An emotional tale of one teenager living with her aunt after losing her remaining parent to a car crash. Hailey McBride is mourning the loss of her father while becoming more suspicious of her Aunt's husband, the local Sheriff. They live near the Cold Creek Highway where many young women and women of the First Nation have disappeared for decades with no answers. Could the Sheriff be involved? As he becomes more controlling and inappropriate, Hailey knows she has to get out. She plans on using her outdoor skills learned from her father to live off the grid for a year until she can come back as an adult to claim both her inheritance and live independently from her current situation. But before she can get away she meets Amber, the young waitress at the local diner, and a budding relationship develops. Tragedy will strike this small town again and Hailey will be forced to protect those she loves while keeping one step ahead of the killer(s).
I felt this had heavy overtones of a YA book with the level of skills and training the stolen dog, Wolf, brings to the tale. Also, there was a lot of female empowerment built into the text showing how a young person can determine their fate.
Thank you to Netgalley for early copy for an honest review.

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens

9781250133571

384 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: August 3, 2021

Fiction, General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thriller, Pornography, Missing Person, Serial Killer

Hailey McBride lives with her uncle, Sargent Vaughn, and his wife and son after the death of her father. She suspects something is not right with Vaughn and finds he has been taking naked pictures of her. She plans her escape and flees. Everyone assumes she is the latest victim of the Cold Creek Highway killer.

Amber, Hailey’s love interest, is found dead in a remote area. When her sister Beth comes to find out what happened to Amber, she moves right into Amber’s life. She gets her job as a waitress in town and lives in the motel before living at the campground. This was not how she saw her life.

This book was dark and somewhat disturbing, but I could not stop reading it. The book was written in first person point of view from Hailey and Beth. The story was well paced, and the characters are very developed. You could feel empathy for Hailey and Beth along with contempt for Vaughn. I enjoyed reading the book even though it was creepy thinking of someone placing secret cameras where women are the most vulnerable. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC for review

This is the first book I read from Chevy Stevens so far and I will be looking out for the rest, this is the first suspense/Thriller book I'm reading this year and it was not my intention to do so, but this book felt like a surprise for me, the book was flawlessly executed when coming up to the plotline and the characters, sometime I will stop due that some parts were already predictable ( this is on me, not the book) I will be waiting for the release and read back again. and there I can give a more in-depth review of it.

3.5 stars -- rounded up to 4
What is Chevy Stevens up to these days ... and when the heck will she release a new book? Welp ... it is here! Chevy Stevens has a very slooooow start but picks up the pace about halfway through making it a very tight psychological thriller with a bang ending.

This book can make you think before going down deserted highways at night! Cold Creek Highway is where many women just constantly disappear or found murdered and girls in Cold Creek have grown up knowing it's not safe to hitchhike on the highway. The book had me guessing almost all the way through. It was especially hard who to trust in town. Wolf!! Wolf is great too ... be prepared to fall completely in love!

Definitely a solid winter read. Yep, suspend disbelief, but isn't that why we read and what fiction is for? The atmosphere is chilling and enough to make you wonder whodunit and why.

This review will be published on Goodreads on February 28th.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
I haven't yet read a Chevy Stevens book I didn't like, and I'm happy to say this one lived up to the hype. I have to admit that at first it moved a little slow for me, but about 40% through it picked up and by the end I literally couldn't put it down because I had to know what was going to happen. I rarely stay up late to finish a book, but I stayed up late last night to finish this one.
I really enjoyed reading about the characters as well. Each of the main three characters are unique and I ended up really caring for all of them. And the bad character was so well written that I ended up absolutely hating him. There were also little bits of emotion shining through at times which added something special to the whole mystery/thriller vibe. As I said, this book definitely didn't disappoint.
If you've liked other Chevy Stevens books, pick this one up too! You won't be let down. And you won't be putting it down either. Great story, great characters, and as always I can't wait to read more by Chevy Stevens.

I was so excited to see that Chevy Stevens had a new book coming out and even more excited when I was able to get the ARC!
Dark Roads is a page turner and scared me enough that I could not read it before going to sleep. The characters are great and the dog in the story is awesome.

Thank You Netgalley and Chevy Stevens for a copy of this title. What can I say but when you find an author that delivers a book better than their last everytime...... you stick with them. Love it

This book is haunting, thrilling, creepy, and intense. Without giving anymore away than the book synopsis does - because it’s so much better when you don’t know more details in advance - there is a good twist that threw me off, heartbreak that made my own heart break, and so much anger at the injustice committed against innocent people. Chevy Stevens, in my opinion, did the real victims of the Highway of Tears justice by writing this book. And that epilogue...wow.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s for the arc.

Woooooweeeee. What a ride. I love Chevy Stevens. She can write like nobodies business.
This addictive thriller was no different.
I felt like the start was a little shakey. For me. It started very intense. I could not quite figure out why. But all was revealed. I really enjoyed it. The setting was perfectly creepy. I will not speak on the actual plot too much. Read the synopsis. It is very well written and spoiler free. At the end of the day I’m ending with four stars. I’ll absolutely recommend it!

Cold Creek Highway is hazardous...to women. For decades a killer has stalked women who find themselves alone on this road. Locals constantly warn young girls but the killing continues. One local girl that ignores these warnings is a young woman named Hailey McBride. Hailey's father dies suddenly, leaving her an orphan. She is underage and has to move in with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She loves her aunt and cousin but her uncle gives her the creeps. He is strict, harsh, and bossy, none of the things a grieving girl needs. He has an office in a shed in the backyard that is strictly off-limits. Hailey's life is miserable.

Hailey begins to suspect her uncle is the killer. Why does he spend so much time in his home office? She breaks in to her uncle's office and discovers some disturbing files on his computer. Hailey is careful but her uncle is a cop. He knows she has accessed his office and Hailey begins to fear for her life. With the help of her best friend, Hailey disappears. Another murder happens near the highway. Could Hailey a victim of the killer too?

Dark Roads is a fast-paced thriller. Hailey is a young woman going through so much change and it is fascinating to see how she matures through the story. She crosses paths with the murderer and learns far more than expected. The characters are well developed and the ending of the book is a surprise. This is one thriller that you will love - what an ending!

A wonderfully twisty story of darkness and evil. Girls keep going missing off of a local highway. One girl, with a cop for a step-dad, discovers darkness within him and makes an escape. Feom there, the story pucks up to a breathtaking unexpected finish.

This was my first Chevy Stevens read. I have to say, thrillers and mysteries are a hard sell for me. I’m picky and cynical and tend to scoff at the not-so-realistic parts (which, let’s be honest, it can be hard to relate to a book about a serial killer who murders women along a stretch of deserted highway... because thankfully I’ve never experienced it). I really enjoyed the descriptive nature of Stevens’ writing - I could easily see each scene playing out in my head. I appreciated the ease with which she wrote about the relationship between Hailey and Amber - it didn’t feel cliched at all. And, my goodness, I loved the dog! I WANT the dog. I really felt some of the characters were well developed and nuanced, while others just fell flat for me (like Vaughn, ugh. I still don’t get why he was so awful). I struggled with the reveal because I sort of saw it coming and was craving a better explanation. I was also hoping for more suspense throughout. It was intriguing, but not particularly heart-pounding for me. Overall, a solid 2.5-3 star read for me.

Note: there are parts of this book that may be disturbing and/or triggering to some.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Chevy Stevens gets consistently better with every book. For decades women have been disappearing from a local highway.. Hitchhikers vanish without a trace, even omen whose cars mysteriously break down are no longer heard from again. Enter Hailey, who decides to run away from an unbearable home situation. She decides to disappear, hoping everyone will think she was a victim as well.
I can't praise this book enough. Terrific writing, not the most liked characters but to be honest that's how I like it. It started off strong from page 1, hit bit of a lull in the middle, then took off again. I can't wait to start recommending this book!

Whoa! This is another great read by Chevy Stevens. It is intense and full of twists and turns. The ending makes you long for the sequel. You won't guess the ending!

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens is as riveting and unpredictable as the Canadian wilderness it's set in. The book centers around fictional town, Cold Creek, haunted by a suspected serial killer who's preyed on young women over the years. Hailey is a native of Cold Creek who's desperate to escape into the surrounding wilderness that she knows so well. Beth is a sister of one of the killer's victims who comes to Cold Creek hoping to find some peace. Stevens deftly moves between Hailey and Beth as narrators until the heart-stopping final third of the book brings them into contact with each other...and into the path of the killer. This was a thriller that I truly couldn't put down. The characters, especially Hailey and Beth, were compelling and there were twists that I did not see coming at all. The landscape of Cold Creek served as the third main character and Stevens descriptions of it propelled and complemented the plot well. If you're a fan of mysteries and thrillers, definitely pick this one up.

This is my first Chevy Stevens book, and I am beyond impressed with the story she delivered! It's so hard to compare thrillers against each other because there's all kinds of victims, psychopaths, and killers, But here's what I loved about Chevy's brand of thriller:
- The writing itself was beautiful. Sometimes I feel like writing goes to the wayside in thrillers, as authors are just trying to deliver suspense and surprise, but Chevy does both.
- The setting alone kept me drawn to the story. Her description of the woods and one character's journey of survival in them was one of my favorite parts.
- You actually care about the characters. Her character development was a slow burn in the best way. You keep discovering things about each one that makes you root for them even harder. I can't count how many times I've hated all the characters in a thriller. Not this one!
- I was actually surprised by a twist. That doesn't always happen! There were some parts that I guessed, or half guessed. But while at first I was skeptical that that was ALL the story was going to be, it definitely wasn't.
- The story was inspired by the Highway of Tears, where many indigenous girls and women have gone missing. I like that element of humanity behind that plot.
I will definitely be recommending this to friends who need a good, twisty, character-based thriller to read!

Chevy Stevens is always a gold mine of books! This one was no exception. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a dark and scary read about a small town and its secrets.

Definitely not my favorite by Chevy Stevens, but it picked up about midway through. I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I loved Jonny. Beth standing up to Hailey over Jonny was one of the more redeeming qualities that brought out the usual emotions I get from Stevens.

Dark Roads is the first book by Chevy Stevens I’ve read and it’s a doozy. An engrossing psychological suspense novel, it’s four main characters – all in their twenties – have stories which intertwine in a thoroughly realistic and absorbing way.
Cold Creek Highway in the Pacific Northwest is infamous for the series of women hitchhikers who have gone missing in the area. Hailey, whose father has died, is living with her aunt and her policeman husband and hanging around with her childhood buddy Jonny, while striking up a romance with Amber, a waitress at the local diner. When her home life becomes unbearable, she retreats into the deep woods, in almost survivalist mode, and everyone believes she another one of the victims of the area killer. When Amber comes looking for Hailey, she’s killed so midway through the book, we are introduced to Amber’s sister Beth, who moves to town to investigate her sister’s death and quickly becomes romantically involved with Jonny. The three young adults join forces to catch the culprit and the suspenseful ending will keep you guessing, as Stevens has twists up her sleeve you won’t see coming.
This is a book chock full of descriptions of spooky deep woods, meandering back roads, and overgrown trails which reminded me of the best passages in The Marsh King’s Daughter. There’s also a wonderful dog named Wolf who you’ll fall in love with. The interplay between the characters is well-played although one of the villains is a bit broadly drawn. Definitely one that will keep you turning pages, wanting desperately to believe good can triumph over evil. Prepare to stay up a few nights as Dark Roads pulls you into its intricate plot.
My thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this psychological, twisty thriller. I couldn’t put this book down, it drew me in the first sentence. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC. What a great read,!