Thank you to Celadon Books, NetGalley, and the Author, Stephen Amindon for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book.

Locust Lane is a wonderfully written mystery thriller that had me turning pages fast! I was so eager to find out where this was headed and how everyone was tied into the murder…

The book starts out with Patrick hitting a dog while out on an early morning drive. Yes, he swerved, but when he got out to check on the dog, he thinks he sees a figure standing in the woods. Patrick cannot be sure of what he sees since he has been drinking.

The shocking murder of a teenager, Eden Perry is revealed. Eden was murdered in a house nearby and the suspects are three teens that live in her neighborhood. We watch the well-meaning parents help solve the mystery and still protect their children. The story is told from different points of view of characters that all have something to do with the murder. It’s truly a story that could happen to anyone in any neighborhood.

Stephen Amidon is an excellent storyteller. He has you gripped with the first line, and you are following the breadcrumbs until the end. I liked that I was constantly thinking a different person was responsible for the murder, but as soon as you think that…here comes an unexpected twist and turn and now you don’t know who it is anymore. I am looking forward to reading more of his books.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-murder mystery⁣
-explores social issues⁣
-multiple POVs⁣
-quick read⁣
⁣
Synopsis⁣
Nothing ever happens in the quiet little waspy town of Emerson, at least not until Eden is murdered. The troubled young woman was temporarily staying with a distant relative but seemingly has no other ties to the community. Not long after her murder, the police identify Christopher as their primary suspect. The quiet young man is the only son of an immigrant chef, who soon becomes the target of racial slurs and online harassment. Christopher is definitely hiding something, and his best friend, Jack, is determined to keep that secret under wraps. Meanwhile across town, a fallen financier is hitting the bottle hard, but not hard enough to forget what he saw on Locust Lane the night of Eden's murder. But will anyone believe him this time? ⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be such a thrilling page-turner. It had a bit of everything: family drama, in-fighting, mystery, and intrigue. The unlikeable characters and ambiguous ending won't be for everyone, but if you don't mind those things I would highly suggest you give Locust Lane a chance. I especially enjoyed all the social commentary the author weaved into the story: classism, racism, cyberbullying/harassment, privilege, addiction, and mental health. One character, in particular, was so well-written that it made this book a standout for me. Not every author accurately captures the dance between addiction and grief, but Amidon does a wonderful job portraying the relationship between the two. Overall, this book is a great option for litfic lovers in search of a murder mystery!

Locust Lane is a riveting, page-turning novel of families, mystery and relationships. Told from various points of view, it delves deeply into each character's inner life and their history.

The novel opens with Patrick, a grieving alcoholic, taking a nighttime ride in the privileged town of Emerson, Massachusetts. He inadvertently hits a large black dog with his vehicle and when he gets out of his car to see the damage that occurred, the dog growls at him and takes a bite out of his thigh. Patrick senses someone in the trees nearby but when he calls out to this stranger he is met with silence. The next day, Patrick reads a surprising headline - a 20 year old woman was murdered in the house closest to where he hit the dog. Though legally drunk at the time of the accident, Patrick is sure of the events that occurred and even reports them to the police.

Eden, the murdered girl, has been taking a time out from her mother and living with distant cousins in Emerson. Her mother is a salesperson in a jewelry store and not one of Emerson's cadre of wealth. The house is often empty on weekends because the owners travel, and it is known by the local teenagers as a place to party On the night of the murder, a few of Eden's acquaintances were present and when questioned, each has an alibi and cover-up story. Since these teen-agers come from 'good' and 'wealthy' families, the police tend to believe their alibis. Only one of the teen-agers is not from monied Emerson, and he is the one who is accused of the murder. Patrick has a history with the police involving his dead daughter who was a drug addict, and he is not only disbelieved, but is treated rudely and as a nuisance.

The story is multi-dimensional, much more than just a murder mystery. It is about the lengths parents will go to protect their children, a montage of the inner workings of several relationships and marriages, and the secrets and shame that people carry with them. Mr. Amidon gets the voices of all the characters so that they ring true and real. He understands teenagers and portrays them in their self-proclaimed glory along with their lies, stupidity and faltering loyalty to their peers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and my only criticism is that it is very repetitive, something I find quite common in mystery novels. It is as though the author wants to make sure that the reader remembers what transpired and, in order to do this, must reiterate the facts. This happened too many times for me to feel totally overwhelmed with the book. Had their been less repetition, I would have rated Locust Lane a '5'.

An instant best seller. Locust Lane is fast-paced domestic thriller that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. I had a hard time putting it down. The characters were well written, you either loved them or hated them, most times a little of both. In the end truths are told or not and families do what they think is best or not …a complicated mess. A definite 5 star.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

"On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense."

This story is told from multiple POV's, the parents of all of the teens involved and a member of the community that saw a man in the shadows the night of the murder. I found the story telling unique, being from the parents POV opposed to those actually involved, but it certainly added extra mystery - can you truly believe what your child is telling you? At times the parents behaviors seemed worse than that of the teens, immediately wanting to cover up what happened to protect their children without knowing the truth or even caring that a young woman was murdered. The book was full of unlikeable characters and proved that wealth and status are often more important than the truth.
Overall I enjoyed this story, it started a bit slow but quickly picked up speed. I would classify this as more of a mystery/domestic drama than a thriller, but it did keep me guessing until the very end. I love when a final twist in a story shocks me; but also, once revealed, I can clearly see the clues along the way.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley, @celadonbooks, and @macmillianaudio for the gifted copy of this book.

Patrick Noone is drunk, an unfortunately not unusual state for him. As he’s driving around one night, trying to outpace his demons, he accidentally hits a dog wandering in the streets of his well-off town of Emerson, Massachusetts. He stops the car and gets out, even as he knows that this is probably a bad, or at least a self-defeating, move:

QUOTE
<i>Go home,</i> he thought. <i>Finish the bottle, hit the sack. You know the drill. Dawn will come, followed by another barren day.</i>

But he couldn’t do it. He’d injured a living thing. That made him responsible for it. He had to help. He didn’t need another item in the overladen shopping cart of guilt he was pushing around. He’d made a deal with himself not to abandon decency. He could leave behind everything else, but not that.
END QUOTE

While attempting to tend to the dog, he spots a figure in the darkness. When the not-too-badly injured animal turns on him, Patrick flees, but can’t get the encounter out of his head.

The next morning, he wakes up and discovers that a young woman was murdered in the house right near where he hit the dog. Was what he saw last night relevant to the case? More importantly, will the cops believe him, given the shakiness of his story and, more damningly, his already poor relationship with the local police?

The murder victim is Eden Perry, the home companion and dog walker for the wealthy Bondurants. Bill and Betsy Bondurant are getting on in years, and after hearing of the friction between twenty year-old Eden and her mother Danielle, offered their young relative a safe haven far away from the rough company she ran with in neighboring Watertown. Mother and daughter were both relieved by the offer, and Eden seemed to be thriving under their care. But now she’s dead, and Danielle is bereft.

Massachusetts State Police Detective Dorothy Gates tries to assure Danielle that she and the Emerson police are pursuing all avenues of investigation. But Danielle knows that getting to the truth about what happened to her daughter is really still up to her:

QUOTE
Danielle nodded. She’d go. She’d trust the smart woman with the gentle manner and the Glock on her hip. She had no choice. But Gates was wrong about one thing. They weren’t the ones looking after Eden. Danielle was. It had always been her, and only her. Just because the silly girl had gone and got herself killed didn’t change that. Not for one minute.
END QUOTE

As Danielle and Patrick’s paths collide and merge, they begin to uncover the terrible secrets festering in the heart of the seemingly serene town. Eden hadn’t been able to completely outrun her taste for fast company, falling in with a group of local teenagers with complicated personal issues of their own. When it becomes apparent that at least one of those teens was responsible for her death, Danielle and Patrick will risk their very lives in order to make sure that the truth finally comes to light.

Interspersed with Danielle and Patrick’s points of view are the narratives of three parents who find themselves entangled in the case due to the involvement of their own children. Celia is the extremely proper matriarch of an old money family. Alice is her wild child best friend. Michel is the immigrant chef behind Emerson’s hottest restaurant. Their stories blend together in the Rashomon-style of storytelling that has understandably gained significant appeal in the domestic thriller field of recent years.

There are many twists as the story progresses, with characters coming together and falling apart. I was really rooting for Danielle and Patrick, two damaged souls finding a safe haven in one another, throughout. That said, there were plot developments I found difficult to believe, particularly in relation to the fatalism of the fall guy. I also found the constant references to a “good” sort of Arab off-putting. But as a bald faced examination of affluenza and the privileges wealth affords, Locust Lane is a highly realistic read, with an ending that will have readers ruefully wishing that we all lived in a better world.

Dear Locust Lane,
You were such a surprising story. I really enjoyed digging into your story. I loved all of the different narrators, each holding their own small piece of the story, revealing a larger, story. Each character was unreliable in their narration too, whether from perspective or addiction or trauma. The only person I really trusted at all was Patrick, even though he was drunk all of the time. I knew Jack was going to be trouble from the beginning of your story, but being able to see him though his mother's eyes gave him some redemptive qualifies that I would not have been able to see any other was. You reminded me a lot of The Gifted School, where children are behaving badly, but the adults in their lives are only behaving worse. I loved how deeply intertwined each of their lives were. I am going to have to read more of Amidon's writing.

This book was such a compelling read!! Thought provoking and heartbreaking. The story is told from various points of views of the characters. There are three teenagers and then nine adults from a small suburban town all involved in someway with this murder of a young woman. I loved the writing style of this book. I really enjoyed the story and the build up of the characters. It kept me engaged and turning the pages just to figure out what had happened. I finished this in one day just because I was so engaged in the story and who and why of the story.

I absolutely loved this book.

It was very character driven and the characters were well built and so distinct. The audio really helped with all the narrators and the pacing. I could see some people finding it a bit slow but it worked for me.

Part character drama and part whodunnit / investigation, this has all the makings of what I love in a good mystery. Best of all, I thought I had things all figured out and it still surprised me which always earns extra points!

I definitely recommend the audio. The narrators did an awesome job of adding drama, suspense, and helping to get me invested in each individual. Several narrators were used which definitely added to the story and helped differentiate each character section.

This book really kept me guessing. I went in pretty blind and at times wondered if I was reading a contemporary fiction / neighborhood drama novel, a mystery with a spark of scifi, or a murder investigation book.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, Celadon, and NetGalley for this great novel.

Locust Lane is a domestic thriller/mystery, first read for me by this author. The narrative consists of five different character pov's. It felt like a lot of voices to follow. However, the distinctions were clear, and the perspectives did provide good contrasting information with some situational overlap. I enjoyed each narrator early on, but didn't really like their progression. Two became sad, one was a decent person, and two became somewhat awful. Mostly a story of unlikable characters except that one decent one. That's my subjective take on how I liked the characters. The story itself is well-written, engaging, and a touch disturbing in content.

There were several red herrings that kept me going for a long time. The real whodunit came late in the story, and was a good twist. At the end, I didn't care for how the plotting concluded for any of the narrators. Left a lot open - not enough satisfying closure for my personal taste.

I was genuinely moved by how the author portrayed profound grief, and how for one narrator, that grief slowly took over all other life functions.

If you enjoy the domestic thriller genre, I'd say give this one a go. 3.5 stars.

To start, this book reminded me of a cross between LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE x THE NEIGHBORHOOD x WE ARE THE BRENNANS. All books I loved! It had me questioning every single character introduced. I only figured it out about 85% of the way through, in which case I think most people would. But to have me on the edge of my seat for that long is quite a feat!

Told from the perspectives of multiple different people, I really enjoyed how character-driven this book was. Which I don't normally do! I was equally invested in all of the different stories, and that surprised me.

If you're looking for a contemporary thriller that will have you questioning even the more trustworthy of people. pick up LOCUST LANE today! Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for inviting me to read this one!

Nine Adults. Four teens. One unsolved murder. And one of the best prologues I’ve ever read. Stephen Amidon’s novel is a slow burn thriller/domestic suspense. Eden Perry is found dead in a house on Locust Lane in the small New England town of Emerson, Massachusetts. She’s been a drifter but seems to have found her way into the lives of Hannah, Jack, and Christopher. After one tragic night Eden is dead and the three of them are implicated in her death. Their parents become the catalysts in the drama to come.
I was on the edge of my seat from the prologue!! Never have I been so gripped with anticipation. I wanted to know everything about Patrick immediately.
I’m a note taker so that helped me a TON with a book like this with so many characters and storylines happening. The long chapters were a tad stressful for a chapter reader but I adapted fine.
I look forward to Stephen Amidon’s next book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies!

This was a quick paced and entertaining read. Though as I write this review, two weeks have passed since I finished reading it, and the details are already growing hazy, which says something about how memorable it will be for me. That being said, I liked the setting, which felt atmospheric and well well crafted. The plot was, to me (a crime fiction/mystery/thriller addict), fairly predictable, though that did not make the book boring. My main issue was that most of the characters just felt a bit flat to me, not well developed, which is a pet peeve for a character-driven reader. All in all, an entertaining read, and I would be interested in trying something else by the author in the future.


Thanks to Celadon Books and Netgalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5

Growing up, I never thought I’d like or appreciate a story that didn’t have a happy ending. As I get older and read more and more voraciously, I’m realizing that the deepest and most poignant works are the ones that imitate real life — the ones that recognize and tell the stories that don’t have happy endings.

I was anticipating this novel for a while — and I want to thank @netgalley and @celadonbooks for providing an eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amidon’s writing is a treasure. It’s the first novel I’ve read by him, but his prose is easy to read but extremely vivid and smart. I read another review recently where the reader was upset by how many similes Amidon uses throughout the book — but honestly? I loved them. I felt that they weren’t in your face to the point of being obnoxious and they added an extra layer of understanding and helped to contribute to conjuring the images of the story playing out in my head.

There’s a scene around 88% where Patrick is drunk and is at the height of his mania surrounding the current situation, and it’s so devastating and haunting that it’s darkly beautiful — and accurately portrays the experience of being drunk and losing time and memories.

The plot itself is twisty turny — and as others have described, it’s an interesting blend of thriller, domestic drama, and literary portrait of humanity. There’s lust, deceit, arrogance, corruption — everything that comes with affluence and privilege, especially when law enforcement looks the other way.

I was unbelievably consumed by this book, and it lived up to everything I expected. If this isn’t in your TBR yet, it should be!

Locust Lane is available now in Hardback, eBook, and Audiobook
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Book Review

Meet the Author: Stephen Amidon has published his books in sixteen countries which include two works of nonfiction, a collection of short stories, and seven novels. His novel Human Capital was adapted as a film directed by Marc Meyers in 2019. Another novel, Security, was adapted as a film and released by Netflix summer of 2021.

Synopsis: When Eden is found dead the three teens she is partying with that night are in question. During the investigation, the parents of the three teens will do anything in their power to defend the teens in question no matter the cost.

Reader’s Thoughts: Locust Lane is a mystery thriller full of suspense. It will keep you on your toes wondering who the killer is until the very end. I gave this novel three stars because it was extremely slow for me. Although it gave a lot of detail from the very beginning I just couldn't get into this one. It is told from the point of view of five parents and I found myself confused, having to stop and look back at who was talking and reread to figure out what was going on. The story line had a lot of potential, unfortunately this just wasn’t one of my favorite mysteries to date. Thank you for providing me with a complimentary review copy. In no way has that influenced my voluntary review.

Thank you to @celadonbooks for the eARC and @macmillan.audio for the ALC of Locust Grove. Oh yeah, and happy publication day even though I’m posting past 10pm 🕙 here in Tulsa.

There is one narrator and she does a fantastic job. However, I would suggest following along in print, at least at first, because there are a lot of characters. Once I got the hang of who was whom, I was good. Many will find the audio confusing for this reason though.

Locust Lane is about the murder/death of a young, teenage girl. She hasn’t made the best choices in life, but her life ends in such an unfortunate way. The only people to see her hours before her death are three fellow teenagers, two boys and a girl.

The entire book is narrated by parental figures except for one, lone town drunk…who also happened to hit a dog right in front of the house where the murder takes place on said night. And I gotta say, allllll the adults have their flaws. Some major, some not as much. One particular character I would HATE in real life.

This book starts off super slow, builds to where it is quite good…and then it fizzled for me. I need closure when it comes to books. Especially books where there is intense drama like this. What happened in the end there?

I think the only way I could rate this book higher is if I found out there would be a sequel to tie up the loose ends. I buddy read this with a group and when that was suggested, I latched right onto it. Because seriously, I need closure. Books, don’t leave me hanging.

When a young girl is murdered in an upscale community everyone is shocked. When the investigation discovers that 3 local teenagers from good homes were partying with the victim that night the community wants justice. it is written from the perspective of 5 different parents (the 3 teens, mother of the victim, and Patrick, a witness that night who also lost a teenage daughter tragically to drugs). Each parent has different motivations in protecting their family even if it’s at the expense of each other. Reputations are at risk. Loyalties are in question. Teenagers lie. Adults lie. What is the real truth about what happened? The book explores privilege, mental health, bullying, racial stereotypes, and the heartbreak of teen drug addiction. This would make a good book club choice as there are so many topics worth discussion. This was not a feel-good book. I didn’t care for any of the characters, except for the mother of the victim. All the relationships were complex and dysfunctional. In the end I just felt sorry for the kids. Wish the ending was a bit better. 3.75 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a very slow burn mystery told from 5 POVs. It’s a lot of characters to sort through at the beginning until you figure out who’s who and who is related. All of the perspectives are from parents - so none are coming directly from the kids that are involved in the murder. This one didn’t quite work for me with a lot of drawn out build up and an ambiguous/unsatisfying ending, but I could see others really enjoying it and it would make for a great book club pick with lots to discuss.

I think I would have thrown this book if it wasn’t on my kindle and therefore breakable. That being said, I don’t throw books that I feel indifferent about, so be prepared to get RILED. The characters are like 90% unlikeable (which is not a bad thing - a lot of people in real life are too 😂), so keep that in mind if you need a relatable and reliable narrator. The ending was infuriating and that’s all I’ll say about that 😌

🌟🌟🌟✨

Anyone could tell you that the rich and powerful will protect the rich and powerful. Those who fall into that category may do well to remember that the protection is not a right they’ve earned.

When Eden Perry turns up dead in the affluent suburb near her childhood home, it sends ripples through the community. When the three last people to see her were a trio of high school students with just enough secrets to make them suspects, the ripples turn to shockwaves that will take out anything in their path.

For Hannah, her bitter history may poison her optimistic future. For Jack, his arrogance may topple his inherited opportunities. And for Christopher, his desperation to be seen as an equal may overshadow his hard-earned successes.

But when the scales start tipping, their parents are willing to do whatever it takes to protect what’s theirs - no matter who they destroy in the process.

This book reminded me a lot of Defending Jacob which I loved. It discusses race, power, and influence. There is high tension throughout the novel and the plot is extremely realistic and a bit terrifying. I loved how the multiple POVs were used and the ending will leave you stunned.