Filled with exhilaration and suspense all the way through!
Rating: 4/5
On her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway rest stop. Inside, are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four complete strangers.
Desperate to find a signal to call home, Darby goes back out into the storm . . . and makes a horrifying discovery. In the back of the van parked next to her car, a little girl is locked in an animal crate.
Who is the child? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?
There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, and no way out. One of her fellow travelers is a kidnapper. But which one?
Trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation, with a child’s life and her own on the line, Darby must find a way to break the girl out of the van and escape.
But who can she trust?
Going into this I had heard from my friends that this was a great fast-paced thriller. So I went into this with high hopes! Shortly after I started, I began wondering if I was reading the same book. I didn’t find the characters interesting, in fact, my first impression of our main character was terrible. I found her annoying and a bit of a twit.
We follow college student, Darby who finds out her mother has pancreatic cancer so now she has to head home to Utah after originally not planning on it. Her last-minute trip home happens right before Christmas, in a snowstorm in a crappy car. In the middle of the mountains, her car starts to lose traction so Darby decides to pull over at a rest stop. The snowstorm gets worse and now she’s stranded for the night with 4 other strangers. Darby goes outside in an attempt to find cell service. She walks by the strangers’ cars and inside a van, she discovers a girl locked inside. Which of these strangers abducted this child?
As I mentioned, from the start I found Darby annoying. Now, this might be a bit of a spoiler, but since we know from the summary that Darby gets stranded, I don’t feel too bad for the rant I’m about to go on… She was so unprepared to start this trip. She believed she could drive her crappy little car that only has front-wheel drive through the mountains during a blizzard. Not only that she didn’t even have snow chains, didn’t start on a full tank of gas, didn’t have proper shoes, or have her phone fully charged or a charger. Like common sense! You’re asking to get stranded! But, hey at least she made sure to have all her art supplies… Plus her whole attitude was just annoying. It just made the beginning of the story hard to enjoy.
It wasn’t until after Darby discovered the girl and made a plan to try and save her that I started to enjoy the book. I will say all the twists throughout the book were a bit predictable. I didn’t find them surprising except at the ending. The ending had one twist that I didn’t expect.
I will say all the twists throughout the book were a bit predictable. I didn’t find them surprising except at the ending.
This book flowed really well. Despite the shaky beginning, the entire book was fast-paced and action-packed. Filled with exhilaration and suspense all the way through once Darby discovers the girl in the van. There was always something happening. I could without a doubt see this being made into a movie. I would so watch it. I especially loved the ending, I thought it was fitting for this dramatic book.
Despite the shaky beginning, the entire book was fast-paced and action-packed. Filled with exhilaration and suspense all the way through once Darby discovers the girl in the van.
That being said, during a conversation I had with a friend, they thought some of the events seemed a bit over the top. And honestly, I could see that. But, if you think about all those action movies out there, when isn’t some of the events that happen within those, not over the top. This book while probably a bit much in some cases, was truly invigorating to read. I found it very entertaining to read.
I will say I did enjoy the growth Darby’s character went through from the beginning of the book. I already shared my not so great first impression of her. Though I felt by the end of the book, she really redeemed herself. She became a much more likable person. No longer thinking of herself, but instead doing everything in her power to save that little girl that was abducted.
Overall, I think this is a great read! After hearing such great things about it, I’m happy to have finally read it. Regardless of the wary beginning, the ending was perfect! I couldn’t have imagined a better ending. If you enjoy fast-paced suspense thriller, I definitely suggest picking this up!