Book Review: The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens

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A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens . I was provided a copy free of charge in exchange for my honest review, and I was ecstatic about it because Chevy Stevens is absolutely one of my favorite authors and is a must read in my humble opinion. The story opens with Alice and Tom, who are husband and wife, taking their newly bought RV from Seattle, Washington and take a road trip through Canada where they will end up at the 1976 Olympics in Toronto. As they pull into their first stop of the trip, a campground, Alice and Tom see a young couple named Simon and Jenny walking in their direction and offer them a ride to the next town. However, the young couple aren't as they seem and take their hosts as their prisoners. Chevy Stevens, a Canadian author, does not disappoint with her latest novel aptly named The Hitchhikers . From page one of this story, I was immediately suck...
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Book Review: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

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book review of in cold blood truman capote
On November 15, 1959 in Holcomb, KS, four members of the Clutter family were murdered at their home. There are few clues and no motive that the police can find. Truman Capote takes a look at the murders that Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were convicted for in his non-fiction / true crime book In Cold Blood. 

What made me pick up a non-fiction book such as In Cold Blood? I don't recall why it interested me, but I'm sure it came up somehow in a book club discussion at some point. Not knowing anything about the story or the author, I wasn't sure what to expect when I read it. The brutality of what happened to the Clutter family is absolutely horrifying, and the reasoning behind it was truly awful. You'll have to read the book to find out.

The first two-thirds or so of In Cold Blood was a fast paced and interesting read, but the last third of the book was painfully slow, so much so that I put the book down for several years before picking it up again and finishing. I was surprised to learn that hanging was still a form of capital punishment in the 1960's. It seems so barbaric, especially when Capote was describing one of Smith's and Hickock's cellmates taking something like twenty minutes before dying.

I gave this book three out of five stars for the reasons stated above. It isn't for the feint of heart. If you enjoyed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, then you may like Helter Skelter Vincent Bugliosi or Seven Days of Rage: The Deadly Crime Spree of the Craigslist Killer (48 Hours Mystery) by Paul LaRosa.


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