Two teenage girls on the run with fake IDs and a beater car…what could go wrong?

Emmy has always been impulsive. She is no longer a minor and has aged out of foster care. When her best friend, Amber, is the target of a perverted uncle who lives in the basement of her group home, they plan her escape.

 They head for Canada, where Amber will be safe, and the foster care system can no longer control their lives. When they come across a whitewater rafting brochure, they decide to take a detour for one last adventure before leaving the country. Emmy and Amber have no idea it will be a decision that will forever change their fates.

The rafting town is so far in the middle of nowhere that Emmy’s car radio catches nothing but static. They consider turning around until a truck pulls up, loaded with hot whitewater rafting guides and rubber rafts--just the fun they were looking for. Ignoring every instinct, they turn off the pavement and follow the truck down an isolated dirt road. They end up in Lodell, the town where a girl went missing the previous summer…and she will not be the last.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Drift-Kelly-Romo-ebook/dp/B09XZYY7XJ

US - https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Drift-Kelly-Romo-ebook/dp/B09XZYY7XJ

 
My Review
Dead Drift is a very dark, depressing story set in a small town in Oregon. It follows two girls from foster care who run away to avoid the pervy uncle who lives in the group home's basement. They're on their way to Canada, eager to start over with new identities. But they take a detour to Oregon after discovering a brochure for a whitewater rafting adventure. The rafting guides are hot, and both girls are looking forward to one last hurrah before heading for the border. Unfortunately for one of them, this adventure will be their last. 
I thought this was a really good story. There were a lot of red herrings along the way, and while I had a couple of suspicions about what was going on, the actual reveal of the truth was a bit surprising. And the alternating POVs that offered glimpses into the killer's thoughts/mind was a nice touch. 
This is a thriller that has a very realistic vibe to it. While reading, I could picture these two girls in the small, dusty town, going rafting, hanging out at the bar, etc. The characters are all very real, also. I could relate to both Emmy and Amber in different ways, and someone of the townsfolk felt like people you might actually know in real life.
The only negative for me was the missing quotation marks around dialogue (this happened a few times) and the occasional misspelled word that popped up. But that's just me being fussy. 
If you're looking for a taut, tense thriller that will ultimately leave you kind of sad, give Dead Drift a read. 
4.5 stars.

Author Bio –

Kelly Romo grew up in California but has lived in Oregon for over twenty-five years. She teaches writing, literature, and social studies. She is the mother of three grown children: Brittany, Brennan, and Ryan. She is an avid outdoorswoman who loves to kayak, hike, and fish. DEAD DRIFT is Kelly’s third novel. She also has two historical fiction novels; WHISTLING WOMEN (2015) and WHEN SORROW TAKES WING (2021).

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