MURDER ROAD BOOK REVIEW

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

July 1995. Eddie and April are en route to their honeymoon but take a turn onto a deserted road at night. They pick up a hitchhiker, then notice she’s bleeding out. They take her to the hospital where she later dies, and then find themselves in the middle of a huge police investigation aka their honeymoon from hell!

There’s something eerie about Atticus Lane, a densely wooded remote road in the small Michigan town of Coldlake Falls. Several hitchhikers have gone missing there since the 1970’s but no killer has been found. Local legend has it that if you see the Lost Girl, you’ll be the next one found dead at the side of the road.

I LOVE @simonestjames and couldn’t wait to read #MurderRoad which will be out in March of 2024! She is the absolute queen of supernatural thrillers that will literally send shivers up your spine! I was rooting for Eddie and April as they took it upon themselves to investigate these murders when they felt like the police weren’t doing their part. I also really enjoyed the Snell sisters and Rose! Overall, this was a complete page turner and I binged it in 2 days! I def recommend if you are looking for a solid supernatural thriller!

Thank you @berkleypub for my Netgalley copy!

This is my second book by this author and I’m sure it won’t be my last. I didn’t realize how quickly it sucked me in until I was half way through it without noticing. A great read for thriller fans.

Simone St. James does not miss, and certainly doesn’t in this Gothika-esque novel about newlyweds that stumble upon murders and ghosts in a tiny town. I love the way it all ties together, and this is sure to be a hit with lovers of books that bring the chills.

Curl up and prepare to leave a light on as St. James once again dazzles with her ability to scare.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for allowing me to read this digital arc. My opinions are my own.

I've loved Simone St. James's books in the past, so I was looking forward to reading this upcoming March 2024 release. Unfortunately this was a bit lackluster for me - the first half moved along better than the slower second half.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

Another hit by Simone St. James! I love her ghostly stories and always make them a priority read. I think I enjoyed the characters in this book the most out of all her books.

I was so excited to get this ARC for “Murder Road” from the thrill queen Simone St. James. I highly recommend this story - I was such a fan!

I was so so excited to get approved to read an ARC of this book! This author is one of my absolute favorites and this book was no exception. I don't read a lot of supernatural fiction but I've never found a book by this author that I didn't enjoy. Eddie and April were so intriguing and I loved seeing their relationship tested on what should have been a happy honeymoon. Figuring out how the characters fit together and who had done what, the mystery of it all and how it ended was absolutely awesome. I can't wait for everyone to read this!

I always enjoy a good thriller from Simone St. James. This book delivers on so many levels. I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with each other. The spooky elements of the small town country road where hitchhikers disappear was well crafted. The creepy element of the supernatural was spot on. I find supernatural mysteries can be hit or miss for me, but this one was spot on. St. James has a distinct voice that is made for this kind of mystery. Recommend to those who light mystery/thrillers with a ghostly side.

I am a HUGE Simone St. James fan and I was beyond excited to receive this advance readers copy of her upcoming novel!
The first couple of chapters absolutely gripped me and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put this one down. It was such a fun, easy, and fast paced read. The chapters are short and compel you to continue reading as the plot and character depths thicken. Making this an utterly binge-able book. The main characters are flawed with mysterious and complicated pasts but, as the chapters pass, you feel the urge to fight for and protect them. That is huge for me because I rarely find myself feeling that way for main characters in horror stories!
This story was beautifully written and gives us that perfect amount of supernatural that St. James always manages to deliver.

3.5⭐️ (rounded to 4 on goodreads)

-creeeeepy! Read with a light on😜
-queen of supernatural stories strikes again👻
-Loved the snell sisters. They were such fun side characters!
-the 2 main characters were likable
-twisty ending

-wished for a little more info at the end? Wrapped up quickly.
-I know you have to suspend belief with supernatural stuff, which I love, but I felt like I also had to with how the police officers worked… which I didn’t love

Although I have enjoyed her other books a bit more, I still highly recommend reading this one! Perfect if you’re wanting something eerie 🫣

Will post to Instagram closer to pub day.

Eddie and April Carter are heading off to their honeymoon, when a wrong turn puts them in a gruesome situation. They come upon a woman stumbling down Atticus Line, a road near Coldlake Falls, the couple offer to give her a ride. Only to find out she's seriously injured. Once arriving at the hospital, the young woman dies. Immediately the cops turn their attention to the Carters. Why were they on Atticus Line and how'd they manage to get so off course. The story runs deeper, this road is known for having many hitchhikers wind up dead going back nearly twenty years. Eddie and April bit off more than they could chew and now find themselves linked to the mystery behind Atticus Line.

This was a great spooky season read. Simone always does a great job of blending ghosts with crime. There's still a murder at the base of the story, but one with more than meets the eye. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Don't read this alone at night, you won't ever get to sleep. Simone St. James has another creepy novel to her name with characters you root for and others you wish would go away!

An accidental detour on their honeymoon leads Eddie and April to Attic us Rd and a single hitchhiker on the edge. They pick her up out of concern and then see the blood, is it hers? Or someone else's? And why hasn't anyone solved the mysterious deaths that have happened in the last 19 years?

I have been a huge fan of Simone St James ever since I stumbled upon a copy of Silence for the Dead at the library. While I have loved all of her books, that one remains my favorite. Murder Road was hands down my favorite out of her books set in the US (Broken Girls, The Sun-Down Motel, The Book of Cold Cases, and this one). I loved the main characters and felt like their actions in trying to solve the mystery of their situation were believable and logical.
The plot had JUST the right amount of spookiness and creepiness without terrifying me to the point I couldn't sleep. If you're a fan of her previous works, you'll love this one. I think it's one of her best. As usual, she also writes memorable minor characters who add so much to the scenes they're in and to the plot as a whole.
Another huge hit from an incredibly gifted writer. I just wish she could write them faster!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary digital copy. It absolutely felt like Christmas to receive it.

Simone St. James does it again with the spook factor! The entire book is atmospheric with an ending you don't see coming.

Oh man, do I love Simone St James. If you love paranormal thrillers, she is simply the absolute best!
First off, a big thank you to the author, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing group for an advanced reader copy of this novel (it will be available to the public march 2024)
This book was scary, suspenseful and all things good. There were so many twists and unique characters that watching it all come together in the end was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat, my arms had goosebumps and I was trying to solve the case the entire time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

#bookstagram #booktok #momswhoread #book #reading #currentlyreading #booknook #booksofinstagram #bookworm #goodreads #author #audible #library #ku#readersofinstagram #bookblogger #kindle #booksta #kindleunlimited #kindlepaperwhite #library #girlswhoread #ilovebooks

This was my fist Simone St. James novel and it did not disappoint! The suspense had me unable to put the book down.This is the perfect spooky season read!

Simone St. James rests pretty high in my eyes, especially for the mystery/supernatural genre. with maybe just a few kinks, Murder Road is no exception. Her storylines are always original, and the setting of this book, on an isolated, out of the way road, sends chills down your spine. Her characters are very well developed and truly bring you into the story. There were bits and pieces of info that felt a little stretched sometime, but all in all, it was an excellent read! #murderroad #simonestjames #netgalley #goodreads

Murder Road
by Simone St. James

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Pub Date 05 Mar 2024 | Archive Date 05 Apr 2024
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Mystery & Thrillers
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Description
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 hitchiker 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.

When I heard Simone St. James was writing another book, I NEEDED it. I heard the angels singing when I got the approval email. Thank you so much #NetGalley and #berkleypublishing for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a fan of slow burn mysteries and thrillers unless they're done right. This one exceeded my expectations!

I will admit, I struggled to latch on in the beginning, and I think it was because I found all of the characters to be so unlikeable at first (but I promise it gets better! You'll have a favorite!) Things started happening, and I was hooked. I devoured the rest of this book. If you know me, you know my brain automatically figures out the remainder of a book by Chapter 3. I could NOT solve the mystery of the Lost Girl! Well done Simone!

5* all the way for this fantastic, edge of your seat, ghostly, supernatural mystery. This one checked all of the boxes for me!

The plot was intricate and multi-layered keeping me guessing as to what exactly was going on!!
The mystery kept going and evolving throughout the book. I could easily have read this one in two sittings but I was taking my time to enjoy Ms. St. James’ great writing and character development!

A young couple, April and Edie, are on a honeymoon road trip, headed to a lake resort in Coldlake Falls -THEY WILL NEVER MAKE IT TO THE RESORT!!

They make a wrong turn while April is sleeping and end up on a dark and deserted road with no signs indicating where they are. THEY ARE LOST AND THERE IS NO ONE ON THE ROAD!

That’s when they see a young woman on the side of the road, they stop for her, they soon find that she is bleeding. They also see a truck’s headlights behind them which then flashes by!

They take her to the nearest hospital – THEIR LIVES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!! She dies and April and Edie find themselves suspects in what appears to be her murder.

April loves Edie so much, he accepts her just the way she is - BUT SHE HAS KEPT SOME THINGS TO HERSELF, SECRETS THAT SHE ISN’T READY TO SHARE!

Edie is a veteran of the war in Iraq. He feels that he is damaged in some way because of the things that he has seen. HE CONTINUES TO HAVE NIGHTMARES - ONCE IN COLDLAKE FALLS THE NIGHTMARES START TO MORPH INTO SOMETHING ELSE!!

Rose is the owner of a B&B - she adds a wonderful sense of humor and an eclectic taste in decorating. Edie and April win her over and she slowly confides in them. She tells them the town legend of a woman - dubbed THE LOST GIRL who haunts Atticus Line. There have been many suspicious disappearances along this road. She also doesn’t trust the police!

The Snell sisters, Beatrice and Gracie, are young but resourceful. They have been keeping track of the disappearances and have some great suspicions and facts that they share with April.

Detective Quentin is heavily invested in the case. HE TRIES TO PIN THE MURDER ON APRIL AND EDIE BUT THE PIECES DON’T FIT!

There are other police officers that are more interested in what the couple discovered on that dark night - WHO IS THE YOUNG WOMAN? WHERE IS SHE FROM AND WHERE WAS SHE GOING?

If you have read the author’s other novels you know you are in for a terrific read. To everyone else, try any of her novels and you will be a fan!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my great pleasure to read and review this title.