Just Stay Away

By: Tony Wirt

Narrated by: Joe Knezevich

When a mysterious neighborhood boy befriends his young daughter, stay-at-home dad Craig considers him a godsend—until it becomes clear that there’s nothing angelic about him at all.

Craig Finnigan is determined to finish his book this summer, but being an aspiring writer while wrangling his seven-year-old daughter is not easy. So when Alice makes fast friends with a neighborhood boy, Levi, Craig is happy she has a distraction from her constant visits to his home office.

But that happiness soon turns to misgivings as Levi’s behavior evolves from that of a shy, odd boy into something far more disturbing. Strange noises in the middle of the night and things disappearing from their home could be explained away—maybe it’s the water heater, or maybe Craig simply misplaced his flash drive. Craig can’t explain his paranoia, but he feels sure Levi is behind it.

As Levi’s visits to their backyard become more and more frequent, Craig finds himself the unwilling participant in a game he never asked to play…and one he’s not sure he can win.

©2023 Anthony Wirt. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Nobody believes Craig when he insists nine-year-old Levi is the source of the mayhem in his life—which is regrettable, as Levi might be a troublemaker worse than Baby Teeth’s Hanna (so says the author of Baby Teeth). Just Stay Away is a tense page-turner that literally had me reading with my shoulders hunched.”—Zoje Stage, bestselling author of Baby Teeth and Mothered

“Cancel your plans and find a good chair because once you start Just Stay Away, you won’t be able to stop. A psychological game of cat and mouse evolves between a writer and his daughter’s creepy new friend in this superbly plotted, fantastically immersive domestic thriller. From the characters to the writing to the pitch-perfect ending, Wirt delivers on every level.”—Mindy Mejia, bestselling author of Everything You Want Me to Be and To Catch a Storm

“A relentlessly creepy and dangerously addictive read, Just Stay Away will have you checking your locks and jumping at shadows once you’ve finished. Using the unique perspective of a stay-at-home dad, Tony Wirt expertly crafts an atmosphere of ever-increasing isolation, claustrophobia, and gaslighting to ramp up from a sinister simmer into a full-blown nightmare. In doing so, Wirt explores gender roles, masculinity, and boyhood in the profound ways you find in the best of the genre. An absolute must-read—if you dare!”—Brianna Labuskes, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of A Familiar Sight

Seriously

I just didn’t connect with the main character, he really did a lot wrong. Needed to be honest with his wife and make better choices.

Didn’t want to stop reading

Good book.characters bothered me too. There were a lot of times where the dad should’ve called the police told the girl she can’t play with that kid anymore and he didn’t do any of it. He didn’t tell anybody. He’s lucky he didn’t end up in jail.

Always on the edge of my seat

Found myself yelling back to the book at what to do next with that kid!!

Couldn’t stop listening

Reminded me of the book / movie The Bad Seed that I read as a teenager years ago. Stayed up late listening because I couldn’t wait to hear what would happen next. Excellent!

This was so frustrating

I’ve never wanted to scream at a fictional character so badly. The overall synopsis wasn’t bad but the way the main character handled his situation was so unrealistic.

mixed feelings

I enjoyed the build up of the story, but the characters bothered me. With this being a recently written book, (he mentions post-pandemic), you'd think that Craig would have the mentality of proof or it didn't happen. There was so much I wanted to love about this book but so much that just annoyed me.

wow

wow very good book really had me on the edge. some twist and head shacking moments.

Great.

Very entertaining book. Great read in the car in traffic, vacay or leisure. I'm looking forward to reading more selections from this author!

evil child

it was a good plot. I thought Craig was a little wimpy with scratches sticks brushing him but over a good character.

Psycho kid

I enjoyed the book however the main character was kind of an idiot . Some of it was creepy but took too long for him to figure out how to catch a kid. But then the story would have ended way too soon.