White Line Fever by KC Jones is a gritty, fast-paced thriller with a compelling premise and moments of gripping intensity. The story explores themes of desperation and survival, creating a tense atmosphere that keeps readers engaged. However, the character development feels uneven, and some plot twists are predictable, which detracts from the overall impact. While the writing style is sharp and evocative, it occasionally prioritizes style over substance. Despite its flaws, the book delivers enough suspense and action to entertain fans of high-stakes thrillers. A solid read, though not without its rough edges.

My initial take on White Line Fever is that it is too long for what it is, but my second take is that I actually ended up enjoying the level of depth that Jones achieved with all of that extra length. The story here is both familiar and unexpected. The Devil's Driveway is a 15 mile strip of abandoned road that is notorious for claiming the lives of those who happen upon it. Livy and her friends don't know this when they end up on the road as a shortcut, but they figure it out pretty quickly when strange things start happening.

This reminded me some of Grady Hendrix (friendship vibe) and Nightmare on Elm Street. I enjoyed the resolution and just how many issues the travelers had thrown in their way. My only real complaint is that this book was drug out just a little too long. When I read that this was only a 15 mile stretch of road after seeing the length of the book, my jaw dropped. How in the world could you eke that many pages out of 15 miles. I would say that Jones very nearly pulls it off.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing the ARC in return for an honest review.

3.5/5. This book has great Vivid descriptions serving as fodder for nightmare fuel, but I was disappointed in the cliched ending.

Major creep factor with this book! I LOVED reading this book at night in the dark and it just added to the scary factor.

Four friends go on a girls weekend and end up living one of the biggest nightmares of their lives. The menacing shortcut that should only be 15 miles seems to go on forever and has something new in store for them at every bend. The author weaves such a scary tale with things that will give you all the chills and nightmares. He is able to mesh the past with the present in such a menacing way that is masterful.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an ARC in return for an honest review. This will not be the last book by KC Jones that I read.

White Line Fever, is a very interesting book that caught my attention for the spooky haunted road. I started reading and would lose interest because some of it does not read well. It bored me when the author would go on and on about a subject. I probably should of wrote down the parts I did like and did not like. I almost stopped reading half way through because the road kept getting weirder and weirder and the writing of it bored me. The woman traveling the road should of stopped sooner and not go on, it felt weirder the more they went on. I really liked the idea of a haunted road and the way it played with their mindset. The road would get to you personally and then effect the group as a whole. It just didn't seem realistic of the abuse from her husband it was awkward the way the character talked about him. I love the idea of a girls weekend and their friendship. I like the friendship they created from childhood to adult hood. The father was definitely scary and they way his character was written was really good. I think the book could be better. I liked it but would not want to read it again and I am not sure I would tell someone else to read it. I would try another book by the author because I feel like they have the potential to create a really good book. Keep trying!

Thank you for a free ARC. Four friends with horrifying childhoods have to fight through their trauma, which comes alive via a haunted stretch of deserted highway. I liked the flashback scenes, which were honestly more unsettling and well developed than the current ones.

White Line Fever follows Livia and her close-knit group of friends as they embark on a weekend getaway, hoping to escape the fallout of Livia’s crumbling life. On their drive to the destination, they take an unexpected detour down a desolate road known as the Devil's Driveway, unknowingly stepping into a nightmare. As they journey deeper into this eerie stretch of road, they must confront terrifying forces. Will Livia and her friends make it to safety, or will the horrors of the Devil’s Driveway leave them running for their lives?

This novel is a classic psychological suspense/thriller, with alternating timelines that reveal both the present-day tension and the haunting pasts of the characters. The dual narrative gives readers a deeper understanding of who they are and what drives them. While I appreciated the concept of the book, I found it to be a bit drawn out. The initial hallucinations were particularly jarring and effective, but as the story progressed, the supernatural elements began to feel repetitive, and I lost a sense of urgency or stakes. Some of the flashback sequences were more unsettling than the present-day scenes, which I didn’t expect.

That said, the book’s setting was wonderfully atmospheric. I could easily imagine the creepy backroads of Oregon where the characters find themselves, and the descriptions were vivid enough to immerse me in the environment. While this novel didn’t fully hit the mark for me personally, I can see why it would resonate with fans of psychological suspense and horror. If you enjoy a gripping psychological thriller with a dash of supernatural tension, this book is worth checking out.

A special thank you to NetGalley and publisher Tor Nightfire for the advanced reader copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I was so intrigued by this book, the idea of it and where the story would go. Unfortunately it truly bored me.. there was nothing that was compelling me or making me excited to read it. I tried really hard I wanted to love it, but the characters also didn't work for me. I wasn't able to push through. I had to DNF.

I received a free copy from Net Galley agreeing to review. Boos Run a couple of college kids, Julian and Brees who drive around investigating and filming haunted places. They’ve come to investigate Old Winding Highway renamed Devil’s Driveway because it’s believed to be haunted by all who have died driving it. They bring a willing Drew Scott and his dirt bike to check it out. Later Boss Run will meet up with the Scondrels a group of childhood friends, Ash her sister Morgan, and wife Becka are off on a week end to help their friend Levia deal with her cheating husband Brian. They decide to take the closed highway where weird and strange things begin to happen to them. Besides seeing the ghosts (love the imaginative creations), we have flashbacks in time to see where our Scondrels experienced these unresolved fears, the negative fears that the ghosts feed on. I wish I could give this book more stars it was a terrific read on multiple levels, suspense, unique and imaginative sightings and the highlight for me was connecting our unresolved negative energy, the fears we’ve never faced in the past which now feeds the ghosts that inhabit the road. I do have a question for the author, what is the meaning of the title.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor for a copy of this book.

This is the first book by KC Jones I've read and I don't think it will be the last. I really enjoyed the characters and the story itself kept me swiping pages until the end. I can't say it scared me as it takes A LOT to scare me when I'm reading, but there were definite parts where i was creeped out.

This book definitely wasn't what I thought it would be. It had suspense, absolute weirdness, and interesting characters, but I have a really hard time with books that require you to suspend all disbelief when it comes to reality. I liked the multiple perspectives and timelines, but ultimately could not get over how farfetched it was. I was hoping for some type of reasonable/possible conclusion at the end, but just didn't get it. I'd be interested in reading future books from this author as I thought it had potential, it just fell short. 3 stars.

Thank you for NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of this novel.

White Line Fever by KC Jones, when Olivia and longtime partner, Brian have a fallout her friends take her on a girls trip. Olivia, Morgan, Rebecca, and Ashley have been friends since their terrible childhood which they were all lucky enough to live through. when running into bad traffic, Morgan sees a shortcut and despite the road says do not enter. She takes it anyway, and this trip will be one more thing. The girls will all be lucky to live through. It seems this road is the devils triangle of highways most people who take it won’t be seen alive again, and when the girls take it, there will be a reckoning for each individual girl with past traumas, rearing their ugly head on the lonely highway in the middle of nowhere, Colorado, if only they could find their way out. This was a pretty good book, but I found it hard to really get into and it took me a couple of settings to finish it. That may be on me because this book is really good. I just found it hard to stay interested, having said that I would still recommended because it definitely has a lot going for it. Being haunted by your own past in the middle of nowhere would have to be one of the most freakiest scariest situations and then for it to happen to all of them is even scarier. I don’t know why I couldn’t stay attentive to the storyline, but I do think other people will definitely enjoy this book.#NetGalley, #WhiteLineFever, #KCJones,

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I thought I'd really enjoy this but it felt a little one note for me. I wish there was some more surprise, it felt like it hinged on the setting rather than the rest.

Really enjoyed this. The middle was a little slow for me but the idea behind the books was really cool and different would definitely read more from this author again

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of White Line Fever, by KC Jones, from Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Here we go again, y’all: Better in concept than execution.

Le sigh.

Issues:
- Went on way, way, WAY too long.
- Characters seemed stereotypical.
- Detailed descriptions seemed more like screenplay notes for the cast and crew vs anything (for the most part) that was really helping the narrative along.

Now, all that said, the story idea was good, if not one that will make the state of Oregon want to mention this book in any travel guides. (What is it about Oregon and malevolence? Almost makes me want to go live out there for a while, see what’s the what…..)

Also, I enjoyed parts of the book enough to want to read KC Jones again. But if/when I do, if I find myself willingly putting whatever book that is down to do something else, I’ll take it as a sign to DNF.

DESCRIPTION
From Bram Stoker Award finalist KC Jones comes White Line Fever, a harrowing thrill ride about friendship, trauma, and learning how to take the wheel of your own life.

At a passing glance, County Road 951 is an entirely unremarkable stretch of blacktop, a two-lane scar across the Cascade foothills of Central Oregon.

But the road is known by another name, coined by those who’ve had to clean up after all those scenic detours went horribly wrong: The Devil’s Driveway.

When Livia and her long-time friends take the Driveway as a shortcut to a much-needed weekend getaway, what begins as a morning joyride quickly becomes anything but. Soon, they’re driving for their lives, pursued by a horror beyond anything they ever imagined.

The Devil’s Driveway might be only 15 miles long, but with danger at every turn, it will take the four women to the very limits of their friendships and their sanity.

And there’s no telling what else lies in wait just beyond the bend.

Started off well but then it just dragged. Almost a dnf but hoped it would come back and wow me at the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I was a huge fan of Black Tide, so I was extremely excited to get an early copy of White Line Fever.
Things haven’t been going well for Livia. Her marriage is in shambles, and she is still reeling after being in a car accident. Enter her three best friends from childhood, known as The Scoundrels. They have gotten together to spend a weekend relaxing, and helping Livia heal.
But a turn off the main highway will prove to be a bad idea. This road, this shortcut is not called The Devil’s Driveway for no reason. Once they turn on it, well, there is no going back. Horrible, horrible things have happened here, and soon all their childhood traumas come back to them with vengeance.
If navigating this deserted road was not creepy enough, the past come creeping up through the cracks. For most of this harrowing journey, I could not imagine anyone getting out alive. No spoilers. You will need to read this book to see if the monsters or The Scoundrels win.4.5 stars.

First off, this is a great idea, very Stephen King-like. Second, the author can write. He has good ideas, and knows how to tell a story. Unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with this one. I didn't mind reading it, but, it didn't grab my attention and demand that I finish it. The characters were pretty realistic, and much of the dialogue felt true to form. I think a lot of people will really enjoy this tale -- I just wasn't one of them.

Could I see this as a Netflix mini series? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This was a beautifully done story and had that suspenseful atmosphere that I wanted. The characters were everything that I was looking for and thought it was a strong thrill ride. KC Jones has a great writing style and that the characters were realistic and worked overall.

My thanks to Tor Publishing Group, KC Jones and Netgalley.
I loved the idea of this book so much more than the actual book!
The characters were all kinds of lovable and annoying. The backgrounds on these people were all kinds of messed up. Yet......The storyline bored me to tears and made me want to commit murder! Only on the characters, but still.
The thing is that each and every moment should have been filled with angst, murder and mayhem.
Seriously, just about each and every scenario was leading to mayhem. What I mostly got was excuse me ma'am, not mayhem!
This book truly just fucking sucked. Please, please feel free to kill somebody.
I'll just tell ya' true and say it was a good book. No surprises or fun though.
No surprises or fun will get a 2* rating from me. I'd even say 2 1/2 stars rounded down.