Simone St James will forever be a favorite author of mine and this is definitely my second favorite book of her!

I absolutely loved this twisty, spooky read. I love the way James uses the paranormal in her books to uncover things. I particularly loved this spooky road as it reminded me of Lost Women of Highway 20! I loved how the characters had twisty pasts and though I inferred the plot twist, I enjoyed it. I wish we could have been given the interview (if you know, you know) at the end. Truly that would have wrapped this book up even better.

Thank you to Berkley for this free copy.

I have read and enjoyed almost all of Simone St. James's books, although the standout for me will always be The Sun Down Motel. I was looking forward to Murder Road, and the beginning is super strong: honeymooning couple pick up a young hitchhiker on a dark country road, and she dies before they can get her to the nearest hospital.

April is not the most likeable or reliable narrator, as she's clearly concealing past events and she comes across at times as cold and detached. Both April and her husband Eddie's pasts unfold throughout the story, and when the police view them as prime suspects they start to dig into the history of Atticus Line as well.

The good: short chapters, fast paced, secondary characters like Rose the widowed owner of the B&B or the teenage Snell sisters were really interesting.

The bad: I usually love the interplay between the mystery elements and the supernatural/ghostly side in St. James novels, but she lost me a little here. (April and Eddie's investigation into who the Lost Girl was and how she died worked fine for me, but the revelation that the Lost Girl had been possessing people and making them kill numerous hitchhikers over the years felt like too much paranormal stuff. There were a lot of coincidences there, including why the police focused so heavily on April and Eddie.)

In short: a quick read, enjoyable and suspenseful until it got a little too crazy in the last third or so.

After taking a wrong turn on their honeymoon, April and Eddie stumble across a lone hitchhiker on a deserted road. Soon they realize that she's bleeding and as they drive to the hospital, a truck barrels after them. After the hitchhiker dies, April and Eddie find themselves the only witnesses, and prime suspects, in a series of murders along that deserted stretch of road. As they try to clear their names, they realize something supernatural is taking place in this town full of dark secrets.

Simone St. James is known for her creepy thrillers full of ghost vibes and Murder Road fit has a similar premise but with lackluster results. St. James hooks you early with a gripping beginning but wasn't able to finish strong. Sadly, the book faded into an underwhelming read. Although the characters were extremely likable, the scenario felt clunky and a bit cliché.

Newlyweds April and Eddie take a wrong turn on their way to their honeymoon cottage, and they end up on a creepy road in the middle of nowhere. They pick up a hitchhiker and realize she’s bleeding profusely… and then they notice the truck getting closer and closer in their rear view mirror. (Aaaaagh!) The hitchhiker dies and the young couple becomes the prime suspects in her murder — and many other murders that have occurred on the same patch of deserted highway.

I love Simone St. James — she’s so good at incorporating supernatural creepy business into an already exciting thriller plot and making it seem reasonable. I loved that this was set in the 90s and loved April and Eddie (and Rose!) so much - super believable characters just trying to do their best while caught up in a crazy situation. I did think the ending was a little confusing but am 90% sure this was a me problem bc I was reading in the middle of the night. This was another great one from one of my favorite authors and is absolutely a must-read.

(4.5 rounded up)

This is my first Simone St. James books and I was so excited to read it as so many people love her books. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters. I found it to be a little slow, and honestly couldn’t wait for it to be over.

** “If there was one thing I knew, it was the feeling of carrying someone’s death on your hands. The knowledge that if you could rewind time, you could do something differently and that person would still be alive. Sometimes you regret it, and sometimes you don’t. But you carry it either way.” **

Simone St. James delivers a heart-pumping thriller with a supernatural twist in “Murder Road.”

On their honeymoon, Eddie and April Carter find themselves on an unknown road after taking a wrong turn. They stumble upon a young woman in desperate need of help. After taking her to the hospital, they find themselves drawn into a strange case involving an urban legend about a mysterious road and hitchhikers that end up dead.

Filled with twists and turns and truly creepy moments, St. James does an incredible job of developing a plot that leaves readers guessing until the very end. She offers just enough clues and misdirections to create an intriguing story, all while throwing in a supernatural twist.

Fans of authors like Mary Higgins Clark and Ruth Ware will love “Murder Road.”

One disclaimer: this book does contain some language throughout.

Five stars out of five.

Berkley provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Murder Road is the new paranormal mystery from Simone St. James - also a March Book-of-the-month add-on.

"July 1995 - April and Eddie are headed to their honeymoon when they take a wrong turn. On a back road they pick up a hitchhiker. They realize she's injured and rush her to a hospital. She dies from her injuries and they quickly become suspects. For years there have been unexplained deaths on that road. As April and Eddie dig into the history of the town, they discover something supernatural that could tear the town apart and take April and Eddie with it."

St. James has an easy-to-read writing style. The story flows at a fast pace. There's always something happening - a new lead or suspect or new piece of information. There are supernatural elements (like in previous St. James's books) but it's not horror - just a part of the story. There are some wild moments on the road.
April has secrets and Eddie has connections he doesn't even know about. You will guess them pretty quickly, but that won't change the enjoyment of the story.
A surprising killer and a wild ending. Another great, entertaining story from St. James.

Synopsis: The year is 1995, and newlyweds April and Eddie are road-tripping to Lake Michigan for their honeymoon. In the middle of the night, something makes Eddie turn off the highway, and they find themselves on a deserted stretch of road with strange lights in the trees and a girl stumbling along the side of the road. They stop to help her and become wrapped up in a decades-long mystery of hitchhikers winding up dead on Atticus Line. Is there a serial killer lurking in the town, or is something even more sinister at play?

Thoughts: “It was the worst road in America.” Oooh so spooky!! Simone St. James does it again! I just can’t get enough of her paranormal thrillers. She somehow takes ghost stories and makes them feel so realistic and believable. As always, the atmosphere and vibes were spot on in this book. I felt like I was right in the middle of a small town in the 90s on a deserted spooky road. I also really enjoyed the depth and backstories of the main characters. I was really pulled into their lives and into the mystery. I highly recommend checking this one out - I anticipate it being one of my top thrillers of the year!

Read this if you like:
👻 ghost stories
👻 spine-tingling thrillers
👻 small town setting
👻 serial murders/true crime vibes

Title: Murder Road
Author: Simone St. James
Published: 5th March 2024 (US), 28th March 2024 (UK)
Genre: Thriller/Horror/Mystery
Age: Adult

What’s it About?

Murder Road is set in 1995 and begins as a young newlywed couple, April and Eddie, have taken a wrong turn while driving to their honeymoon resort. The pair find themselves driving down a long, deserted stretch of highway - Atticus Line - that simply doesn’t feel right. After spotting strange lights in the surrounding woods, the couple come across a young girl staggering along the side of the road and stop to offer assistance. They quickly learn that the girl has been stabbed and drive her to the nearest hospital, where she dies.

April and Eddie immediately become suspects in the girl’s murder and soon learn that she is the latest in a series of unsolved murders that have happened along Atticus Line since the 1970s. The murders began with the death of an unnamed woman who has become known as the Lost Girl, and who is said to haunt the road to this day. Determined to clear their names, the couple decide to investigate the cold cases themselves but in doing so, begin to dredge up uncomfortable truths from their pasts.

Opinions:

This was my second Simone St. James book. I read The Sun Down Motel several years ago and loved it, so I’d been meaning to read more from this author for a while now, but somehow had never gotten around to it. I flew through Murder Road in just two days and two sittings, and I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed on the first day! The writing style is laid back and easy to read while never feeling slow or boring, in fact, it keeps the tension high throughout and there are some truly thrilling moments, many of which I think will chill female readers to the core due to their familiarity.

Eddie and April are both interesting main characters too. Both were likeable and intriguing from the start, although I did find myself facepalming at several of their decisions - personally, if I were under suspicion of murdering a stranger, I wouldn’t head out to trample around the crime scene and even commit additional crimes in the hope of clearing my name! From the outset, we know that both are hiding secrets from us and from one another, and while one of the big twists was painfully obvious to me from early on, there was enough going on here to keep my interest piqued throughout the whole book. I loved all the supporting characters too, particularly Rose the grouchy B&B owner, who I could happily read a whole book about.

One thing that did start to bug me a little was the 90s references that seemed to be shoehorned in wherever possible. It felt like the author really wanted us to remember that the story was set in 1995 and kept hammering home the point with endless nods to songs on the radio or posters on walls and it quickly became something that dragged me out of the story instead of immersing me further.

Reading Murder Road has reminded me that I really need to get on and read more Simone St. James books. It’s also reminded me that I actually do enjoy thrillers more than I’d realised, especially those with a slight hint of the paranormal about them, such as this book and Home Before Dark by Riley Sager. I would highly recommend Murder Road for all thriller lovers as well as readers looking for less gruesome horror recommendations. Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rating: 5/5

4.5 rounded up to 5

I really enjoyed this book. It was totally bingeable, and I had a very hard time putting it down. I don't find many books creepy, but this one definitely had the creep factor, and I was all for it.

It's July 1995, April and Eddie have just gotten married. They're heading on their honeymoon, but Eddie takes a wrong turn. It's the middle of the night, and they're not sure where they are, but they spot a lone female hitchhiker and decide to stop. Once she's in the car, they can see the blood seeping through her jacket and realize they need to get her to the nearest hospital. Out of nowhere, a truck comes barreling down the road, chasing them until they hit Coldlake Falls. Unfortunately, it's too late for the hitchhiker, and she ends up dying. The police suspect Eddie and April and tell them not to leave town. They decide to do some digging of their own to clear their names and find out there have been quite a few unexplained murders along Atticus Line since 1976. Who's been committing these murders? Has it been a single person, or is there something supernatural going on?

This was a supernatural thriller with a dash of horror. It had a chilling mystery, and the story was extremely captivating. I really liked April and Eddie. I thought they were great characters, and I loved how they helped each other overcome past demons. This was my 1st book by Simone St. James, but I will most definitely be reading her backlist. This book was so good, and I would most definitely recommend it.

I really loved the Sun Down Motel by St. James, and I hated the Book of Cold Cases (capital H, Hated). So, I was interested to see where this one fell between the two extremes of her previous works for me. Ultimately, this fell in the middle. I definitely enjoyed it a lot but there were a few moments where the story lost me.
My favorite part of this story was the setting(s). The atmosphere of the story was so well realized and so creepy. April and Eddie were also really compelling characters, and I enjoyed watching them navigate the plot elements.
Where the story lost me was the pacing. I found that the first third and the last third were really strong in terms of plot pacing, tone, and character. The middle third was a bit muddied when it came to figuring out what it wanted to be. We wanted to focus on drama, and town history, and the main plot of the story, and family drama, etc.--it was just a lot. However, I was so drawn in and compelled by the story from the beginning that I pushed through, and that last third really tightened up and picked up again.

This was a good read, and I hope for more reads like this from Simone St. James in the future!

The nitty-gritty: A newlywed couple out of their element try to solve a murder involving an angry ghost in this fast-paced, emotional thriller.

Simone St. James is back with another twisty supernatural mystery, and while I didn’t like this quite as much as her last book, The Book of Cold Cases, there is plenty here to enjoy.

The story takes place in the summer of 1995 and follows newlyweds April and Eddie, who, when the story opens, are driving to Lake Michigan for their honeymoon. Somewhere along the way, Eddie winds up on a dark, unfamiliar road, although he can’t remember how he got there. Before they can figure out how to get back on course, they spot an injured girl walking on the side of the road. They stop and pick her up, intending to drive her to the local hospital for help. But the girl, whose name is Rhonda Jean, dies from her injuries, and suddenly April and Eddie are murder suspects.

Forced to stay in the small town of Coldlake Falls while they are questioned by the police, the two find themselves embroiled in a decades-long investigation where other people have disappeared or been murdered while walking on Atticus Line, the road where Eddie and April picked up Rhonda Jean. An urban legend about the Lost Girl, a ghost who haunts the road and kills lost travelers out of revenge, captures April’s imagination, and before long she’s delving into local history, trying to uncover the identity of the girl. But the Lost Girl isn’t finished yet, and Eddie and April are in her crosshairs.

The story is told from April’s first person point of view, and I enjoyed her unique voice and her determination to find the truth, even though she has no experience in law enforcement. Through her eyes the mystery unfolds, so the reader is just as much in the dark as April and Eddie are. St. James does a great job of slowly revealing the mystery of Atticus Line and the Lost Girl by adding in lots of creepy moments as well as introducing side characters who help fill in the blanks. I loved the scenes that take place on the “murder road.” It’s almost as if a spell were cast over it, since there seems to be a supernatural force that draws people in but plays with their memories as well. Both Eddie and April see things—or think they see things—that can’t be explained, and as the story goes, anyone who sees the Lost Girl on Atticus Line will be the next to die. 

The story starts off with one murder to solve, but the author makes her plot more complex when other deaths from the past, also connected to Atticus Line, seem to suggest a serial killer might be involved (although remember this is Simone St. James, so nothing is quite as it seems at first). Then there are April’s and Eddie’s backstories, which are seamlessly woven into the narrative. We know from the beginning that April suffered some kind of trauma as a child and that her mother is dead. We don’t find out the nature of that trauma until later, but it’s presented as a big secret, since April hasn’t even told Eddie the whole truth of what happened.

Eddie is ex-military and served in Iraq, and therefore has his own trauma to deal with. Certain events trigger his PTSD, and being involved with Rhonda Jean’s death isn’t helping at all. Both Eddie and April are keeping secrets from each other too, which I didn’t like at first, because I really loved their relationship and I didn’t want any drama to come between them. But St. James handled it so well, and in the end I loved the way they worked things out. I do want to mention a few other things about their relationship that I loved, since it felt unique from any other fictional relationship I’ve seen before. Both come from modest roots and neither has much money. April spent a great deal of her life doing odd jobs just to stay afloat, and Eddie’s PTSD prevents him from holding down any job for long. But together they complement each other perfectly, and each feels lucky to have found the other. It was truly a beautifully written marriage, and I wanted nothing more than for them to both make it to the end of the story.

There are some really good side characters as well. The couple ends up staying at a bed and breakfast run by a prickly woman named Rose, who later takes Eddie and April under her wing and helps them solve the case of the Lost Girl. Rose is obsessed with Princess Diana (the story takes place before her death), which was bittersweet because I was a big fan of hers as well. I thought the detective in charge of Rhonda Jean’s murder was a little to much of a typical story villain, so I didn’t really like his character that much. His immediate assumption when Eddie and April bring Rhonda Jean to the hospital is that they must have attacked her, because they have her blood all over their clothes, lol.

April and Eddie do some stupid stuff too, like going back to Atticus Line after their first bad experience on the road. True, they are trying to figure who the Lost Girl was, but come on! Some of the reveals about the murder were a little far fetched for me, and I was hoping for some kind of shocking twist near the end, but I sort of figured things out myself. I thought the characters’ personal dramas were actually more interesting than the ghost storyline, and in the end it was April’s and Eddie’s backstories that had the most impact on me.

Still, this is another fun supernatural mystery from an excellent writer.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Murder Road is the newest from Simone St. James and was my first book I’ve had the pleasure of reading by this author. If all of her books are half this atmospheric, then my TBR just got a whole lot longer.

The vibes of Murder Road are phenomenal. For readers who love the nostalgia of the 90s, you will be thrilled with what St. James has accomplished here. The tensions of April and Eddie cackle off the page as they fight to prove what they saw and their innocence. Special shoutout to Rose for being the best character, her Princess Di obsession was everything.

Murder Road has a really strong beginning and end but unfortunately the middle is a bit of a struggle. I love a good genre bender, but the family drama combined with the mystery, the paranormal and the town’s past all becomes a bit muddled. However, with Brittany Pressley narrating, the audiobook still felt captivating. My advice- if you are struggling, KEEP GOING!

Overall, this was a strong 4 star thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed

Set in 1995, while traveling to a motel to celebrate their honeymoon April and Eddie take a wrong turn. While trying to find their way back to the road they should be on they see a young woman on the side of the road. They decide to stop and give her a ride which ends up changing their vacation plans altogether. The girl is not only wounded with blood everywhere but there’s a truck that’s now chasing them. After outrunning the truck and taking her to the hospital where she dies they become suspects in her murder. They end up staying in the small town as the police start their investigation but they soon realize that this may not be a new investigation but an ongoing investigation as there have been other murders on that deserted road they picked up the girl on. This may be the work of a serial killer. April and Eddie start trying to find their own answers and they go down a haunting path.

Simone St. James is amazing at blending a crime novel and a paranormal novel. Her characters always feel well rounded and a bit gritty but likable and this book was no exception. The setting of a small town in Michigan in the summer of 1995 is perfect for a murder investigation possibly involving a serial killer. While reading I could so vividly see the Blockbuster as we past by it on a hot day with the air conditioning barely keeping us cool. Also the frustration of getting lost but the uncertain confidence that we’ll find the way back to where we’re supposed to be. I got my license in the era of Mapquest that soon turned into GPS and have no idea how people would stay so calm getting lost with only a map as their directions but that’s all I ever witnessed as a kid.

The mystery surrounding so many different aspects of this book kept me reading straight through. Not only the mystery of the murders and the possibly supernatural elements but the mysteries surrounding the different characters. Some, like April and Eddie I immediately loved but had so many questions and others I disliked but needed to know more. The way they interacted throughout the book built on the mystery throughout.

Though I saw the twist coming a mile away I was still very entertained and excited by it. While not my favorite Simone St. James novel this is still a solid one and did not disappoint. Definitely recommencd!

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and Ms. St. James for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Ms. St. James writes a unique sort of mystery suspense. Her books aren't particularly gory but the fear factor in them is (for me, at least) visceral. It is the EXACT sort of "scary" that scares me the most. That feeling that you're being watched... and then you look up and someone is standing in the shadows. A feeling of cold on the back of your neck, and then out of the corner of your eye you spot her, a semi-transparent hollow-eyed ghost in the back seat of the car. The things that go bump in the night; the creak of the stair being stepped on, the shiver of a voice in your ear. Terrifying. This book is no exception. Eddie and April, two days married, are driving through rural Michigan on their way to their honeymoon resort when they get lost. They pick up a hitchhiker who they discover is terribly injured, and who dies shortly after they bring her to the hospital. Eddie and April are forced to stay in Coldlake Falls under suspicion of murder while the police investigate. Of course, they undertake their own investigation, and of course, each has secrets that are unveiled along with the main mystery.

I liked Eddie and April together; they are two damaged, half-broken people who help each other to function. There were a couple loose threads in their characterization that I wish were tied up but overall they were great. I really liked Rose, the woman in whose bed-and-breakfast Eddie and April stayed in Coldlake Falls. She was a quirky character. The police were such well-described characters (Kai, Beam, Kyle) that I thought they would play a larger role in the story than they did. The only real issue I had is that I thought Mr. Haller's behavior was uncharacteristic at the end (as, to a point, was Detective Quentin's). However, I had no complaints. I didn't come for the mystery, I came for the scares, and Ms. St. James *delivered*. April's solo foray on Atticus Line had me turning on all the lights!

Not my #1 favorite St. James novel (that's still Maddy St. Clare) but it delivered on its promise: an entertaining story with a solid scare. 4.5 stars.

St. James never disappoints. I really enjoyed this one with all of its twists and turns and, of course, the way it all came together in the end. The balance of mundane and supernatural was perfect and while I usually prefer a little bit more character development the plot really carried Murder Road enough for me to stay invested. Can’t wait for the next.

Paranormal mystery thriller.

April and Eddie Carter, recent newlyweds in the summer of 1995, are on their way to Five Pines Resort for their honeymoon when they take a wrong turn off the Interstate and end up on a deserted road named Atticus Line. Suddenly, they spot a young woman walking along and stop to ask her if she needs a ride. When she gets into their backseat, April notices that the woman is bleeding and they rush her to a local hospital in Coldlake Falls. That’s when their plans are completely derailed.

The woman dies and suddenly April and Eddie are suspects. Turns out that this is not the first murder on that road. There have been 6 known victims over the past 19 years. Since they are not allowed to leave town, April and Eddie start looking into these strange, linked cases.

I enjoyed this well enough but somehow missed the word, paranormal, in the description when I requested it from NetGalley. I can’t bend my rational, pragmatic mind enough to buy into this aspect of a murder mystery investigation that is beyond scientific reasoning. The plot was interesting if predictable, and I did like April and Eddie as the main characters. I’ve no doubt it will prove popular among readers who will more enjoy this creepy tale with its haunting elements.

Thank you to the publisher for granting access to this title to read and review.

Simone St. James is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw she had a new book I knew I would love it.

This was so different from her other releases. In my opinion, it takes a minute to get into her books. They typically have a slow start with a punch at the end.
This was different. I felt like it started off strong, sagged a little in the middle, then had the punch at the end.
I didn’t feel quite as connected to this story as I have in the past. It could just be due to me being in a slump, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed.

I love this author and I think this one might be my favorite SSJ book to date! Once I started I could NOT put it down!!

This book was creepy and had me on the edge of my seat. Also loved the 1990's setting and the nods to that era.

April and Eddie, both broken in their own way. But together they are stronger. They have just gotten married and are headed off on their honeymoon.

Their road trip is going well. It's late. Eddie is driving and April wakes up from a car nap. He asks her to get the map, as he thinks they have taken a wrong turn. They are off the highway, on a dark road when they see a person walking in the road. They stop to help, realize she is bleeding, and rush her to the hospital. And she dies. Obviously they are suspects and can't leave town.

The investigation begins and it is a wild ride on Murder Road from here on out.

Some things I did not see coming, and I enjoyed every minute of this one right until the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨ Review ✨ Murder Road by Simone St. James; Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I've been saying I want to read a Simone St. James book through at least her last three releases, and I've finally read one! Thrillers aren't my most common genre, so I appreciated the supernatural angle to mix things up!

It's 1995 and April and Eddie are en route to their honeymoon on the shores of Lake Michigan. They're driving to a small town cabin late at night when they realize they're lost and they see a girl on the side of the road. When they arrive to the hospital only for the girl to die shortly thereafter, they become the center of the murder investigation.

Thoughts:
⭕️ It took a while for the spooky angle to come into play and I almost wished for it to come a little sooner and for it to be a little more intense.
⭕️ I loved the small town Michigan vibes - I could totally picture this town, this abandoned road, the nosy community members, the dated B&B.
⭕️ Excellent audio narration - you can't go wrong with Brittany Pressley! All of the voices and moods she brought to the characters really made this book fun to listen to!
⭕️ The two teens that lived in this town that April and Eddie met were fantastic. Could totally picture them!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)
Genre: mystery/thriller
Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
Setting: rural Michigan
Pub Date: 05 Apr 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ supernatural thrillers
⭕️ 1990s settings
⭕️ newlyweds with secrets
⭕️ Princess Diana-themed Bed and Breakfasts