Lost to Dune Road by Kara Thomas is a gripping, atmospheric young adult thriller that weaves a tense and haunting tale of secrets, loss, and the haunting echoes of the past. Set in a small coastal town, the story centers on a group of friends whose lives are irrevocably changed after a tragic event on the mysterious Dune Road, a place shrouded in rumors and dark history.

The novel’s protagonist, Emma, returns to her hometown after years of being away, only to find herself tangled in the web of a tragedy that took place during her absence. As she reconnects with old friends, she uncovers disturbing truths about the people she thought she knew—and the events leading up to a night that shattered their lives forever. The central mystery revolves around a missing girl, and Emma’s search for answers pulls her into a chilling investigation that blurs the lines between memory, guilt, and reality.

Kara Thomas’s writing is sharp and evocative, capturing the eerie atmosphere of a small town with a sinister undercurrent. The author excels at building tension, using the coastal setting and the ominous Dune Road to create a sense of isolation and impending danger. The characters are richly developed, each with their own motivations and emotional baggage, making the mystery all the more compelling.

What sets Lost to Dune Road apart is its exploration of friendship, trauma, and how the past can haunt the present. The twists and revelations come at a steady pace, keeping readers on the edge of their seats, while the emotional depth of the characters adds weight to the suspenseful plot.

Overall, Lost to Dune Road is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy atmospheric thrillers with complex characters and a slow-burn mystery. Kara Thomas crafts a haunting and emotionally resonant story that will keep you guessing until the final page.

📚✨ Review of Lost to Dune Road by Kara Thomas ✨📚

Prepare for a rollercoaster of suspense with Lost to Dune Road! Kara Thomas has woven a masterful thriller that dives deep into the complexities of guilt, redemption, and dangerous secrets.

Our protagonist, Lee Ellerin, is haunted by a career-ending mistake—one that led to a suspect’s death and pushed her away from the life she knew. When she’s pulled back into the investigation of Amanda Hartley, a pregnant college student in a coma under mysterious circumstances, Lee sees a chance to confront her past and redeem herself. But with every answer she uncovers, more chilling questions arise.

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Hamptons, where secrets are as plentiful as the sand, Lost to Dune Road gripped me from the start. Kara Thomas doesn’t just give us a murder mystery; she unpacks the darker sides of human ambition, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to bury the truth. Lee’s journey is as haunting as it is captivating, and the dual timelines between her past and present investigations add a layer of intensity that kept me turning pages late into the night.

If you’re a fan of thrillers with complex characters and an eerie seaside setting, this book is a must-read. Just don’t plan on sleeping until you’ve reached the last page. 🌊🔎🕵️‍♀️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

An interesting read and great characters. Natalee was so determined to find out what happened to Jenna and Amanda. There were a few twists and turns to who she was looking for, putting her own life in danger to find the truth. Surprise ending. I wasn't a huge fan of the language in the book but thats my personal thing.

Lost to Dune Road is a great new mystery/thriller. This is the first book I have read by this author and I will read others now. I love a mystery that addresses difficult topics and yet still manages to create suspense and keep me guessing until the end. The only part of this read that I was not a fan of was the romance. It was a storyline that felt out of place and did not really add anything to the overall plot.

I've been a fan of Kara Thomas' YA books for a while now, so I was keen to explore her adult work. This one didn't disappoint. It felt like a good mystery to sink my teeth into and try and put all the pieces together for; it's compelling, which keeps you turning the page, with an interesting and raw detective protagonist that feels like you're following the trajectory of the story along with her. Plenty of suspense, and I really hope Kara Thomas continues in the adult category!

Kara Thomas never misses. Anything she writes is pure gold. I've been really enjoying her adult works recently, and I hope she continues writing more!

3.5 stars
I have read and enjoyed quite a few books by Kara Thomas. This one started out a little bit slow for me but it picked up and I became invested in the story and the characters. It was an interesting plot and the ending was unexpected.

This was a good detective based thriller! There was a lot of suspense. The large amount of characters was at times hard to keep track of, but this was an enjoyable read!

I absolutely loved this book. It was almost a five star book for me. It was just missing a few things.
I loved the amateur detective style of this book. It really kept me guessing. The whole time.
Lee as a main character was awesome

This was a solid suspense/ thriller book. However, this was not my favorite book by Kara Thomas. Normally, I really enjoy this author's books, as they suck me in and keep me guessing until the very end. Lost to Dune Road had a fair ending, but it wasn't very memorable or exciting.

Great story with many layers slowly revealing the connections. Loved Lee as the lead and all the detecting she was doing. Would read more of this author.

A reporter finds herself drawn back to a case from a few years ago when a young female is attacked. As Lee works to figure out what happened to Amanda, she keeps finding connections to Jenna, a young woman who was murdered years ago.

Overall, I enjoyed this mystery! I think it was a little slow at the beginning but then once it got more into the investigation it really picked up. I was also worried that it was going to lean into the “it was organized crime all along” trope but thankfully it didn’t go that way. I also think Thomas did a good job leading the readers to a person of interest just to turn around and surprise us!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with how to rate this book because it's well-written and a good story, but there were some mistakes in the book that made me wonder if an editor read it. I'm hoping that the mistakes were caught before the book was published in its final form since this is the ARC. I always enjoy stories set in locations I know well, and this story is set in Long Island where I grew up. Lee Ellerin is a disgraced journalist turned private investigator. Her writing career ended when she failed to properly investigate a source about a young woman's murder and her inaccurate reporting was blamed for causing a suspect's death. Now she's being asked by the mother of Amanda - a pregnant young woman in a coma - to figure out who the father of the baby is. Lee doesn't believe the party line from the police that Amanda was trying to commit suicide. Her quest to find out what happened to Amanda sends her down a very dangerous path. Thanks to #netgalley and #thomas&mercer for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy of this book.

When I had the opportunity to get an advanced copy of another Kara Thomas book I jumped at it.

Lee is a disgraced investigative journalist who is now doing private investigation work. She receives a call from a desperate mother whose pregnant daughter is in a coma after an apparent suicide attempt.

This was a real page turner with a side of cheesy romance. The plot was well thought out and woven beautifully with some heavy themes.

I really liked this book! Suspense, intrigue, a compelling story and many plot twists—overall, an excellent thriller!

What seems to be true might not be the safest thing to believe in this twisty tale of murder and danger at every turn.

Lee Ellerin worked as a reporter until she was discredited and has now been working as a private investigator. She uses her reporting skills to help solve cases for a lawyer who has helped her in the past. When the case that cost her career comes back around in connection to a new one, Lee is thrust back to Dune Road where it all began and has to work all the angles in order to try and solve cases old and new before she is stopped.

Lost to Dune Road was a very twisty tale of murder, abuse of power, and danger at every turn. I enjoyed the way Thomas crafted the cases to connect over time and how Lee worked to solve them, not only to prove herself innocent of what lost her the reporting job she loved, but also to help a mother find answers to what happened to her daughter. The relationship forged between Lee and the mother trying to figure out what happened to her daughter. While this wasn’t my favorite book so far this year, I did enjoy the mystery and suspense of it and was eager to see the outcome. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a suspense book with a lot of good twists and turns.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Lost to Dune Road, a page turning thriller, is a story about Amanda, a pregnant girl, who lies in a coma. There are so many questions about her circumstances and Lee, a private investigator is hired to find answers. Lee is a disgraced, former Vanity Fair reporter and was fired after she was reporting on a case a potential suspect died. As she digs into Amanda's case, she is finding connections between this case and the one she was fired over.

Kara Thomas put out a well written thriller that kept me reading late into the night. A great book to add to a summer reading list!

Second by the author for me and I enjoyed Out of the ashes slightly more but this was an excellent redemptive journalist turned private investigator mystery. Mainly told by Natalee or Lee for short who used to write for Vanity Fair but after getting fired for her last piece centering around a murder at Dune road she now works as a private investigator. She has deep and woven connections with police professionals that help her throughout the book and it was difficult at times to keep the names/roles straight.

The last 20% redeemed the beginning which was kinda draggy at times. But the ending was excellent and I wish the majority of the book kept that pace! But definitely redeemed itself!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Mercer for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.