The Hitchhiker by Gabriel Bergmoser

Publisher's Synopsis

Pushing fifty and reeling from an ugly divorce, Paul has decided it's time for an adventure. With the Bee Gees on the radio and the open road ahead, he sets out into the middle of nowhere, open to whatever comes. But things take a sinister turn when he impulsively decides to pick up a hitchhiker. Clutching a ragged backpack with his eyes locked on the rear-view mirror, it's clear this twitchy young man is running from something. But what? And when the truth is revealed, how far will he - and Paul - go to survive?

My Review of The Hitchhiker by Gabriel Bergmoser

The wide open and desolate highways of Australia have already provided the backdrop to a couple of spine tingling thrillers from Gabriel Bergmoser. With The Hitchhiker, the danger and desperation is borne out again and, once again, Maggie (The Hunted and The Inheritance) finds herself involved.

Paul has hit the road after a divorce and is revelling in travelling through the Australian outback, listening to the Bee Gees on repeat. He’s feeling as free and carefree as he ever has and is loving experiencing the simple sights of the empty landscapes and skies simply filled with more  stars than he ever imagined. He thought he might get bored but, thanks to the help of a series of self-help books about actualisation and self-improvement he’s actually bursting with expectations for what lies ahead.

Then he picks up the hitchhiker named Jesse, a brooding young man who’s not prone to doing much talking, constantly stares into the rearview mirror and becomes extremely irritated by the song ‘You Win Again’ on repeat. Jesse says he’s headed for Perth but it appears he’s also running from something. The trip through the wide open spaces suddenly becomes a little tense.

Nah, it actually becomes a lot tense. In fact, it takes a dark turn that resembles a hostage situation that’s definitely not going to end well.

As things progress we start to get taken back in time to learn more about each of the main characters. This serves to adequately provide us with a handy point of reference so that we can understand what each of them is capable of and what their motivations are for being out in the middle of nowhere travelling to goodness knows where.

This is a solid story of suspense set in the harsh and unforgiving backdrop of the Australian outback. The growing tension between the travelling “buddies” is made even more stark by the isolation through which they’re moving. The tiny towns and rest-stops through which they stop only adds to the sense of danger that grows between the pair. 

The pace ramps up extremely quickly in the second half of the book thanks largely to the appearance of Maggie. Throw in some clever twists in between a few gruesome acts that might make the squeamish squirm a little and you’ve got yourself an engrossing thriller that could head in just about any direction you’re not expecting.

And I just loved the possibilities created by the ending.

This story was first created as an Audible Original and Bergmoser explains that the brief was to provide a ‘Wolf Creek meets Locke’ story. He’s well and truly done and has managed to create one of the creepiest bad guys you’d ever have the misfortune of running into on the open road into the bargain. It has clearly been given a freshen up for the hardcopy version and integrates quite nicely into the ongoing Hunted series expanding the theme of mayhem on the open roads of Australia’s outback.