Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon.

When Eden, a young woman in a quiet, affluent town, turns up dead, the residents are shocked. Nothing like this happens in Emerson, MA, it's known for being so quiet and safe. But the town takes a double hit when Christopher, a quiet kid with powerful friends, is arrested for Eden's murder. But there are several people in the town that are determined to prove his innocence, even if it means exposing people who will stop at nothing to stay hidden.

Oh wow, this is a slow burn with coals that are HOT HOT HOT. As always, I love a cold, atmospheric, small town murder. The cast in this was most of what made this book so compelling. Even though the story centers around three teens, it is mostly told through the perspective of the parents, which, for me, was so relatable. All of it! I can't imagine losing a child, and I also can't imagine losing my child to life in prison. There was so much underlying tension and grief that you can't help but get pulled in also.

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧

Thank you NetGalley, Libro.Fm, & Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was fantastic! I was completely enamored from the first 5 mins. The prologue is brilliant!! 👏 It pulls the listener in and hooks them immediately. I couldn't listen fast enough!

Locust Lane takes place in the well-to-do suburb of Emerson, Massachusetts. It's a multi-POV mystery that follows a group of families / individuals who find themselves connected in unexpected ways.

The audiobook, narrated by the brilliant and talented Cassandra Campbell, was incredibly well done! 👏Her ability to narrate such a large cast of characters, with a different voice for each, is nothing short of amazing!

Locust Lane is a captivating mix of mystery, thriller, and drama, and I definitely recommend it in audiobook format.

This is hard to write without spoilers. It gave me [book:Big Little Lies|33516773] vibes.

This story is told from multiple points of view, which I always enjoy. However, I feel like they were all the WRONG POVs. Celia's POV was probably the most excruciating of all due to the enabling of Jack by literally everyone.

Despite every single character being deplorable, the book did hold my interest. I was planning on at least three stars until the last 15ish percent. There are just too many things that bothered me and were unnecessary.

Basically, other then the enabling, the things I can't get past are:
<spoiler>
Killing Patrick
Christopher molesting Eden
THE ENDING- (or rather, the lack of ending)
</spoiler>

Cassandra Campbell narrates the audiobook and can always be relied on for a great narration.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

💭Thoughts:
This book gives new meaning to the term slow burn, almost to the point of boredom. The prologue was fantastic and had me hooked right away, but it started to go downhill from there.

The story is told from the POV of many different people in the small town. I normally love multiple POV, but in this chase I think it detracted from the story. So many people and yet not one of them I felted connected to.

I kept reading and didn’t DNF because I wanted to know how it ended, even though, honestly at about 50% I decided I didn’t really care how it ended. Then the ending came and it definitely left something to be desired. After all is said and done, I don’t know what the point of the story was.

The narration was great and the characters were voiced well.

I’ve seen lots of great reviews for this book and I’m glad so many people enjoyed it. All books have their audience, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I loved this book so I knew I would love the audiobook as well.
Great job by the narrator and the writer.

I really liked this. It reminded me of Little Fires Everywhere, but without being derivative. I think it would be a great choice for book groups.


Review copy provided by publisher.

First of all, I am so thankful and gracious towards Stephen Amidon, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for granting me Advanced Listener access to Locust Lane, as well as towards Celadon and BookishFirst for sending me a physical copy of the book prior to its publication date of January 17, 2023.

I really enjoyed this book and I feel it's the best type of mystery/thriller to read when the leaves are falling and the temperature is dropping, right outside my window.

When a young woman is found dead after a small gathering, in an even smaller town, where everybody knows everybody's business, nothing can follow this reveal. Fingers are instantly shoved into conspiratorial, racist directions, as the townspeople (with no actual help from the police department) try to pin down what happened.

Three high school friends, Christopher, Hannah, and Jack are thicker than thieves, but after their get-together finds another party left for dead, everyone shoots accusatory glances at Christopher, for apparently, they were seeing each other in more ways than just as friends. Calculate the fact that all of the parents in this bougie town are of the powerful type, then you'll be able to understand that they would go to war to protect their kids and perhaps even cover for them at trying times.

Locust Lane is a story of trials being tested, friendships stretched, and toxicity amongst family structures and societal organizations that is more often seen in the non-fictional world than you'd think. It's he said, she said until people get hurt and accusations ruin reputations, but it's not long until the root of the motive is unlocked and it is likely to shock you to your core.

Eden Perry, a young woman down on her luck, has been found murdered in an affluent Boston suburb. Her mother is determined someone pay for her daughter’s death and suspicion is quickly cast on the three teenagers Eden was partying with before her death. The wealthy parents of the suspects and the town residents circle their wagons to protect their own, no matter what the cost. This story was told from several points of view – but all from the parents. would have liked to hear from the teens themselves, but I think Amidon was making the point that most parents don’t know their children half as well as they think they do

I absolutely love thrillers set in affluent neighborhoods. There's just something about the way that the characters' seemingly perfect lives unravel that completely draws me in! Plus this cover couldn't be more perfect for this time of year.

In Locust Lane, I really liked how I had no idea which characters to trust. There are a lot of characters and relationships, so it took me a few chapters (and writing it down) to get them all straight. I liked that the reader isn't sure who they should be rooting for, because even the sympathetic characters were realistically flawed. I did find it strange, though, how passive Danielle was about her daughter's death. I never really felt her grief.

I found it interesting that we never heard directly from any of the characters that were involved in the case. This had its pros and cons, but ultimately I would have liked a chapter or two from each of the teens.

I would consider Locust Lane more of a neighborhood drama with some mystery and a death, not a true thriller. I wasn't spooked, and it was a slow burn where the reader already knew who died and is working backward to figure out what really happened. The ending is satisfying but not tied up in a perfect, unbelievable bow, and I enjoyed how the story was wrapped up.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but I certainly am interested in reading more by him in the future.

My least favorite part: I will always read the name Geoff as "gay-off". If you don't want me to call the character Gay-off, spell Jeff correctly!

Audio Review: I love Cassandra Campbell! Her voice is the perfect fit for an affluent neighborhood thriller. Also, an added benefit to listening to the audiobook: you can't tell that the author spelled Jeff the silly way.