A suspenseful thriller that kept me on edge.
Don’t pick up strangers or help people if you’re on a road trip as no good deed goes unpunished.
3.5 stars rounded up.
The year is 1976 when Alice Bell and her husband, Tom, take off in their new Winnebago for a road trip east across Canada. They are in recovery after a trauma and want to regain closeness and intimacy in their marriage. They’re nice people. And they are certainly not prepared for the terrible events that transpire when they meet a young hitching couple, Blue and Ocean, in an RV park and campground. He’s 21 and she’s 18 and pregnant. They don’t look dangerous, but looks can be deceiving and Alice and Tom find this out when Alice discovers that the couple, whose names are really Simon and Jenny, are murderers on the run. The killers take Alice and Tom hostage and force Alice to drive as Simon continues his brutal actions at every stop on this terrible journey.
This was a real nail biter and I was sickened by the brutality and violence and despised the two young adults who were terrorizing Alice and Tom as well as others they encounter on this trip. The psychological drama exacerbates as the story is told in dual perspectives of Alice and Jenny as they both are trying to survive. The line between victim and villain blurs at times in a Stockholm Syndrome way as it becomes clear that Simon will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Definitely dark and tense as Alice and Tom are held captive facing increasingly dangerous situations. It was even more compelling set in this time before cell phones and the internet which made escape and getting help even more difficult especially along the isolated stretches of highway and small towns along the way. It was very frustrating at times for this reader who wanted Alice and Tom to get away even though every attempt was thwarted, not to mention Tom being so severely injured and incapable. Alice was very strong and I rooted for her to overcome. I know I am meant to feel sorry for Jenny but I probably didn’t get to that level of emotional empathy for her despite her backstory.
And yeah, people talk about the ending. I thought it was somewhat contrived, yes, but not unexpected. I was glad it concluded on that note. There was just a lot of violence and cruelty in the book that bothered me quite a bit and I wished the worst for Simon. This was definitely an emotional read.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrators, Lindsey Dorcas (Alice) and Moniqua Plante (Jenny) did a fabulous job of voicing the characters. Their dramatic flair, tone, believability and speaking styles definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.
This is a standalone and not part of any series.
Tags and Genre - some triggers include rape, sexual assault, infant loss, lots of violence, murder, parental murder, cross country road trip, Canada, psychological, thriller
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