Based on real events that occurred on the Highway of Tears in Northern British Columbia, this thriller focuses on teen-aged girls who have disappeared from the fictional town of Cold Creek. Some of the bodies were found but most of the cases have never been solved and no one held accountable.
Hailey McBride lives in Cold Creek. An orphan, she now stays with her aunt who is married to a local police sergeant. Although she's 17, she's kept on a very tight leash under the tight control of these relatives. Chaffing under the bullying, she runs away to the mountains and a cabin hidden deep in the woods comfortable knowing that she was trained by her father in survival and resourcefulness in the wilderness. Everything thinks she was a victim of the notorious highway killer who had already murdered another young woman, Amber Chevalier, earlier that year. Months pass and Amber's sister, Beth, arrives in Cold Creek searching for answers and ends up herself in harm's way. NO SPOILERS.
This started out well, but eventually I just had to ask how these two girls could survive so much constant injury and peril. The story didn't focus on bringing the killer to justice as much as it meandered around taking forever to get to the big reveal. Out of nowhere. There's even time for romance, drinking, drugs, camping in the woods, living in the car, and motocross in between all the harrowing situations that Hailey and Beth get themselves caught up in. I was disappointed with the way things wrapped up and don't feel that I got the answers in a payoff that made the read worthwhile. The Epilogue sort of made me shake my head and sort of sealed the 3 stars rating. Nope.
I've read all but one of this author's previous books, and nothing has matched my appreciation for her first book, "Still Missing" but you may find this more appealing than I did. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - crime thriller
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