Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Dark Roads
Author: Chevy Stevens
Release Date: 8.3.21
Publisher: St. Martin's


Publisher's Summary
The Cold Creek Highway stretches close to five hundred miles through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness to the west coast. Isolated and vast, it has become a prime hunting ground for predators. For decades, young women traveling the road have gone missing. Motorists and hitchhikers, those passing through or living in one of the small towns scattered along the region, have fallen prey time and again. And no killer or abductor who has stalked the highway has ever been brought to justice.

Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. Her father taught her to respect nature, how to live and survive off the land, and to never travel the highway alone. Now he’s gone, leaving her a teenage orphan in the care of her aunt whose police officer husband uses his badge as a means to bully and control Hailey. Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey vanishes into the mountainous terrain, hoping everyone will believe she’s left town. Rumors spread that she was taken by the highway killer—who’s claimed another victim over the summer. 

One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, where her sister Amber lived—and where she was murdered. Estranged from her parents and seeking closure, Beth takes a waitressing job at the local diner, just as Amber did, desperate to understand what happened to her and why. But Beth’s search for answers puts a target on her back—and threatens to reveal the truth behind Hailey’s disappearance…



My Review

"How many victims are there? The newspapers will tell you that twenty cases have been connected to the highway, more than half were First Nations, all of them young."

I know that when I start a Chevy Stevens book I won't want to do anything else from the moment I pick it up until the last page because I get totally sucked in. First of all, Stevens opens this novel in a unique way that gave me chills and quickly introduced Vaughn, who has won the title of "Most Hated Character" for me. That's right, he even beat out Paul from Kaira Rouda's Best Day Ever, who has held the title for the last four years. Seriously, I screamed and threw that book repeatedly and gave up after the first 50 pages because I hated him so much! Vaughn infuriated me enough to make me not be able to read the book at night because I would get so wound up that I couldn't sleep, and when I did go to sleep I had nightmares. That all being said, I find it extremely impressive when authors can evoke such a reaction. All of Stevens' characters are complex and I especially love that she doesn't rely on them making a silly mistake to build her storylines (you know, the equivalent of someone going in the basement in a horror movie.) Her characters are always smart and her writing keeps my heart pounding. I don't have a lot of auto-buy authors but Chevy Stevens is one. I will recommend this book and her previous novels to anyone who loves a truly great thriller.