part. I don't think I'll ever read this again, though. It was fun once & I'll look for another by the author.
The narrator was good & the plot made sense for the most part. I don't think I'll ever read this again, though. It was fun once & I'll look for another by the author.
October 19, 2016
3.5 stars. The cover of this book doesn't do it service, I have to say. Although predictable, this is a heart-pounding thriller with a dash of family fun (two things that don't usually go together but there we go). The premise is a great idea for a TV show, which is why I wasn't surprised that the rights has been sold to CBS.
June 16, 2015
High 3/low 4 stars. The early chapters leading you to believe David is a regular stay-at-home dad are misleading. David's a former bad-ass temporarily sidelined by the higher ups. Bad guys come his way, specifically way of his family, and Mr. Mom goes to the backburner and Jason Bourne/Mitch Rapp come to the forefront.
I've never read anything by VG before so I had no idea what to expect. It was an easy, quick, yet entertaining read. David was definitely a bad-ass with the help of his trusty sidekick, Charlie. His ultimate goal was keeping his family safe - who can argue with a bad-ass who does that?
Some David, wife, and kid interaction but this story is about David and his fight against the bad guys.
I've never read anything by VG before so I had no idea what to expect. It was an easy, quick, yet entertaining read. David was definitely a bad-ass with the help of his trusty sidekick, Charlie. His ultimate goal was keeping his family safe - who can argue with a bad-ass who does that?
Some David, wife, and kid interaction but this story is about David and his fight against the bad guys.
June 7, 2015
A story of David Sparrow, a stay at home dad, who looked after the two children while wife Amy, a deputy district attorney, went to work.
It's only when Amy's current case, a crime boss, threatens the family that we learn David is much more. He's on a forced leave from his army assignment to recover. He's not the supply clerk even his wife believes, but a deep cover agent that handles only the tough, dangerous assignments.
David takes the fight to the enemy who knows not what they've unleashed. Well, one man does, having encountered David before and wants him dead. No one buys into it though.
A tough and gritty novel of the things a dad will do to protect his family.
It's only when Amy's current case, a crime boss, threatens the family that we learn David is much more. He's on a forced leave from his army assignment to recover. He's not the supply clerk even his wife believes, but a deep cover agent that handles only the tough, dangerous assignments.
David takes the fight to the enemy who knows not what they've unleashed. Well, one man does, having encountered David before and wants him dead. No one buys into it though.
A tough and gritty novel of the things a dad will do to protect his family.
January 11, 2016
David Sparrow is a stay at home dad, a job which other guys find really amusing. But when David's family is threatened by a truly nasty crime boss and a figure from his violent past, everyone, including Mrs. Sparrow, discovers there's a lot more to him than they ever suspected.
Quick, fast-moving, relentless action makes this book nearly impossible to put down. I finished it in a day because I was so wrapped up in it. Highly recommended.
Quick, fast-moving, relentless action makes this book nearly impossible to put down. I finished it in a day because I was so wrapped up in it. Highly recommended.
January 11, 2019
Cover caught my eye at library. Little more violent than I usually read. Yes, it has quite a few action adventure tropes but it was a entertaining story. Especially the shootout while the kids are in backseat and wife is reloading the guns. Disney World works every time. I liked that wife wasn't the silly little woman who falls apart. I will never look at eyeliner the same after reading this.
June 28, 2016
This book seemed to exist primarily to showcase the protagonist's presumed skills in special ops. There was very little character development to make much of the book believable. I was disappointed.
May 12, 2020
Almost sounded like a male version of A Long Kiss Goodnight. Except this dad did not forget his past. He was just put on leave for a while. I did expect a little more interaction between the husband and his DA Assistant wife. More of a family affair. I certainly liked the novel, the 3rd book by Victor that I have read. Looking for more.l
October 9, 2017
Solid story. It took a few chapters to warm up, but once it got started, it was really good. I've read most of this author's books and have enjoyed all of them. He is an excellent prose writer, so his stories are clear and interesting.
July 8, 2015
Another enjoyable thriller. Very fast moving.
David Sparrow is an awesome stay-at-home dad. He gets his kids ready for school while his wife, Amy, commutes to New York City, where she is an Assistant District Attorney. She just inherited a major case: prosecuting crime lord Dante Payne. Meanwhile, David is content chatting with the moms at school drop-off, and doing housework.
One night, David is awoken by a sound downstairs, and discovers a man in Amy's office, going through her work documents. Instinctively, David confronts the man and a fight begins. But not a fight between a stay-at-home dad and a common burglar. No, this is a fight out of a Bourne movie and it is intense. David wins, but barely. He tries to explain to the cops that this guy was no ordinary burglar but they mostly ignore him, especially when they find out what he does for a "living."
We now discover that David is a former Solo Ops officer, a soldier who was routinely dropped in war zones with a specific mission. If he was caught, the US government would disavow all knowledge of him. David was honorably discharged after too many missions and was excited for a quiet, normal life.
However, with Dante Payne now targeting Amy and her family, David decides to reactivate himself and take the fight to the vicious criminal lord. And Dante Payne has no idea who he's just crossed. (less)
David Sparrow is an awesome stay-at-home dad. He gets his kids ready for school while his wife, Amy, commutes to New York City, where she is an Assistant District Attorney. She just inherited a major case: prosecuting crime lord Dante Payne. Meanwhile, David is content chatting with the moms at school drop-off, and doing housework.
One night, David is awoken by a sound downstairs, and discovers a man in Amy's office, going through her work documents. Instinctively, David confronts the man and a fight begins. But not a fight between a stay-at-home dad and a common burglar. No, this is a fight out of a Bourne movie and it is intense. David wins, but barely. He tries to explain to the cops that this guy was no ordinary burglar but they mostly ignore him, especially when they find out what he does for a "living."
We now discover that David is a former Solo Ops officer, a soldier who was routinely dropped in war zones with a specific mission. If he was caught, the US government would disavow all knowledge of him. David was honorably discharged after too many missions and was excited for a quiet, normal life.
However, with Dante Payne now targeting Amy and her family, David decides to reactivate himself and take the fight to the vicious criminal lord. And Dante Payne has no idea who he's just crossed. (less)
August 17, 2015
David Sparrow, stay-at-home dad with a murky US Army past, is married to a newly-appointed deputy district attorney for a large Eastern city. When her prosecution of a notorious crime lord brings criminal retribution into their lives, David shows how murky his past was by going into action as a one-man killing machine. Despite the odds, DAvid has the edge because of what he did for a living.
The writing is crisp and direct. The action is non-stop. The plotting is predictable but serviceable. As books go, it's probably worth three stars save for the writing, which gets it extra points. Since there's no provision for a 3 1/4 or 1/2 rating, let it have four based on my fondnerss for Gischler's earlier books ("Gun Monkeys," "The Pistol Poets").
The writing is crisp and direct. The action is non-stop. The plotting is predictable but serviceable. As books go, it's probably worth three stars save for the writing, which gets it extra points. Since there's no provision for a 3 1/4 or 1/2 rating, let it have four based on my fondnerss for Gischler's earlier books ("Gun Monkeys," "The Pistol Poets").
March 3, 2015
David Sparrow seems to be an unassuming stay-at-home dad on indefinite leave from his pencil pushing job with the army. David’s wife Amy is the newly appointed deputy district attorney for Manhattan. When Amy inherits a major case, prosecuting crime lord Dante Payne everything changes. Dante kills Amy’s prime witness and then goes after Amy herself. In order to protect his family David reverts to his previous secret and hidden persona � a highly trained special operative with a deadly skill set. David Sparrow is the new Jack Bauer providing non-stop action for 24 hours or for however long it takes you to read this over the top suburban thriller.
January 18, 2016
This book is an attention grabber, full of action and very quick reading. The main character, a stay at home dad, with a history of working to stop deadly criminals, a history that even his wife doesn't know about, is forced to utilize his skills in protecting his own family. This would probably make a popular R-rated film with Jason Statham or Mark Wahlberg in the starring role. But a literary event, it is not. There isn't much character development or plot creativity, for those who want that. Perhaps the best thing about the book, and what made me want to read it, is the cover image, one of the best I've seen.
June 28, 2015
Reading this book was like watching a fast-paced Liam Neeson movie, without Neeson. So the dad is on "R&R" from his super-secret military job (tell ya, kill ya kind of job) and his wife is the new assistant district attorney--what could go wrong? Bad guys all over the place, threatening his family, so super-Dad goes into action, getting help from a couple of folks who worked with him "in the old days". It's ridiculously over-the-top killing 'bad' guys while on the run from the cops, but I finished it in less than 2 days, so I guess it was compelling, huh? I admit it, it was fun to read.
November 21, 2015
One of the few times I'd have to say I was disappointed by a Victor Gischler book. Stale and tired compared to Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse, or Gun Monkeys, Stay should have been called "I'm Ripping Off Liam Neeson Movies".
The body count piles higher and deeper every chapter of Stay, while the characters remain flat, and the potential remains unrealized. I was hoping for so much more than a cardboard action hero, leave the little woman at home while I fight the bad guys treatment.
This one felt uninspired.
The body count piles higher and deeper every chapter of Stay, while the characters remain flat, and the potential remains unrealized. I was hoping for so much more than a cardboard action hero, leave the little woman at home while I fight the bad guys treatment.
This one felt uninspired.
January 6, 2016
Another one of those books where the concept was way more interesting than the actual story. Took me forever to get through because I spent a lot of time sighing in disappointment and honestly I ended up just skimming the last third of it because I just wanted to be done with it. I didn’t even feel drawn to any of the characters. The fight scenes were kinda fun, but the whole plot mostly just bored me. Probably more like a 1.5 than a 2-star, but I felt like being half-a-star generous.
July 1, 2015
4.5 stars to be more accurate. Was really enjoyable, fast paced, intense at times. I've never been big on car chase scenes in books or movies but found a scene in this one had me gripped. I've read a few of Gischler's books (Shotgun Opera being my favourite) and if you are a fan of his other novels then you will no doubt enjoy this one.
August 13, 2015
Liked it a lot. Non stop action. Lots of thrills and made me stay up late and wake up early to finish. A departure from Gischler's previous work. A bit more traditional than I expected. The writing was excellent. This would be a great starting point if you have never read him before. I'm a huge fan of all of his previous work.
June 14, 2015
Intriguing premise, non-stop pace, action galore and an ever-twisting plot. Echoes of DIE HARD in some scenes. The satisfactory conclusion still opens a wormy can of sequel potential. Gischler usually infuses his work with touches of quirkiness and humor but this was a fairly straightforward action thriller.
January 31, 2016
I haven't read a thriller in a while, if ever, which was nice to change things up a bit. I liked the story, reminded me of Mysteries of Laura, but it didn't grab my attention all the way and I predicted how it would end before I even got there.
May 18, 2016
Started off well but soon became predictable: super hero disguised as house husband defends family against impossibly evil bad guy. I skipped to the end and sure enough, it ended as I thought it would.
June 17, 2016
Somewhere around page 140, I had to flip back to the front flap synopsis because I couldn't remember who exactly David was. I had to remind myself who the main character was roughly halfway through the book.
Now, maybe that says more about my memory than the book. But I don't think it does.
Now, maybe that says more about my memory than the book. But I don't think it does.
June 3, 2015
Not my usual type of book but it was excellent. Interesting role reversal. Well done
December 31, 2015
While this book started out slowly and had a cardboard character or two, the main character was so likeable that I found myself reading all the way through with enjoyment.
July 1, 2017
It's fast-paced and action-packed but also very implausible. I chose it because I loved "Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse," but this book didn't live up to Gischler's others.
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