Dark Roads follows two women whose lives intertwine in the small town of Cold Creek, notorious for the unsolved disappearances of young girls. As a detective's daughter and a troubled teen each seek answers, they uncover dark secrets and face the town's sinister past. The gripping storyline is expertly woven, keeping the tension high throughout. The audiobook is enhanced by the performances of Angela Dawe, Brittany Pressley, and Isabella Star LaBlanc, who each bring their characters to life with distinct voices and emotions. I love when there are multiple narrators in an audiobook, and their combined talent truly elevates the listening experience. A solid 4-star read!

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens

When I started this book, I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride but something happened as I kept reading, the ride fell flat and I jumped off.

This is a story based on an area called “Highway of Tears” where indigenous women have gone missing or murdered for decades. Based on that alone, this could be a good read for one who enjoys stories based on real life scenarios.

If I had to say why I didn't enjoy this book as much as I could have, it would be the slow pacing, being disjointed and I was lost at times. Also when one of the main characters, 17 year old Hailey fakes her death, it was a bridge too far for me. At the same time she is trying to figure out what happened to one of her friends by the name of Amber who is missing and that kept my interest even with the problems.

With that said, I would read other books by this author.

Rating 3

Linda C

Let me preface by saying Chevy Stevens isn't your normal kind of thriller. She doesn't write books that will make you jump, but she weaves a story that is intricate. This is one of the best of hers that I have listened to. And, as seems to happen with some of her books, I was in tears at the end. Some may blast her for what she tried to do here, but she tried to bring light to a very real problem, not just in Canada, but in the US as well. I applaud her for the story she told and I appreciated how she tried to show hope at the end of the book. There might have been some moments that were slow, but it moved well enough. The twist at the end was nice. It would be a spoiler to say too much. If you haven't read her yet give her a try, both narrators also did a great job.

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

The narration was perfect! Enjoyed the story, the setting and the characters. Would recommend for adults or young adults.

This was my first Chevy Stevens book and boy did I enjoy it. I appreciate how she learned to live off the land. I really enjoyed this book and am now looking for my next Chevy Stevens read.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the gifted book!

Over the years many young women have gone missing from along the Cold Creek Highway. Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. She knows the stories and rumors that swirl around those missing girls well. But her father taught her how to survive along the highway and in nature. But her father has passed away and now she's stuck living with her aunt and her bully of a police officer husband. When Hailey goes missing, it's just assumed that she's the latest victim of the highway killer.

The summer after Hailey disappears, Beth shows up in Cold Creek to hopefully get some closure on her sister Amber's murder. As Beth digs for answers, she finds more than just information about Amber, but Hailey as well. And all may not be as it seems.

Once I was into the story of this one I was swept away and had to know what happened. Divided into three parts: Hailey pre-disappearance, Hailey's disappearance, and Beth's search for answers, this book starts as a slow burn, but ramps up the speed as you proceed through the sections. By the end I was consuming this book as quickly as possible to get to the resolution. The narration of this one really brought the tension of this story to life. If you are looking for a quick, immersive and skin tingly thriller, pick this one up.

Dark Roads is inspired by “The Highway of Tears” in British Columbia which is a stretch of highway that runs from Prince George to Prince Rupert. It is along this highway that many women have gone missing or have been found murdered, especially Indigenous women. Many of the cases have gone unsolved.

Chevy Stevens tells the fictional story of Cold Creek Highway and similarly women have been going missing for decades. After Hailey McBride’s father dies, she goes to live with her aunt and her husband Vaughn. Vaughn is slimy from the beginning. He’s a cop that will do what he wants and uses his authority to get what he wants. Hailey finds herself being more isolated and restricted and when she starts discovering secrets about Vaughn she thinks she might be in real trouble.

The highway, in many ways becomes a character in the novel. People know it can be deadly and take precautions. So when Hailey disappears, it is assumed that she has become the victim of the highway killer.

This novel started off so strong. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. There were some characters that I knew right away I wouldn’t like them and they probably wouldn’t redeem themselves. It was in the second part that it didn’t hold my attention in the same way. There were times I wasn’t even sure what was going on. I thought it was going to end a couple times, but it kept going. I was surprised by the twist, but there were things in the story that could have been tightened up a bit.

Overall the book is worth checking out. It has a compelling enough story to want to know what is going to happen. The audio is narrated by Angela Dawe; Brittany Pressley; Isabella Star LaBlanc. I have to be honest and say that I didn't notice it was more than one narrateor but the performance was good. It added to the atmosphere of the story.

After the passing of her father in a tragic car accident, seventeen year old Hailey is adjusting to living with her aunt and controlling uncle (Vaughn). Vaughn is a police officer in their small town and is controlling and shady at work as well which earned him the nickname of “The Iceman”. He prides himself on being especially hard on young people, harassing them and busting them for the smallest infractions. Hailey’s best friend is Jonny who also enjoys riding and workin on dirt bikes. Vaughn disapproves of their friendship and often tries to stir up trouble.

A major highway runs through the Cold Creek and over the year several young women have been murdered. Warnings to not hitchhike are posted around the town since Cold Creek is one of the towns in which several women had last been seen. The town is the last stop for miles. Several years have passed with no murders, so people had started to relax and put their guards down. Then young women start disappearing again and Hailey has pieced some clues together and has suspicions.

I have always been a fan of Chevy Stevens’ novels and this was no exception. It was a fast moving psychological thriller. It kept me up late and night because I always wanted to read just one more chapter. The twists and turns kept me second guessing at the suspect and motive. A great read and I love the narration. Sometimes, I struggle with attending to audiobooks, but these narrators did a great job depicting raw emotion which increased me interest throughout the book.

A dark and disturbing story that left me wondering where the author would take me next. It took a while for me to get into the story but once I did I listened to the story every second I could. An enjoyable and dark read.

I love this audiobook quite a bit. Both of these main characters were so intriguing and I loved their narrator. I will say this story did start off a bit slow but it soon picked up and grabbed my attention. The audiobook was so well done! This was such a thrilling read and I had such an enjoyable time with the storyline and characters. I definitely would take the audio route!

This is the second book by Stevens and it completely blew me away. This dark, thrilling, and suspenseful book pulled me in from the beginning and didn't let go until the very end.

I am a HUGE fan of Chevy Stevens. ANYTHING she writes is worthwhile. With that, I do usually find her story telling unique and that is a quality I find interesting and what makes me pick up the books. However, Although I did like this book, I found it NOT to be my favorite from her. Worth the read though. The Narrator was great!

Thanks you to both #netgalley and #macmillanaudio for a review copy of this work for an honest review.

I chose to read this title for many reasons. From the book blurb I knew it would be talking about the Highway of Tears in a fictionalized account. I could also tell that the women characters were tough, resilient and complex. This book did not disappoint.

I was taken in by the story of Hailey and her father from the beginning. There were just a few places I would have liked the story fleshed out a bit more. When Hailey goes to live with her Aunt and her Police Officer husband, we find out very little about the Aunt. I wanted her character fleshed out more so I could see more of why she was as she was. Perhaps that was left for speculation? I would also like to have known more about the killer in the book and his motivations-unless that is coming in another book which I would be delighted to read!

The narrators -- Angela Dawe, Brittany Pressley, and Isabella Star LaBlanc did a great job of bringing well-written characters to life.

This book was absolutely amazing! I loved the narration/pace. Essentially, this book follows the Cold Creek Highway which 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. This book is aptly titled. It is dark, spooky, and haunting. There is a dual perspective which I think worked well.

DNF @ 11%, so no rating.

This book started off with a really good prologue highlighting an important issue, and it felt authentic. With chapter 1, it felt like things slowed down, and when you mash in the fact that it started ticking off social justice boxes in a way that didn't feel meaningful or authentic, I lost interest.

Once I got into this story, I ended up enjoying it. It took me until about 30% in to really connect with the characters and care about what was happening. It moved to slow at the onset, but does pick up. I enjoyed Hailey's POV the most, but did enjoy the multiple POV of the story.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

In British Colombia, there is a highway named the Cold Creek Highway. Along it's length, girls and women have disappeared for years with no closure. Sometimes their bodies are found, sometimes not. Some were hitchhikers, some were women who accepted a ride with the wrong person. To those in the area, it seems that law enforcement has just thrown up their hands and quit trying to find out what is happening.
Hailey McBride could be one of those missing women. A year ago, she lived with her dad but after his death in a road accident, she has gone to live with her aunt. Unfortunately, her aunt is married to a local law officer and he has made it his life mission to manage every moment of Hailey's life. He wants to pick her friends, decide when she can leave the house, be into her social media accounts, listen to all her phone calls. At first he is irritating but when she discovers that his obsession has tipped over into taking pictures of her unawares, pictures in her bedroom and bathroom, she knows she needs to get away. With the help of her friend, Johnny, she runs away and holes up in a hunter's cabin that is remote from the town. Everyone in town assumes that the Cold Creek killer has claimed another victim.

But the deaths keep coming. Hailey finds the body of Amber, who was her friend and maybe more. All she can do is call the discovery of the body in, fearing that her uncle is behind Amber's death. Now, Amber's sister, Beth, has come to town determined to find the answers that law enforcement can't or won't. Is Beth now in danger as well?

Chevy Stevens has written a taut, engaging tale. The Cold Creek Highway exists and the tale of missing and murdered women, mostly indigenous is true. The story is told through the voices of Hailey and Beth and once the two young women meet, events rush towards a surprising denouement. I listened to this novel and the narrator, Brittany Pressley, has narrated over a hundred books. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

A brief summary from the publisher:
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.

Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. Her father taught her to respect nature, how to live and survive off the land, and to never travel the highway alone. Now he’s gone, leaving her a teenage orphan in the care of her aunt whose police officer husband uses his badge as a means to bully and control Hailey. Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey vanishes into the mountainous terrain, hoping everyone will believe she’s left town. Rumors spread that she was taken by the highway killer - who’s claimed another victim over the summer.
One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, where her sister Amber lived - and where she was murdered. Estranged from her parents and seeking closure, Beth takes a waitressing job at the local diner, just as Amber did, desperate to understand what happened to her and why. But Beth’s search for answers puts a target on her back - and threatens to reveal the truth behind Hailey’s disappearance...

I was hooked from the very beginning! It was a complex story with a lot characters, and with three different narrators (all which did a great job). I really liked it, but found it very dark and a little too long. Very suspenseful, and had me guessing who was the murderer until the very end. Good solid writing and character development. The only thing I didn't care for was the length of the book. I felt it was too long, and at times it had just too much information or things I felt it didn't need. For that I knocked one star off. I like Chevy Stevens writing, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
A very special thank you to A Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley @macmillan.audio for my book, swag, and audio copies!

Dark Roads was my first book by @chevystevens and I can see why she is so popular. I sped through this one on audio and it was super easy to follow. My favorite audio books have multiple narrators, and this one had three!

A gritty small town story, where I thought I had everything figured out, but kept me guessing until the end. Part time survival story part time thriller.

Animal lovers will appreciate this one as well. If you missed out on this one earlier this year, add it to your holiday wish list!