First and foremost, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

Shady things happen on Locust Lane.

When a young woman is found dead, who’s to blame?

The young son of a chef? The town drunk? The “good son” with a god complex?

This novel had my head spinning. The inner plot lines were so well written. I’m waiting on a sequel(fingers crossed) if not; you will be left on a cliffhanger.

[arc review]
Thank you Celadon Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Locus Lane releases January 17, 2023.

Beautiful cover, but unfortunately I was nowhere near the intended target audience for this read.
The synopsis sounds wonderful, but it’s really just cluttered and overshadowed by all of these key words like “propulsive”, “taut”, “brilliant”, “intricately crafted”, “superb”, “terse”, “dynamic”, “intensely gripping” - when really, it just wasn’t.

Locust Lane is about this affluent town called Emerson. It gave off rich, pretentious, gated-community vibes, and every single character was unlikable or had ulterior motives.

The main purpose of the story is to determine who the killer was of a 20 year old girl.
It’s told through 5 different pov’s - all parents - however, most of them are also advocating for their teenage kids as well, so it makes for an extremely large cast of characters.

Straight away, this novel starts out with some pretty violent actions towards a dog. A character went as far as injuring one with his car, and even smashed the dogs head between the door. Yikes.

As I stated, every single character was unlikable and I couldn’t get past the many off-putting plot devices that were used. Among them were, cheating while married, on-page descriptive sexual assault, rape allegations, teenagers that are sadistic and self-flagellating, walking in on your kid masturbating to some extremely weird and violent torture porn. There’s also self harm, drug use, alcoholism, shoplifting, racism, and classism.

The writing was very repetitive. It *might* work as a highly exaggerated dramatic adaptation, but otherwise I found it very unrelatable.
The reveal at the end was just so… unnecessary I guess is the word to use without spoiling it.

I’m sure some people would enjoy the dynamics presented in Locust Lane, but for me it was a miss.
This leans more towards domestic fiction than thriller.

Locust Lane has all the elements of a murder mystery—a troubled teen found dead in an affluent neighborhood, a coverup, and a mother seeking justice. Author Stephen Amidon provides a quick, unputdownable read told through the eyes of unreliable yet intriguing characters.

Danielle discovers her daughter Eden is dead and seeks justice in a town driven by its wealthy, image-conscious residents. And four teens know what happened the night she died and are not talking. As an outsider, Danielle realizes their parents will do anything to save their children. She finds solace with the local drunk who also lost his daughter, swearing that he saw a mysterious figure on the night of the murder.

Locust Lane has an imperfect wrap-up with an elegant twist. I loved this thriller and plan on reading more of Stephen Amidon’s books. Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review it. #NetGalley, #LocustLane #Thriller

*SPOILER ALERT* potentially--I'm not sure how to adequately describe my problems with this book without giving away some of the "mystery" of it. And advance apologies for the rant-like nature of this review.

Locust Lane--it's one of the most affluent suburbs in Massachusetts, and when a young woman is found dead, three prominent families close their ranks to protect their children--the only three people known to have been with her while she was still alive.

It's a simple plot that the author tries to infuse with issues of race and socioeconomic status, and I truly don't know how to rate it. Because I sort of really hated it, and I was hoping that sitting a few days before formulating a review would give me greater clarity.

The first twenty percent or so felt a different book entirely from the remainder, with such a pretentious voice that I expected Alice and Celia to break out in "it's time to meet Muffy and Buffy at the country club" in the smarmiest of Boston Brahmin accents. Which didn't fit Alice at all, given how low class she is described as being.

But then the voice changed, and it turned into a pretty compelling read that I flew through, though it's also one that infuriated me--yet I like when a book can bring out strong emotions. So it's weird--there are books I hated for a number of reasons, but then they don't stick with me. Locust Lane is one of those that I disliked, and yet I can't stop thinking about it.

Part of it is that I don't really understand what was the point was. Look, I'm as big of a Mama Grizzly as the next gal, and I get "protecting your kids at all cost" and "jumping in front or a speeding train to save them." But you gotta present me with kids that are worth fighting for. Jack? He's maybe the biggest dirtbag I've seen in literature lately, and if his mom couldn't see that, I don't know what to say. While we're here squawking about the patriarchy, EVERYONE is enabling this brat. No, I'm not going to have empathy for the type of character pleasuring himself to actual torture porn, nor for his mother for letting it go.

Or is this a story warning of girls caught in abusive relationships? Well, we've got a mom too busy plying her (well underage) stepdaughter with alcohol in order to have heart to hearts with her and a father not really irritated she's stealing his off market drugs to protect her from the dirtbag that's probably beating her and then...well, nothing. That thread has no closure either.

Is it a story of racism? Because there's a dead white girl and a Lebanese/French immigrant teen held for her murder, because we all know rich, white boys get away with everything, so we couldn't suspect the golden boy Jack. But I'm sorry, I'm not going to feel any sympathy for the kid who SPOILER ALERT admitted to literally sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious because he couldn't stand up to the above mentioned dirtbag. So maybe I feel a little bad that he's going down for the wrong crime, but he committed a crime nonetheless. And Jack is described as anything but golden boy.

And still! One of the most egregious literary crimes--the open ended ambiguous close. I absolutely hate books that don't end even more than I hate books that tie all the bows up too neatly. It feels like an enormous cheat to get no closure whatsoever, especially given that everything else about this book is so ridiculously bleak.

Oh--and -SPOILER- killing Patrick felt just so unnecessary. His whole addition in this book felt like a waste because of it. His entire character could be eased from this book and it wouldn't change anything.

Is this book part of the "male gaze" phenomenon I keep hearing about? Because it didn't sit well at all with me and after this sample, I wouldn't read anything else by this author.

If you couldn't guess already, this isn't a book that I would recommend. I mean, sure, there's an audience for everything and no judgment whatsoever if you liked this book. It just wasn't for me. And if asked, I would list dozens of books to read before this.

Special thanks to the Celadon Readers program for giving me access to this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

A perfect study of rich white people doing anything and everything to protect their rapey a-hole sons from “a mistake that shouldn’t ruin their whole lives.” It sounds like I didn’t enjoy it but it was a well written tale of affluenza with fleshed out and flawed characters. I would recommend if you liked Emily Giffin’s All We Ever Wanted or honestly any book by Joshilyn Jackson.

3.5 stars

I’m not sure I would classify this as a thriller, boarder line maybe. It is more of a mystery. That being said, this was a quick read, with multiple POV’s which uncovers just enough to keep you turning the page. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

A very interesting book. What starts as potentially a dysfunctional community story quickly picks up thriller pacing and even includes murder. Though multiple POV's we learn more and more about what drives the characters. Not too much is revealed at a time, piece by piece you begin to realize that in some ways, everything is exactly as you would guess but also nothing is what it seems.

When Eden Perry's body is found, the town closes ranks and fingers are quickly pointed at the newcomers. It takes the relentless actions of some of the parents impacted by the murder to reveal what has actually happened. But as with all dark secrets, someone gets hurt when the truth comes to light. If you like toxic neighborhoods, teen and parent drama or just want to read a book with a realistic ending and wrap up, Locust Lane is for you! #Celadon

The pacing was odd in this book (but not necessarily detrimental), but the story itself was good which saved me from giving a lower rating. It’s more of a whodunnit mystery rather than a thriller, so don’t expect any heart-pounding moments.

This books asks the question, how far are you willing to go to protect your kids? This is its main strength, looking at how people view the world and their children within it.

There were a lot of characters (parents/other community members) who were working to uncover the truth about a murder in there quiet town. However, so many people were unreliable and the threads that tied them together were covered in blood.

The ending was extremely unsatisfying, but it wasn’t unrealistic - without giving away too much. I think this is definitely worth the read especially if you enjoy towns full of drama and secrets.

Fast paced and engrossing. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and domestic thrillers are popular.

Locust Lane is absolutely a masterpiece. Sinister atmospheric mystery that gives way to your heart pumping thriller. All readers will love this one!