Do you have any authors that you'll read without even knowing what the story is about, like just give me the book, I know I'm going to be thoroughly entertained? Simone St. James is one of those authors for me. Since I first discovered her books, I have absolutely loved the weird, spooky, creepy rides that she takes me on. And I love each new book more than the previous one. How does she do that? I totally devour each and every one of her stories!

Murder Road is an exciting, breathtaking thriller with the right amount of supernatural happenings, things that could, maybe, really occur... maybe. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and totally loved everything about it. The twist that ties it all together is mind-blowing.

I highly recommend Murder Road but be prepared to spend some time with April and Eddie because you won't be able to rest until they do.

3 stars

Eerie and atmospheric!

A young newlywed couple travels to a small town for their honeymoon where they end up involved in a long standing cold case police investigation.

The beginning of this book was full of atmosphere, tension and mystery. The author had me curious from the very first page. The 90’s nostalgia was entertaining and I loved the small town setting.

Although my interest did lessen in the second half, I was invested in finding out how the story would come together. I liked the characters, but can’t say that I completely connected with them as my investment in them did trail off near the end. They were entertaining but not people that I truly cared for and their behaviour and decisions became overly dramatic near the end.

Overall, this was an entertaining popcorn thriller that was easy to fly through but not a stand out in the genre. I usually connect stronger with this authors work, so this definitely wasn’t her best for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

Not my favorite Simone St. James. I felt the story was lacking and didn’t hold my attention the way her books typically do.

TITLE: MURDER ROAD
AUTHOR: Simone St James
PUB DATE: 03.05.2024

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.

THOUGHTS:

I love a good supernatural thriller and this is something I expect from Simone St James - her writing is always well paced, chilling, and with a fantastic backstory for each of her characters. St James just knows how to scare enough to give me the heebie jeebies and putting me, the readers in one of the most eerie part of a road trip - you know the plot- lost and you pick up a hitchhiker, then there is blood and all hell breaks loose? Yes that one but there is always an unexpected twist that will always surprise you. Now that is brilliant.

I really loved the atmosphere of Murder Road. I did find it a little predictable and some of the reveals a little irrelevant to the story line. I would have loved to learn more about the other victims as well. Otherwise a pretty decent and creepy book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

I love Simone St. James books and this was no exception. Twisted through the end, it was definitely a gripping thriller.

This book was so freaky. Simone St. James always manages to freak me out. Her writing is so descriptive. The scene where they thought they saw someone in the back of the truck gave me nightmares! Loved this story, really kept me interested and I've already recommended it to others who love this genre!

Simone St. James has once again delivered a perfectly thrilling paranormal time. I was on the edge of my seat as I tagged along to the investigations of a long standing, creepy as all get out, urban legend in a small town. Between the terrifying encounters with a hitchhiking entity, to uncovering dark secrets of the town's past and present, this thriller is definitely one to read at night--but make sure you leave a light on!

A supernatural thriller with nostalgic 90s vibes. Eddie and April are driving to their honeymoon hotel when they take a “shortcut” along a dark and barren road and see a bloody girl on the side of the road. They stop to help her and after their attempt at a good deed are now suspects of a murder investigation.

You know how when you’re watching a horror movie and the protagonists make poor decisions and you end up screaming at the tv for them to run away? This book was like that. Full of creepiness and mystery, I was hooked from the beginning. The ending was executed better than I expected. This was my first Simone St. James book but won’t be the last.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC. Murder Road is out now.

This was a bit out of my element with the supernatural aspects but I was game for it. The book was worth reading. I was surprised at the twists in the plot. The characters were very clearly distinguished. I'll read other Simone St. James books.

In July 1995, April and Eddie are driving to their honeymoon when they pick up a hitchhiker along a dark Michigan road. When the hitchhiker dies, April and Eddie quickly become the only suspects. They decide to clear their own names and discover that the road is known for a string of murders going back to the 1970’s and the local legend of the Lost Girl.

Simone St. James does it again with another brilliant ghost story. I loved April and Eddie and that this book was set in 1995. It gave it such an eerie feeling since there were no cell phones or GPS then. It also had a nostalgic feeling for me with the pop culture references since I grew up in the 90’s.

St. James always blends genres so well and Murder Road was no exception. This is a paranormal story blended with a mystery, and it worked so well for this book. April and Eddie’s characters were fleshed out really well, and I enjoyed learning about the secrets of their pasts while trying to uncover the mystery of the Atticus Line. There are some exceptional secondary characters in this book as well. Rose and the Snell sisters were fantastic and put a little humor into an otherwise dark and serious story.

I thought the ghost story was done really well. The Lost Girl had an urban legend feel that worked so well with the small town setting and dark highway that April and Eddie encountered her on. The way the story ties itself together in the end really blew my mind. There were definitely some chilling and frightening moments in this book which made it the perfect spooky read for me!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Definitely not my favorite of this authors. I loved the 90s setting. No cells phones and having to go to the library? Yes but the mystery in this one was pretty lame

I didn't read the description before starting this one, so I loved not knowing what to expect. I had thought it was just a straightforward thriller. The supernatural elements came as a creepy surprise. I liked the 90s setting, I feel like mystery/thriller books are a lot more fun without modern tech. The nostalgia was there, but it didn't feel overdone. I liked the weird small town setting where everyone seemed to have secrets and no one could be trusted. The story had a lot of twists and I never saw a lot of them coming. Overall, a 4.5 star read, another hit from St. James.

Simone St James never disappoints, and Murder Road is no exception. It was fast paced and has all the vibes of a supernatural horror film and I loved every second of it.

What an incredibly thrilling book! This is by far my favorite book by Simone St. James. I don't remember the last time I read a book that started out with such a thrilling first chapter. It kept me hooked until the very end, and I did not want to put it down. Thank you so much for the publisher, author and Net Galley for an advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is (arguably) my favorite Simone St James novel & my favorite so far this year!!!! The premise, the pacing & the plot had me staying up late to finish this one! Couldn't wait to get to the conclusion! I have a small pile of TO BE READ AGAIN titles & this is definitely on my list to revisit sometime in the future! Honestly, I am already in line for the audio version because I LOVED the story so much!!!! Everyone should take a detour down Murder Road this Summer! Will be recommending to all my customers as the perfect SUMMER READ!!!

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.

🎧𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐭. 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🎧

Thank you to @prhaudio for this audiobook! I devoured it!!! Great narration👏🏻🎧

“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.”

Wow! This book was an UNEXPECTED read for me!!! I went into it thinking it would just be a thriller and let me tell you, it takes a bizarre genre turn haha I finished it last week and I’m still not sure how I feel about it😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘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.’

Let’s talk paranormal thrillers!! Love them? Hate them?!

What’s your favorite paranormal thriller you’ve read?!

I usually love Simone St. James, but unfortunately this missed the mark. I'm not a big fan of the twist being reliant on mental illness, and I also just didn't find this spooky or thrilling.

I usually love SSJ but this was a miss for me. Didn’t find it spooky or all that interesting. Seemed like she churned this out without flushing out a lot of the details.

I love Simone St. James, so when I saw that she had another book coming out I jumped on requesting it!

This is not my favourite of Ms. St. James' books. I felt it was a tad too far-fetched, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and read it fairly quickly.