Another satisfying thriller from Chevy Stevens. I would have liked a little more background on the "bad guy" though. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Dark Roads is another enjoyable tale by Chevy Stevens.

The story unfolds along the Cold Creek Highway. Over the years, multiple women have gone missing without a culprit ever being caught in this area of British Columbia.

Hailey McBride is a seventeen-year-old girl. Her dad has recently passed away in an accident. Haley has moved in with her aunt and her husband. Her husband, Vaughn is a police officer. People called Vaughn the Iceman for a reason. He is mean and a bully and he wants to control Hailey. Luckily, Haley has a good friend in Johnny who helps her out when she needs it. Hailey also meets Amber, a waitress at the local diner. She falls for her but then Hailey makes a discovery that causes her to run away.

A year later, Beth, Amber's sister is in town. She wants to know what happened to Amber. She meets both, the Iceman and Johnnie and she will have to make her own choices and decide who she can trust.

Unfortunately for Beth, the killer has her eyes set on her and she is running out of time.

I liked Dark Roads. Yes, some areas were just too unbelievable for me but I was able to let it go and kept hoping for the best.

I do think that Wolf stole this book. He was such a good boy 🐕

After reading this book, I do know that the one thing I won't ever do is to be around those 450 miles of the Highway of Tears. All those women have died and most have never been found or if found, their killers are running free.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Chevy Stevens and her latest did not disappoint - it may in fact be her best book to date. A gripping loosely based on horrific true events, I was gripped and had a hard time putting it down. Great characters, both primary and secondary (I wish that I had such survival skills.) Yes, a few scenes require the suspension of disbelief, but with a thriller this good, it's fine by me. An intriguing and intense read page-turner. If you don't mind delving into the dark side, I highly recommend it - and would love it were it be turned to a movie. Just have to figure out who'd star...

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I found this title to be disappointing and not what I had hoped for from the summary. It starts out with the mystery of girls disappearing with no trace and then got dark and creepy when you find out an adult man is stalking and taking pictures of young girls- just disturbing. I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading at that point. Fortunately the book doesn't stay on that dark path, but it didn't get much better. The story flips all of the sudden from one main character to another, the plots twist and turn but not in a good way. It made the story too random and disjointed. Just not enjoyable and lots of language that was so unnecessary.

Women - Do not hitchhike or travel alone on Cold Creek Highway. This is the message to locals alongside a billboard of all the missing victims. Hailey is a local who recently lost her dad and is forced to live with her aunt and her police chief husband Vaughn, known as the Iceman. She quickly finds out Vaughn is not a good guy and has been taking pictures of her and other girls. She escapes to the woods
to survive until she is 18 with the help of her best friend Jonny.

Amber is estranged from her family and working at the diner in Cold Creek when she finds an instant connection with Hailey before her “disappearance”. As another victim is claimed, as well as Hailey assumed dead, Amber's sister Beth arrives in town to get answers. Can she keep Hailey a secret? Will she survive the target on her back?

My Thoughts:
Whoa! This thriller has become an instant favorite of mine. Well-developed story that maintains and builds momentum all the way to the end.

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens is a well written and enjoyable story. This is my first time reading a book from Chevy, but I am interested in reading more.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Hailey is going through some life changing events and living along the Cold Creek Highway where girls have gone missing for decades. And in her mind, the only way to escape the events is to live off of the grid. Then Beth shows up looking for who killed her sister.

It was interesting to read about all of the prep work that Hailey did before she ran into the woods and it was a stark contrast for how Beth stumbled around. Some parts were a little far fetched throughout the novel, but I think that part of reading is being able to suspend reality a bit. There did seem to be a lot of falling, wrecking, and possible head injuries and that were only addressed two or three times by medical personnel.

I read the eBook a bit and listened to the audio version. Both versions were enjoyable. First book I've read by Stephens and I'm sure I will read more.

Chevy Stevens is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Her writing style draws you in from the first page and keeps you interested until the very last page. The storylines are dramatic and full of imagination but still, inflicted with real truths.

Dark Roads was superb, I couldn’t put it down. I’m a crime junkie addict so, this story resonated with me. I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend it. I’d read it on a rainy and dark weekend just to fit the mood of the book. Give yourself a little “scare” and sink into the read with a good cup of coffee or tea.

Thank you so much to the author, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the review copy! It’s a win for me and I cannot wait to read more from Chevy!

I felt like this one was written well and had great characters, but at the same time, it was depressing and slow. It had almost a YA feel to it. I struggled at times to keep reading and feeling engaged by the story. I didn't see the reveal though, which is always a plus when I can be suprised.

Cold Creek Highway is the backdrop for Chevy Steven’s latest thriller Dark Roads. It is the place every girl is warned away from - the dangers all too real. With decades of missing women in its history, this is just the place you do not want to go alone and it’s just the place that Amber lands while searching for herself one summer… Hailey is a newly orphaned teen in the care of her aunt and her husband, a controlling police officer who uses control and threats to keep Hailey isolated. As both girls navigate Cold Creek, Amber’s sister Beth arrives in town, and we come to appreciate the slowly building suspense and terror that Chevy Steven’s has laid out. I found myself drawn to this story late into the night. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to more by this author. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

Absolutely exceptional!!!

Stevens never disappoints... creepy and eerie..

This is a story about a young teenager, Hailey McBride who goes missing and is assumed dead, yet another victim of the highway killer.

Only her late father had taught her how to survive, in the mountains, in the dead of winter.

Stevens does a magnificent job of portraying every detail of Hailey's survival skills in a heart pounding revelation. Until.... another young woman comes to town seeking to find answers for her younger sister's murder...

Character development: detailed, connected and emotionally driven
Storyline/Plot: complex, exquisitely developed, and thought provoking
Narrator: Expressive and emotive

I highly recommend this novel. I was provided an advanced reader copy from Netgalley, the publisher and the author. I also listened to an audio version of the book.

My first Chevy Stevens book was a complete hit for me! I’m ready to add more to my TBR from this author.

Dark Roads was inspired by Highway of Tears, a true crime area in British Columbia where indigenous women have been murdered for decades and the cases remain unsolved. This book is gripping from the start. I love the way the points of view were written, first from Hailey and then from Beth who only knows of Hailey through her sister. Their stories weave together so perfectly. Very well written with action that is so suspenseful that you’ll have a hard time setting this one down. I also don’t think I’ve loved a dog character more than I loved Wolf.

I listened to the audiobook and also read an electronic galley. Loved having both to go back and forth between. Great narrators on the audio version!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio for the early copies!

I’ve been a Chevy Steven’s fan for many years, and ALWAYS make a point to buy and read her books. The way she writes, with unexpected twists and turns, deep characters — it all sucks you right in until the very last page.

And Dark Roads is no exception!

Based in British Columbia, this novel centers on the Cold Creek Highway, a stretch of road through the rugged wilderness that has left young women missing for decades. No one has ever been brought to justice for these disappearances.

For Hailey McBride, Cold Creek is home. Her father taught her to respect nature, how to live and survive off the land, and to never travel the highway alone. But he has passed, and Hailey is now in the care of her aunt and police officer husband (who bullies her behind his badge). When Hailey goes missing, the whole town goes on edge — where did she go? And was she a victim of whomever is terrorizing girls on this remote highway?

This book is dark and unsettling, but so damn good.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many years ago I read Chevy Stevens’ debut 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 and I loved it. I’ve no idea why, but I hadn’t read any of her subsequent books, until this month’s 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗𝗦. I can’t speak about the books in between, but 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘴 was definitely another winner for me.⁣
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Because I don’t want to give anything away and think the publisher’s blurb tells a little too much, ⁣
I’m going to go light here. The title derives from the Cold Creek Highway where for years girls have been disappearing. Everyone from the area knows not to hitchhike, never to be alone at night, to avoid the lake and the campground, but it still happens. Sometimes bodies are found, sometimes they’re not. In quick succession two girls disappear, one’s body is found, the other’s is not. Suspense builds around these two girls, and later the sister of one who comes to Cold Creek looking for answers. Thrown into the mix are a bad cop with disturbing tastes, some loyal friends, and a few other characters who leave you wondering. There’s a great build up of suspense, and an ending that truly satisfies. If you’re like me and haven’t read Stevens in awhile, it’s time to change that! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⁣
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Many thanks to @stmartinspress for this #giftedbook.

I have some conflicting thoughts here with Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens. I enjoyed it as much as I didn't. I was drawn to the story because the fictional Cold Creek Highway is influenced by an actual highway stitching 724 km in BC where many women (mostly Indigenous) have disappeared or been found murdered called The Highway of tears.

Chevy Stevens has written her own story here while creating a fictional highway, town, mountainous terrain, and campground by the lake similar to ones in BC, Canada. She does a fantastic job of bringing that all to life, and I enjoyed the story of survival created here.

The story is broken into three parts, starting with Hailey, who calls Cold Creek home and has grown up with warnings and reminders to fear the Cold Creek Highway and never travel it alone. I loved the sense of dread, fear, and tension captured here with the isolated, rugged wilderness that becomes a prime hunting ground for a predator, the highway killer.

Part Two focuses on Beth, who comes to Cold Creek searching for answers to what happened to her sister one night on Cold Creek Highway. Hailey and Beth are connected by their loyalties to the people they care about, and I enjoyed the dynamics there.

In part three, Hailey and Beth's stories begin to merge as the tension and suspense increase and the action and danger pick up to the final showdown with the characters. While this was exciting and entertaining, it didn't go in the direction I was hoping for, and I didn't find it as convincing as I would of liked.

This is where I am conflicted I thought Chevy Stevens created a complex, thrilling and entertaining thriller, but with using the backdrop as ambitious as The Highway of Tears I couldn't help wondering about the real-life lost souls of women, their stories, and the secrets the highway holds. I was left feeling disappointed and thought she could have done a better job creating a more emotional realistic story that centred around the lost women. However she does mentioned out of respect she wanted to created her own story.

I *loved* Dark Roads--it is Chevy Stevens' strongest books yet and was completely engrossing (and thrilling!) Well developed characters and a smart, propulsive plot made this a book I couldn't put down! I'm definitely recommending this to patrons and it's a great way to get her backlist into readers' hands as well. Just outstanding!

After reading Dark Roads, I will definitely be looking for this author's previous books which I am sure are already on my bookshelves. I was on the edge of my seat as I followed the many twists and turns of this suspenseful novel inspired by actual events. I could easily see it being made into a movie or mini-series. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advance copy to read and review.

3.5 stars

This mystery/thriller is set in British Columbia, along the Cold Creek Highway. Many women and girls have gone missing around this infamous highway, and Hailey's uncle is always warning her to be careful and stay away from the highway. But Haily is not so sure she can trust her uncle, especially after learning he has secrets of his own. And then another girl is found dead near the highway. One year later, Amber's sister Beth comes to town seeking answers about her sister's death, and Beth discovers even more secrets and danger lurking in the small town.

There is a lot going on in this story. Yes there is a murder and a mystery and some thrills, but also it's a story about grief. And it's a survival story at times. The survival piece to this story definitely caught me by surprise! I might make the argument that there is almost too many different parts to this story, and some of the things that happened just felt really implausible. It dragged on in the second half, and I wasn't fully happy with the ending.

But at the same time, there were many things that I enjoyed about this story. Especially at the beginning, it really captured my attention. There were some unexpected twists and turns for sure, and I suspect this one will be a big hit with many readers.

Chevy Stevens is back, this time with thriller that is loosely based on actual events. I would say this is less of a thriller but definitely suspenseful at times and had more of a YA feel to it. But as always she keeps you guessing until the final reveal of who the serial killer really is, which was a surprise to me! I read everything she writes and always enjoy her books!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Dark Roads.

This was my first Chevy Stevens book and it won't be my last! I was hooked on this book from the first page!
I really liked the Hailey side of the story and wanted more Hailey and how she lived for the year... I didn't like the Beth story as much.

The only thing is it sounded a little far fetched in a few places but I couldn't stop reading this book!