Review by Booklist Review
It's 1976. Alice and Tom have embarked on a road trip across Canada in their new RV. Their relationship has been frayed since they began trying for a baby, but they barely have a chance to reconnect before they encounter a hitchhiking couple. Alice feels sorry for Ocean and Blue; Ocean is pregnant, and the two seem to have nothing between them. She and Tom bring them along to their next RV stop. But then Alice sees a headline about two traveling killers; she recognizes them as her guests. Their real names are Simon and Jenny, and they're on the run after murdering Jenny's mother and stepfather. It isn't long before Simon and Jenny realize that their hosts are on to them, and Alice and Tom's peaceful trip turns into a nightmare. Simon holds them hostage, forcing Alice to drive and Tom to nurse a broken collarbone without medical treatment. The novel's pace is relentless as Simon pulls Alice into even more crimes. Alice's fear is palpable, and readers will breathlessly turn the pages as they wonder if Alice and Tom will make it through this terrifying journey. Stevens (Dark Roads, 2021) delivers a powerhouse of a book.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
It's July 1976, and Tom and Alice have left Seattle in their new RV to embark on a cross-Canada road trip. Married for 16 years, they're eager for a perfectly planned, relaxing getaway, especially after a recent tragedy. Early in the trip, they encounter a young couple walking along the highway. Introducing themselves as Blue (who is pregnant) and Ocean, the strangers are in need of a ride; Tom and Alice quickly agree to give them a lift, and soon they're chatting like old friends. At a rest stop, Alice picks up a newspaper from which she's shocked to learn that the couple's names are actually Jenny and Simon, and they're wanted for the brutal murders of Jenny's mother and stepfather. The peaceful vacation quickly spirals into a violent nightmare as Tom and Alice are held hostage in their own RV and forced to aid Jenny and Simon in a string of crimes. As their chances for escape dwindle, they begin to wonder if they'll survive. VERDICT Stevens (Dark Roads) offers a white-knuckle adrenaline ride. Fans of her previous novels will be enthralled, and those who enjoy the gritty intensity of Taylor Adams and Simone St. James will devour this gripping new thriller.--Kerri Copus
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A 1976 road trip goes deeply awry when a vacationing husband and wife cross paths with a young couple on the lam. Having recently had a stillborn baby following three miscarriages, Seattleites Tom and Alice Bell pack up their Winnebago and head through Canada as part of their healing process. But their plans go horribly askew when, at a campsite, they meet a young Canadian couple who say their names are the hippyish Ocean and Blue, and offer to give them a ride. In reality, they're Jenny Perron and Simon Gray, and they're on the run from law enforcement, having left a bloody scene behind in Jenny's home north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Alice discovers the ruse early on through a radio newscast and then a newspaper article. Unfortunately, it's not early enough to avoid Simon's enraged response when their true story is exposed. What follows is a road trip across the Canadian highways and backroads riven by violence, frustration, and terror. The narrative is studded with mid-'70s cultural references including humor writer Erma Bombeck, TV seriesHappy Days, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor "heading for another divorce," eight-track tapes, Hamburger Helper, Jell-O, SpaghettiOs, and Pop Rocks. But the tale is even more palpably marked by the messes that Simon and Jenny leave wherever they go, with Alice and Tom perpetually in tow. In a nod to the historical timeframe, the more Alice tries to manage the erratic situation--Tom having been waylaid by a beating from Simon--the more she and Tom both realize her stay-at-home role may no longer be viable. As always, true to her modus operandi, Stevens keeps the ultimate twists firmly up her sleeve until the final pages. Stevens maintains the speed and frights in this on-the-road psychological thriller. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
