Murder Road opens to newly-weds April and Eddie driving on the open road. Destination - honeymoon spot. While en route, they make a wrong turn, end up on a desolate road, and find themselves wanting to help an isolated hitchhiker. They find that the hitchhiker has been stabbed, so immediately look for a hospital for her. Sadly she dies at the hospital. Eddie and April only wanted to help and they didn’t plan to be the prime suspects for investigation. These honeymooners decide to take matters into their own hands to figure out what happened.

Simone St. James in typical fashion delivered another compelling read. While I guessed some pieces that were to unfold, it didn’t detract from my willingness to read on. She always writes in a way that makes you eager to turn to the next page. Though it took 3 days to wrap-up this read, it wasn’t due to an unwillingness to binge read.

I also enjoy her ability to set the scene and make it so vivid to envision the environment which contributes to the reading experience. The additional characters in the book also added to the entertainment. I enjoyed the B&B owner and the Snell sisters.

As an aside, I didn’t rate this one 5 stars. I attribute it to two things. First, the pace on the back half of the book wasn’t as strong as the first half. Second, I felt that there were some questions that I was looking to have answered that weren’t.

Thank you #NetGalley and #BerkleyPub for an arc of #MurderRoad in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 rounded up - I really struggled with the pacing of this one. It was such a slow burn and then I thought it had picked up but turned out to then just be uneven for the rest of the story. Same for the creep factor... I personally like faster, creepier supernatural mysteries. But some people found this to be totally bingable, so to each their own.

I did like the side characters and all the mystery going on. I also liked the creepy aspects we did get! The setting and premise were fun too.

I also did have the major twist spoiled for me, which may have impacted my overall feelings. So please don’t spoil books in reviews without proper warning if you must spoil.

Not my favorite by St. James, but I will say there was a point that gave me Supernatural the tv show vibes, which I loved. Although this didn’t really work for me, I think it will for others so I’d still recommend trying if it sounds like your jam.

I have read quite a few books by Simone St. James and this one is my absolute favorite! She creates such a mysterious and creepy atmosphere in her books that keep me coming back. Loved it!

I found that this book tried too hard to juggle so many minor plotlines and characters, to the point that it was hard for me to attach to any one storyline. I really enjoyed the beginning and the setup of the book but found myself less and less interested as time went on.

"A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases.

July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They're looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all."

First, just never pick up hitchhikers, second, avoid the supernatural.

I love how Simone St. James writes books that are a blend of genres. Murder Road is a supernatural thriller that feels part horror, part mystery suspense and part family drama. The first half of the book quickly hooked me, but things slowed down considerably for a chunk of the middle before picking up again for the last 15%. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but would have liked a touch less backstory on their romance and backgrounds. I loved the dark atmospheric vibe and everything Lost Girl. It wasn’t as scary as I’d hoped it would be, more just a creepy in tone, but I think it will work well for horror lite fans or readers who scare easily.

It’s a fun and entertaining read that I think many will enjoy and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next! Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC!

Newly married Eddie and April are headed out on their honeymoon when a wrong turn leads them to the town of Coldlake Falls and they quickly become suspects to murder. Every time they try to leave, the mysterious Atticus Line traps them. With the help of the incredibly resourceful and witty Snell sisters, will they solve a 40-year old case? How much will their own past come to haunt them and try to break them apart?

This Simone St. James novel is an excellent read from beginning to end. The added secondary characters were an unexpected and brought were such a welcomed, cheeky light in the darkness hovering over Coldlake Falls. Everything in the story is so perfectly intertwined from beginning to end that I can’t imagine any other storyline. 10/10 cannot recommend this book enough. Absolutely loved it!

St. James does it AGAIN! MURDER ROAD is another paranormal book that is done phenomenally. I loved that this is set in Michigan( Michigander here!) and involves a newlywed couple on their way to their honeymoon.

This book provided the eerie creepy atmosphere that chills you to the bones. The story was fast paced and had me flipping the pages as fast as I could. I can’t even explain in words how well St James writes these paranormal books- they feel like it’s happening in real time! I definitely recommend this one! 4.5 stars rounded to 5.
Thank you Berkley and Simone St. James for my eARC 💙

When newlyweds April and Eddie stop to help a woman on a deserted road in the middle, they have no idea what trouble is coming their way. Instead of a romantic honeymoon, they face police interviews, danger, and unsolved murders in mysterious Coldlake Falls. For fans of paranormal thrillers.

I finished this one in 3 HOURS. Giving it a 3 or 3.5 overall; really enjoyed the premise and the bingey-ness; it was a very quick read. I loved the Joy Ride vibes. I didn't loveeee where the twist went, with the "ghost" being the MMC's dead mother, and I had hoped it would be a bit scarier overall, but I did like it! I liked the suspenseful vibes and it kept my attention the entire time.

Thanks to Berkley Pub, NetGalley, and Simone St. James for a copy of Murder Road in exchange for an honest review. In my opinion, Simone St. James is the queen of supernatural thrillers without making them to unbelievable and this one was no different. We meet our main characters, Eddie & April, as they are on their way to their honeymoon. They end up making a wrong turn and end up in Coldlake Falls, Michigan. They end up falling into a series of murder cases that have a sordid history. It was so interesting to watch them as they tried to solve this case with a few fun “friends” that helped them along the way! As usual, St. James throws us an unexpected twist that was so fun to be apart of. This one is available on March 5th, 2024!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Simone. St. James for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Simone St. James: Queen of the supernatural thriller.

Murder Road is EXCELLENT and the entire time I was reading I was thinking how good of a movie adaptation it would make. (Already looking forward to Gare’s casting!!!)

St. James is a master at writing super creepy scenes and keeping the plot mysterious enough to not be able to stop flipping pages.

I quite literally cannot wait to see what St. James comes up with next!

I think this is Simone St. James best book so far!! It takes us back to 1995 which I remember well and could relate to a lot of the “memories” that were brought up back then. I was glued from the very first page and could not put it down. There was some paranormal ghosts in here which I am not normally a fan of, but this one I loved the story about all the missing girls over the years. I give this all the stars and want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 5, 2024. I say it will be a “hit” for 2024.

In true Simone St. James fashion, I loved this one! What I love about her writing is she is such a great storyteller. She keeps you engaged from beginning to end. I am a sucker for anything paranormal. Ghost hunting shows are some of my favorite to watch and this book had just that! If you’re looking for a book with murder, paranormal, a couple with lots of secrets and an ending you won’t see coming, then you HAVE to read this one! I really enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Simone St. James is one of my go-to authors. I love her writing and she knows how to creep out her readers. Murder Road is set in the 90s, with a young couple's honeymoon sidelined, as they pick up an injured hitchhiker on a deserted road, and instantly become murder suspects.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this small town, which kept the story moving. There are supernatural elements that are crucial to the plot. I felt like I never really got to know the main characters, for some reason. Their deeply hurt backstories are very much highlighted but I still felt a bit removed from them, as well as from the final resolution of the mystery of the deaths of numerous hitchhikers.

There are few authors who I will consistently answer “yes” to all the Netgalley review questions. Simone St. James is one of them. She is one of the very best suspense/ghost story writers out there today and Murder Road is one more phenomenally creepy entry in that genre.

St. James combines ghosts, serial killers, a determined cop, a couple of smart teenage girls, and a pair of newlyweds who are a little more than they seem into one wild ride of a story. I was reminded of Jeepers Creepers and Frighteners more than a couple times during my one-sitting read of this whiteknuckler.

Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

Another home run by Simone St. James!

In this new novel, we join newlyweds April and Eddie on a honeymoon from hell. Turning down a long road that's devoid of much traffic and the locals avoid, the atmospheric world created surrounding the stories about the Lost Girl are complete twists and turns that submerge you into an amazing plot. A unique ghost story that has such an amazing thriller feel.

The shorter chapters were easy to be able to rip right through this book and devour it in one sitting. The story on their journey being lost, finding a hitchhiker and then spending the entire honeymoon putting puzzle pieces together created a great thriller/mystery. The end was a good twist in my opinion. The characters were all very easy to like and merged into the story flawlessly. The only complaint I have is having to wait for another great story by this author!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Y’all. Why did I go into this book thinking it was going to be about vampires? 💀😂

Regardless of lack of vampires, I LOVED THIS BOOK. @simonestjames knows how to write a hauntingly creepy paranormal thriller. I loved trying to solve these murder cases with Eddie and April. And honestly, flabbergasted with how it all came together in the end. This is going to be a must read this Spring!

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻/5

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the arc in exchange for my honest review. Pub date: March 5, 2024

Murder Road is Simone St James' newest thriller and I was so excited to have the opportunity to receive a galley of it!

Newlyweds April and Eddie take a wrong turn while en route to their honeymoon destination and end up on a creepy isolated road where they end up picking up a young woman who seems to be in danger. After that woman dies, the cops flag the couple as the main suspects in the young woman's death.

Stuck in the small town they were passing through, the couple discovers eerie rumors about the specific road where they found the hitchhiker and decide to play detective and solve a cold case.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! Such a unique plot but unfortunately, it was lacking the "keep me on the edge of my seat" feel that SImone's books usually give me. I felt that I needed it to be creepier! Plus, some of the chapters dragged on a bit and felt repetitive.

Thanks to netgalley and Berkley Book for the galley!

This is definitely my favorite book that Simone St. James has written. This story involves a young couple celebrating their honeymoon, and after taking what they suppose was a wrong turn, they end up in a small town with some seriously gruesome unsolved cold cases. After suddenly finding themselves suspects, they seek to uncover the truth behind the series of deaths that have occurred along 'Murder Road', but someone or something is hunting... or haunting... them, too. Told as a linear story, with some fun characters, just enough spookiness, and a satisfying conclusion, I found myself powering through this book in only a day - I had to know what happened!

The last few of Simone St. James' books I deduced the ending ahead of time, but I still enjoyed the story. However, this one had me guessing what was truth and what wasn't the whole way. I recommend waiting for a dark evening with blankets and a hot tea to devour this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the Advance Reader Copy of this excellent novel.