No Exit

This afternoon I finished reading the novel “No Exit,” by Taylor Adams. I found out about this book when I saw a trailer of the movie trailer being advertised. I wanted to read this book since I enjoy mystery thriller type books and I wanted to read the book before watching the movie. College student Darby Thorne is on her way to Utah to visit her mother who is dying of Pancreatic Cancer. Darby gets caught in a blizzard. Unable to travel anymore Darby is forced to stay in a highway rest stop with four other strangers. When Darby goes outside to find a signal to call home she makes a disturbing discovery. In the back of a van a little girl is locked in an animal crate. One of the strangers is a kidnapper and possibly worse. Darby will have to figure out how to free the little girl and who the kidnapper is before it’s too late. The book was good. Do I think it’s one of the best mystery/thriller books out there? No, but it wasn’t terrible.

Pros & Cons

I like Darby as a main character she isn’t perfect which I like. It seems anymore whenever a female character is being written she has to have the same archetype of being this strong bad ass with no flaws. It’s nice that Darby is flawed and makes mistakes and realizes when she does make mistakes. I know many people criticized Darby for making stupid choices, at the same time what would any of us do if we knew someone was taken. Maybe some of the choices we would make wouldn’t always be smart. I like Jay the kidnapped girl. There was one twist I didn’t see coming which was someone else was involved with the kidnapper and how that character was connected to Jay. There was one point where I was ready to quit this book due to how slow it was but then thank goodness it picked up. Another thing I didn’t like was the book gave away too quickly who the kidnapper was. I should also tell you the epilogue was confusing but once you re-read it again it’ll clear things up for you.

Overall

Overall I enjoyed it. Do I think it’s on par with other mystery thriller books like “The Guest List,” “Slow Fire Burning,” or “Rock Paper Scissors?” No. But it’s entertaining and it’s something to pick up from the library if you don’t want to buy it. Now I’m going to watch the movie on Hulu and do a Book vs Movie review next. Keep in mind that review will have spoilers.