But who has the all-important secret? And what will it take for them to give it up? With the sniper losing patience and the atmosphere in the RV growing more tense and less friendly as time ticks by, it becomes clear that not everyone will survive the night. Everyone in the RV has secrets, most of all Red, but nobody wants to divulge them, especially Red. And worse still, he doesn’t intend to let anyone leave until one of the group gives up a crucial secret.Īs a desperate game of cat-and-mouse unfolds, the group frantically try to outsmart the sniper. Somewhere in the dark, someone is watching the group. It soon becomes apparent that it wasn’t a pothole or stray shard of glass that blew out the vehicle’s tires, but a gun. That is until they take a wrong turn and the RV comes to a halt in the middle of nowhere at night. It’s a long drive in an RV but it’s Spring Break and spirits are high. Red and her friends are on a road trip from Philadelphia to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Set in a real-time eight hour narrative, this is a masterclass in building tension and keeping it right up until the final page. Arriving too late in the bookish calendar to be featured in our best books of 2022 list but certainly worthy of inclusion, Holly Jackson’s Five Survive is a fast-paced, keep-you-guessing standalone thriller that pits six friends stuck in a broken down RV against a vengeful sniper.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson