Swerve by Vicki Pettersson

July 13th, 2015 Kimberly Review 82 Comments

13th Jul
Swerve by Vicki Pettersson
Swerve
by Vicki Pettersson
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Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

It’s high summer in the Mojave Desert, and Kristine Rush and her fiancé, Daniel, are en route from Las Vegas to Lake Arrowhead, California, for the July Fourth holiday weekend. But when Daniel is abducted from a desolate rest stop, Kristine is forced to choose: return home unharmed, but never to see her fiancé again, or plunge forward into the searing desert to find him…where a killer lies in wait.

Are you looking for a terrifying, dark thriller this summer? Swerve by Vicki Pettersson just might fit the bill. Toted as being the next Gone Girl, Pettersson takes the reader on a twisted, intense journey over the July 4th weekend. Set against the backdrop of the Mojave Desert, Swerve was an intense thriller that is sure to make you shiver.

“On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair……..And I was thinking to myself ‘This could be heaven or this could be hell'” –Hotel California, Eagles

Caffeinated Aspects of Swerve:

  • Swerve was action-packed and from the very first chapter the reader is drawn in. The tale is dark, gory and reminiscent of classic horror films. The ones that had you snuggling close to your sweetie late night at the drive-in and screaming..yep good times.
  • Kristine Rush and her fiancé, Daniel, are headed to Lake Arrowhead, California. They plan to spend the July Fourth holiday weekend at his childhood home. After a near miss and a coffee spill, they pull over at a desolate rest stop. *que horror music* Daniel is abducted and Kristine must meet the demands of his captor or lose him forever.
  • Clues, horrific incentive, and a game of cat and mouse quickly ensue. The tasks begin simple enough but we quickly come to realize we are dealing with a complete sociopath.
  • As if things aren’t twisted enough we slowly learn about Kristine’s childhood and *shivers*
  • If you crave dark, twisted cringe worthy scenes, Swerve will surely satisfy your cravings. Seriously, that horror sound track was running through my head the entire time and just when I thought it could not get any darker the author went there.

Decaffeinated Aspects of Swerve:

  • Sometimes Kristine was stupid. Hey, I know she is freaked out and possibly losing her mind but there were a couple of times I was disappointed.
  • This is brutal folks. Swerve was dark, sick, and violent. I am talking death, torture and dismemberment. This is not a book for the feint of heart. View Spoiler »
  • The plot twist revealed itself too early but I was still vested in the outcome.

Swerve was an intense thriller and the perfect summer horror novel. Just remember not to use the rest stops on your next road trip.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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82 Responses to “Swerve by Vicki Pettersson”

  3. Emma

    I kind of want to read this but not too good at gruesome… Will have to give it some thought.

  4. Lorna

    I am usually up for a dark thriller, but dismemberment just isn’t something I want to read about-maybe I am just not as up for it as I used to be. I think I will pass but thanks for sharing 🙂

  7. Sophia

    I like the sound of this one, but it sounds a little too twisted for my taste. I think I shuddered at the synopsis. O_o

  9. Kathy

    This one has had me intrigued. All I’ve seen so far are the 5-star reviews, so I’m glad to see a review other than that. I’m glad you posted some of those decaffeinated issues and the spoiler because I had no idea that it was that dark. I would still like to read it sometime this year, but I’m happy to know those things when I get ready to take it on.

  10. Lily

    Christy briefly talked about this one over one her blog today and so seeing it twice in one day has me really debating picking it up. I’m not one to read horror (they usually don’t do it for me) but i’m interested in the whole ‘creep’ factor.

  11. Zaria

    I love reading horror definitely have to pick this one up 🙂 awesome review though

  12. Heidi

    Hmm… You and Christy both have me pausing on this one. I read some great reviews last week, but neither of you or Christy were singing this one’s praises, so I think I am going to skip it. I could do without dark and twisted.

  14. Melissa (Books and Things)

    Yep, read the spoiler. That would have been what either made me pick this one up or not. I think I can take it now. 😀 I do like dark and twisty and you will have to be disappointed in the protag or they would know way too much. At least that is how I like to look at it. LOL Brilly review and sounds like a great read.

  16. Braine Talk Supe

    I cheated and read the end at the 10% mark. Got too excited!

    My thing with this is the bad guy got revealed “too soon” so the last half felt like it was just dragging things along.

  18. Ramona

    Ahh! I really wanted to try this, but I didn’t know about the children and animals (I couldn’t stop myself from reading the spoiler 🙂 Now, I’m torn. I’ll file it under “maybe” for now. It’s too bad about the twist being revealed too early… Great review, Kimba. I hope you’re feeling better!

  19. Debbie Haupt

    Oh Wow Kim, I love Vicki, especially her Celestial Blues series. But I don’t think I can read this, too dark.
    Thanks for the great review and for the honesty. I’m passing on this one.

  20. Sarah

    This sounds like the perfect creepy thriller for the summer! I am so into these lately and have added it to my TBR list 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      For some reason I love weaving these into my tbr pile in the summer..something about hearing crickets at night and reading a thriller.

  22. Aurian

    This is so not for me! Glad you enjoyed it though. It is usually the woman who is abducted.

  23. Katherine

    This sounds really good but maybe a bit too dark for me. Plus I peeked at the spoiler and am not sure I could handle that despite it just being traumatizing. I have a friend who would love this one though. I will definitely recommend this to her.

  24. Christy

    This one looks really creepy and since I’m a big fan of creepy, I may have to give this one a try!

  25. Daniela

    You had me at ” dark, gory and reminiscent of classic horror films”, “, “if things aren’t twisted enough”, ” *shivers*” and “dark, twisted cringe worthy scenes” 🙂

    Sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me. I’m sure one day I’m going to read it in an article about people that like creepy reads. lol

    It is going in my TBR list. Thanks for the review 🙂

  27. Jenny

    Ummmmmmm no. This is not the book for me Kim, but it is most definitely the book for my sister in law who will no doubt love it. She’s my go-to reader of anything twisted and dark:)

  28. Bookworm Brandee

    This is the second review of Swerve I’ve read and I’m even more eager to read it. I don’t shy away from dark and twisty…typically. I wonder if this one will push past my limits. Only one way to find out. 🙂

  29. Grace

    I love dark and twisted – not so sure about torture and such though!! Still sounds like a pretty good read. Great review!

  30. Deborah

    An interesting read Kimberley!

    It’s surprising it wasn’t released a little bit earlier for Independence Day!

    Deb

  32. Maja (The Nocturnal Library)

    I read in one of the very early reviews that it’s fairly predictable and that the MC was tragically stupid sometimes, which you more or less confirmed. I don’t think this would be the right book for me, but I enjoyed Vicki’s books in the past so who knows.

  33. Heather Duff

    I have this lined up to read, I want to read it but I am also a little scared to read it too!!

    I will psych myself up for it and enjoy as your review makes it look brilliant (and scary!!)

  34. Nick

    Ugh stupid thriller heroines! They drive me crazy!
    Despite everything though, I really like the sound of this one, especially how twisty it is. But I read your spoiler and I would need to really prepare myself for all of that!
    Great review, Kim!

  35. kindlemom1

    I like dark every now and then but I don’t think this will be the book for me, I’, already scared of it and I haven’t even opened it LOL!
    Wonderful review Kim, glad you were bale to get through this one, brave girl!

  37. Naomi

    This sounds like a dark and twisted read. A shame you found Kristine stupid. I have read that the plot twist was easy to pick up too. Great review!

  38. Lindy

    This sounds like a decent read. I love dark and twisted horror stories. I don’t even mind it being brutal, but would be disappointed by the plot twist revealing itself too soon. Great Review Kim 🙂

  39. Tiffany

    I also heard classic horror music when I read this book. It kinda reminded me of films like The Hitcher or Joyride, even though the plot was different,

  40. Melliane

    Ah yes another good review about this one and it made me curious, I love a good thriller. Plus I’m curious about this author, heard a lot about the books.