I received this as an ARC through Netgalley. Dark Roads is told from the point of view of two young girls, Hailey and Beth. A stretch of road on a highway in Cold Creek has memorials for many young girls that have found dead in the ditch. Hailey's father passes away in an accident and has to move in with her aunt and uncle. Soon Hailey begins to suspect her creepy uncle of some unsavory activity. There are many twists and turns in this gripping mystery that ends up entangling both the lives of Beth and Hailey.

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens is a perfect addition to the psych thriller genre. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and was on the edge of my seat the entire ride. I loved the build up to the ending. Some parts had me shocked but some other parts made me tear up!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Chevy Stevens and Netgalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been a fan of Chevy Stevens ever since I read Still Missing (and thanks to that book I never want to be a realtor… IYKYK!).

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. The mountains and forest added a moody element to the story and the plot. Both Hailey and Beth were easy to root for, but especially Hailey. She was such a strong, badass character stuck in an incredibly difficult position.

I also really appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book discussing the epidemic of missing and murdered First Nations women in Canada (and the US) and providing resources for readers to learn more. This is something that isn’t discussed as widely as it should be. These women and their families deserve more.

SYNOPSIS
British Columbia’s Cold Creek highway stretches 500 miles through BC’s rugged mountains and forests. It’s remote and the site of the disappearances of dozens of girls and women over the decades. Locals warn young women never to hitchhike and to never travel the highway alone. Hailey McBride is a Cold Creek resident who recently lost her father and decides to run away to escape her controlling cop uncle. Rumors spread that she’s another victim of the highway.
A year later, Beth Chevalier comes to Cold Creek in search of answers as to what happened to her sister. But Beth’s hunt for the truth puts her in the sights of a dangerous killer and may reveal Hailey’s secrets.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3836503682?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFcKEEhPsQ/

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Chevy Stevens for an ARC of this book!**

Atmospheric, authentic, and anxiety-provoking!

It's a dark and eerie highway where the girls are lost forever...Cold Creek warns its inhabitants to be on guard. Women are taken from the highway, with the criminal targeting First Nation women in particular, and this stretch of road has become synonymous with murder and unsolved cases, as the perpetrators have continued to strike, never being brought to justice. Hailey knows she must exercise caution living in this area, and after tragically losing her father, she struggles to pick up the pieces and find solace at her uncle Vaughn's home. Unfortunately, this new environment not only proves to be far from comforting, but dangerous, as Hailey discovers policeman Vaughn has some pretty ugly secrets and perversions involving the women of Cold Creek...and an ever-present watchful eye on Hailey. When Hailey finds something resembling love with a waitress named Amber, she must work even harder to protect her best friend Jonny and Amber from Vaughn's dangerous proclivities....before this bad cop strikes yet again.

The narrative then jumps forward a year in time, where Amber's sister Beth has left law school (but hasn't told her ultra-conservative parents) and arrives in Cold Creek to attend a memorial---Amber's memorial. What she finds is an opportunity to pull back the layers of mystery still shrouding these cases and her sister's untimely death, and she follows in her footsteps by taking a job at the local diner and getting close to Jonny, learning as much as she can about Amber's past and Hailey, by association. But as she is aware, the killer is out there--unchained, untethered, and looking for his next victim---and Beth fits the profile all too well. Can she and Jonny get to the bottom of this long-standing and terrifying chain of disappearances and murder before Cold Creek's cursed highway claims yet another innocent?

I have been anxiously awaiting another novel from Chevy Stevens for oh, about 2 years now...and it's safe to say she put every ounce of time she could muster into researching and preparing for this novel. Her very poignant author's note details how Cold Creek is fictional, but is based in reality---and this novel hammers that point home. The best way I can describe reading it? This one is basically like an episode of Dateline brought to life...but from the victim's perspective. Chevy's attention to detail is second to none, and this one almost doesn't even feel like fiction, which is essentially what she was going for, so full marks in that respect! However, this hyper-focused attention to detail makes this book feel like a fairly long read, and it probably could've been cut down significantly to keep the pace moving at a bit more of a clip.

While I could almost smell the forest air and hear the crackling of branches under my feet, this novel felt far more like a suspenseful survival story in many regards than a psychological thriller. There are a few twists here and they all serve the narrative well, but I think the strength of this novel is not so much in the plotting itself, but the characters and their fully developed world, particularly the charming and oh-so-lovable dog Wolf, who is destined to win the Canine of the Year award from the National Book Review (if they haven't started handing out this award yet...and let's face it, they should!) Honestly, this connection to character is what took this book up a notch for me and kept me engaged throughout...and the epilogue is SO phenomenal (and spooky!) I bumped up my rating on that alone!

Chevy Stevens has done it yet again, and reminded all of us who she is through her beautiful and thought-provoking suspenseful writing--a dog lover, a proud inhabitant of British Columbia, an advocate for women....and most of all, a writer we have SORELY missed!

4.5 stars, rounded up from 4 for the incredible epilogue!

Dark Roads is my first book by Chevy Stevens but you can bet it won’t be my last. This book was everything I wanted it to be! It is an even paced suspenseful thriller that grabbed me from the beginning and before I knew it I was lost in this dark and twisty murder mystery. This story is based on a highway that has a history of young women gone missing in the past and present. There are strong characters that you are able to connect with right from the first chapter. This story is not only a chilling terrifying tale but it will also tug at your heartstrings. I highly recommend this captivating book. I do know I will be more aware of which highways I use in the future!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin Press and Chevy Stevens for an ARC of this grisly novel in exchange for an honest review.
#darkroads #chevystevens. #stmartinpress #netgalley #arc

I own tons of Chevy Stevens books but this was the first I’ve read! The beginning and ending were spectacular, but the middle dragged a little. I felt so connected to the characters and adored the dog in the story. I love that the plot is loosely based on the Highway of Tears.

Thriller loosely based on fact

This suspense thriller centered around three young women in the fictional town of Cold Creek, British Columbia but is loosely based on the true life cases of missing girls along what's known as the Highway of Tears in northern British Columbia.

I enjoyed this story told from the perspectives of the three young women in alternating chapters - Hailey, born in Cold Creek; Amber, a waitress who goes missing; and Beth, Amber's sister.

The author did a good job of keeping the suspense ramped up and I didn't guess the antagonist until well towards the end of the book.

It's scary and sad that this is based on cases that have never been solved.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Wow, what a creepy, intense and well written psychological thriller!

Cold Creek Highway, an isolated area in the wilderness of British Columbia is the perfect spot for predators. And the site of many missing young women and unsolved murders) over the decades. Cold Creek is home to Hailey McBride, a nature lover, living with her aunt and controlling police officer husband. Hailey runs away to the mountains, hoping that everyone will believe she disappeared. Amber Chevalier, her girlfriend, is found dead in Cold Creek. Her sister Beth leaves her life in Vancouver to search for answers regarding her sisters murder. Along the way she finds that a target is put on her back. Will Beth survive the chase? And will she uncover Hailey’s truth along the way?

This book had me closing my eyes at times for fear of what would happen next. I spent the majority of the book unsure of how it would end, which made me want to continue turning the page to find out more! The characters are well developed and the scenery was so clearly described that I could picture it in my head. A seriously well done psychological thriller - it will keep you questioning things until the very end.

Chevy Stevens is an author I have wanted to read for along time...but for some reason I haven't gotten around to it. Well, after reading this book she moves to the top of my "to read list." Intense, compelling, intriguing, emotional, adrenaline fueled...all are good descriptors for this book. Chevy Stevens caught me with the first sentence of the prologue and didn't let go until the last line of the epilogue. Women and girls have disappeared in this area of British Columbia over the years at an alarming rate...this is their story.
Hailey's father taught her the ways of the wilderness, when he died she was forced to live with her aunt and uncle. Her Uncle Vaughn is a police officer...and he's cruel and controlling. She's close to 2 people...Jonny, local boy she's known forever, and Amber, a waitress at the local diner. When Amber is killed by the highway killer and Vaughn gets even more controlling Hailey knows she needs to get away so she escapes into the forest. A year later Beth, Amber's sister arrives in town. As she tries to learn what happened to Amber she asks questions that put a target on her back. The story is expertly told in alternating POVs. I have to say that I was fairly sure who the killer was...boy was I wrong!! The author takes us to a satisfying and exciting conclusion. I'm ready to read more by Chevy Stevens!
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was kind of mad that I thought we knew who the killer was from the beginning, so I really appreciated the twist (and the fact that Vaughn still got what was coming to him). I also appreciated that we got to know both Beth AND Hailey, although I would have appreciated feeling like the other characters were as deep.

I loved this one! Although, in my opinion, Chevy Stevens can do no wrong. I enjoyed that even though the “bad guy” is set up from the beginning, there’s are still some twists and turns that I didn’t expect. Small town thrillers are one of my favorite genres.

An avid fan, the legendary acclaimed author Chevy Stevens is back with her best yet! DARK ROADS is extraordinary —I LOVED this book!

The elegant prose propelled me through this spine-chilling thriller, a gripping, richly layered tale inspired by true events. From the vivid, atmospheric setting, the strong heroines that will haunt you, and the jaw-dropping twists. Psychologically absorbing — hooked from the prologue to the satisfying conclusion.

The book opens with a voice speaking for all the murdered women along the five hundred-mile Cold Creek highway. More than twenty young women left on the side of the road or a ditch. From the thick forest to the muddy rivers, wild animals, a ditch— the land is for hiding secrets and bodies.

The billboards warn women not to hitchhike. However, in this small dead-end town of mining, truckers, and logging, some girls must escape due to the monsters and horrors within. There are dark hidden secrets. Some monsters may be closer than you think. Are they outsiders, or are they living among them behind their facade?

Hailey is still mourning her dad recently killed in an automobile accident. Her mom passed away years earlier from cancer. She and her dad were close, and he taught her much since he was a wilderness tour guide.

Now, she is stuck living with her aunt Lana and her young son, Cash six-years-old. The worst part is Lana’s husband Vaughn, known as the Iceman.

He is a bad cop, controlling, and verbally abusive. He uses his power in the town to manipulate her and other teens. He watches her like a hawk, and all she wants to do is escape. She and her best buddy, Jonny, work on dirt bikes and race. They have dreams. She wants to live in a log cabin with a dog, and Jonny wants to travel racing.

However, Vaughn controls her every move and also makes Jonny and the other kids miserable. There is not a lot to do in this small rural town except hang out at the lake, campgrounds, go fishing, swim at the river, ride dirt bikes, or hang out at the Dairy Queen.

Hailey thinks Vaughn is up to no good and begins spying on him and his locked garage. She finds creepy hidden cameras and photos. More weird things start to surface, and fears for her life. She wants to get a job to get out of the house, but Vaughn runs the town and makes sure she cannot.

Hailey and Jonny plot for her to escape and live in the wilderness until she turns 18 and can live independently. In the meantime, she has met a carefree boho-type nice girl, Amber, at the local Mason’s Diner and they have shared a kiss. Of course, Vaughn had to ruin that too.

Plans made, Hailey is brilliant and knows how to survive in the wilderness in an old miner’s cabin in the woods, with Jonny’s help. They must let the town think the highway killer took her so they will stop looking.

A dog finds her, and she calls him Wolf. (LOVED THIS DOG!) He becomes her protector and best friend. He is smart and knows his way around the woods. (Reminds me of Gunter in Charles Martin's Murphy Shepard series)

Please let there be a movie 🎬 or TV series based on this novel!

However, the killer strikes again, and this time Hailey finds the body. She is grieving and fears for her own life. Then to complicate matters, Amber’s sister Beth (attorney) shows up in town and may inadvertently lead Vaughn straight to her.

Beth starts working at the same diner as where her sister worked and hanging out with Jonny. Soon she is homeless and pitches a tent at the campground. She is looking for Hailey to get answers, but she puts Hailey and herself in harm’s way.

“Wild roses are tough. You can mow them down to the roots or set them on fire, and they’ll still come back. They never stop living.” —DARK ROADS

From alternating POV from Hailey/Beth, the characters jump off the page with lyrical prose, symbolism, and metaphors. From darkness to light, tense and edgy, with richly imagined characters who will break your heart as they confront the evil monsters. With heart-pounding suspense and jaw-dropping twists, a spellbinding story that will haunt you long after the book ends.

Talking about mind-blowing, I read DARK ROADS directly after reading Karin Slaughter’s False Witness. Nerve-wracking suspense and both books featured two sisters, a nasty, pervert violent monster preying on young girls, and they liked their hidden cameras.

Stevens has written a tour de force and is one of my top books of the year. The author is at the top of her game and right up there with Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter! Highly recommend.

A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

Blog Review:
#JDCMustReadBooks
@JudithDCollins
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 +++
Pub Date: 8/3/21

4.5 stars

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens is an exceptional novel. Billed as a thriller involving a serial killer who, for years, has terrorized women along a highway in British Columbia, it is so much more than that! It is an action-packed suspense novel that kept me immersed in the story from start to finish. Also, it is wonderfully atmospheric, drawing a vivid picture of a small town in rural B. C., influenced by the beauty and danger of the forest around it. I could feel the sultry air of a Canadian summer and hear the mosquitoes buzzing! Above all, this is a character driven suspense story, and the author shows commendable skill in this regard.

The main protagonist, Hailey, is an older teenager, orphaned by the loss of her mother to cancer and her father’s recent death in an unexplained auto accident. She is sent to live with Aunt Lana and her husband Vaughn, Cold Creek’s town sheriff, known as “The Iceman”. His persona is overbearing and menacing, exactly the kind of authority figure that would prompt a teenager to rebel. Hailey does, and runs away to live on her survival skills in the woods. Her best friend, Jonny, who is Vaughn’s main target/punching bag for petty crimes in the area, helps Hailey. Then Hailey’s close friend Amber is found murdered along the highway, and Amber’s older sister Beth comes to town to determine what happened and find closure for her family. The story and secrets unravel in an exciting who-done-it with some unexpected twists along the way.

The tale is told from two POVs: Hailey and Beth, with a wistful prologue and epilogue in another voice. I loved that device in the organization of this novel. I also enjoyed this likeable cast of young adults. Their dialogue is believable, their innocence and staunch belief in friendship and loyalty propel much of the action. Hailey, especially, is such a strong character, with her absolute faith in her late father’s wisdom. She is resourceful, resilient and a serious female warrior when the moment calls for one. Beth’s determination and intelligence makes her an engaging protagonist. My favorite character, who has a huge presence but no “voice,” is Wolf, the stray dog, who adopts Hailey and protects her, absolutely.

The character development is definitely a strength of this novel, and the mystery/thriller aspect is riveting. Ms. Stevens’ descriptive writing is a real pleasure to read and adds that extra something that elevates this book above an ordinary suspense story to a more sophisticated literary novel. Engaging the reader in the atmosphere, the characters, and the action of the story is a gift this author demonstrates beautifully!

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy action and suspense, but also look for well-drawn characters and an intriguing locale.

Thank you to the author and St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me, and I know I'm an outlier with my opinion, so I'm going to recommend you take my opinion with a grain of salt. That's not to say the actual writing wasn't good because it was, but there were things about the book that irked me more than anything that made the book just okay reading.

I honestly had the plot figured out very, very early on and while that doesn't always annoy me because it happens a lot since suspense/thrillers are my go to genre, this happened way too early on and was just too easy to figure out in my opinion. Also, I thought the book had too much of a YA vibe for an adult marketed book. I love YA fiction, but I want my adult fiction to read like adult fiction. There's amazing YA suspense and thrillers out there and if that's what I wanted, I'd definitely pick one of those up instead. I was also thrown by the prologue that mentions the many indigenous girls who've been murdered or gone missing along the Cold Creek Highway, yet there's no indigenous character that I can tell in the book--it would have been great to have one of the main characters by indigenous since it was mentioned and seemed important in the prologue. In a way it seems like a missed opportunity. However, I can only imagine, and this is guessing, that Stevens didn't write an indigenous character because she isn't one. That may be, and whatever the reason, I think including indigegous girls in the prologue was absolutely pointless as it wasn't pursued.

But definitely read the book for yourself as it has tons of 5 star reviews. I still plan on reading the author again as I think I will find one that is a better fit.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

-Review posted to Goodreads, Twitter, and Netgalley on 8/1/21

Benji. If you loved that movie from the ‘80s, than you are going to love this book.

When Hailey’s dad dies in a car accident, she moves in with her aunt and uncle, a police officer in Cold Creek. However, her uncle Vaughn forbids her from hanging out with friends or working outside the house in fear of the highway killer. Hailey decides to fake her own death in order to get away from her overbearing uncle. Then another girl is found murdered by the highway. Is Vaughn just overprotective or a crooked cop?

I have read most of Chevy Stevens books, and love her writing style. They are very character driven and draw you into the story immediately. Dark Roads started off strong for me and I was completely engaged in Hailey’s story. However, by part two, Beth’s storyline, I slowly lost interest. When the two narrators merged in part three, the pace pick up again, but I still found myself trying to skim to the end.

The biggest problem I had was that this is a familiar plot with a predictable ending. While Stevens mentions that this book is based on The Highway of Tears in Northern British Columbia, the fictional story she created is not unique. I easily guessed the twists and yearned for more thrills.

The hero of this book is, you guessed it, a dog! Three cheers for Wolf! While I enjoyed the Benji movies when I was younger, this storyline just didn’t have the same effect on me now. However, if you are an animal lover, you are going to lap this up!

Chevy Stevens is an amazing writer and I will absolutely read her next book!

3/5 stars

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was hard to get into. Slow moving. Seemed like it took forever to get into the story. That being said, the last 25% was pretty fast moving, although there were some events that seemed a bit far-fetched.

The characters were OK. Had a hard time liking Beth. Best character was probably Wolf, the dog.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to others.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Aug 3rd

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens was an amazing read, one that kept me turning the pages until the very end. I hadn't read anything by this author before, but I certainly will be in the future. Full of twists and turns this book was action packed, and although the ending was a big surprise I still loved the book. I certainly would recommend this book to others.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, all opinions expressed here are my own.

I first came across Canadian author Chevy Stevens via her debut novel, Still Missing, which I adored.

I've read most of her subsequent books and she writes consistently complex thrillers, often centring around unhealthy relationships and splintered families, and featuring power imbalances between genders.

I struggled with the early part of this book as it seemed far too obvious that Hailey's step uncle and local cop Vaughn is not only a bully, but kinda twisted and /or evil. It then felt like a waiting game... for him to go too far and Hailey's fate to be sealed, or our worst suspicions confirmed. So there's a sense of menace from the get-go and SOOO obviously so I felt annoyed. Vaughn's dastardliness felt belaboured and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue - in that I suspected what was coming and wasn't sure I could be bothered going through the process of discovery.

And then... Hailey takes matters into her own hands and the book takes a turn I did not see coming.

Stevens takes several detours (ahem, Dark Roads) before a mid-novel climax that keeps us guessing for some time. It's at that point we're introduced to a new narrator, Beth and again Stevens is easily able to draw us into her story, the life she's living that she didn't expect (or) want to be.

Stevens mixes in some subtle unease as she ekes parts out. Even when we're given cause for relief I wondered if there was to be some trickery. Writers have to be increasingly clever nowadays. They make us believe people are alive when they're not and fool us into thinking dire things when the opposite is the case.

I was certainly surprised by the 'whodunnit' here but realised there was something more and that something disappointed me a little as I'd allowed my expectations to escalate. So though we got closure and justice I struggled with a sense of anticlimax as I'd allowed my imagination to run free.

This novel was suspenseful and definitely a page-turner. I even found myself talking aloud at times, “What?!” “No!” Although the subject matter is serious and not to be taken lightly, the story was light at times and held my attention through all the twists and turns.

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.

The book is told in three parts. The first part is by Hailey, a teenager who was born and raised in Cold Creek. Since her mom died she has been raised by her dad who taught her to love, respect, and survive in nature. When a freak accident takes his life she is forced to live with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle, who is the Sargeant in Cold Creek, makes her life miserable, so she runs away. Everyone assumes she has been abducted and killed as other women have been for decades.

The second part of the book is told from Beth’s perspective. It’s a year after Hailey disappeared and Beth arrives in town searching for closure after her sister falls victim to the highway killer.

The third part is told by both Hailey and Beth.

The characters in the novel are well developed, including a stray dog named Wolf, that I dare you not to fall in love with. As mentioned before, this book is certainly a page-turner. It’s a fairly fast read. I found myself speculating and wanting to find out the truth. I should mention the prologue and epilogue are both quite moving and the writer uses these devices to pull the reader in at the beginning and leave them moved at the end.

At times the book pushed a little too much and became unrealistic, but I enjoyed it just the same.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

4.5 STARS

Dark Roads is indeed a dark read.

This sinister, slow burn and atmospheric story pulls readers into a tragic tale inspired by the all too real and disturbing issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women in British Columbia.

Canadian author Chevy Stevens excels at keeping her readers on their toes with a deep sense of unease as she weaves a tale about missing girls set in a small fictional town in northern BC. The story is told from the POVs of two strong women - Hailey, an orphaned teenager living with her aunt and her strict police officer uncle; and Beth, the sister of one of the murdered women who vows to find her sister's killer. I found Hailey's POV a bit more compelling, mainly due to her relationship with her malicious and domineering uncle who makes everyone's life a living hell, but Beth holds her own as she balances finding a killer and handling her own demons.

There is a solid group of secondary characters, some you will abhor and others like Wolf, who you will adore. Stevens provides several possible culprits and while I guessed their identity mid-way through, I still found it to be quite a compelling and edge-of-my-seat story. There is a strong survivalist element which was interesting but also took me out of the building tension and required me to suspend disbelief just a bit. That said, this was a wonderfully tense and intriguing, slow building mystery focusing on survival, friendship and the long-lasting effects and varied ways people handle grief.

This book will captivate and terrorize readers in equal measure, so I recommend that you go into this book blind to get the full effect. I also strongly encourage readers not to miss the author's note at the end of the book where she discusses her inspiration for this story. Lastly, I appreciate and applaud Chevy Stevens for using this latest book to put a spotlight on the grievous lack of attention and respect given to the Indigenous women and girls, those who have gone missing and been murdered on northern BC's Highway of Tears, as well as those who continue to live with the constant threat and a government who will not listen to them.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for my advanced digital arc and the print arc I won in a giveaway on Instagram. These copies were given in exchange for my honest review.