Thanks to NetGalley for the free eARC. And thanks to Covid for giving me a week with nothing to do but read.

There’s a 90’s thriller trend happening right now, and I have to say I don’t hate it. There’s nothing about this one that *feels* particularly 90’s, other than the lack of smartphones. Our protagonists are a young couple on their honeymoon - they get lost en route to their destination and pick up a hitchhiker. The woman is clearly in distress and ends up dying by the time they get her to a hospital. It turns out this road, Atticus Line, has been the site of mysterious murders stretching back YEARS, and now April and Eddie are the prime suspects. Obviously we know they didn’t have anything to do with it, but the police are desperate, and April and Eddie end up essentially stranded in town until they can clear their names.

Most of Simone St. James’s books have a supernatural bent to them. I remember being frustrated by it in the past, for reasons I can’t really put my finger on. I don’t have a problem with supernatural stuff, but for some reason it bugs me when a story is mostly straightforward and then suddenly there’s a ghost. This one at least mentions the supernatural bent in the blurb, so I knew what I was getting into.

It’s tough to say too much more without getting into spoiler territory - April and Eddie start digging into the history of the town and the previous murders, and they also realize they haven’t known each other all that long (less than a year, I think – all of the books I read this week are starting to blend together). Eddie was in the Gulf War, so he’s having some PTSD symptoms he hasn’t fully dealt with. April is also hiding some secrets about her past - namely why she seems to be constantly on the run. I did like that throughout the drama they stick together and trust each other, rather than immediately getting shouty and blamey.

The major problem I had with this, though, is a pretty big spoiler, and it feels unfair to talk about major spoilers so far ahead of the actual release. Suffice it to say, it reminded me too much of a similar book that I didn’t really enjoy, and I didn’t care for the ending.

I absolutely loved this paranormal thriller! I was already a fan of thrillers but I had not read any with paranormal twists in it yet. This kept me guessing throughout the book. I enjoyed how there was a main mystery to solve but then each character had their own mysterious past that unfolds through out the story line. I would absolutely recommend this book and read another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc! Another incredibly interesting, spooky and atmospheric read from Simone St.James.

I was so excited to inhale this book and I was not disappointed. Simone St. James is an expert at combining different genres together for one terrific read. A pinch of paranormal, a bit of a mystery, dash of thriller, and take us back to 1995! I was in for one heck of a ride. The characters are a mystery themselves, each coming with a heavy backstory that works its way out as the story progresses. The setting of Coldlake Falls creeps into your bones. The entire town just feels off, especially when you travel down Atticus Line. The road where hitchhikers end up murdered. There is a dark coldness that washes over your body as you travel down that road. There is so much more going on than meets the eye.

April and Eddie are heading to their honeymoon location. They cannot wait to have a few days to themselves, swimming, grilling, and just being together. Eddie makes a wrong turn and ends on Atticus Line. They come upon a girl who is walking down the road at 2am. She appears to be drunk or out of it. They do not want to leave her on this dark stretch of road. Once she gets in, they discover she has been hurt. They rush her to the hospital and before they can find out if she is okay the Coldlake Falls police are there to question them. Caught up in a nightmare of their own, they are not allowed to leave town. Left to question all that they experienced, they decided to do a little investigating on their own. Will they be able to discover who is behind the murders before the police do?

I loved this book! I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. My mind whirled as I was given more information. Trying to pull the threads apart and see where they lead. I was beyond excited that it was set in 1995, taking me back to my high school days. Thank you to Simone St. James and Berkley Books for my copy of this thrill a minute read.

Thanks to @netgalley, @berkleypub, and @penguinrandomhouse for this copy of "Murder Road".

This is my favorite Simone St. James creepy ghost thriller with a twisty ending. I read it in one day - literally could not put it down!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This went to the top of my list as soon as I got it! Love Simone St James and this one did not disappoint!! From the first page it drew me in and I couldn’t put it down. Eddie and April are a newlywed couple on their way to their honeymoon and see a woman on the road that is very hurt. After they pick her up the craziness ensues!! Great ghost story!!! Definitely recommend!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Murder Road by Simone St. James.

Always a fan of Simone St. James, I may have shouted with joy when I learned I would be receiving this ARC. With an intriguing premise of a "honeymoon from hell" and a strong female lead character, I was hooked.
When Eddie and April find themselves on deserted stretch of highway, away from their honeymoon destination they get more than they bargained for when they pick up a hitchhiker on the side of the road. This quickly leads to April and Eddie being suspected in a series of murders by the police and working hard to clear their names and find out who the real serial killer might be.
April was a great character to read about. She was not a "nice girl" but a strong woman who did what she needed to survive throughout her life.
The ending was a bit lackluster for me and did not have answer all of the questions that I found myself wondering.

I have yet to meet a Simone St James book that I do not like and Murder Road continues that trend in a satisfyingly eerie way. On their way to honeymoon, April and Eddie take a wrong turn, picking up a hitchhiker on a lonely road. Their kindness turns into terror when they realize that Rhonda is bleeding terribly, and shortly after she arrives at the hospital, she dies leaving April and Eddie as the last people to see her alive and, naturally, the primary suspects.

They soon realize that Rhonda isn’t the first hitchhiker to die on this road and besides Eddie saw something in a truck that nearly ran them down.

Now they’re stuck in this town, fending off suspicious police, and trying to make sense of what happened. Murder Road is a supernatural thriller, creepy and atmospheric, maybe don’t read this one before you head out on that lonely road at night. Or maybe… do! Many of the themes I’ve come to expect from St. James, women with troubled backgrounds as protagonists and antagonists are here in this book, although perhaps not as strongly as easily thematic as in A Sun Down Hotel or The Haunting of Maddy Clare. This didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story however, which definitely kept me turning pages.

Review will officially post on 3.4.24 and I will update links at that point.

Copy of my review:

Traveling With T's Thoughts:

I have read 3-4 Simone St. James books and have enjoyed them. But I am still searching for the bookish high of The Sun Down Motel. I was hoping Murder Road would have it, but it's good, just not as GOOD as Sun Down Motel (imo).

What I Liked:

The cover. I really enjoyed the cover.

I forget the names, but 2 teenage girl characters that helped April and Eddie with their investigation of Atticus Line (aka Murder Road). They were a hoot. And a nice nod to true crime book/TV show lovers.

I thought the ending was pretty good. Had me entertained.




Bottom line: This book was a bit more slow burn for me and it was good, just not as good as The Sun Down Motel.  Overall, I enjoyed the book and will keep my eye our for Simone St. James's next book!




*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Simone St. James is an automatic YES for me, so I was over the moon to get my hands on an advance copy of her newest title coming out in March 2024.

It’s Summer 1995. Newlyweds April and Eddie Carter are cruising down the interstate toward their honeymoon destination, the Five Pines Resort on Lake Michigan, when they find themselves off the beaten path in the darkness of night. Somewhere Eddie had taken a wrong turn, and now the Carters are on Atticus Line, an eerie two-lane road, unbeknownst to them, notorious for a murdered hitchhikers. Sure enough, they come upon a badly injured and confused woman walking down the road alone, and their decision to help her sets into motion a series of events that will change their lives forever.

I really enjoyed Murder Road! It falls in line with her signature supernatural thriller style we’ve seen in The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel, and The Book of Cold Cases. While this story has deep roots in the past, Murder Road notably does not go back and forth in time with alternating narrators like those other titles. We stick with April’s perspective for the duration of the novel, and though this is a departure from what I’m used to from her recently, it works pretty well.

I found myself deeply invested in the characters and their lives. I love their chemistry AND the secrets that form a dark undercurrent to their relationship. Side characters—the teenage Snell sisters and the B&B owner, Rose—are quirky and memorable. Honestly, I’d love a Snell sister novel!

Even though I can’t pinpoint how or where, I do wish the story had moved along a little faster. Big reveals keep the story rolling at the ~30% and ~60% points, with major action hitting around 80%. While I always knew I would finish this book, it wasn’t unputdownable from beginning to end. I actually went to bed at 93% and finished the epilogue of sorts the following day. I wasn’t bored; I just wanted to be fully awake for the ending.

My investment in the characters kept me hooked. The driving force in this one is less the mystery of “whodunnit” and more of “howdunnit, plus how is this couple going to survive—this situation and their relationship.”

This is a very solid four stars. I will always read and relish whatever Simone St. James writes. Her storytelling will forever keep me coming back for more.

Review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5675100515

Creepy but with heart, this story stars when a newlywed couple embarks on their honeymoon only to find a hitchhiker in dire need, not to mention their own secrets hiding in the wings.

I’m a St. James fan and this one is no different! I so enjoyed the relational aspect of this story - yes it’s for the familiar paranormal twist, but I was rooting for Eddie and April all the way!

I thought the ending felt a bit rushed and the wrap up a bit convenient, but in all I really enjoyed the story! It keep me flipping pages late into the night!

My rating: 4*

—-
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Meh. This was okay - I liked April and Eddie a lot, and really loved the fact that the story was set in small town Michigan, 1995. Otherwise, it fell flat for me in terms of suspense and drama. I found myself getting bored in lots of places, and the supernatural aspect lost me a bit.

This is a really enjoyable ghost story. The female lead is intriguing, and the ghost herself, while initially a victim, turns out to be more complicated than that. It's well written, and well paced. Highly recommended.

Talk about an opening scene. Eddie and April driving when they come upon a woman, they help her into their car when another car comes speeding up behind them. The woman says he is coming, and she is covered in blood. They make it to the hospital but not before Eddie sees something that scares him so hard that he is not sure if he imagined it.

From this point on, I needed to know who the woman was and what happened to her. Eddie and April felt the same way. They do their own investigation and learn about the Legend of the Lost Girl and the murders of hitchhikers. Eddie and April are just a normal couple that honestly, if it was not for this mystery that they found themselves in, they kind of would have been forgettable. Two other people that deserve mention are tough around the edges, Rose and Detective Quentin.

Rose grew on me and as far as Detective Quentin goes, I thought he was just being annoying but once I learned what he was really about, I liked him a lot.

As soon as I saw this book available to read as an early copy, I had to request it. I was lucky enough to be approved for an early copy. Once I started this book, I literally could not stop reading it. Honestly, I was so drawn into this story, that I never put down my phone as I could not stop reading. Fans of this author will definitely want to snag this book up when it releases. It is already a favorite of mine for 2024! Murder Road by Simone St. James will have you thinking twice about picking up hitchhikers!

Simone St. James' latest thriller MURDER ROAD follows a newlywed couple who stop to help a young woman on the side of the road. When she dies in their car, they become suspects in a string of small town serial murders. I have long felt that Simone St. James is a master of the genre, especially when it comes to centering the female experience, and she does not disappoint here. The women, the atmosphere, and the mystery at the heart of the novel were all supremely engaging throughout. I'd also like to point out the novel's dedication: "For anyone who was told they're weird because they read too much. Because you're not and you don't." Thanks, Simone!

DNFing at 16%. I once loved this author but her last few books have been incredibly lackluster. I’m just tired of thrillers trying way too hard and this one felt like that to me. I think you need to SHOW the reader questions such as “who did it? Why was the girl on the road? Who was chasing us?” Rather than literally writing those questions out in text. And to boot I didn’t care about the characters at all. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make them mysterious with dark pasts. Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the ARC!

I will never not read a new Simone St. James book! She has a way of writing the most insanely readable books that keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I haven't been able to find another author that mixes in a sprinkle of supernatural but still makes it feel realistic like she does.

As a 90's baby, I love that this story took place primarily in the mid 90s before cell phones and GPS systems were commonplace as it makes the story even more realistic! I don't read super creepy stuff at all and thought this was the perfect amount of creepy for me! It was enough that I HAD to know what was happening next, but not too much that I was scared to read it while I was home alone!

I truly haven't had the beginning of a book hook me as hard and fast as this one did in a long time! Imagine newlyweds on their way to the honeymoon of their dreams when they come across a hitchhiker that disrupts EVERTHING!

I really loved every character in this book. Simone did such a phenomenal job crafting the weirdest and most unique characters each with secrets and mysterious backstories. You couldn't pay me to visit the town of Coldlake Falls!

Read this if you enjoy:

-Small towns
-Unsolved murders
-Big twists
-Immaculate creepy vibes
-Layered characters

This book will be available for purchase March 5th!

4.5 stars rounded up for GR!

I have loved all of Simone St. James' books and this one is no different. As a 90's kid, the 90's vibes are exactly what I needed right now. Engaging characters. I would recommend anyone read this. So. Good

A young couple on their way to their honeymoon comes across a young woman on the side of the road. When they take her in their car, they realize she’s bleeding and running from someone. After she’s dropped at the hospital, they begin investigating the road she was found on and it’s violent history.

I didn’t love St. James last book but am a huge fan of Broken Girls and Sundown Motel. It took me about halfway to get hooked on this one, but I did really enjoy it. I loved the supernatural aspect, especially because I wasn’t expecting it (don’t ask why; I should have!). The nineties atmosphere attracted me to the plot I love how it was leaned into so you really felt that time period.

“This place was wrong and dead. It was the worst road in America. It deserved to be destroyed and plowed under, replaced with an ugly freeway.”

Murder Road comes out 3/5.