Set in the Mojave Desert in blazing hot July, Kristine and her fiance Daniel are traveling to celebrate the holiday. They stop at a rest stop and that is when Kristine's life changes. Daniel is abducted and Kristine has to decide whether to stay and try to find her fiance or go back home to safety. Quite a thrilling mystery.

Amazing! This book will pull you in right from the start and will not release you! This is not a book to start if you have anything else you have to do. Page turner, seat gripping, what the heck kind of book!

I didn't want to stop reading this book. I started it when I was going through a tough time, and needed something to distract me from myself. And it did.

Until I finished the book. And started thinking about it. I emailed myself those thoughts at 1AM. And they're dour: [ Daniel and Kristine both disrespect those they don't see as strong, capable, and adaptable. Her father, for not choosing life. Her mother, who chose the oblivion of heroin addiction. Parenthood can't always spur people on to survive. Suicide can be preferable to a continued tortuous existence. That is not respected here.

Not long after emailing myself that, I started crying. Because the book started making me reflect on myself. [Like Kristine's parents, I have no will to live.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

It’s high summer in the Mojave Desert, and Kristine Rush and her fiancé, Daniel, are en route from Las Vegas to Lake Arrowhead, California, for the July Fourth holiday weekend. But when Daniel is abducted from a desolate rest stop, Kristine is forced to choose: return home unharmed, but never to see her fiancé again, or plunge forward into the searing desert to find him…where a killer lies in wait.
One road. One woman. One killer.
Sprinting against the clock, and uncertain if danger lies ahead or behind, Kristine must blaze an epic path through the gaudy flash of roadside casinos, abandoned highway stops, and a landscape rife with horrors never before imagined. Desperate to save her doomed husband-to-be, Kristine must summon long forgotten resources if she’s to go head-to-head against this unpredictable killer. And she’d better hurry. Because she only has twenty-four hours…to make one hell of a trip.

This was a pretty ordinary plot told pretty well...

Okay, that sounds rough. Let me try again. This is a pretty well told story, even if the plot isn't totally original...yeah, I think that's better.

One thing that I think Pettersson does well here is let the crazy come out in the bad guy. Cos, let's face it, not all stalkers/serial killers are polite, well-spoken people like we see in movies. They can go off the scale...and that certainly happens here. There is a "realness" to that crazy.
Also, I really did like Kristine. She was determined, despite the overwhelming odds. She is left in the desert, by herself, and has to rely on her wits. She really had quite a journey, development-wise, in this story. And that's what I like to see.

What didn't work so well? Well, the thing I liked at the start - the full-on crazy of the bad guy - is also part of the problem. There is no real build-up of suspense as the crazy hits pretty early on so the story is almost forced to move at full-throttle. And that's not really helpful...
Also, the reveal of the bad guy a) is obvious and b) makes no sense. I think that the way the author approached the reveal didn't allow for a lot of credibility and then tried to cram all the details in afterwards, leaving me feeling like "why bother?"

Could this have been better? Sure it could have. But if you are after a good summer read (especially with the lights on!) then this could be for you.


Paul
ARH

I actually read this book way back in May of 2015, but I somehow managed to lose track of posting the review. But mistakes can be corrected, especially in bookland. 

The first thing you need to know is that I love serial killer driven plots, and the second thing you need to know is that I always hide my eyes during horror movies.

This book is not for the squeamish. It made me really uncomfortable in a lot of places, but I still loved it. My heart was pounding the entire time, and I tore through the book. 

I did not see the twist coming at all, and I was just blown away. My chief complaint with these kinds of books is usually that either they are predictable or that the twist is completely nonsensical, so Swerve was a breath of fresh air.

Swerve is a solid 5/5 stars.

Thanks go to Gallery Books and NetGalley, who provided me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from Goodreads:

"It’s high summer in the Mojave Desert, and Kristine Rush and her fiancé, Daniel, are en route from Las Vegas to Lake Arrowhead, California, for the July Fourth holiday weekend. But when Daniel is abducted from a desolate rest stop, Kristine is forced to choose: return home unharmed, but never to see her fiancé again, or plunge forward into the searing desert to find him…where a killer lies in wait."

My Thoughts:

What a crazily intense way to start out my year of reading in 2018! I picked up this book expecting a thriller but what I didn't expect was this book. I don't even have words to describe this one really. It was so much darker and way more intense than I could have ever guessed. There were times that I literally had to put this book down and stop reading. I just couldn't continue as I thought it might end up giving me nightmares. That's how squicked out I was (not a word but you can tell what I mean by it). Honestly, this book probably isn't for everyone which is completely okay. I even marked my copy with a little note of warning as I'm passing it on to my sister to enjoy. All of that to say though, it was also such a great read! Easily a four star read and one that I won't be forgetting about anytime soon.

One of the things that I find most surprising is that this is Pettersson's first thriller. What a way to begin your mystery writing career! She actually also has an urban fantasy series that I want to check out but this looks to be the one and only thriller that she has written. I sure do wish that I had more books to look forward to! I found this book to be very fast paced and hard to put down. Sure there were times that I "had" to put it down but by the time I hit the halfway mark, I just couldn't stop reading. I was at the point where I was this close to reading the ending just to make sure that everything turned out okay. That's seriously how intense this book was! I'm not going to say anything more because I really don't want to spoil this book for anyone. Suffice it to say that it is the following: crazy, dark, and thrilling to say the least!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and wish that I hadn't waited so long to read it! It was different than I originally expected it to be but that isn't a bad thing in the slightest. Instead I got a book that was both dark and twisted - two of my favorite things in a thriller! I can't recommend this book to everyone as it is a bit violent to say the least and not always an easy read. But if you want a thriller that is completely different from everything that is currently out there....then this is the book for you. It was a pretty great way to start off my reading in the new year. I'm going back to check out this author's other books for sure! Recommended but be warned that this isn't a book for sensitive readers.

Bottom Line: A dark, thrilling read!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publishers. My apologies for waiting until now to read it!

I AM SO EMBARRASSED ... JUST NOW FINDING THIS ONE ON MY KINDLE/AMAZON. WAS NEVER READ SO NO REVIEW COMING AT THIS LATE DATE. MY SINCERE APOLOGIES. BOOK HAS BEEN ARCHIVED.

review of ARC. Man. This book takes off and just never stops. It's high adrenaline, high anxiety, start to finish. The writing is sharp as any weapon, and was almost too effective at pulling me into the scene. 4.5 stars, because by the last few chapters I was so wrung out emotionally that I couldn't bear not knowing how it ended, but I just wanted Kristine to catch a freaking break.

This is run of the mill thriller where you have to suspend your disbelief a lot. A couple are driving from Las Vegas to California and stop at a quiet service station. There Daniel is abducted and Kristine receives text messages with instructions. Thus begins a game of cat-and-mouse...If you like slasher movies and are looking for a popcorn read, you'll love this.

One tough gal and one demented doctor. Wits and wiles persevere as the young lady makes her way through the desert and outwits the demon who would destroy her. Not an easy task, the thought of her daughter drives her and death stalks her. Betrayed by the very person to whom she is betrothed in a struggle to save her life while watching death overtake those who have tried to help her. In the end trapped with no way out, her daughter in the same prison she finds herself caged in, but driven by despair and determination. Could there be a solution? A fast plot with action befitting a Hitchcock horror story.

Didn't review online as didn't finish, so felt it would be unfair to post an inaccurate review online.