There's little I enjoy more than a Simone St. James thriller. Her best ones are all well-told, character-driven mysteries that tow the line between campfire ghost stories and normal-person-solving-crime procedurals. There's also usually some form of historic setting, whether in terms of flashbacks or diary entries, and while the twists aren't outrageously shocking, they make sense. So when I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of "Murder Road", I cleared my weekend and dove in.

"Murder Road" tells the story of a newly married couple who has the unfortunate luck to pick up an injured hitchhiker who dies on the way to the hospital. Local police are itching to peg the crime on them, but April (the wife) has a bad feeling there's more to meet the eye on the haunted road that keeps racking up a death toll. But how well does she know her husband? How well does she know herself?

"Murder Road' is quickly-paced and utterly engaging; I was instantly invested in April's story as her honeymoon was derailed by murder and belligerent local police. The supernatural element was done lightly, and the 1990s setting was pitch-perfect.

full disclosure: Despite the fact I read a ton of thrillers, this was my first Simone St. James book. I promptly ordered all of her to hers! It was SO good. Well developed characters with sketchy backgrounds--my absolute favorite. A newly wedded couple heads off on their honeymoon but somehow takes a wrong turn, and on a dark road on a dark night, they pick up a hitchhiker--one, they realize, who's badly wounded and dies the moment they get her to the hospital. This sets off a chain of events where they are suspects + investigators. Throw in a dash of psychological thriller + ghost story, and you've got a book I couldn't put down. I've already recommended this book to five people!

Unfortunately I didnt love this book, it fell a bit flat for me. I was really interested the whole first 1/3 and then it took an unexpected turn that lost me a little bit. However, I still think the story was well written and entertaining! This was my very first Simone St. James book and even though this one wasn’t up my alley, I still enjoyed the writing style and will read more from this author!

Murder Road has the nostalgia of the urban legends told in adolescence with a fully fleshed origin and resolution.
I enjoyed reading this book, there was murder, an urban legend, ghosts, and conspiracy theorist sisters.

Personally, I think that a lot of the story was pretty predictable-- as I guessed much of what was going to happen-- but it was still wholly enjoyable. It had good character development and an exciting and intense storyline that kept me hooked to the very end. Also, the Snell sisters! I love those girls, they are weird and concerning, but totally relatable to a true crime, conspiracy-loving girl like me! Rose is great too, at first I wasn't a fan, but she really grew on me and ended up being one of my favorite characters.

I’m not sure Simone St. James can do wrong in my book. She has the incredible talent to easily mingle reality with the supernatural and draw you into a web of terror.

On a dark and seemingly deserted stretch of road - newlyweds Eddie and April are lost on their way to their honeymoon resort. And then they see her. A girl stumbling on the side of the road - looking terrified and in shock. They offer her a ride to town only to discover that she is bleeding from stab wounds and keeps telling them that “he’s coming”

If that first 15-20 pages didn’t grab you, stick around because the tale gets increasingly chilling and twisted.

A perfect spooky szn read!!

Ghostly

“It was the worst road in America.”

Murder Road is a CREEPY thriller about a couple on their honeymoon who become suspects in a murder investigation.

In Michigan in 1995, April and Eddie are driving to their honeymoon destination--a small lakeside resort in Michigan, but get sidetracked when they pass through Cold Lake Falls on a dark and deserted highway named Atticus Line.. Little do they know that their attempt to do a good deed not only will make them suspects in a murder, but also lead them to get haunted by the ghost of “The Lost Girl.”

Much of the mystery centers on the identity of “The Lost Girl," the first victim of the Atticus Line murderer. The other central mystery revolves around April and Eddie’s pasts. Both are keeping secrets, but only April’s POV is shared. Other characters who play a large role are inn owner Rose and the Snell sisters. I loved Rose, but the storyline with the Snell sisters didn’t work for me.

The atmosphere is eerie--not only are there hauntings to contend with, but also the murderer. How they kill their victims scared the sh*t out of me. On top of that, Cold Lake Falls is a strange town, and its inhabitants are even stranger.

I always find myself immersed in Simone St. James’ novels, and this book was no exception. I was engrossed from the start, scared for about 80% of the book, and intrigued by the mysteries. I had a few issues with parts of the plot (I won’t share because of spoilers), but overall, Murder Road set the tone for a spooky Halloween season.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Wow! This was my first book by this author and I can see the hype!

I felt hooked early on. I loved the gore, the trauma, the thrill, the eeriness - without spoiling too much.

The twists in the plot felt well placed and I l liked feeling as though I was riding along with these characters… and trying to solve wtf is actually happening on their honeymoon adventure

𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 by Simone St. James
Release Date: March 5, 2024

I'm not going to lie, the first 2 chapters of this book scared me so bad I couldn't sleep. 🤣 I'm a sucker for a good ghost story and Simone St. James knows what she's doing in that department. I loved how this story was set in the 90's. The fact that there's no cell phones or quick technological escape routes made it even more creepy. The characters had their own secrets which added to the dynamic story plot and I couldn't read this when I was home alone. This book was perfect for spooky season and I'm so thankful I got an ARC! This one comes out in spring 2024, but if you haven't read any Simone St. James yet, go ahead and check out her backlog. Don't forget to pre-order this one as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Simone St. James and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Newlyweds pick up a hitchhiker and are accused of her death. They must fight to solve the decades of mysterious deaths on the same road in order to save themselves. But how do you solve murders if you think the killer is a ghost?

🔪👻𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚘𝚊𝚍 👻🔪
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛/𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 (𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠🩸)
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟺.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝: i
It’s 1995. Just married & headed to Lake Michigan for a honeymoon. Somehow, a wrong turn is made & they end up on this creepy road where they see a woman hitchhiker who needs help. They get closer to find out she is bleeding a lot & shit gets crazy from here……

💭𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I loved it! It was so so creepy & suspenseful! I absolutely loved all the 90s tidbits..VHS blockbuster movies, jammin out to Alanis on the radio. What a great time that was...well, not so much for Eddie & April.😆Here they are happy to have found each other & now on their honeymoon, but end up as murder suspects. Now, having to prove their innocence they must find out more on this creepy ass town & it’s history. These two have a lot of secrets from their past & that all comes to the surface during the investigation. Oh & there is a ghost! Shes friggin intense! I mean holy hellzers!!!👻 It’s not all paranormal stuff either. You get so much from this one. Drama, secrets🤫, love🫶, police investigation, crazy teens, hitchhikers🎒, a beach for runaways🏝️, a princess Diana 👑obsession….do I need to say more? 😁It’s really too bad it doesn’t come out in October because what a perfect time it was to read this one! Save the date for this, y’all!👻🖤

Thanks for the fun @simonestjames 👏
And @netgalley and @berkleypub for this advanced copy in exchange for my review 🖤👻🎃🖤👻🎃🖤👻🎃🖤👻

Oh my gosh this book was EXACTLY what I needed this Halloween!!! This book is exactly what I mean when I say I want a spooky , mysterious thriller that will keep me on my toes! Gosh, I love a good murder mystery!

Simone St. James is one of my favorites, and I was so excited to see that she had a new book coming!!

So here’s what you need to know A newly wed couple are on their way to their honeymoon when they end up on a deserted road. They see a person walking on the side of the road & get really weird vibes from them but decide to pull up and help them out. Turns out the stranger was recently stabbed & they need to get away from her killer ASAP. After they drop the injured woman off, the hospital calls the police & BOOM the investigation begins. Unfortunately for the newlyweds they are suspected of being murderers!!! But who killed all the people before the stranger they picked up…you’ll have to read to find out!!

Oooof so spooky & creepy I really enjoyed it!!!

Very classic and on par for Simone St. James.

I love that when I start reading her books, I forget there is usually a slight supernatural twist at the end which always makes it a little bit of a surprise for me.

This one reminds me most of the Sun Down motel, very on par with the surprise twist at the very end. My only comment of where the book could have been better was the character of John that was introduced at the end was very surface level. I wish there would've been a little bit more substance to his character but overall character development was great. I wish there was an epilogue chapter to tie up the last interview but I understand the authors choice to tie up the book where she did.

This author is very popular so I was excited to read another book by her. April and Eddie are o their eta to their honeymoon- what could go wrong? They stop to allow a woman driving down the road a ride to the hospital because she is fatally wounded. And she does. This starts an investigation into whether the couple is guilty and also what happened to other people who disappeared along the same road. I found this book to be slow and so similar to her last one. Not interesting and very predictable.

Bewildered as how they found themselves driving down a deserted stretch of road, April and Eddie are shocked to see a person walking in the dark alongside the edge. As they rush the bleeding woman to the nearest hospital, they find themselves the prime suspects in a town full of secrets with a creepy detective who seems determined to rush them to jail. Who can they trust? Can they even trust themselves? Are they seeing ghosts, or are they imagining things?

Blending a mystery with the supernatural, as Simone St. James does so well, you'll root for April and Eddie and be glued to your seat until the final answers are revealed! Good crossover for mature teens, as well.

Murder Road by Simone St. James
@SimoneStJames
Pub date: March 5, 2024
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Paranormal

There is nothing, and I mean, nothing, that St. James has written that I haven’t absolutely loved! Being from Michigan, I loved that it’s set here! I devoured this in one day! I’m sad that I did that because now it’s over and I have to wait while she writes another masterpiece for me to inhale.

It’s 1995 and April and Eddie are on their honeymoon. April, having fallen asleep while Eddie’s driving, wakes up to find that she and Eddie are on a deserted road. Stopping when they see a lone woman hitchhiking, they note she’s confused and injured. Taking her to the local hospital makes them suspects and soon, they’re spending their honeymoon in Coldlake Falls, being investigated and investigating unexplained murders that have been happening for years on the same road.

April and Eddie are both fantastic characters, each one is so absolutely flawed but in the most intriguing way. I couldn’t get enough of their backstories and the way each intertwined so delicately into this story. The side characters are just as engaging – the Snell sisters and Rose, the owner of the B & B where Eddie and April stay – are all weirdos after my own heart.

The plot, the twists, the characters, the way everything comes together makes this an exceptional story that I’ll not only be recommending to everyone but one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

My thanks to @BerkleyPub for this gifted DRC.

Simone St. James doesn't disappoint with her new novel! She keeps you guessing with each pulse pounding turn until the very end!

Murder Road is set in the summer of 1995 and is centered around the newlywed couple April and Eddie. While on their way to a small resort town in Michigan to enjoy their honeymoon, the couple finds themselves lost. While traveling down a rural, deserted road named Atticus Lane, the couple spots a young woman hitchhiking. Soon after they pick up the hitchhiker they discover that something is wrong, there is blood pouring from her body and a truck is chasing after them. The couple takes the hitchhiker to a local hospital where she dies soon after being admitted.

While at the hospital, the local police begin to interrogate the couple and put them as prime suspects in the hitchhiker's death, which forces them to stay in the small town. The couple soon learns that this isn’t the first hitchhiker who has been murdered on Atticus Lane. In the past two decades, there have been numerous hitchhikers who have been murdered on that lone deserted road. The couple finds themself trying to not only clear their names but, to also find out what is happening to the hitchhikers on Atticus Lane.

This is my 7th read by St James so it goes without saying that I'm a big fan of her work. One of my favorite things about her books is that you cannot pin them down to one particular genre and this one is no exception. Murder Road has supernatural horror elements, and a thriller twist, but at the heart of the story is a mystery. Full of loveable yet flawed characters with 90s nostalgia, Murder Road is one of those books that's almost impossible to put down.

Simone St James knows how to pen an atmospheric ghost story. Her books always contain ghostly elements and I love what she did in Murder Road. She took it to a whole new level in Murder Road and made the ghostly element truly terrifying (but in the best way)!

Murder Road by Simone St James Will be available on March 5. A massive thanks to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!! If it has Simone St. James' name on it, I will read it. This was a perfect October, spooky, thrilling read. I had goosebumps from the moment the book opens on that long, dark, deserted road. If you want the hair on the back of your neck to stand up and you want a chill to run down your spine, pick this one up!

After getting lost on their honeymoon, newlyweds April and Eddie find themselves on a desolate road where they pick up a young woman hitchhiking. Unbeknownst to them, she has been mortally wounded and dies upon their arrival at the hospital, making them the prime suspects in her murder.

Murder Road is a fresh take on a ubiquitous urban legend we've all heard in some iteration. Many of us know about a road that's supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young woman who was killed on the way to prom or the school dance.

What I loved:
-Short chapters
-A fun twist on a generic urban legend
-I was fully engrossed in the mystery and wasn't sure where it was heading.
-The supporting characters were fun and what I would expect from a small town where everyone knows each other.
-Perfect amount of creepiness.

I was expecting the ending to have a more climactic twist, but overall, I really enjoyed this one and liked it more than the Book of Cold Cases.

One of my favorite things about this book was a description of April: she’s not the nice one.

Yeah, she’s not. She’s loyal and loving and fierce and determined and most definitely not nice. I adored April and want more not nice women in books like this.

Murder Road takes one of our favorite urban legends and says…what if, just maybe, it’s real? The book is eerie, suspenseful and has a fascinating cast of not-so-nice characters to love. I actually think this may be my favorite books from this author yet.

I tore through it and wanted more in the end.

Next book, please!

• ARC via Publisher