*4.5
Murder Road hooked me in from page one. It was spooky and atmospheric, I ended up reading it in a day.

The characters were intriguing and frustrating, but they felt real. I wasn’t sure if this would actually be paranormal, but having read some of the author’s previous works I should have known.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

Review
If you missed the recent, rocketing surges of AI stocks such as Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices, you might be a bit late for the party. But not so Mark Greaney. Greaney’s 13th Gray Man novel, “The Chaos Agent” (Berkley), dropped just as things were heating up on Wall Street in late February with a thriller that couldn’t be more prescient.

With the premise of a tech company and its mastermind billionaire building on artificial intelligence platforms to create lethal autonomous weapons — complete with rocket-launching cyber watchdogs, humanoids and other artifices of destruction — the denouement was always going to be a HAL 9000-esque brain threatening to gain sentience.

Like the dozen Gray Man novels before — Court Gentry is the Gray Man, a covert freelance operative once trained by the CIA whose modus operandi falls somewhere between shades of white and black — Greaney handles all of this masterfully, moving us around the underworld with a … love interest (check) … best friend (check) … master nemesis (check) and … national arch enemy (check), in a cinematic scope that feels all too real.

The author is known for getting the details just right — guns in hand are real-world guns, boots on the ground are real-world boots — so the wonder isn’t that the novel brings us to today’s near-precipice of man versus machine, but how quickly we’re actually getting there. So quickly, in fact, that in early March, Vatican News published this story: "Holy See urges ethical oversight of lethal autonomous weapons" on the same day that the Wall Street Journal published the story, "The Pentagon’s Plan for More Ambitious, Affordable Jet Fighters: AI Pilots."

Given that novels are a year or longer in production before publication, and written even earlier, now, that's prescient.

Roundup
Other new titles worth your time (and dollars) this month conveniently adhere to a theme (and you won’t need ChatGPT to help figure out what that is).

“Almost Surely Dead” (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar is part stalker, part ghost story and all psychological thriller. Akhtar is the author of the best-selling novel “Kismet,” and here offers a story about an extraordinary life that turns into a true crime podcast.

“The Lady in Glass and Other Stories” (Ace) by Anne Bishop collects shorter works set in the author’s most cherished, fantastical worlds, transporting us over a 25-year career of dark fantasy.

“A Haunting in the Arctic” (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke is a dual timeline story with the main thread taking place after an early 20th century, haunting attack aboard the whaling ship Ormen. The wreck washes up a century later on the remote coast of Iceland, bringing to the present a dark past of cruelty and murder.



“Ghost Island” (Berkley) is Max Seeck’s fourth book in Ghosts of the Past, a series that has been building suspense and thrills since the author’s 2020 U.S. debut, “The Witch Hunter.” An atmospheric mystery, the novel is a driving Nordic procedural from the first Finnish author in seven decades to make the New York Times bestseller list.

Reveal
Some the titles I’ll be working on for next in "Review, roundup, reveal and rewind," with the books' scheduled publication dates, include:

“Hello, Alabama”(Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock, March 4.

“The Unquiet Bones” (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White, March 5.

“I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar” (Ballantine Books) by Santiago Posteguillo, March 5.

“Murder Road” (Berkley) by Simone St. James, March 5.



“The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry” (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson, March 5.

“The #1 Lawyer” (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson and Nancy Allen, March 18.

“Lilith” (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad, March 19.

And, watch for a couple of interviews that are also scheduled for March, including “After Annie” (Random House) by Anna Quindlen and “Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood” (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides.

Rewind
Finally, in case you missed a few notable titles from earlier in the year:

“Unbound” (Blackstone) by Christy Healy is a tale of betrayal and unrequited romance, with the author bringing Celtic myths into a gender-bent reimagining of “Beauty and the Beast.”



“The Devil’s Daughter” (Blackstone) by Gordon Greisman is solid PI noir and gets a screenwriter’s touch — the author earned an Emmy Award nomination for his NBC mini-series “The Drug Wars: In the Belly of the Beast." Tempering period characters (Thelonious Monk, Marlon Brando) with private investigator Jack Coffey’s search for the daughter of an uptown financier presents a dark story about redemption.

“Masters of the Air” (Blackstone) by Donald Miller isn’t a new book, but it gets a new audio treatment with the addition of narration by veteran raconteur Joe Barrett. Not just for the World War II aficionado, you can find a visual complement to the story with a recently launched Apple TV+ series by the same name.

I love Simone's books. They are the perfect combo of "stay up to finish" and "horror lite". This one was no different, and I loved the mystery that the main characters faced in this book. And one particular side character was just a gem!

Simone St James has become one of my go-to thriller authors to read. I enjoy her characters and stories that she comes up with. This book was no different. A rather simple storyline, but with some twists and turns that left me guessing what the end would be.

4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley, and Simone St. James for the #ARC in return for an honest review!

Why did I wait so long to read this? One of my favorite authors coming out with another spooky, thriller with true crime elements. It was so good! Beware of your honeymoon adventures...

What did I enjoy?
🚗supernatural twists mixed in with true crime
🚗90's nostalgia
🚗fast paced
🚗unreliable narrators
🚗investigation style
🚗ghost stories

What could have been better?
👻I was a little disappointed by the ending. It felt a bit rushed and knocked the five star rating down for me.

I would recommend!

Murder Road was an enjoyable, tense read. However, I found it less interesting and less captivating than Simone St. James's other books.

A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.

I think my expectations were a bit high for Murder Road by Simone St. James. The premise is great! Sounds really scary but I found it to be annoying and just not that great. I think I wanted more paranormal than there was.

I am a fan of Simone St James books and couldn't resist when I saw the title and cover.
I loved the premise and the supernatural element in the book.
Fans of thrillers will enjoy this title.

Such a fun and unexpected read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

MURDER ROAD by @simonestjames is out today! Swipe right it to read the synopsis. Thank you @berkleypub for the e-ARC!

I love Simone St. James’ books. I feel like she has the perfect blend of real life issues/mystery and the supernatural. So far, the books I have read from her so far have tackled the issue of violence against women and she does it in a way that’s not overly in your face. You really care for the characters and their stories.

And not to mention that it’s such a fast read because you’re so pulled in! I’ve realized how much I enjoy mysteries that take place before the internet as this book takes place in the 90s. That means no access to immediate information. All the sleuthing takes time and the characters have to rely on strangers and their own selves.

Speaking of the characters, April and Eddie were perfect. They each their own past mysteries hanging over their heads and it really keeps the reader guessing who can be trusted. At one point I feel like I suspected everyone of the heinous acts. 🫣

Would highly recommend this if you want a mystery thriller interwoven with supernatural elements!

I know I enjoyed his book when I read it, but I waited too long to write the review and now I just feel like it wasn’t very memorable. It was enjoyable at the time I read it but it’s not a book that stands out to me. Thank you netgalley for my free review copy

This is the book I chose to read on my kindle during the night when I couldn't sleep. So suspenseful and good!! I really enjoyed the thrilling suspense and liked the. characters. Do yourself a favor and read it in the dark...

This right here is why I love Simone St. James. Her books are just so atmospheric and creepy AF! This one was no exception. The storyline was tight. Characters (mostly) believable. And she even has me feeling like this is real. I even got a little scared a few times. That’s just how good she is! Love, love, loved it! 10/10 will read this one again!

If you're a fan of Simone St. James's atmospheric thrillers and enjoy a healthy dose of the supernatural with your mysteries, "Murder Road" might be a chilling addition to your reading list. This time, St. James takes us on a road trip through a cursed stretch of highway in the 90s, where a young couple's honeymoon detour turns into a nightmare. The story is undeniably gripping, with a classic ghost story vibe and a series of gruesome murders that will keep you hooked. The investigative element is strong, and the supernatural aspects are certainly spooky. If you appreciate a mystery that doesn't shy away from embracing the paranormal, you'll likely find yourself immersed in this world. However, be prepared for a bit of a mixed bag. While the mystery itself is compelling, some readers found the characters' backstories a bit tedious, and the emotional depth might not resonate with everyone. The 90s setting is nostalgic, but it could have been utilized more effectively. Overall, "Murder Road" is a decent supernatural thriller with a classic ghost story feel. It might not be St. James's strongest work, but if you're looking for a spooky mystery with a touch of nostalgia, it's worth checking out. Just be prepared for a few bumps in the road along the way.

My least favorite Simone St. James novel yet. This one didn’t give me the creeps at any point. The only character I ended up caring about was the innkeeper.

This was a really interesting story that kept me engaged throughout! I expected it to be a typical thriller but it felt more like true crime mixed with some paranormal aspects and I loved it! Highly recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers and mysteries

Simone St. James is one of my favorite authors so I'm always excited to read a new book but this one had me glued to my seat. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. St. James excels at the supernatural mystery and this did not disappoint

Our story takes place in 1995 and we are immediately thrust into a mystery when our honeymooning couple pick up a woman on the side of the road who is very badly hurt and bleeding all over the back seat of their car. Like any good person would do, they take her to the hospital where she succumbs to her injuries. Within a suspiciously short amount of time, detectives are there questioning our couple and telling them not to leave town.

Our couple, Eddie and April, are put up into an unusual B&B run but an equally unusual woman only to find that this story is not over and somehow they both are tied to the murders on Murder Road. Eddie and April are both hiding secrets that threaten to put their new marriage in danger. Working together, they investigate to find out who or what is the serial killer and to clear their names.

Excellent mystery with spooky supernatural elements, Murder Road was fantastic. I LOVED all the quirky characters of the town but Rose, the B&B owner was amazing. Prickly on the outside but their real true ally, she was the heart of the story and made them more likeable. I will highly recommend this title to those looking for a supernatural thriller/mystery.

Murder Road was an engrossing read that hooked me from start to finish. I loved the atmospheric setting and the 90s nostalgia.

Simone St. James seems to never miss with me. I've read all of her books and they never disappoint! This one really kept me on the edge of my seat.