The Cold Creek Highway stretches close to five hundred miles through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness to the west coast. For decades, young indigenous women traveling the road have gone missing. Authorities have brought no killer or abductor to justice.
In part 1 of Dark Roads, seventeen-year-old Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. Her aunt and controlling police-officer step-uncle assume the responsibility of taking care of her after her father’s death. Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey runs away, believing she can use the outdoor skills her father taught her to survive the harsh wilderness. She also hopes people will believe she was the killer’s latest victim so she can have a fresh start.
A year later, in part two, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek to attend the annual memorial service for the highway victims, who include her sister. Beth takes a waitressing job at the local diner, just as Amber did, desperate to understand what happened to her and why.
Author Chevy Stevens writes this creepy coming-of-age thriller with multiple perspectives and an atmospheric, suspenseful tone. It’s dark and unsettling. There are clever twists, but once again, the book has LGBT content and pokes fun at Christians. It was a good book, just not great. Others liked it better, so don’t let my review make your decision. 3 stars.
** Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of the book. The opinions are my own.