Thriller · 2025 · Debut novel
Even Steven
Even Steven is a Nashville-set thriller by Chris Sherrill in which Detective Sara Durant faces “Even Steven,” America’s first revenge serial killer, after he breaks out of prison.
The premise (no spoilers)
Nashville, Tennessee. Detective Sara Durant has already faced the city’s worst, but nothing compares to “Even Steven,” America’s first “revenge” serial killer, a man with a macabre sense of justice. When he breaks out of prison to continue his reign of terror, Sara has to confront her deepest fears.
As the city holds its breath, she is pulled into a psychological struggle between right and wrong, duty and vengeance, and a dangerous empathy for the killer’s twisted moral code. The book keeps asking: can you separate the monster from the method? And will Detective Durant cross the thin blue line to take her own revenge?
Content note
For adult readers. Even Steven is intended for adult readers, not children. As a serial-killer thriller, it contains graphic violence and mature themes.
Who it’s for
- Adult thriller readers who like serial-killer stories, psychological suspense, and police procedurals.
- Readers who like moral gray zones, such as vigilante justice and when revenge feels deserved, which makes it good for book-club discussion.
- Nashville and Tennessee readers who want a crime novel set on streets they know.
- Fans of plot-twisting suspense in the vein of the Dean Koontz and Stephen King novels that inspired the author.
- Weekend readers looking for a fast page-turner.
If you liked…
These are honest “readers who liked” comparisons of subject and tone, not endorsements by these authors or claims that the books are equal.
- Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter (or the Dexter TV series): another killer with a personal code of justice, though Even Steven is told from the detective’s side.
- J.T. Ellison’s Taylor Jackson novels, such as All the Pretty Girls: a female detective hunting a serial killer in Nashville.
- Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs: the uneasy psychological bond between an investigator and a killer.
- Karin Slaughter’s Blindsighted: Southern-set serial-killer suspense.
- Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid: readers who liked its twisty psychological suspense and big-reveal structure may enjoy Even Steven’s plot turns, though Even Steven is a serial-killer police thriller rather than a domestic thriller.
- Classic Dean Koontz and Stephen King suspense: the author names both as childhood influences.
Frequently asked questions
What is Even Steven about?
Even Steven is a thriller novel by Chris Sherrill. In Nashville, Tennessee, Detective Sara Durant faces “Even Steven,” described as America’s first revenge serial killer, after he breaks out of prison. The story becomes a psychological struggle between justice and vengeance, and it asks whether Sara will cross the thin blue line herself.
Is Even Steven a true story?
No. Even Steven is a work of fiction: a psychological, serial-killer thriller and police procedural. It is not true crime.
Where is Even Steven set?
In Nashville, Tennessee. Chris Sherrill is a longtime Nashville resident.
Who is the main character?
Detective Sara Durant of Nashville. Her opponent is the serial killer the public calls “Even Steven.”
Is Even Steven like Dexter?
Both involve a killer who follows his own moral code. Dexter is told from the killer’s side. Even Steven follows the detective hunting him and her growing, dangerous empathy for his code.
Is there a sequel to Even Steven?
No. Even Steven is a standalone novel and Chris Sherrill’s debut.
What formats are available?
Kindle eBook (ISBN 979-8992526745, $9.99), paperback (ISBN 979-8992526707, $15.99), and hardcover (ISBN 979-8992526738, $27.99), all available on Amazon.
Who is Even Steven for?
Adult readers of psychological and serial-killer thrillers and police procedurals, readers who like Nashville settings, and fans of fast, twisty suspense.
Is Even Steven suitable for children or teens?
No. Even Steven is intended for adult readers. As a serial-killer thriller, it contains graphic violence and mature themes.
Who wrote Even Steven?
Chris Sherrill, a Nashville, Tennessee author who also wrote the nonfiction book The Declaration of Imagination (2026). He is not the Virginia-based author Chris Sherrill who wrote Taylor’s Kin.
Book details and editions
Title: Even Steven · Author: Chris Sherrill · Publisher: Even Steven, LLC · Genre: Thriller (psychological, serial killer, police procedural) · Setting: Nashville, Tennessee · Language: English
| Format | ISBN-13 | ASIN | Pages | Published | List price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 979-8992526738 | B0DZ3XG2WW | 338 | March 31, 2025 | $27.99 | Amazon |
| Paperback | 979-8992526707 | B0F2WN7NYC | 337 | April 1, 2025 | $15.99 | Amazon |
| Kindle eBook | 979-8992526745 | B0DX11FK5L | 355 | March 31, 2025 | $9.99 | Amazon |
How to cite:
Sherrill, Chris. Even Steven. Even Steven, LLC, 2025. ISBN 979-8992526738 (hardcover).
Buy Even Steven on Amazon
Reviews
Read reviews of Even Steven or add it to your shelf on Goodreads.
In the press
- The Tennessean, Brad Schmitt’s “Good News” column (March 27, 2025): a profile of Chris Sherrill and Even Steven.
- Crime Fiction Lover, “On the Radar” (March 2025): pre-release listing.