I really love the way Simone St. James tells a story. She has a marvelous ability to craft a creepy and unusual world that feels just this side of possible and makes the supernatural feel entirely plausible. Her characterizations are very strong and fully three dimensional. The fundamental idea here isn't necessarily a new one, but the delivery and presentation were wholly original and fully St. James in style. The pacing was consistent and the creepy factor just back-of-the-neck-stirring enough to satisfy without being so intense that I couldn't read it at night.

I really enjoyed this one--I think it's my new favorite by Simone St. James! Eddie and April are newlyweds in the summer of 1995, traveling to their honeymoon in an isolated town in Michigan. Eddie takes a wrong turn down a deserted road, and they pick up an injured hitchhiker on the side of the road. The young woman later dies at the hospital, and Eddie and April become the number one suspects. This fast-paced mystery is a quick read full of 1990s details that kept me turning the pages until the satisfying conclusion. Simone St. James is the queen of the supernatural mystery. Thanks so much to Netgalley, Berkley, and the author for the librarian preview copy!

July 1995. April and Eddie Carter are newlyweds from Ann Arbor. Eddie is ex-military and working as a mechanic. April works at a bowling alley. They have taken 5 days off work to go to a little resort town to celebrate their honeymoon. They take a wrong turn and end up on Atticus Line in Coldlake Falls. On the dark rainy night on the tree-lined, deserted road they see a hitchhiker and stop to see if she is okay. They pick her up but soon discover that she is seriously injured and needs an emergency room quickly. A menacing black pickup roars up Atticus Line in pursuit of the threesome and the hitchhiker whispers “he’s coming” before losing consciousness.

Are you intrigued? You should be! This novel is a hair-raising, action-packed supernatural thriller which held me in thrall from the first page. Eddie and April are a likeable couple with a great connection and chemistry. They each hold secrets about their past and struggle with their demons, but the reader wants them to succeed. The author takes an urban legend of the hitchhiker on a lonely road and infuses it with a chilling ghostly energy that feels completely believable. I will never feel the same way again about driving on a lonely road in the woods. My only criticism would be that the denouement with Detective Quentin at the conclusion of the novel felt unnecessary and the book wouldn’t suffer without it.

A ripping good spooky yarn and you should read it! Thanks to Penguin Random House/Berkley for providing me with a copy to read.

April and Eddie are on their honeymoon in July 1995 when they take a wrong turn on the way to the small town resort they are heading to. They pick up a hitchhiker on Atticus Line in the middle of the night and discover she has been stabbed. When she dies at the hospital, April and Eddie become suspects of several murders investigated by the Coldlake Falls police. They start looking into the murders themselves and discover something supernatural and scary going on.

I love this authors books and really enjoyed this newest one. It has such a creepy atmosphere and the supernatural elements were spooky but fun. It was nostalgic 90s and was really eerie at times. There was no big shocker really but it kept me turning the pages wanting to know what happens. The side characters were fantastic as well. If you liked her previous books I think you will enjoy this one too.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for an arc for review.

If I had to pick only one author to read, Simone St. James would be on the list of top candidates. From the very first page to the very last, I'm always totally captivated, and Murder Road is the latest in the lineup of thrillers with things that go bump in the night. I loved the nostalgic feel of the 1990s, and April and Eddie are a couple that anyone might know, although the fact that they're both hiding secrets makes them even more compelling characters. I'm pretty sure that I say this about every Simone St. James book, but this might be my favorite yet. The setting, the characters, all of it.

Simone St. James continues to impress me with her books! This supernatural thriller not only creeped me out, but it shocked me when it came to the ending. I wasn’t expecting the “who-dun-it” part to be who it was so I was giddy finding out! This is the perfect spooky thriller if you’re a fan of these kind of books but be prepared to have your skin crawling with goosebumps!

One of the things I love most about Simone St. James is how she can write a mix of genres in her books. This one is a mashup of horror (supernatural) and murder mystery, and I found it to be unique, scary, and intriguing. I’ve been checking my backseat at night when I get into the car because of this book. And I certainly don’t want to drive down secluded roads in the dark.

Murder Road is going to be one of my personal favorites this year, so I recommend it to those who like supernatural, murder mysteries, and fantastic characters who are flawed and realistic.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙
❥ Supernatural Thrillers
❥ Ghost Stories
❥ Murder Mysteries

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read, but mostly listened to this. How can you not when Brittany Presley is the narrator? She is so good! This is only told through one POV, April, but the narrator is so good at differentiating the other female voices and has a good male voice.

It's 1995 and Eddie and April just got married and are on their way for a few days of rest/relaxation for their honeymoon. They are on a dark, isolated road as Eddie took a wrong turn. Suddenly, they see a woman standing in the road. They pick her up, find out she is stabbed, take her to a hospital where she dies. Soon, they are suspects in the woman's murder when they were just trying to be good Samaritans.

I finished this audiobook in a day. The story sucked me in right from the spooky beginning. It's a creepy mystery mixed with supernatural horror. It being in the 90's also helped to add to the spooky element. A great read and I definitely recommend it.

Murder Road may sound like something you've read before, but it was a new and fresh take on a serial killer/hitchhiker story. Newlyweds April and Eddie were on their way to their honeymoon when they noticed someone on the side of the road who looked like they needed help. They end up letting a young woman hitch a ride with them without realizing that she was badly stabbed and dying in the backseat. They then rush the mysterious young woman to the hospital, but not soon enough. The young woman dies in the hospital, leaving the newlyweds as the only witnesses.

Being the last two people to see her alive, and having an odd and incomprehensible story as to why they were on that road to begin with, all eyes are on them as the murderers.

April and Eddie have their own troubled backstories and would rather not get involved with law enforcement, but they find themselves stuck in a small town that has been getting terrorized by murders for decades, starting with the first one, The Lost Girl. Her identity was never uncovered, but for decades hitchhikers have been murdered on Atticus Line.

This is set in 1995 and has a strong 90s feel to the story, which I really enjoyed. This is told in one POV and was a perfect spooky ghost story. If you are interested in a chilling ghost story set in a small town plagued with unsolved murders and lots of sketchy characters, look no further.

I thought this story was perfectly placed, was eerie, and the murder mystery aspect with a touch of paranormal made this thrilling. The twists and the ending really wrapped everything up. This has a satisfying ending and it thoroughly entertained me from the beginning to the end.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Penguin Random House Audio for the complimentary ebook, physical book, and audiobook of this title. This publishes on 3/5/24!

Simone St. James is an automatic read for me, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC for this book. This story opens with a newlywed couple missing a turn on the way to their honeymoon, only to find themselves on an eerily quiet road. While on the road, they stumble upon a lone hitchhiker. They offer her a ride, and, suddenly, this couple is thrust into the middle of a decades long mystery. As always, St. James deftly weaves a gripping mystery together with a chilling supernatural story, and I loved the homage this paid to the iconic haunted hitchhiker legend. The two main characters, Eddie and April, both have complex backstories that I loved to watch unfold, and the side characters (particularly the teen sisters the two come to rely on) gave me so much joy. My only complaint would be that some of the twists were a little predictable, but I think that's a risk all authors take when paying homage to such a classic legend. Would definitely recommend for all supernatural thriller fans. Thanks again to NetGalley, St. James, and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Also my Blog Tour Post….

I am speechless!
Murder Road by Simone St. James is a clever and intriguing supernatural thriller.
The creepy, chills down my spine- feelings I had the entire book! I am not sure how an author can manage to spin such an atmospheric feel with words that you are entirely caught up in the whole vibe.
The book's atmospheric setting and well-developed characters create an immersive reading experience that keeps readers eagerly turning pages.
St. James skillfully builds tension and suspense throughout keeping me hooked.
The characters were so well developed and the superb writing was spectacular.
The suspense had me turning the pages into the early morning.
A dark, engrossing, chilling, gothic, suspenseful, atmospheric, mysterious thriller! Absolutely loved it!!!
Exceptional storytelling that completely sucked me in and would not let me go until the last word.

Thank You Berkley/Penguin Random House for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

No one knows how to wrap together a murder mystery and ghost story like Simone St. James and she’s done it again with Murder Road 👏👏👏

Imagine setting out for your honeymoon, getting lost on a dark road where you come upon a girl who’s been stabbed along the side of a road, taking her to the nearest hospital, only to find yourselves suspects in her murder. That’s where we meet out protagonists April and Eddie Carter. Cue the cold cases and ghosts; and buckle up for another phantasmic ride by my favorite author of the paranormal.

I thought the first third of this was a pretty good mystery. Then, a ghost and absurdity took over. I think this will be the last one I read from this author.

Murder Road is a book that DEL-IVERS on the high suspense, supernatural mystery vibe and I absolutely enjoyed every moment of this ride.

Dropping right into the action, Murder Road serves up the gothic, creepy, haunting mood from page one with April and Eddie stopping to pick up a badly injured women hitchhiking on the side of a deserted stretch of road, only to find themselves as the prime suspect in her death. The action never lets up from that moment on, as they work to untangle the unsolved mystery of the string of seemingly unrelated deaths that have haunted that area for decades, and the original cold case with an unidentified Lost Girl that started it all.

Everything in this books hits perfectly - the pacing, the intense atmospheric setting that feels expansive and claustrophobic all at once, the dynamic and colorful characters that drive the story, and of course - the ghosts. I was glued to the page, flying through chapters and dying to see if April and Eddie could really find the answers that would set them free.

No spoilers - but prepare yourself to be fully absorbed into this story, and clear your calendar to stay fully immersed in this plot that will haunt you long after the very last page.

Many thanks to Berkey for the copy!

4.5 stars. Simone St. James gets better with every novel. I literally could not put this down!
It's 1995 and April and Eddie are on their honeymoon. April has fallen asleep in during the drive to the resort where they'll be staying and when she awakens she doesn't know where they are. Unfortunately, neither does Eddie, nor does he remember how they even got there. They see a young woman all alone on this stretch of weird highway, and decide to see if she needs help. The girl has been stabbed and April and Eddie try to get her to the hospital in Cold Springs. The girl dies and the police decide that April and Eddie are to blame.
The couple scrap their honeymoon plans to figure out what is going on in this strange town with it's strange legend of the Lost Girl. And why no one should ever hitchhike on the Atticus Line.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this e-arc.*

I got about 20% in and just felt a little bored? I don’t find myself wanting to pick it back up, and I’m not really caring what happens. I’ve heard good things from others but don’t think this one is for me.

I've heard good things about this author, but it's the first book I'm read. It sure won't be the last! This creepy, nostalgic thriller hooked me from the start! There's a nice blend of 90s, mystery, murder, small town setting, and ghosts. A little bit of something for just about everyone. And the secondary characters add to the creepiness. I was totally engaged as April and Eddie were compelled to solve the murders and mystery, as well as tried to get out of town. As this took place in 1995, some of the current ways of solving cases didn't exist, so it put this book on a different level. I look forward to reading more books by St. James.

What to expect in this book:

-90s setting
-Eery and creepy
-Honeymoon horror
-Paranormality
-Surprising twists

Thoughts

Thank you to @prhaudio, @berkley, and @NetGalley for advanced listening copy and eArc in exchange for an honest review. I have read one of this author's books, The Book of Cold Cases, and loved it! So I was so excited to see that she had a new one coming out in 2024. It is 1995 and April and Eddie are headed on their honeymoon when they take a wrong turn. They are headed to resort when they end up finding a hitchhiker on the side of the ride. After stopping to help her, they find that she is dying and things do not look good. Innocent, they begin to be the top murder suspects of this hitchhiker and make it their duty to solve this murder as well as to get to the bottom of the mysterious of this town that seems to supernatural.

This was such an entertaining listen and made for an interesting thriller. I do not often read stories set in the 90s and loved all the pop culture references amidst the creepiness of this story. While there are elements of paranormality, I do not think that made it difficult to follow. However, it was not until the end that I truly understood how that element of the story impacted April and Eddie specifically. There were a lot of secrets and a little bit of a con-artist element that I found to be surprising as well. While I found this entertaining, parts of it were forgettable for me and as an avid thriller reader I am not sure this will be one of the first I recommend.

But if you are in the mood for a creepy, fast-paced thriller, be sure to look out for this one as it publishes March 5.

Thank you to Berkley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Simone St. James is one of my go-to authors. She always delivers a dual timeline book that keeps me flipping pages long into the night.This book was a bit different than her past few books for me. It is the story of a newlywed couple that takes a wrong turn on their way to their honeymoon. They soon find themselves entrenched in a murder investigation.
This book is a fast paced supernatural thriller, but the characters weren't something that I connected with. They felt a little bit off compared to her other fully fleshed out characters of prior books. The big reveal in the final chapters was just ok for me. I still would recommend her other books without hesitation, but this one wasn't the best for me.

I can usually count on this author for a solid story I'm going to enjoy - and this novel did not disappoint!

Great pacing, deep and flawed but lovable characters, a mystery with twists I didn't see coming, just enough supernatural and creepy moments... this story checked many boxes for me. As much as the story isn't realistic (as is the case with many supernatural stories), it felt realistic and the characters behaved in ways that felt true to themselves. I loved the relationship between the newlywed main characters so much and was rooting for them hard. The 90's nostalgia was just icing on the cake.

I would highly recommend this to any mystery/thriller fans out there.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publish date; March 5, 2024

I had such a fun time reading this! I read it in practically one sitting, totally eating it up.

This story was like catnip!! All starting with a wrong turn, newlywed couple April and Eddie find themselves mixed up in an eerie murder case when a good deed makes them look like suspects. This isn't the first death along that same strip of road, and the more the police look to April and Eddie, the more the two of them are determined to find out what is really going on.

This had great pacing, a fantastic backstory and just the perfect amount of spooky. That is about all I can say without giving anything away. DEFINITELY worth the read!!