“The Hitchhikers” by Chevy Stevens – Book Review @stmartinspress.bsky.social @chevystevens.bsky.social #TheHitchhikers #BookReview

I’m extremely late to the party. This is my first ever Chevy Stevens novel, and it was a cracker! If you’re looking for break-neck suspense and well described characters, this might be the book for you.

Alice and Tom are happily married and living in Seattle. When they lose their baby son in a stillbirth, after several miscarriages, they are in desperate need of a change of scenery, They set out on a road trip in their RV through western Canada. Shortly into their trip they meet a young couple, Ocean and Blue. Knowing that these are probably made-up names, they assume the couple are hippies. They feel sorry for them, especially the girl, who is pregnant. They feed them, and offer them a ride to the next big town. A disastrous mistake! For Ocean and Blue are actually Jenny and Simon – and they are on the run. The younger couple take Alice and Tom hostage, along with their RV.

Tension and mortal danger ensues. One close call after another…

The author cleverly blurs the lines between good and evil. Are these two young people truly bad people or should you feel sorry for them? As events continue to unfold, the reader finds that taking sides is not always an easy task.

Alice tries her best to be kind to the duo, but she finds it quite unsettling and upsetting that ‘Ocean’ is pregnant. Alice herself just lost a much wanted baby, and Ocean/Jenny is very young and quite unprepared for motherhood.

The narrative is told mainly from the two female viewpoints. The reader wonders if Jenny is stupid, naive, or, is she a character deserving of your sympathy? Towards the end of the novel, the reader is made privy to events earlier on in Jenny’s life. I was shocked!

The 1976 setting adds an impact to the narrative. Back then cell phones were unheard of for the average person. People relied on newspapers, and social media was not yet a ‘thing’. CCTV was very rare. I’d go so far as to say that the story would not work at all in the present day.

Events will cause the reader to feel anger, impatience, frustration, and trepidation. Many themes are encountered throughout the book, with parenting, trust, and kindness at its core. There is violence, but it is skilfully balanced with insight into abusive childhoods.

Now, I will be attempting to read this author’s backlog as time permits. A fast-paced, and very compelling thriller. A twisty road novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Recommended!

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Published October 7, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250133656    –   384 pages

CHEVY STEVENS lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. Her debut novel, Still Missing, was a New York Times bestseller and won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Her books, including Those Girls, which Stephen King called “incredibly scary,” have been published in more than thirty countries and optioned for film. When she isn’t writing, she spends time with her family and their two dogs. The Hitchhikers is her eighth novel.

Connect with Chevy Stevens via her website, Instagram, and or BlueSky.