Dark Roads

By Chevy Stevens

Review:

Chevy Stevens has done it again, totally sweeping me off my feet with this perfectly-paced thriller. Dark Roads is the type of thriller I strive to find—one that totally takes me away from real life and leaves me turning the pages so quickly that I’m completely lost.

Summary: Stay off Cold Creek Highway…at least that’s what the locals say. Too many people have gone missing either from hitchhiking or just bad luck. Hailey thinks she may have figured out the mystery on her own, but now she’s left isolated and needs to find clues to put the story together and end it once and for all. Beth is an outsider with secrets and many problems. She’s come to Cold Creek to a memorial for the lost victims of the highway, hoping to close this chapter of her life and get back on her feet. While in town, she takes matters into her own hands to avenge a family member. Beth and Hailey want the same thing, but can they come together to solve this mystery without getting themselves killed? 

Characters: This story has great characters and some you just can’t figure out. Hailey and Beth’s courage was intoxicating, and the constant high-stakes left me on edge. The tension had my heart pounding so hard at times. Hailey’s knowledge of survival in nature captured me head on, and I loved the constant connection she had with her dad in the story. The references made it emotional for me—especially her inner thoughts. I liked the way she was connected to nature and appreciative for all she had. Her dad taught her well. Vaughn, on the other hand, was a character that drove me absolutely insane from the very beginning. He was hard to figure out. I definitely felt connected to many of the characters, especially Hailey, and of course I fell in love with Wolf too, who’s the perfect once-in-a-lifetime dog. This was just a great cast of characters. 

Story: I loved the plot and the way this story was written. It’s true that there was a little predictability when it came to a few of the characters and their intentions, but I couldn’t figure out the actual perpetrator until late in the book. It was nearly perfect with just enough information to keep you mystified. Everything wrapped up wonderfully, and I appreciated the epilogue and added information regarding her inspiration for this story. I suppose it’s important to note that a few small parts of the book were a little difficult to read at times, but mainly toward the end. These few parts may be difficult for sensitive readers. 

I only had a small niggle with the believability of a few things in the story, and it was mainly with Vaughn. I felt right away that he was the type of person to leave no stone unturned, and wondered how he didn’t figure something out early on. I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s something pertaining to Hailey’s past with her dad and a choice she made. 

Overall, this was great. Chevy Stevens has become a favorite, and I can’t wait for her next book. If you love thrillers don’t miss this one!

5*****

Publication date: August 3rd 2021. 

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

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Find this book on Amazon and Goodreads:

• Publisher : St. Martin’s Press (August 3, 2021)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 384 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1250133572
• ISBN-13 : 978-1250133571

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Blurb:

The acclaimed and beloved author of Still Missing is back with her most breathtaking thriller yet.

For decades, people have been warned about the Cold Creek Highway. Hitchhikers have vanished along it over the years, and women have been known to have their cars break down… and never be seen again. When Hailey McBride decides to run away from an unbearable living situation, she thinks that her outdoor skills will help her disappear into the Cold Creek wilderness, and she counts on people thinking that she was the victim of the killer.

One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek to attend a memorial for the victims of the highway, but it might as well be one week for the amount of pain that Beth is still dealing with after her sister, Amber, was murdered the previous summer. Beth has quit university, is lying to her parents, and popping pills like Tic Tacs. Maybe this will finally bring her peace.

When she gets a job at a local diner where Amber once worked, she connects with people who knew her sister. Beth wants to find who killed her sister and put her own life back together, but as she gets closer to the truth, she learns that there is more than one person lying in Cold Creek.

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Thanks for reading my review! Have you read anything by Chevy Stevens, or are you planning on reading Dark Roads? Let’s chat in the comments section.

❤️ Mischenko