Kristine Rush will have to dig deep within herself if she is to survive this trip....

Kristine and her fiancé, Dr. Daniel Hawthorne, have a holiday weekend planned with Daniel's mother. They stop at a deserted rest area for Kristine to change clothes when everything goes wrong. Now, Kristine finds herself bloodied and alone, with the mysterious Malthus taunting her about Daniel's potential death if she doesn't follow his every demand. Who is Malthus and what does he want from Kristine?

Wow! SWERVE is the sort of book that grabs you by the throat and forces you to appreciate each and every breath as the intensity is overwhelming! I had to repeatedly put SWERVE down- only for a few minutes, mind you, as I had to know what happened next- just to catch my breath. It took every ounce of my willpower not to peek at the ending as SWERVE had me on pins and needles, both desperately wanting to know and yet fearing the ending.

Kristine is forced to make choices that seem untenable and yet she continues to survive even as the stakes are raised higher and higher. Vicki Pettersson makes the reader feel each and every choice Kristine makes, as her reactions become more and more understandable as we learn about her history. I screamed, I cried, and yes I cheered with Kristine every single step of the way as she faces a monster born of the worst nightmares.

And oh the setting... the heat of the Mojave desert is perfect for SWERVE! Vicki Pettersson had me sweating buckets, right along with Kristine, as I wondered just where Malthus would send her next. The eeriness and isolation of the desert enhances the fear factor and showcases just how alone Kristine is in her nightmare scenario.

Vicki Pettersson takes readers on an intense and edgy ride into the darkness that exists within one's one heart. SWERVE is a heart-pounding, exhilarating thriller that begs to be read in one sitting. SWERVE is dark, disturbing, and even a bit grisly at times but it is also one of the most compelling books I've ever read. If you like high intensity thrillers like The Girl on a Train and Gone Girl with a bit of Stephen King and Dean Koontz thrown in, then don't miss out on SWERVE!