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: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Running Bibliophile's Book Review of The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker
The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved.

With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was yet another turn. By the end of The Writer, the reader is left in a bit of a lurch in the way of a cliffhanger.

A lot of the characters were unlikable, including the main character, Declan Shaw. Despite Patterson and Barker doing their best to make Shaw unlikable, there was that "je ne sais quoi" about the character that made me actually really like him and root him on. And, we won't even talk about how unlikable the victim and true crime author character is throughout the storyline. The only completely likable character is Shaw's partner Cordova.

Despite all of the unlikable characters, I found myself reading as fast as I could to see what crazy thing would happen next and if Shaw would get away with a host of different crimes and manipulations. You'll have to read for yourself to find out what happens, but The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker is one of the best books I've read that was co-written by Patterson. Four out of five stars.

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