"What!?" "Wow!" "Oh sh*t!" are all words I uttered out loud as I was reading Savage Road.
As if channeling his ruthlessly effective protagonist, author Chris Hauty took one look at the second Book Slump cliché and destroyed it with a barrage of lightning fast pacing, emotional body blows, and plot twists that might as well jump off the page and slap you across the face.
In Savage Road, Hayley Chill is torn between her instincts to help unravel a series of increasingly dangerous cyber attacks and her unwavering dedication to her nearly impossible duties as a "Deeper State" agent as the U.S. barrels full steam towards all out war. When she discovers new information regarding the defining event in her life, she is forced to question everything and decide who she really is.
I have to admit I was unsure if Hauty could duplicate the insanely high level of suspense and surprise of his first novel Deep State. So many authors who have dynamic debuts fail to live up to the hype on the second book. Well... this is not one of those times. As an avid reader of thrillers and mysteries, I pride myself on having a pretty solid idea of where a book may be headed. Chris manages to throw in plot twist after plot twist that had me second guessing my every assumption.
I had said in November of 2019 (when I was lucky enough to receive an ARC) that Deep State would be one of the best books of 2020. I have it currently ranked in my top 3. I have recommended Deep State more than any book in 2020. I see no reason not to make another bold statement and say that Savage Road will be vying for #1 thriller of 2021.
I honestly wish I could say more, but I want each and every fan of the thriller genre to enjoy this book the same way I did... going in blind and holding on for the ride.
*P.S. I also want to publicly comment on how much I love the way Chris builds out the future paths of seemingly inconsequential characters. I love this unique bit of story development in his books.
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Purchase Savage Road
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Barrington Books
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