As I lived through the 1990s, it is hard for me to think of that era as historical. I do prefer the author's books set after World War I. Yet, I was carried along by the story and had to try to stop myself from peeking at the end to make sure the characters ended up okay.

St. James manages to blend thriller/suspense, romance, and ghost stories in a way that keeps me reading late into the night. Murder Road is no exception. She ramps up the suspense and action in this novel that push the storyline along like a perfectly fired bullet. Revelations in the story are not predictable, and help to make connections for readers. St. James is one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait for more from her.

I’m not sure I’ll have the right words for this book but I am going to give it my best shot.

Simone St. James, is the only author who will ever get me to read a paranormal book. My only explanation is that she has perfected her craft and there is not a soul on earth who could ever do what she does.

From the first sentence of this book I knew I would never put it down. Why on earth did I decide to pick this book up on a day a should be enjoying my last day of Summer? Because it’s Simone St. James, and there was no other way I wanted to spend Labor Day.

Eddie, April and Rose. I loved all three of these perfectly flawed characters. They tugged at my heart strings and made me feel things you wouldn’t typically feel in a horror/thriller. I loved them and each of them had so much depth.

The story, so detailed, so chilling. Yes, it’s paranormal but it’s also 110 percent believable. It’s not far fetched, corny or childish. It’s haunting, incredible, and spoke straight to my ever loving ghost chasing soul.

Every publisher wants honesty and my only insight is please don’t change even one word.

Murder Road, is perfectly titled, the story is “all consuming” and St. James, perfected each and every detail of this book.

I sit here in tears because I know it will be some time before I get another book that will rattle me as this one had.

I hung on St. James, ever loving words and I will forever be indebted to the good ole folks at Berkley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this game changer before the big publication day! Thank you! ♥️

A thousand stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out this teaser:

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.

Simone St. James, Queen of the Supernatural Thriller, does not disappoint.

Atticus Line, a disused road on the way to Hunter Beach, has lured many hitchhikers who disappeared or were later found dead in the past 19 years. Newlyweds Eddie & April Carter are drawn into its violent mystery after taking a wrong turn late at night on the way to their honeymoon. When another young woman dies, they become the prime suspects in the investigation of a very determined detective who has no qualms about finding and revealing their secrets.

The Carters are aided in their own investigation by a police officer’s widow, a low-ranking officer ignored by his superiors, a librarian—yes, librarians do know everything!—and a pair of morbidly-obsessed, resourceful teens. I know the author doesn’t normally write sequels, but I’d love to read about the further adventures of the Snell Sisters.

Highly recommended. Thanks to Berkeley and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Road is set in the mid 90's and feature April and Eddie - two newly weds who take a wrong turn on the way to their resort and pick up an injured young woman in the dark. When the woman dies, the two become the number one suspects and have a very difficult time with the local police. As the hours turn into days. the two realize that the only way out of town is to discover what actually happen. The story is much, much crazier than they could ever make up!

A gothic tale of past trauma, the Murder Road is sure to haunt you!
#MurderRoad #SimonStJames #BErkleypublishing

What begins as a honeymoon quickly becomes a nightmare. April and Eddie are on their way to small town for their honeymoon. They make a big mistake when they pick up a hitchhiker and discover that he is bleeding badly. If that wasn’t bad enough, someone has begun chasing them. When they get too Coldlake Falls, they rushed the hitchhike her to the hospital, but it’s too late. And now the police, who have been trying to solve murders in the area for years have two suspects. It’s clear to the couple, that if they want to be cleared, they’re going to have to find the killer themselves. This is a real change from the authors, usual historical fiction, but it’s an excellent and welcome one.

Thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for the review copy.

Murder Road is the new supernatural story from Simone St. James. When newlyweds April and Eddie take a wrong turn on the way to their honeymoon, they end up on “murder road”. They come across a hitchhiker who isn’t quite what it seems, and are pulled into a mess of a time.

I like that the author brings in just enough ghosts to keep you on the edge of your seat, and there are plenty of red herrings. I finished this in a day, because I had to know the ending. Definitely recommend!

Murder Road is a delightful supernatural murder mystery set in my home state of Michigan. I was a little wary in the beginning because it was mentioned that April was “pretty” about sixty-seven thousand times (maybe a slight exaggeration) in the first few chapters. I don't know why exactly, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. Once the author had established that Very Important Fact, however, things improved quite a bit and I found myself getting completely wrapped up in the story.

None of the main characters in this book are exactly likable, so if you need likable characters this may not be the book for you. While Eddie and April weren't horrible people or anything, I felt as if they were a little too wrapped up in how broken they were and how difficult their lives had been. Their histories did make them more interesting characters, however, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Snell sisters were fantastic characters and I wish they had had a bigger part to play in the story – although it wouldn't have advanced the plot at all, I would have loved to read more about their wild conspiracy theories. Rose was also a brilliant character and her obsession with Princess Diana was a highlight of the book.

The mystery itself was super suspenseful and I had no idea where it was going until near the end. I did guess who The Lost Girl was fairly early on, but that was about it. The one part I didn't find all that believable was how intent the cops were on pinning the newest murder on April and Eddie (at one point in the book, Eddie makes a really good argument about why it was so ridiculous, but I won't spoil things here), but I suppose they explain that away somewhat at the very end.

Overall, Murder Road is an exciting and riveting read that I'd highly recommend to anyone who enjoys supernatural thrillers. This is the first book I've read by Simone St. James but it certainly won't be the last.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

5 stars

GD Simone St James is the best!

She has become an instant buy, push to the top of the tbr, drop everything you’re doing kind of author.
This book was phenomenal. The mystery was perfectly intertwined with the supernatural. She can build her plot and her character development simultaneously while keeping the reader’s attention the entire time. This book took off on page one and didn't let up or waste any words or pages with nonsense. I loved loved loved the supporting characters in this book, I really wish we had a little more time with the Snell sisters (or maaaybe a spin-off book/series).

Either way, this arc is a blessing and a curse (I’m so happy to have gotten early access but dang my wait for the next book is going to feel like forever).

Each time I begin another Simone St. James book, the haunting theme of "The Twilight Zone" starts playing in my mind, accompanied by eerie humming and buzzing sounds in the background. These sensations give me goosebumps, causing the hairs on various parts of my body to stand on end. I remember one instance when I was engrossed in one of her books, flipping through the pages like a machine. Glancing at my reflection in the mirror, I saw a resemblance to the tormented figure in Edvard Munch’s painting, "The Scream."

This book evoked a similar effect in me. It was chillingly horrifying yet incredibly captivating, a page-turner that kept me on edge until the very end. While some aspects may have initially seemed a tad far-fetched, the conclusion was skillfully executed. I must concede that even though the married couple, Eddie and April, are the central characters, the owner of the B&B, Rose, and the unsettling Snell sisters stole scenes whenever they graced the pages. I could even envision starting a fan club dedicated to them. Rose's dry-witted remarks, her eccentric demeanor masking vulnerability, and her peculiar adoration for Lady Diana captured my attention. The Snell sisters, surpassing the typical Nancy Drew wannabes or other young detective characters from TV shows, shone brightly. Their idiosyncrasies, sharp retorts, and knack for piecing together mysteries were the highlights of the book.

The narrative unfolds with newlyweds April and Eddie, both in their mid-twenties, embarking on a road trip for their honeymoon. An unexpected twist occurs when April loses consciousness during the journey, and upon awakening, she realizes they've taken a wrong turn to Coldlake Falls, leading them to Atticus Lane. In a sudden flash of lightning, they spot a young woman slowly walking down this eerie and desolate road. Despite the woman's vague responses raising alarms, April and Eddie offer her a ride in their car. Little did they know that this decision would propel them into a harrowing sequence of events. They discover the woman is fatally wounded from a stabbing. Their attempt to rush her to the hospital makes them prime suspects in a case involving missing hitchhikers, capturing the attention of state detectives.

These detectives are determined to pin crimes on the couple, crimes they didn't commit. This conspiracy seems to trace back nearly two decades to the death of Jane Doe, who has morphed into an urban legend known as "The Lost Girl." According to the legend, her vengeful spirit roams the deserted roads, hunting hitchhikers.

Both April and Eddie harbor secrets from their pasts, secrets that could lead to their imprisonment if uncovered by the detectives. Consequently, they are compelled to unravel the mystery before them in order to safeguard their hidden skeletons. However, what if the Lost Girl is real, and what if there's a reason why they are repeatedly drawn back to Atticus Lane whenever they attempt to leave the town?

The grand revelation of the mystery seamlessly interweaves supernatural horror elements. This book was one of the swiftest reads I've encountered, and as an ardent fan of the author, I wholeheartedly recommend this exhilarating, immensely enjoyable journey. It's a remarkable paranormal mystery featuring well-developed and endearing characters.

My sincere gratitude extends to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for generously providing me with a digital review copy of this exceptional book in exchange for my honest insights.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)