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Wrong Exit

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Her life is about to change. But first she must survive the road trip.

Driving the I-40 coast to coast was never on newlywed Cora Dalton’s bucket list. Until the day she finds out she has inherited a house in New York from an eccentric grandmother she has never met. Terrified of flying, Cora talks her best friend, Adele into accompanying her on a rip-roaring fun, ten-day road trip.

But when they pick up a teenage runaway at a gas station with a dark and disturbing past, things begin to go awry. Someone is following them—someone determined to finish a job they started. When their passenger inexplicably disappears at their motel one night, Cora finds a diary in the back seat of her car. Everything in it points to murder.
But never believe what you read. The truth lies between the lines.
- An edge-of-your-seat thriller with an earth-shattering final twist! -

Will you enjoy Never Tell Them? If you read any of my favorite psychological and domestic suspense thriller authors including K.L. Slater, Shalini Boland, Adam Croft, Kathryn Croft, Kiersten Modglin, Mark Edwards, Lisa Gardner, Louise Jensen, or Rachel Caine, the answer is a resounding yes!

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2022

874 people are currently reading
1165 people want to read

About the author

N.L. Hinkens

23 books338 followers
NYT and USA Today bestselling author N. L. Hinkens writes twisty psychological suspense thrillers with unexpected endings. She’s a travel junkie, coffee hound, and idea wrangler, in no particular order. She grew up in Ireland—land of legends and storytelling—and now resides in the US. Her work has won the Grand Prize Next Generation Indie Book Award for fiction, as well as numerous other awards. Join her VIP Reader Club for hot new releases, stellar giveaways, exclusive content, behind the scenes and more. https://normahinkens.com/

Pseudonym for author Norma Hinkens

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5 stars
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344 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
Profile Image for Peter Topside.
Author 6 books1,447 followers
July 20, 2023
3.5 stars. With a good deal of thrillers, they tend to thrive on writing a story, not to necessarily create a great plot, but to just include as many twists and turns as possible. And that comes across as very unnecessary, usually diluting the core plot too much. And unfortunately that’s what happened here. The characters were tolerable, the premise was good, and the writing quality is there, but the story had a very slow pace and ran away with itself. And that made it hard to stay with everything happening, concluding with the ending which came across an overcomplicated information dump. And it became so complex with no great resolution, that I was checked out before I hit the last page. This was my first time reading this author and, from what I gathered, this was not her best showing. So I may opt for one more to see if her writing style is a good fit for me.
Profile Image for Kay Oliver.
Author 11 books200 followers
May 5, 2022
Holy crap! This started with a good mystery: A woman inherits a house from a relative she never met. But it deepens when she decides to take an old friend on a road trip to go see the house. And then they find a woman in the back of their SUV claiming she snuck in to get away from her abusive boyfriend. Things only grow stranger and more curious. I was shocked every other chapter. At first, I was certain of an outcome and culprit but that changed and continued to change to nearly the very end. I loved this. Suspenseful, hard to put down, excellent writing, so much tension.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Connor.
1,456 reviews40 followers
May 5, 2022
I’m a big fan of Norma Hinkens so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, this one was not up to her usual standards. I found the main character, Cora, not only naive, but also foolish and quick to jump to conclusions. Every decision she made had me shaking my head and questioning why she was being so stupid. It made it difficult for me to sympathize with her or care too much about what was inevitably going to happen.

The story is told entirely from the POV of Cora, which makes sense because she is the main protagonist. However, toward the end, it suddenly changes POV so the reader will understand the motivation of the villain. At that point, it became too far-fetched and unbelievable for me. And Cora’s actions in response were also frustrating, although I won’t say they weren’t in keeping with some of her precious annoying behaviors.

Some of the touristy stops on Cora and Adele’s trip across the country were interesting and added realism to the story. Here again, though, I didn’t connect with Cora because the things she seemed to enjoy were not things I would enjoy. Overall, I was disappointed in the story and think Hinkens’ others are much better.
Profile Image for Autumn D’Auria | bookedbyautumn.
62 reviews10 followers
January 21, 2023
WOW!! Cora inherits a house from her grandmother who she never met. So Cora sets on a road trip from Los Angeles to New York with her best friend, Adele. After stopping for gas, they discover a girl in their back seat who claims she is running away from her abusive ex. The story grows stranger and the story line becomes more shocking. I really enjoyed reading the road-trip with two best friends that turned into a nightmare. I was not expecting the twist with Adele and Cory. This book was a quick and easy read. The chapters were short that allowed me to be able to easily read this book. This book was very intriguing from the first page. I thought the ending could of had a little more detailed or conclusive ending. This was still a great book. I rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!
Profile Image for Candice.
78 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2022
Cora, the protagonist, is a blogger and social media influencer. Predictably, she’s superficial, unaware about anything or anyone outside herself, and lacking critical thinking skills. Her relationship with her husband is co-dependent, at best; they seem more like parent and child than equal partners. She also makes basically every textbook “wrong move” a girl in a thriller could make, which I found to be insufferably boring.

During every stop of Cora’s cross country journey, she has some “deep” revelation about the pain and growth that occurred there, but it felt forced to me — almost like the author was trying desperately to write something that intelligent people might actually enjoy reading. Finally, this book mentions the OKC bombing and gives ol’ Timmy another shot at a spotlight, which is always a “no no” from me.

There may be a reader in the target audience somewhere that enjoys this book, but that person is not me.
237 reviews7 followers
May 29, 2022
Big Twist

My first thought was how dumb the girls were As the story progressed they seemed dumber Then the twist and it almost made sense. I finished it but didn't love it.
Profile Image for Jess.
724 reviews15 followers
November 8, 2024
God this sucked. I’d give it half a star if Goodreads would let me.

The writing was childish, and there was this hugely annoying author habit of the characters speaking to describe what was around them, in the most unrealistic way possible. At one point one goes something like ‘I love the silver balloons you have suspended below the trees’.

I felt like NL Hinkens was desperate to do a Route 66 roadtrip but couldn’t afford it so she planned everything out on Google Maps and did a cursory bit of research, decided to live it vicariously by writing about it, and then remembered she couldn’t sell a book without a plot so shoehorned some in at the end.

Nothing made sense. The whole thing was so easy to guess and so boring and I just hated this.
Profile Image for Lisa Vann-Akin.
30 reviews5 followers
May 11, 2023
Wow, my jaw is still on the floor. I never saw the ending like that.
Profile Image for Misty Otwaska.
7 reviews
January 7, 2025
a great thriller

This book kept me interested the whole way through. Just when I thought I figured it out, it turned again. I would recommend this book. Quick read, didn’t put it down
Profile Image for David Taylor.
1,536 reviews25 followers
April 11, 2023
What could go wrong on a cross country drive?

About a year ago I read an advance reader copy of Wrong Exit and reviewed it – my original review is included below. I recently received a review copy of the audiobook version of Wrong Exit from the author and was blown away. While I remembered most of the story from my reading, Whitney Dykhouse’s narration did an excellent job filling in all the blanks as well as bringing the story and each of the characters to life. While I love to read, there are times when having an excellent narrator read you a story is just as good. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, grab a copy of the audiobook, and settle in for a tale that will surely entertain.

Review from 4/20/2022
Do you enjoy stories that are not what they seem, and are filled with clues that drive you to what appear to be the right direction? What about when all your preconceived notions about the story come crashing down and you are left wondering how you never saw it coming? Well, if you can answer yes to either of those questions grab a copy of Wrong Exit and settle in for a cross-country trip that will have your head spinning at times. I must be honest; I’ve read/listened to several of N.L. Hinkens’ books and while I’d be hard pressed to say which is my favorite, Wrong Exit is right up there in the race for the top spot. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, grab a copy and settle in for a wild ride across America. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the author and chose to provide my review.
Profile Image for lusty22.
420 reviews2 followers
August 1, 2022
Strong suspense drives this story home. It's a good thing it has that going for it because otherwise I'd have walked away based on the sheer stupidity of these two friends traveling cross country. The places that they stop along the way while we as readers get history lessons aren't much better. It's strange to read a book that both captures your attention while making you want to throw it across the room. Cora and Adele are not likeable because they make dumb decisions. I'm never one for low common sense. But the ending is interesting and all in all I'll try this author again. One more chance. Three stars.
135 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2022

...

Cora and David have been married for several years and been happy
although they haven't really had much money. Cora has been contacted and
told that she's the heir to the home of her grandmother which is worth a significant
amount of money.

...

Cora’s mother had a fight with Cora’s grandmother and left home when she was
pregnant with Cora. Now Cora has been left a great deal of money-over a million dollars-
but she can't help but feel that she would have liked to have known her grandmother
instead of having the money. Cora decides to invite her childhood friend to go with her
on a road trip to go sign papers and get her house so that she can sell it. As they travel
across the states they stop for gas at one point. That's when things start to take a turn.
Who is the person who's gotten in the car? What do they want? Are things really as they
seem?

...

This was a really good skin crawling novel. There were times when I had no idea
what was coming up next. There were plenty of little twists and turns to keep me on my toes.
Ms. Hinkens writes with a lot of depth to her plots. And this book definitely did not disappoint.
She fills in a lot of background and adds in beautiful imagery so that you feel like you're really a
part of what's going on. Her characters have a realism that make you feel like you know that
person and they're real. I would definitely suggest that you go grab a copy of this book and
make sure you don't stay up too late reading. There’s always tomorrow.
Profile Image for Stacy.
13 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2022
☆☆•Review with spoilers•☆☆

Can a wrong exit ruin your life?

This page turner of a story starts out with Cora's astranged grandmothers passing and the need for a cross country road trip to collect her inheritance. While Cora is stoked to be able to plan this trip with her long time friend, Adele, her husband isnt too keen on the idea of this cross country trip. Once on the road the two friends make their first stop for gas where this easy-going fun road trip takes a crazy turn. After a commotion at the gas pump with an old man whos collapsed Cora and Adele hit the road again, its not until their next stop that they notice they are no longer alone. Once discovered Gianna tells the tale of escaping an abusive boyfriend who she thought was trying to kill her. Against Adeles better judgment Cora tells Gianna she will help her get to Tennessee where her parents live, but this will be a promise that will soon haunt her. After Gianna decides to part ways without a word as to why, things get crazy fast. With Gianna now gone her crazy boyfriend CJ has decided to take matters into his own hands. But are things really as they seem? Is CJ really who they think he is? And how can a life long friend suddenly change? Secrets start spilling out as the trip unravels into a nightmare none of them can ever forget.


This book will have you on the edge of your seats with a twist you will never see coming!

5/5⭐s for sure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Randi Robinson.
657 reviews15 followers
May 2, 2022
Cora, a fashion influencer in Los Angeles, inherits a house in New York from the grandmother she never met. Refusing to fly, Cora and Adele, her best friend since childhood, decide to drive cross country, much to the chagrin of Cora's husband Clay. It will be like Thelma and Louise without the illegal parts, Cora tells Adele. Of course, things go wrong on day one when they pick up a passenger. The character development in this book is wonderful. Cora starts out as immature and naive but grows up over the course of the trip. Adele was just a country and western loving gal who changed A LOT over the course of the trip. Clay seemed very protective but controlling of Cora. By the end of the book they have all become different people. The characters and the situations they find themselves in seem believable. The author's style of writing is highly readable and grabbed me from the beginning. I could not stop reading until I finished the book in the wee hours of the morning. The suspense ratcheted up and ending came as a surprise although I had figured out earlier that things were not exactly as they seemed. I really enjoyed this book, as I have all Ms Hinkens' books. I can't wait for the next book! I was given an ARC copy of this book by the author but this is an honest review.
750 reviews19 followers
April 27, 2022
I absolutely loved Wrong Exit by N.L. Hinkens. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Wrong Exit. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Who does not love a psychological suspense thriller with a surprise ending? Once again N. L Hinkens has shown that she is a master storyteller. I love how she developed the story line and the characters. It was an incredible psychological suspense thriller and has me guessing who was behind all the events taking place in the story. I could not put it down and loved every page of this wonderful page turner. I love that the story is told from the perspective of the main character. I loved getting inside her thoughts and feelings. I never saw the villain or the accomplice in the story before they were revealed. It truly took me by surprise. Wrong Exit is the story of Cora Lewis, who finds out that she has inherited her late grandmother house in Katonah, New York. Cora has a fear of flying and has decided to drive cross country on a girls’ trip with her best friend, Adele. Her husband, Clay wants her to fly, since he cannot join her on the trip. Things get worse when they discover a stowaway, Giana, in the car, who disappears from her room when they stop overnight. Next, they notice that they are being followed by Giana’s abusive boyfriend, CJ. Cora tries to figure out what is really going on with CJ. Cora and Adele arrive safely in New York, only to discover Cora’s husband, Clay is there to meet them. My favorite part was the surprise ending when all the truths are revealed. It was an incredible thriller. Looking forward to reading more books by N.L. Hinkens. Looking for a great thriller, then I highly recommend Wrong Exit.
492 reviews24 followers
April 18, 2022
After learning she has inherited a house from her Grandmother, Cora Dalton and her best friend Adele, set off on a road trip to to see the property . Her intention is to meet with the lawyer who contacted her and put the property up for sale. Cora thought the ten day road trip to New York would give the friends plenty of time to have a good catch up , but a stowaway who got into the car when they were filling the vehicle created tension between the pair .
When they realise they are being followed they become very anxious and do their utmost to lose the stalker and keep themselves safe .
Cora has been keeping her husband updated during the journey , but he becomes concerned and flies to meet them.
I really enjoyed N L Hinkens latest novel, it gripped me from the first pages, and I found the plot thrilling, with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my chair. Secrets revealed were well contrived and I finished the book thinking I will be very wary on my next road trip.
Thanks to the author for an advanced reader e- copy to read and review
1,114 reviews31 followers
April 29, 2022
Newlywed Cora’s life is about to change. The grandmother she knew nothing about has died and left Cora a house valued at over $1M. Afraid to fly, Cora talks her best friend Adele into going along on a road trip. They are both excited, looking forward to ten fun-filled days. But when, shortly into the trip, they discover a teen stowaway, the road trip becomes a nightmare.

Hinkens develops characters that are not always likeable but feel very real. I was not a big fan of Cora at first. I thought she was too naïve, but she grew on me. Cora finds that her life is not what she thought it was. As the secrets were revealed, I was racing through those final chapters.

I do not like to reveal much of the plot. I want you to be as surprised as I was. The pacing of the story is perfect with great twists and turns. Trust me when I say that Hinkens writes incredible psychological thrillers. “Wrong Exit” is well written and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. Now I am looking forward to her next book.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,571 reviews19 followers
May 30, 2023
I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Most of this story is told from Cora’s POV. She’s a fashion influencer who has been able to quit her “regular” job, has recently gotten married, and now she’s inherited a house from the grandmother she never met. Her life should be perfect, right? Unfortunately, that’s not so easy.

Wrong Exit is suspenseful but frustrating at times. Some of Cora’s decisions didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

The narrator was okay. Her timing was good. I’m not sure if she was trying to make the story even more suspenseful, but it sounded like she was whining throughout the book.

If you’re looking for a suspenseful thriller with a big final twist, I recommend this book but to read rather than listen to.
Profile Image for Liv.
4 reviews
August 29, 2024
I was pretty interested in the concept of this book initially. A confined space thriller is always a true test in my opinion for how flexible an author can be. Anyway I dove head first into this book excited to see what it was all about. I want to start off saying that I didn’t hate this book by any means and in the end I just found it kinda dry and inconsistent. The repetitive phrases that were scattered about the book and on top of that I was EXTREMELY confused about how Adele was supposedly pregnant but multiple times throughout the trip it highlights the girls drinking lots of alcohol. If she’s pregnant and claims to care about her child why the heck would she be purposely harming her unborn baby? Anyway that was upsetting to me because we never got an explanation and was never acknowledged. That’s all I have to say I guess! I wanna know if any of you caught on to this detail too….
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sandra Lopez.
Author 3 books348 followers
November 10, 2024
It all started with a 2-pal road trip from L.A. to N.Y. On one of the first few stops, Cara and Adele find a stowaway in their car. The runaway girl talks about an abusive boyfriend that may have killed someone. Oh, great! Just what the girls needed, right? Road Rule #1: Never pick up a hitchhiker. I would not be giving a total stranger a ride to TN. No way! Soon, all 3 gals take a wrong exit.
“One of us won’t survive this road trip. It’s kill or be killed.”

The whole trip becomes a ride of paranoia—one scary mess of speculations over the whereabouts of the stowaway. And now they have the police and the stalker boyfriend on their tail. Geez!
“One wrong exit led to murder.”

I kind of had my suspicious about one of the key players here (and I was kind of right about it,) but I was still surprised about the revelation in the end. A good thrilling read!
Profile Image for Judi Haley.
1,346 reviews6 followers
April 30, 2022
What an ending!! I always love a book I can't tell where it is going!!!

Cora is newly married, very happy and has just found out that has inherited a million dollar estate from her grandmother that she never knew. She must go to New York and sign papers. Since Cora is afraid of flying, she decides to get her best best friend, Adele, to have a road trip with her. It will be a 10 day trip, but they will stop along the way, stopping and visiting the local actions in each state.

But, the trip has just become when things take a turn. Both Cora and Adele are happy to take the bucket trip of their lifetime, but when they have to stop at a local gas station, fate intervenes.

I really enjoyed this one and will definitely be reading more by this author.
377 reviews
August 22, 2022
First thought: very intriguing from the first page….Ohh what will go wrong for the two girls with pretty bad luck and no sense of direction taking a cross country road trip?? Most likely a lot. Then, add a random stow-away in the mix trying to escape her dangerous boyfriend and you have yourself a horror movie.
Final thoughts: short chapters. Something always occurring and keeping you pretty close to the edge of your seat. Pretty addicting and nice touch with the cliffhangers ending each chapter. I could gather the overall plot twist within the first quarter of the book. Didn’t mind it though, pretty easy to predict and maybe not a sophisticated read but really easy and enjoyable for me at least. Not the best ending, but not drawn out so this one gets a 4 star rating
Profile Image for Roger.
5,562 reviews28 followers
January 22, 2024
Wrong Exit: A psychological suspense thriller (Treacherous Trips Collection - Standalone Thrillers), my thirteenth amazing (222-page/7-hour 15-minute) read from author N.L. Hinkens. I enjoyed the outstanding domestic thriller with its intricately woven twists and turns, all of Hinken's works have had more knots than Alexander the Greats Gordian Knot, I never saw the end of this one until the end! Norma (N.L.) Hinkens is one of my favorite authors! I was given an Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. Narrator Whitney Dykhouse's outstanding narration adds to the book's enjoyment. Right Behind You: A psychological suspense thriller (Payback Pasts Collection - Standalone Thrillers) is next on my TBR list. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
Profile Image for Claudete Takahashi.
2,595 reviews36 followers
April 22, 2022
She thought she had a good marriage, loved her job, had a few good friends, and was about to receive an inheritance that would allow her to buy a house and start a family. To get her money she had to travel to NY and she had serious problems with flying, so what could be better than drive, accompanied by her best friend? Well, the trip becomes a nightmare, her beliefs start to crumble, and nothing will be as it was in the beginning! Wrong Exit has a simple, but a very good plot that is well written and grabs the reader´s attention at the start, and delivers a few hours of good reading and entertainment.
I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Dawn.
373 reviews2 followers
April 24, 2022
Wrong Exit by N.L. Hinkens is an engaging domestic suspense with quite a few surprises. Newlywed Cora Dalton inherits a house across the country from a grandmother she never met. She asks her best friend, Adele, to come on a cross country trip with her so they can reconnect and enjoy some sights along the way. What could possibly go wrong? A stowaway, a murder, a threatening boyfriend, and several twists later, Cora is back home with her life forever changed. I received an advanced readers copy of this novel. All opinions are strictly my own. I recommend this book and give it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Pheadra.
1,046 reviews56 followers
May 8, 2022
I enjoyed this story about a road trip that turns into a nightmare of sorts for best friends Cora and Adele when they decide to head from LA to New York on the famous route 66. Along the way we are given snippets of information about the sights and sounds including famous landmarks and museums. At the same time we are questioning what is going on with a stowaway teenager in the back of their vehicle. Cora Is headed east to sign papers on her grandmother's estate. Her husband Clay was against the road trip from the get go with Adele which raised my suspicions early on. The real message behind this tale I guess is  as has been  with my last three thrillers, never marry in haste! 4 stars.
Profile Image for Judy Johnson.
839 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2022
If what you're looking for is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat story that is well written and easy to jump into and NOT put down, you've found it here. Who would guess that a road trip could turn so wrong so fast? Who wouldn't love a trip down historical Route 66? Pick up this book and start swiping the pages of your Kindle to find out! Well written, and let me also tell you if you've never read any other books by this author, you'll want to after this.

Twists and turns with a surprise ending and SERIOUSLY, once again, this book is unputdownable once you dive in. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next book by this author. Buy this book, you won't be sorry.
Profile Image for Heather Gaskins.
5 reviews
May 17, 2023
First of all, I really appreciate an author who does not rely on profanity to make an impactful book. This book was interesting and held my attention the entire time. It was clean without being juvenile, cheesy, cozy or preachy. A clean adult thriller- that is hard to come by. As someone who lives for twist endings, I was a little underwhelmed by this one. I feel like it wasn’t that surprising and some of the scenarios I came up with when trying to figure out the mystery were more interesting than what it actually turned out to be. With that said, I still really enjoyed this book and this author. So much so, that I have already bought another one of her books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews

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