ah, Chevy Stevens. the queen of unbelievably messed up books. this was on the tamer side for her but still suuuper messed up. it gripped me quickly and was easy to tear through. once it got to the twist about 75% through I was disappointed and more or less lost interest. this wasn’t the best or most exciting thriller I’ve ever read but was entertaining enough if you want a quick fast-paced read.

I like this author, but this book just fell short. At times it read like a YA book and felt a little like a Nancy Drew adventure. For the most part, others have really liked this one, but it wasn't for me. I still look forward to her next.

Chevy Stevens does it again I just recently found this author and have read a few of there backlist titles. I was so excited to get the chance to read her newest release and this did not disappoint. I loved the story from beginning to end. I love the aspect of a "highway killer" and the dynamic between the main character and the uncle. I loved all the twist and turns this book brought and I totally plan to pick up more books by this author.

Author Chevy Stevens says that as a general rule, she tries not to be influenced by actual events, preferring to craft stories from her own imagination. But Dark Roads is an exception and proved to be the most difficult book for her to write thus far. The story was inspired by a series of crimes Stevens found so "disturbing" that the events lingered in her mind for years. Situated in Northern British Columbia, the Highway of Tears is where "women have been murdered or gone missing since the 1970s." While growing up in the area, the road served as a reminder to Stevens of the danger inherent in traveling alone in a remote location and a deterrent to hitchhiking. Most of the crimes remain unsolved. For Stevens, "the image of a desolate road haunted by the lost souls of women, searching for answers to their deaths, stuck with me."

As a show of respect to the victims, their families, and the law enforcement personnel still working to bring their kidnappers and murderers to justice, Stevens concocted the fictional town of Cold Creek. Near the Cold Creek Highway is a campground adjacent to a lake, surrounded by a dense and mountainous forest. Her characters and the events depicted in Dark Roads are all products of her imagination, as well. However, as with the Highway of Tears, Stevens made more than half of the young women who have disappeared along the five-hundred-mile, expansive Cold Creek Highway First Nations women in recognition of the fact that "Indigenous women experience a disproportionately higher rate of violence and homicide than the average woman in Canada." Along the highway outside the small town of Cold Creek a billboard displays the names and photos of the victims, as well as a stern warning to women not to hitchhike. Some people think Cold Creek is haunted. It is undeniably "the last real stop for gas and provisions before taking your chances on the dark road ahead. It is also the last place several women had been seen."

The story opens in June 2018 with Hailey McBride mourning her beloved father who was killed in a single vehicle crash. She now must live with her aunt Lana, her cousin, six-year-old Cash, and Lana's boorish husband, Erick Vaughn, a local police sergeant. Hailey's father taught her all about nature: hunting, fishing, food preparation, and survival in keeping with First Nations ways. He served as a wilderness guide for many years, and was well-known and respected in the community. In a compelling first-person narrative, Hailey laments, "He'd outsmarted cougars, bull moose, and grizzlies, and once nearly froze to death in a snowstorm, but survived it all, only to die on a hairpin curve."

Vaughn watches Hailey's every move and insists that she must spend the summer babysitting Cash when what she really wants to do is get a part-time job working at the local diner. He warns her that she cannot participate in any parties or make any trips to the lake unless she is accompanied by Lana or Vaughn, and if she disobeys him, he will confiscate her mountain bike which is her only means of transportation. Vaughn is convinced that Hailey's best friend, Jonny, is responsible for a string of recent thefts of dirt bike parts. Jonny is a talented biker who performs repairs and has the chance to compete professionally.

Hailey quickly realizes that Vaughn is a man with dark secrets, engaged in activities that he would not want Lana or anyone to know about. But when she investigates and discovers what he has been doing -- without her knowledge or consent -- she is revolted, outraged, and frightened because Vaughn wields power in Cold Creek. Worse, he skillfully thwarts her efforts to bring his conduct to light. Despondent, she cannot bring herself to continue living in the same house with him, especially after he sullies the "best thing in my life, the truest thing" and threatens Jonny's future. She convinces Jonny to help her hide deep in the forest. "I had to stay off the grid. Where no one would ever find me. I would live in the woods until I was of age. . . . The mountain would protect me. Dad had been preparing me since I was little."

And, in fact, Hailey feels the darkness that has shrouded her begin to lift as she makes a home for herself in the forest. A stray dog she names Wolf becomes her companion, and she secretly communicates with Jonny. "I hadn't realized how trapped I'd felt in town, the noises, the people, everyone's obsession with social media." Alone in the woods, Hailey develops a sense of belonging, although she misses Jonny and Amber, the alluring waitress at the diner she was just getting to know when she found it necessary to leave. Stevens credibly portrays the means Hailey employs to survive and how she escapes danger more than once.

But tragedy strikes and Hailey again sustains an unimaginable loss. She is convinced that Vaughn abducted and murdered at least one prior Cold Creek Highway victim, and when Amber becomes the latest young woman to lose her life, Hailey is devastated and determined to see that Vaughn is punished for his crimes. But how, given that Hailey herself is believed to be one of the victims?

Amber was on her way to a music festival in the Yukon when she stopped for gas in Cold Creek and ended up staying. She spoke of Hailey to her sister, Beth, asking for prayers that Hailey is found safe. She tells Beth that she hates it in Cold Creek and might move on during their last conversation. Amber had no interest in returning to the family home where the girls' parents insisted that they attend church and refused to accept Amber's life choices. Beth has just begun an internship with a law firm and is planning to start law school in the fall when Amber's murder completely derails her life plan. She loses her job and her apartment, and makes her way to Cold Creek in search of answers. She winds up working as a waitress at the same diner where Amber was employed by the owner, Mason. She is taking pills and drinking too much, and has not told her parents the truth about her circumstances. Employing a third-person narrative, Stevens compassionately conveys Beth's struggle to find answers about what really happened to the sister who "had been her voice. Maybe that was why she had felt so weightless since she'd died. Unanchored. Lost." She ends up sleeping in her car at the campground by the lake and getting involved with Jonny, but she isn't prepared for what she eventually experiences in Cold Creek.

Dark Roads is full of surprising plot twists and revelations. The fast-paced story is engrossing and Stevens has crafted sympathetic characters, especially Beth who, unlike Hailey, is not equipped to function in the forest. Despite her previous career ambitions, she is not particularly adept at investigating Amber's death, either. She finds herself in extreme danger once Stevens reveals the identity of Amber's killer.

As the story screeches toward the revelation of the truth, Stevens accelerates its pace. She injects pulse-pounding confrontations and shocking developments as Hailey and Beth realize that they must work together in order to stay alive. Stevens' writing is lush and atmospheric, with the dark, dank forest serving as an inanimate but critical character in the story. Each of her characters is fully imagined and she eloquently illustrates the ways in which their relationships have caused them pain and loss leading to their present predicaments.

Equally engaging is their journey to discovering their own resilience and determination, refusing to surrender to the impact their sorrowful experiences have had upon them. Both Hailey and Beth must face their feelings in order to move forward with their lives. Hailey prefers to evade her emotions, attempting to avoid detailing everything that she has endured in order to see justice served, observing that "talking meant feelings." She would rather simply move on. Beth recognizes that she must tell the full truth in order to find peace and create a meaningful life for herself.

Dark Roads is a tautly constructed, believable, and cleverly named tale. Both Hailey and Beth travel very dark roads -- literally in and around the little town of Cold Creek, as well as figuratively as they navigate the emotional toll of their respective experiences. Stevens supplies a satisfying conclusion to her hauntingly entertaining thriller.

Another winner from Chevy Stevens! It took me a bit of time to get into, to be honest, but then I couldn’t put it down. The second half was BRILLIANT.

The atmosphere surrounding the story is built perfectly by the author, dark and tense.
The novel deals with the a stretch of highway where young girls have been killed and gone missing.
The main narrator of the story is a 17 year old…though the novel is told in three parts. This makes things kind of tangled and the middle of the book lost some of the momentum.
Overall a nice twisted ending I didn’t figure out.
Thank you for the review copy I look forward to the authors next novel.

Thank you to St. Marten's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows a young woman named Hailey who is residing with her aunt and uncle in a small community in B.C., Canada. Although her aunt and uncle have taken her in; her uncle, a police officer has been using his position as a means of bullying Hailey and her aunt. Hailey is forced to remain isolated from her community as she is not allowed to work, date, etc. One day, she leaves town, hoping she will soon be forgotten. A year later, another character, Beth arrives seeking closure regarding her sister's murder in the same small town. Estranged from her parents, Beth goes searching for answers as to what happened to her sister and why. Her curiosity puts a target on her back as she also begins to unweave what really happened to Hailey.

Although this novel is good, this is by no means my favorite thriller. I think that there are some timing issues where certain sections feel too drawn out and others are resolved too quickly. However, the story is a fun read overall and I recommend it to anyone who likes small town mysteries.

Anyone else an avid true crime podcast listener? My partner thinks I'm a little nuts, but I find it comforting to know there are people out there who want justice to be done, even in the most mysterious unsolved cases -- and won't let go until they find out the truth.

I think that's why I am drawn to thrillers, particularly when I'm feeling sick. They're quick, compulsive reads, and you never know what's coming (in the best ones, at least). I picked up a book that's been on my TBR, Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens, and wasn't disappointed.

I sped through it, drawn to the story of the Cold Creek Highway Killer, the small town that has claimed far too many victims, and the strong female characters. Beth, Amber, Hailey...all survivors, pushed beyond their limits and sometimes falling prey to darkness. I don't want to spoil too much, but I think that was the strongest element of the book.

The women are never victims. They are real, strong women, sometimes betrayed by their own kindness or naïveté, but often taken by surprise just as we are by the twists and turns of the book and the ruthlessness of the killer.

This was my first Chevy Stevens book, but it won't be my last. I would recommend this book for fans of true crime podcasts and documentaries, twist endings and books about strong women who make tough choices.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy in exchange for a fair review.

The extremely isolated Cold Creek Highway is the perfect hunting ground for those that are up to no good. For decades, young women have gone missing without a trace. This is the story of Hayley and Beth and Amber and why the disappearances keep happening.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller and would not put it down. A wild ride from start to finish and lots of characters to root for (and against)! I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, Dark Roads had me bored to tears for a large portion of the book. The parts I enjoyed the most were the prologue and epilogue, both of which were short but also immensely differed from the rest of the actual book. In fact, the book varied so much from start to finish, it left me feeling so aggravated throughout. The story is a bit ridiculous and over-the-top at parts that it’s totally cringeworthy.

Oddly, parts of the book reminded me of Twilight in a weird way - in my head, I was imagining Hailey as Bella and Jonny as Jacob, and the lake as the beach from the first Twilight. I don’t know - it’s just where my head went. I was also reminded very much of the tv series Big Sky, which has a lot of similarities to this book (specifically season 1).

I definitely though the uncle, Vaughn, was written really well and horrifying. I hated any moment he was in the book, and that’s a credit to the author.

What I had an immense issue with is that the author was inspired by the Highway of Tears and the countless MMIWG who have seen no justice. But this isn’t about a First Nations character, though they are mentioned, and from what I can tell, Stevens is a white author. It feels problematic that she’s taking this thing that is primarily happening to a specific community and profiting from it. Yes, folks of all different races have gone missing from this specific stretch of highway in BC, but it’s undeniably a situation that is primarily happening to Indigenous women. I just don’t feel it was necessary for her to even mention her idea deriving from this situation if that’s not actually what the story is about. Maybe I’m feeling this because I read this book during Native American Heritage Month and was hyper-aware of the content, but regardless, I do think this book is problematic in and of itself just based off the inspiration.

Outside of the hugely problematic basis of the story, I also found that the pacing in this book was an issue for me. It was a slow, slow burn. One of the slowest burns I have ever experienced in my life. This book was at least 25% longer than it needed to be. There were some scenes that realistically could’ve been completely omitted and wouldn’t have changed the story at all.

Another thing I noticed was the inconsistency of the writing at times - some scenes were horribly graphic, while others felt completely skimmed over. It was just a weird mix of content. I honestly just felt like the book itself suffered from being so scattered. It felt all over the place.

I did really like Jonny’s character and Wolf, of course (who doesn’t love dogs??), but both Hailey and Beth seemed too obnoxiously over-the-top and unrealistic.

I know this book has rave reviews, but it was a pain to get through this entire book.

Wow! What a book! I loved the characters in this story as well as the storyline. This book will keep you intrigued the whole way through. This is only the second book by Chevy Stevens that I have read but I will definitely be reading more of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

As I was reading this book I realized that I have read all of Chevy Stevens' books but one. She is an author that tends to be hit or miss for me. That Night was the first book by Stevens that I read and it remains as one of my favorite thrillers of all time. Dark Roads unfortunately was a miss. I was looking forward to the story and love a good serial killer mystery but something about it got muddy along the way. There was a lot of focus on romance between the young adults in the book that I found unnecessary and slightly boring. There were also some scenarios that required a suspension of disbelief. Overall, this book felt too long and drawn out and by the end I just wanted it to be done. Here's to hoping that the next one will be a hit!

Following the deaths of her parents, Hailey McBride has been living with her aunt and uncle in a small community in British Columbia where her uncle is a police officer. Many young women have disappeared from the area and it's believed a serial killer is preying on vulnerable women. Hailey feels bullied by her uncle and goes on the run after discovering pictures on his laptop that make her very uncomfortable.

I read some of Chevy Stevens' previous novels and enjoyed them but I didn't like this book as much. It had a young adult feel to it and seemed to drag on and on with not much happening. I found it very difficult to relate to the characters and really couldn't decide what age they were although it was probably mentioned somewhere. (Towards the end, Beth's age is stated to be 21 which seemed about right but I don't know how old the others were except younger than Beth I thought.) The first part of the story is told from Hailey's point of view, the second part from the point of view of Beth, the sister to one of the dead girls and the third part is told as a kind of combination point of view. I'd rate this book 3.5 stars if I could.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

|| 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖

Dark Roads
Chevy Stevens
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

|| 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:
Women go missing on the cold creek highway. There have been many women found, but so far no one has found the killer. But who is the woman from the prologue? Who is the killer? Will we ever know?

|| 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄:
•Mystery/Thriller
•Multiple POVs
•Women trying to survive

|| 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:
While the story is false it is based on real indigenous women who go missing in Canada. The author traveled such a highway where so many unsolved cases of women going missing have happened. She decided to rewrite the narrative on this story, and give an ending for one of these women. You’ll have to read to find the ending though, but be sure to read the author’s note as well at the end. I also did the audiobook for this and the 3 women narrators did a great job. I felt invested in their lives and what happens to each of them. It does have twisted and dark elements to the story, so be sure to check for trigger warnings. The women in this story represent so many that deserve their story told. I think the author does a great job of discussing her inspiration in her note.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for a copy of this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, Chevy Steven's sure knows how to write an edge of your seat dark thriller! I was surprised by the twist, and did not see it coming. While some aspects of the book are a little over the top when it comes to believability, I like that she drew inspiration of the dangers of the highway, and acknowledged how the Highway of Tears inspired her writing. I like that though it's a work of fiction, Dark Roads was able to provide an ending where justice is served.

And I loved Wolf! 🐾

Chevy Stevens is one of my favorite authors, she always, always keeps you guessing until the end. I had been in a little bit of a reading slump lately and this book pulled me right out of it, I read every second that I had the chance, stayed up until I couldn't hold my eyes open a couple nights. If you like twisty, suspenseful books then you will enjoy this (and every one of her other books)

For decades, women have gone missing from or have been found murdered along the fictional Cold Creek Highway, in British Columbia. Five hundred desolate miles of highway where women hitchhikers and drivers with broken down vehicles have been preyed upon and the killer or killers never found. The story begins as we get to experience the brutal death of one of the victims, just another anonymous battered soul to roam the scene of unspeakable violence.

We then meet seventeen year old Hailey, having recently lost her only living parent and now living with her aunt and her despicable, cruel, cop step-uncle, Vaugh. Everyone is scared of Vaugh, as he throws his weight around town and Vaugh has his sights set on Hailey, never letting her have a moment to herself, actively doing his best to instill fear in her that there is nothing she can do or say that he won't know. Hailey longs for the past days with her father, who taught her to love the wilderness and all the survival skills she would ever need, as they had enjoyed time in the wilderness surrounding their town.

Vaugh hates Hailey's longtime friendship with Johnny, her best friend, and her newfound friendship with Amber, a waitress at the local diner. When Hailey finds evidence that Vaugh could be behind a lot of the bad that has gone on in the area, she fears for her life and flees to the hills. Townsfolk think that the serial killer has gotten Hailey although she had just wanted people to think she had run away. But maybe it's better this way, because Hailey thrives on her freedom, with a stray dog she names Wolf, a dog who adopted her and is her savior in so many ways.

A year after Hailey disappears, during which time Amber has been murdered in the manner of so many other young women, Amber's sister, Beth, comes to town, filled with a grief so overpowering that she's dropped out of college and lost her internship. Beth plants herself in the midst of danger, calling attention to herself as the sister of Amber and as someone who is going to ask questions and dig into secrets. It doesn't help that Beth gets through her days and nights by medicating herself with alcohol and prescription meds. There is little to protect her from bad cops and murderous predators.

Wow--what a thriller! Thank you so much for my advanced readers copy! I really enjoyed Hailey and Beth's characters and therr journey in this dark world. Well done.

Young women in Cold Creek know to not travel the highway alone. A killer finds his victims there, and he has never been caught. Hailey knows to avoid the highway, but she also knows how to survive on her own. After her father’s death leaves her living with her aunt and uncle, who restrict her social and work life, she decides to take off. Her disappearance is assumed to be connected to the highway killer. Meanwhile, another young woman, Beth, arrives in town to learn more about her sister’s murder. She gets the same job her sister had, and starts searching for answers. Unfortunately, this draws some unwanted attention to the newcomer, and brings more attention to Hailey’s disappearance.

Dark Roads is told using the alternating points of view of Hailey and Beth. Hailey knows the town and all the locals. Beth is new to Cold Creek, and she’s on a mission to find out what happened to her sister. The characters are complex and relatable. The story is slow-burning and suspenseful. A page-turner for sure.

Dark Roads is a dark and atmospheric thriller. Recommended for fans of Chevy Stevens and crime fiction.

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

I thought that the book was interesting but it took quite a long time to get to the good stuff. The last fourth of the book is what I enjoyed the most. I also felt like we were left without some big answers.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely adore Chevy Stevens books. So it was a no brainer to hit the request button on her latest. I appreciated that her novel sheds a light on a real Canadian situation that has existed in our country since the 1970s. I am speaking of the Highway of Tears in which a large number of First Nations women have gone missing. I do appreciate in Stevens acknowledgments that she decided to make a fictional town and fictional highway out of respect for the families of the victims.

Although I kept on turning the pages and enjoyed the dual narrative of Hailey and Beth, I was disappointed with this one. Dark Roads started with great momentum but I think it was sidelined by fixating on one character for the majority of the storyline that when the great revelation finally hit, I was oh-hum about it all.





Publication Date 03/08/21

Goodreads review published /11/21