No Exit: A Novel
Soon to be a Hulu original film: a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller about a determined young woman who struggles to save a kidnapped child while trapped in a blizzard—and who must unmask and outwit a deviously twisted psychopath before it’s too late.
A kidnapped little girl locked in a stranger’s van. No help for miles. What would you do?
On her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway rest stop. Inside are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four complete strangers.
Desperate to find a signal to call home, Darby goes back out into the storm . . . and makes a horrifying discovery. In the back of the van parked next to her car, a little girl is locked in an animal crate.
Who is the child? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?
There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, and no way out. One of her fellow travelers is a kidnapper. But which one?
Trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation, with a child’s life and her own on the line, Darby must find a way to break the girl out of the van and escape.
But who can she trust?
With exquisitely controlled pacing, Taylor Adams diabolically ratchets up the tension with every page. Full of terrifying twists and hairpin turns, No Exit will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you breathless.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *No Exit* delivers a suspenseful survival story with a gripping premise, though opinions differ on execution. Many praise the fast pace an...
This book was just “ok” for me. The first half vs the second half were like two totally different books. The first half was slow and told pretty much in Darby’s POV then the second half really picked up speed and had some gore (not a ton but enough to be grossed out).
This book just had me ranting to my husband. He had no clue what was going on but I kept telling him about all the stupid decisions that Darby was making. Honestly, if she would’ve asked Jay one simple question it would’ve cleared up a major issue she had.
I didn’t find the reveals to be shocking and I had been screaming at the book when Darby made that last big mistake with the phone.
This book just had me ranting to my husband. He had no clue what was going on but I kept telling him about all the stupid decisions that Darby was making. Honestly, if she would’ve asked Jay one simple question it would’ve cleared up a major issue she had.
I didn’t find the reveals to be shocking and I had been screaming at the book when Darby made that last big mistake with the phone.
fast paced surprising thriller
This book goes fast. I think I read 200 pages in 2 hours. The action is intense for the last 3 quarters and there are so many twists. It sets the bar high for any future thriller I read!
This book goes fast. I think I read 200 pages in 2 hours. The action is intense for the last 3 quarters and there are so many twists. It sets the bar high for any future thriller I read!
No Exit reads less like a “full-throttle thriller” and more like the script for the next generic Liam Neeson action movie.
The jokes were out of place and not funny. Especially the fart jokes. The racial slurs were unnecessary. The characters were forgettable. The writing was repetitive and redundant. The twists were so frequent that they lost their impact and stalled the plot. People who commented online about how gory and violent this book was reminded me of people who read the Fifty Shades of Grey books and commented about how spicy they were. They are better books out there in the genre. Trust me.
Taylor Adams, being an avid fan of suspenseful fiction and film, explained so much. The whole time I was reading, I thought about how this could be a movie. It already got adapted into one. Apparently, they changed a lot from the book. So be warned.
This is not a horrible book, just a generic one.
The jokes were out of place and not funny. Especially the fart jokes. The racial slurs were unnecessary. The characters were forgettable. The writing was repetitive and redundant. The twists were so frequent that they lost their impact and stalled the plot. People who commented online about how gory and violent this book was reminded me of people who read the Fifty Shades of Grey books and commented about how spicy they were. They are better books out there in the genre. Trust me.
Taylor Adams, being an avid fan of suspenseful fiction and film, explained so much. The whole time I was reading, I thought about how this could be a movie. It already got adapted into one. Apparently, they changed a lot from the book. So be warned.
This is not a horrible book, just a generic one.
Someone told me that this is the book you should read to get yourself started into the mystery/thriller genre...and now I know why! And I agree! What a rollercoaster!!
Disclaimer: There are a few scenes that are a bit gory so be aware of that
Synopsis: Darby Thorne is a college student, driving to see her mother, when she is caught in the middle of a blizzard in the Colorado mountains. She is forced to take shelter at a rest stop with no cell reception or any way out until after the storm is over. She is stuck in this rest stop with four other people so it may not be a completely boring night waiting for the snow plows to arrive. Darby goes outside to try to get some cell service but when it doesn't work, she heads back to the visitor center. On her way she goes back to her car and peeks into the van parked right beside her. She is startled when she sees a young girl's hand. After further inspection she sees that this girl is locked in a cage with tape over her mouth. Who is this child? Why is she locked in a cage in the back of this van? And more importantly, which monster does this van belong to? Can Darby save this girl from whatever this monster has planned?
This story is definitely action-packed, riveting and tense. The way I would describe this book is that reading this book is like going through a corn maze - once you think you have reached the exit, you realize you have hit just another obstacle. This book will definitely have you at the edge of your seat the whole time. The story starts out slow but it is totally worth it because when the action revs up, it really revs up.
Now yes, some decisions that the characters make aren't always smart but I feel that it adds to the intensity and the adventure. As readers we know that first impressions are often deceiving and these characters are no exception. And although some decisions may seem questionable, they often lead the story in a different direction than I saw coming. In my opinion, Adams did a wonderful job consistently building momentum throughout the story. There were several chapters where I was pacing my living room, desperately hoping for a good outcome. It is intense so be warned. However, I think the intensity is 100% worth it!
“She made out a small crescent, a barely-the reflection of dim sodium-vaper light. It was a circular combination lock. Holding a latticework of metal bars, which the child’s hand had been gripping. Like the kid was in a kennel” pg. 21
“Everyone here was guilty until proven innocent. Darby would need to match each individual to a vehicle outside and then she could be certain. She couldn’t just openly ask either - or the true kidnapper/abusive parent would know she was onto them. She’d need to ply this information gently. She considered asking Ashley, Ed, and Sandi what time they’d arrived and deducing from the amount of snow piled on the cars outside. But that, too, could attract too much attention” pg. 29
“I’ll cut his throat if I have to. She thought about Jay in the Chevrolet Astro outside, crouching inside a dog kennel damp with her own urine, her hand bloodied and bandaged, with five gallons of gasoline and a jug of Clorox bleach sitting nearby. She wondered what would happen to this poor little kid if they failed” pg. 96
“She’d believed it all. She’d told him everything. Her entire plan, all of her options, her thought processes, her fears. She gave him everything. Including a new weapon” pg. 113
“You already hurt her. You shot a goddamn nail through her hand. And I swear to God, Ashley, if I get the chance, I’ll do worse to you” pg. 141
“Are you sure about that little speech of yours? Helpless humans just letting the big, scary monsters do their thing? Because I think I just influenced the plot, motherfucker” pg. 170
“Tonight, there are no coincidences-“ pg. 215
“Find a safe place. Officer coming ETA 30 … My text sent the cops to the wrong rest area” pg. 270
“Listen to me, Jay. We’re not waiting for the police. We’re not waiting for a rescue. I’ve been waiting all damn night and no one’s rescued me. Almost everyone I’ve trusted tonight has turned on me. We are the rescue. Say it Jay - we are the rescue” pg. 297
“Now it was all really, truly done. Now Jay was saved, and every last angle of Ashley’s disgusting plan had been expunged, dragged into the daylight for judgment. She let the pen slide between her fingers, finally satisfied. When the cops discovered her body frozen here in the snow, they’d read her final message. They’d know they had one last door to kick down, all the way up in Idaho” pg. 329
“And Darby Thorne. The one who started it all. The restless, bleary-eyed art student from a state college in Boulder, racing a beater Honda Civic across the Rockies, who’d first stumbled across a child locked in a stranger’s van and taken heroic action to save her. And, against all odds, succeeded. Darby came to that rest stop for a reason, Jay’s mother had said back at Saint Joseph. Sometimes God puts people exactly where they need to be. Even when they don’t know it.” pg. 333
Disclaimer: There are a few scenes that are a bit gory so be aware of that
Synopsis: Darby Thorne is a college student, driving to see her mother, when she is caught in the middle of a blizzard in the Colorado mountains. She is forced to take shelter at a rest stop with no cell reception or any way out until after the storm is over. She is stuck in this rest stop with four other people so it may not be a completely boring night waiting for the snow plows to arrive. Darby goes outside to try to get some cell service but when it doesn't work, she heads back to the visitor center. On her way she goes back to her car and peeks into the van parked right beside her. She is startled when she sees a young girl's hand. After further inspection she sees that this girl is locked in a cage with tape over her mouth. Who is this child? Why is she locked in a cage in the back of this van? And more importantly, which monster does this van belong to? Can Darby save this girl from whatever this monster has planned?
This story is definitely action-packed, riveting and tense. The way I would describe this book is that reading this book is like going through a corn maze - once you think you have reached the exit, you realize you have hit just another obstacle. This book will definitely have you at the edge of your seat the whole time. The story starts out slow but it is totally worth it because when the action revs up, it really revs up.
Now yes, some decisions that the characters make aren't always smart but I feel that it adds to the intensity and the adventure. As readers we know that first impressions are often deceiving and these characters are no exception. And although some decisions may seem questionable, they often lead the story in a different direction than I saw coming. In my opinion, Adams did a wonderful job consistently building momentum throughout the story. There were several chapters where I was pacing my living room, desperately hoping for a good outcome. It is intense so be warned. However, I think the intensity is 100% worth it!
“She made out a small crescent, a barely-the reflection of dim sodium-vaper light. It was a circular combination lock. Holding a latticework of metal bars, which the child’s hand had been gripping. Like the kid was in a kennel” pg. 21
“Everyone here was guilty until proven innocent. Darby would need to match each individual to a vehicle outside and then she could be certain. She couldn’t just openly ask either - or the true kidnapper/abusive parent would know she was onto them. She’d need to ply this information gently. She considered asking Ashley, Ed, and Sandi what time they’d arrived and deducing from the amount of snow piled on the cars outside. But that, too, could attract too much attention” pg. 29
“I’ll cut his throat if I have to. She thought about Jay in the Chevrolet Astro outside, crouching inside a dog kennel damp with her own urine, her hand bloodied and bandaged, with five gallons of gasoline and a jug of Clorox bleach sitting nearby. She wondered what would happen to this poor little kid if they failed” pg. 96
“She’d believed it all. She’d told him everything. Her entire plan, all of her options, her thought processes, her fears. She gave him everything. Including a new weapon” pg. 113
“You already hurt her. You shot a goddamn nail through her hand. And I swear to God, Ashley, if I get the chance, I’ll do worse to you” pg. 141
“Are you sure about that little speech of yours? Helpless humans just letting the big, scary monsters do their thing? Because I think I just influenced the plot, motherfucker” pg. 170
“Tonight, there are no coincidences-“ pg. 215
“Find a safe place. Officer coming ETA 30 … My text sent the cops to the wrong rest area” pg. 270
“Listen to me, Jay. We’re not waiting for the police. We’re not waiting for a rescue. I’ve been waiting all damn night and no one’s rescued me. Almost everyone I’ve trusted tonight has turned on me. We are the rescue. Say it Jay - we are the rescue” pg. 297
“Now it was all really, truly done. Now Jay was saved, and every last angle of Ashley’s disgusting plan had been expunged, dragged into the daylight for judgment. She let the pen slide between her fingers, finally satisfied. When the cops discovered her body frozen here in the snow, they’d read her final message. They’d know they had one last door to kick down, all the way up in Idaho” pg. 329
“And Darby Thorne. The one who started it all. The restless, bleary-eyed art student from a state college in Boulder, racing a beater Honda Civic across the Rockies, who’d first stumbled across a child locked in a stranger’s van and taken heroic action to save her. And, against all odds, succeeded. Darby came to that rest stop for a reason, Jay’s mother had said back at Saint Joseph. Sometimes God puts people exactly where they need to be. Even when they don’t know it.” pg. 333
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