Red knows she’s lucky to be on the trip with her friends. Ever since her mum died, Red is the head of the family after her father fell apart. There is little money in
Red’s home and a school break holiday would normally cost far more than Red can afford. Luckily, she and her friends have switched expensive airfares and hotels for a 31 foot RV.
Unfortunately, the camping ground they intend to spend the night in is remote, and when they find themselves lost on back country roads their GPS is useless with no cell phone reception. There is a reason for this, and they are soon to find out what.
A flat tyre makes things worse, but Oliver, Red’s best friend’s brother, takes a leadership role and pulls them into a team to rectify their situation. Tyre fixed, they are on the move again, but not for long. Suddenly another tyre blows out. Another and another and then BANG! the last tyre joins the rest, sinking the RV to the ground in the middle of nowhere.
Oliver blames the driver and tensions rise. His sister Maddie, girlfriend Raina, friend Simon, Red and another guy Arthur ponder solutions as they stare at the exploded tyres. But there are none. The wheels really fall off their trip when Red sees a tiny red dot moving over the outside of the RV. A gunshot is the answer to their predicament. Someone out in the dark has a gun.
Pure panic fills the RV. Oliver tries to wrangle some calm, and again takes control of preventative measures. But it’s not long before they realise they have control over nothing. Whoever is shooting has a powerful enough rifle to pierce right through the RV and whatever or whoever is in its way. Finally they learn what this shooter wants. One of them has a secret and the shooter wants answers.
There is more than one secret inside this vehicle. Red’s secret is so deep she believes no one else could know, so she keeps it hidden, all the while reliving another shooting incident in her life. Her mum died from gunfire, and Red blames herself.
As secrets trickle out exploding perceptions and relationships, tensions rise even further. Blame begins to be handed out, and sanity starts to shift. The shooter proves he means business and blood is spilt. More secrets are revealed and their heads spin with possibilities and more questions about what the sniper really wants.
One of them isn’t who the others believe and this secret finally leads to the one that put them there.
A gripping, tense thriller set inside a 31 foot RV. A school holiday trip turns from anticipation, fun and inclusion, to blame, gunshots, murder and blood pumping terror.
Relationships are picked apart during the novel, including main protagonist Red and her internal guilty struggle over her mother’s death. Sanity slowly slips from one member, while secrets spill from others. Shame also fills Red as she realises that having her along on the trip is the reason they are where they are.
Red may be the weakest link in the group, but the hours spent in the darkness and horror of their situation rebuild her fortitude and resilience. She is the one who finally makes a decision that will save them. But will she survive too?
Finely tuned details of their attempts to survive play out on the page, as does the final revelations to their plight, gripping me to the very end.
Holly Jackson is an incredibly popular author with her Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy, and Five Survive will add even more fans.
One word can sum up this novel – INTENSE!
Author – Holly Jackson
Age – 14+
(2022, Friendship, Betrayal, Conflict, Family, Grief, Murder, Crime, Secrets, Mystery, Thriller, Active Shooter, Sniper, District Attorney, Spies, RV, School Break, School Holiday, Back Country Roads, Blame, Guilt, Memories, Memory, Intense, Shooting, TikTok)