Women are found killed along a dark road in Canada. Whodunit?
The prologue and epilogue are the best! The main part of the book tells about two young women in a small town in Cold Creek. Both are warned not to hitchhike and beware of dangers on the dark road. Don't travel alone.
The novel is full of suspense and fast paced, SO fast paced that there is transition in time and place from one paragraph to the next. I would have preferred a blank line between these transitions. So many times the main characters are hurt: cuts, scratches, broken ribs, bruises, twisted ankles. I couldn't imagine how they kept on moving.
Thanks to Chevy Stevens, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for permitting me to read this novel.

This story garners its inspiration from a true stretch of highway in British Columbia where there has been a rash of girls go missing.

The story itself is fictionalized and revolves around two main characters. Hailey is a high school student who lost her mom at a young age and her father recently died in a car accident. She has to move in with her aunt and her aunt's husband, Vaughn. Vaughn, or the ice man, as the kids call him is a creepy police officer who acts very strangely towards Hailey. She begins to fear for her safety so her only option is to flee despite the horror stories of all the missing girls and billboards reminding her of their fate.

Beth is trying to find her place in the world. After her sister becomes one of the highway victims she decides to attend a memorial service and ends up staying in town. She is determined to find answers for her sister and decides the best way to do so is to live as her sister had in her final weeks.

The story was dark and atmospheric. It was very character driven. It had its villians who you despised and the protagonists you cheered for. My favorite character may have been the dog named Wolf that instantly stole my heart.

This book did not end up where I thought it would. I enjoyed getting to know some of the main characters and learned to truly loathe others. It was well written, good pacing, compelling story line, all in all a good read.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

What a brilliantly fast paced, epic read.

This was my first Stevens book and I am honestly in shock that I am JUST NOW discovering the amazing author's work. I was sucked in, hooked hard and could not stop - this was truly a book that made you feel breathless in all the right ways.

I love when a book becomes all consuming and this was ALL CONSUMING.

Pick this up!

Wow. This one is an emotional, heart-pumping roller coaster, in all ways that a great thriller should be. Dark Roads contains scenes so intense that I found myself frantically flipping pages, holding my breath, anxiously hoping that main characters Hailey and Beth would be okay, but, in all honesty, my favorite character is Wolf, who managed to steal my heart. 🐾 ❤️🐾

Attached is a link to my bookstagram post. Thanks so much for the opportunity to review!

@girl_loves_dogs_books_wine

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSH3J7hLWdJ/

This was a pretty decent thriller and definitely worth the read.

Hailey McBride, who recently lost her father, is left in the care of her aunt whose husband is a police officer. But Vaugh abuses his law enforcement position and uses it to control Hailey. She knows she needs to get as far away from him as possible and plans her escape to the mountains. Soon everyone believes she has been victim to the highway killer who preys on young women who travel along the Cold Creek Highway, but only her friend Johnny knows where she’s hiding.

When Hailey’s friend Amber is murdered, Amber’s sister Beth comes to town, and suddenly she finds herself in dangerous territory. The rest of the story switches between Hailey’s and Beth’s POVs, and together they get closer to the true identity of the highway killer.

I have to admit, one Beth came into picture, I wasn’t as drawn to the story. While I understood her role was pivotal, I just didn’t like her as much as the other characters. I was quite surprised by the end and wouldn’t have guessed who the killer was even though I tried.

I think Chevy Stevens is a great writer and definitely knows how to build a suspenseful story. I think anyone who enjoys a good thriller will like this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4124374378

I was initially drawn to this one because of the cover. I'd heard of Chevy Stevens but never actually read one of their stories. I'm so glad I chose this one.

If you haven't heard of the Highway of Tears in Canada, then this story is for you. This mystery brings awareness to it and it's a real life mystery that still needs to be solved!

The characters in this one are wonderful. They aren't good or bad, just flawed and real people. Some parts of the plot will make you so mad and so frustrated but keep reading. The ending, the characters and the all around well written story are absolutely worth it. It's my first Chevy Stevens story, definitely not my last. I loved it.

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

The story of Dark Roads focuses on a small town in northern British Columbia, Canada. There have been a number of disappearances of women and girls along the highway that runs through the town over the years. This, apparently, is what the author based the book on, although this particular story is entirely fictional. She mentions that many of the victims were indigenous, First Nation women and girls, but the main characters of this book are not of indigenous heritage at all. I think there would have been a stronger connection with the decades-long disappearances if at least one character had, at minimum, partially indigenous heritage.

I seem to be in the minority, but I really didn’t enjoy this book that much. It wasn’t what I was expecting from the publisher’s blurb and perhaps that was part of the problem. In my opinion, this book would be enjoyed by the Young Adult reader, as it features a few very strong teenage girls and at least one very attractive and kind teenage boy. I loved the dog featured in the story, called Wolf by one of the main characters, Hailey. There’s a creepy villainous police officer who permeates the story, and the author wrote his character well - I found myself wincing while reading about his actions. But I also found the two main female characters, Hailey and Beth, to be a bit unbelievable in their capabilities, especially near the end of the book (no spoilers!).

I took the audiobook along with me on a long car trip, but after about 20%, my husband was completely bored and so I had to delay the rest of the book to read or listen on my own. I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook has three narrators who all do a good job: Angela Dawe, Brittany Pressley and Isabella Star LaBlanc.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is exactly what you expect from Chevy Stevens. Dark, twisty, well researched. The beginning, Hailey’s story, was a little slow moving for me, but, by the time I got to Beth’s part it had picked up and all came together nicely. I do find that with Ms. Stevens books, they are extremely intense and can make the reader uncomfortable at the beginning. I need to take more breaks, but as the story unfolds and the drama comes together I get into a nice rhythm. Well researched, I felt the beauty, solitude and scariness of the woods. Characters were real; flawed, everyday hardworking, trying to get by people. Evil lurks in those we fear and those we trust.

Set in British Columbia but based loosely on Canada’s Highway of Tears where many young women, mostly indigenous, have disappeared. Such a sad story, and I applaud Ms. Stevens for telling this story but in the same time respecting the families of these poor girls.

Hannah is grieving the sudden death of her Dad. She is living with her Aunt and her Officer husband Vaughn. Vaughn is creepy to the highest degree, which sets up the rest of the story nicely. Hannah meets a drifter, Amber, and a special friendship develops until….. Enter Beth, Amber’s sister and the rest of the story is like the river….going faster and faster until it comes to its final resting place!

Thanks to Ms. Stevens, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

Dark Roads is a mystery/thriller. It is my first book by this author.

This book was not what I was expecting at all. The main narrator is 17 years old. So I almost wondered if this book was Young Adult. However the story is much darker and more gruesome than I was prepared for. So it definitely didn't have a YA vibe.

The story is about a highway in British Columbia Canada where girls have been killed/gone missing. I really appreciated the author's note detailing her motivation for writing this book.

The book is divided into three parts. The narrators are Hailey (1st person POV) and Beth (3rd person POV).

Hailey and Jonny are best friends. Her dad has recently died so she has to live with her aunt and her uncle Vaughn (he is the police).

I don't like books that are overly graphic. And the topic of this book was not pleasant. The story was interesting. But overall I just felt like this story was darker than I was expecting. And one of the male characters just creeped me out so much. I did not enjoy anything about him and I really can't recall ever wanting a character to disappear more.

The mystery was decent. And there was at least one surprise that I wasn't expecting. This was a quick read. It was just much more disturbing than I was expecting.

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @chevystevens for the early gifted copy of Dark Roads, which is out today, August 3!

Chevy Stevens is back, and better than ever! When I was offered a review copy of her newest book, I couldn’t say yes fast enough! She is an auto-buy author for me. I discovered her books a few years ago, and I was immediately hooked. She writes a mean thriller, and always surprises me with the dark twists and turns her books take.
Dark Roads is no exception, and probably her best yet. You will be taken to the wilderness of British Columbia, where the protagonist, Hailey, has escaped from a dismal home life, and is now on the run. You will question who is on Hailey’s side. And you will love Wolf 🐶 I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough in this perfectly paced thriller. If you’re looking for your next read, pick this one up today!

My first book by Chevy Stevens was Dark Roads. It was an entertaining, thrilling and enjoyable read. I have to admit when I first started reading the book, I thought Chevy Stevens was a man. I had to quit reading and check it out. Chevy is indeed a woman. Parts of the book felt like it was written by a man and some a woman. Now you're wondering why that was important. I tend to lean toward women authors. Some men have a hard time getting into a woman's head and it doesn't come off well. Just my opinion.

I enjoyed the book, the background story and the authors imagining of what has been going on for years. There were several tense moments in the book when I was in a hurry to see how they survived. There were a few instances that seemed hard to believe the women could survive what they were going through or had the actual strength to pull them out of certain situations. That is my only reason for giving this book four stars.

I would recommend Dark Roads to my best friend. I think it is a book that will sit well with both men and women. I'm looking forward to checking out more books from Chevy Stevens. Some of them look pretty good! If you like a story with survivalist skills, a few thrills along the way and trying to solve a mystery, you're sure to love this book.

I received a copy of this book from #StMartinsPress/#Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you!

Thoughts
This story grabbed my attention right away. Hailey lives in Cold Creek with her aunt, little nephew and an extremely creepy uncle who happens to be a police officer. Every time the uncle entered the room it gave me chills. Hailey's best friend and only friend is a boy that her uncle tries to keep her from. Is he overprotective because of the Cold Creek Highway Killer or is he the killer?! That was the question that went through my head throughout the entire book especially after Hailey breaks into his secret shed, and finds evidence that points to him. Time to go!
When Hailey meets Amber, a waitress at the local diner, I thought she would change her mind about running away, but she doesn't. This is where the book dragged for me. It felt like the story changed from finding a killer to Hailey's life in the woods. When she finds Amber's body in the woods her mission to prove her uncle is the killer begins. When Amber's sister comes to town looking for answers, Hailey does her best to look out for her, but she can only do so much if she wants to stay hidden.
Overall I think this book could have been shortened with a lot less detail. With that said I would read another book by this author. This one is out today!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my #copy.

Book Rating: 3.5/5

Wine Pairing: Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark roads follows a small town with a history of women going missing or being murdered along the surrounding highway.
After the loss of her father 17 year old Hailey McBride is forced to live with her aunt and uncle. After growing suspicious of her uncle and being forbidden to go anywhere, Hailey comes up with a plan to disappear for awhile. Even with a killer still on the loose.

A year after her sister is murdered Beth Chevalier arrives to the town to get closure on her sisters death. However her arrival puts a target on her back and may cause some problems in Haileys disappearance.


Told in three parts and two different characters Dark roads is a new summer thriller. I loved how the twists seemed so obvious but in a way that throws you off when all is revealed. This is how a thriller should be. The way the story is split up worked perfectly since you get to fully experience two points of view without a lot of overlapping in characters. There was also a lot of things I didn't see coming throughout.

Overall this is a pretty enjoyable read and has a plot line that keeps you from wanting to put it down.

4 1/2 Stars.....

Dark Roads felt different from anything else I've read recently. It was an atmospheric read that blended a murder mystery with a tinge of paranormal/ghost activity.

The story is told in different sections and from varied points of view. The setting is a rural location where young girls often go missing and are later found murdered. The connection seems to be Cold Creek Highway. Everything feels ominous. In addition, the character development was excellent with this book. Both the good guys and the bad were written with such vivid description that the reader could easily feel as if they knew the person first hand.

The main character, Hailey seems to be at the center of the most recent events. Hailey has recently lost her father, leaving her orphaned as her mother died years before. With no other family to turn to, she has to go to live with her aunt and her husband, Vaughn. He is a higher up in the local police department who appears to be on a power trip. He seems to like to intimidate others and is continually using his "influence" for his own benefit. Vaughn is hard on Hailey and makes her uncomfortable. Things just don't seem right about him. As she digs into things, Hailey finds items she can't explain that send her in a tailspin, afraid for her own safety and that of others she loves.

This book isn't for the faint of heart. There are some intense and descriptive scenes that may be triggering for some readers. The subject matter of kidnapping and murder should make it clear that this isn't a light read. That said, I highly recommend Dark Roads. Chevy Stevens definitely impressed me as an author and I look forward to reading more by her.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: In addition to reading this ebook version, I also listened to the audiobook. I absolutely loved the narration. It was perfect for this book and kept me engaged on the story from the very beginning. I often find that certain book topics lend themselves to audio more than others. I definitely feel like mysteries and thrillers are typically some of the most well-done audios that I listen to.

With the fact that this book is told from different points of view, it was even more helpful to have solid narration. It makes it easier for the reader/listener to follow the storyline if the narrator distinguishes between characters effectively.

Thank you to NetGalley for advanced copies of both the ebook and the audio. I voluntarily chose to review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was an interesting read and I definitely thought I knew who the bad guy was from the start and it was a surprise who it turns out to be at the end. The format was really interesting since it was told in 2 parts from 2 different girls POV and about a year apart as well. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and how much I thought I had everything figured out to only be blind sighted towards the last 2 chapters with who the bad guy actually was. I really enjoyed the suspense and while it was slow during the first part since it was just setting everything up but once I got to part 2 it really picked up and everything just came together.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Chevy Stevens is one of my must-read authors…whenever she has a book coming out, I add it to the list of books I know I am going to be reading at some point. I just love her books and this one was no exception. They are equal blends of emotional and chilling, suspenseful and at times disturbing reads, and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

This story immediately grabbed me and never once let go. It plays on just about every emotion and I was completely engaged start to finish. As disturbing and gritty as this one gets, I was all in and I loved that I for sure knew where who it was the entire time only to be completely blindsided when it was finally revealed!

Inspired by the true story of The Highway of Tears Murders in Canada where girls have gone missing for years, this book is so haunting and riveting. The characters have such depth and really come alive on the pages. It was quite easy to fall in love with and root for many of them, though definitely not all of them – I’m talking about you, Vaughn! They were all realistic and flawed, making them relatable in many ways.

This book is twisty and dark, and the setting is incredibly atmospheric, giving off major eerie, and at times spooky, vibes, which lends to the overall tension of the story. If you like deliciously creepy, suspenseful reads, this is definitely one to pick up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Chevy Stevens, always a must-read author for me. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Cold Creek Highway is an isolated highway running through British Columbia - it's also the hunting grounds for predators over the decades. There are billboards of missing young girls and signs warning others not to hitchhike or walk alone. Hailey lives in Cold Creek, raised by her father to be knowledgable about the surrounding woods and take of herself. When he dies unexpectedly, Hailey must go to live with her aunt and her husband, Vaughn, a police officer in town who bullies Hailey. Things get to a breaking point and Hailey disappears into the woods, leaving the town to believe she fell prey to the highway killer. The following year, Beth comes to town to try and find closure after her sister, Amber, was killed there only to find herself in danger as well.

The prologue and epilogue bookend a story that is filled with danger and scary characters, but also filled with resilience and strength. You will be rooting for Hailey and her amazing dog, Wolf, as they survive in the woods and try to right so many wrongs. I loved the strong friendship between Jonny and Hailey - were we all to have such a friend! The story was very well written and I was in the dark figuring out exactly who the perpetrators were. I also appreciated the author's note about the real highway in BC where so many have gone missing - adds a very creepy realism to this story.

I have never read a Chevy Stevens novel even though I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

It truly fits the bill of a thriller which are most often plot driven, but this is very much character driven. The book is inspired by a true highway claiming the lives of First Nations women. But this book is a fictional account.

We meet Hailey who has moved in with her aunt and her husband following the death of father. Vaugh, her aunt’s husband, is a cop but truly a creepy dude who is making her life a living nightmare. We also meet Beth who has moved to the same small town to be closer to her murdered sister. The two young women introduce us to many of the townspeople.

I love a good thriller where we get to really know the characters and this book fit that bill. And I almost forgot to mention my favorite character of all Wolf, the stray dog. And this also had what a lot of the thrillers I’ve read this summer are missing, danger.

I really do recommend immersing yourself in the book. I really enjoyed Beth and Hailey’s journey.

What a discovery! Chevy Stevens is a new-to-me writer, and I was thrilled with her combination of tight, dark plotting; downright lyrical writing; psychological insight; depth of characterization; sheer, stark tension, and a sense of place that imbued every page of the book.

Someone is kidnapping, torturing, killing and abandoning young women along a lonely highway in Northern British Columbia. Stevens introduces us to several young women who would be likely targets of the perpetrator, and to several men who might be the victimizer. Suspenseful? You betcha.

There are characters who are still vivid in my mind days after finishing the book (Hailey, Jonny, Amber, Beth and the canine, Wolf). This story (and its readers) have been treated with the highest respect by both the author and her editing team. I'm a converted Chevy Stevens fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for and advance readers copy.