No Exit: A Novel

I rarely will sit down and write something negative about a book I read. I usually will only tell others how much I enjoyed something, this book is different. With over 3,300 reviews and a 4.5 star average rating I was looking forward to reading it despite the few critical reviews I did read, one of which said it was like a 'Scooby Doo episode.' At first when I read that review I thought "Scooby Doo? Really?" But after reading it, I completely agree. I do not understand how this book could get such a high rating. It was poorly written, with repeated trite phrases like referring to a snowstorm as "Snowmageddon" and calling one character "Rodent face." I am not talking about a few times, literally dozens of times. The plot was thin and sophomoric, and the few attempted twists were entirely predictable. The only reason I finished it was because I hate starting anything and not finishing. In short, do not waste your time.

Wow, I was really surprised, given the good reviews this book seemed to have, just how horrid it turned out to be. I am careful as I can be about the books I am going to purchase and normally after reading the actual book description, it's based in large part on the popularity and good reviews it gets. The majority of the time I am more or less in agreement when I'm finished reading that book. Not this time.While trying to not give anything away, I will say this book starts out okay, but be warned, it gets nasty fairly quick. Two of the main characters are pretty disgusting, cringe-worthy individuals to start with. Then there's the heroine of the story who goes to hell and back and back and back again (and you get the gist) to the degree of utter ridiculousness to save the poor child victim in this whole, overly dramatic, gross saga. It just got so unbelievable that I started skipping pages. And the cringe part never let up to the point that I just couldn't wait for it to be over. The ending was just a relief, really. So maybe I didn't vet the book enough or somehow missed the warning somewhere, but this was definitely not the book for me.

This is one of the worst books I have read in a very long time. The writing was such that I was distracted by it to the point where I couldn’t enjoy the storyline. It was like a horrible Scooby Doo episode. No one talks like this. Especially cops. No cop says they’re going to go search for clues! No cop repeatedly calls a suspect a perp! OMG stop watching tv and talk to some real life cops! This was my first and last book by this author. I am baffled by the awesome reviews.

Of late, I've been searching "unputdownable books" and this one came up - so yes I purchased and read it. I have never read a fiction offering with so much violence and I've read a lot. I found it very disturbing and shocking. I've read tons of true crime books that didn't disturb me as much as this book. When trying to figure out why, I would say the nonfiction didn't bother me because someone is reporting what really happened, in this case it is someone's imagination conjuring up these acts of violence - which really makes me wonder! It does have a great plot but the violence was just over the top and agreeing with another reviewer - please don't involve animals.

Agatha Christie could not have set it up better. Our heroine is a young college student returning to a home she swore was behind her. Her mother is headed into a life threatening surgery necessitating her eating her words. A high speed return over the Rocky Mountains slows to a crawl as a blizzard shuts down traffic and the road closes behind her just before she hits a major mountain pass. Cell coverage disappears,car problems worsen and deepening snow forces her to take refuge in a seemingly opportune rest stop. Three cars parked outside, four people inside, oh,and a little girl locked in a dog cage in the back of one of those vehicles. It was just chance that allowed her a glimpse of the tiny prisoner and chance seems to rule the night. Which one of the people inside is the monster behind the kidnaping and how to rescue that little girl? Among her smaller worries are things like surviving the night, getting ahold of her mother-you know, the usual. The plot contains little new for a seasoned mystery reader, but it is the execution that sets NO EXIT apart from the rest of the pack. A well sketched,sympathetic main protagonist and believable supporting characters drawn with depth make this an intriguing read. Add in a fast pace and a surprisingly rousing ending and you have escape entertainment done well.

SO GOOD!!! One of the best books I have read this year! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting and devoured the pages completely unaware of anything else going on around me. (I didn't even hear my husband calling me I was so engrossed!) This book had me gasping out loud, biting my nails, going "OMG", smiling, yelling in ager, crying and so many more emotions throughout the book. My husband said "wow that book must be good" because I don't think any other book I have read had me so hooked and actually gasping out loud. I read this after reading B.A. Paris The Breakdown and was expecting this to be an average predictable easy thriller, but oh boy was I wrong. I will definitely be reading more from this author. If you are looking for a good page turner with nail biting suspense this is absolutely the book!

It did not take long to get thoroughly engrossed with this book. I read it flying across the country and actually wished the flight wasn’t over because I didn’t want to stop reading! Well thought out characters, and plot. Multiple times when you think you know what will happen next you are surprised from beginning to end. This went much faster than most books for me because I really didn’t want to put it down, needing to read every detail and see how it played out.

No Exit is a suspenseful novel that will have the average reader full of angst, hoping and wondering if the heroine survives the night.What. A. Book! This reads like a movie, and is really, really enjoyable. I found it really difficult to put this page-turner down.This book had my stomach in knots. I was completely invested in the characters, the plot, just everything about it. The author successfully made me sad when I was meant to be sad; scared and nervous when I was meant to be scared and nervous. Mad, glad and so on. The point is, this was easy to engage with.I LOVED the setting of this book, and it undoubtedly contributed to the chilling nature of this story. The snow is falling and piling up, up, up, and the air is bitter cold with a night sky that is as dark as can be, and Darby is stuck in a quaint rest-stop with four strangers, with practically no exit due to the unforgiving nature of the weather. I mean, this setting was always going to pull me in. It’s one of my worst nightmares.The characters were likeable, devilish and all round effective in connecting with me as a reader. Darby was a hardcore heroine that I couldn’t help but root for all throughout. The big baddie was mediocrely vicious, but it still unnerved me, because you don’t need to be all that clever to be a bad guy capable of horrific violence. I don’t know how many times I could hear Jennifer Love Hewitt from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, screaming at her bad guy: *shoots gun* “Just *bang!* f****ng *bang!* DIE!”Overall, I read this within two days and I’m rating it 5 stars; what an awesome and nerve-wracking read this is. Sometimes when you read a book, unlikeable narrators, plot holes or what not can cause issues, but the truth is I didn’t notice any such problems because of how fast paced this book was, and how riled up I was to see how it all finished. I thoroughly loved this, and recommend it without hesitation for all mystery/thriller lovers. Hopefully it won’t leave your nerves in tatters, but if it does, hey, you aren’t alone! I’ll definitely pick up whatever Taylor Adams writes next.

The shopping didn't get done, the house remained dusty and my phone went unanswered. This book gripped me totally, at times I had to force myself to slow down as I was reading so fast I was aware that I was barely skimming the words, I just had to know what was going to happen.Well done! I hope the film which has to be made captures the fear...

Darby finds herself trapped at a truck stop in a snow storm. There are others there too but she soon discovers one is dangerous. They have a young girl locked up in the back of their vehicle. But which one kidnapped her and why. Can Darby figure it out and save the young girl?Theres a lot of hype surrounding this book and I was worried it wouldn't live up to it but it truly does. It was fantastic. So dark and atmospheric, it had me gripped from start to finish. The plot builds quickly to a dramatic climax. There are some really clever twists in this though I did figure out one. The ending is perfect and finished the book off brilliantly. There are some pretty graphic scenes in this but it didn't bother me. A fantastic dark, creepy thriller. Not to be read before bed.Darby is an interesting lead with her own issues but she strengthens as the story develops. I liked Jaybird best though. Her strength really made the story.

Its a cliche to say "I couldn't put this book down"! But really, I COULDN'T put this book down. From the first page to the very last it took my breath away. Superb story telling, brilliant, believable characters and the relentless pace of the plot were stunningly clever. The only time I had to stop reading was to relieve the tension I was feeling. I've not read anything by Taylor Adams before, but I'm going to remedy that immediately. THIS BOOK MUST BE MADE INTO A MOVIE

A roller-coaster of a read. Non stop tension from page one. I loved this book. Darby Thorne is a memorable heroine.