DAMN! I really liked this one. Darkest Corners will always be my favorite Kara book, but I'm not sure if she will ever top that one. For her second adult book though, I found this more like her usual twisty thrillers and I loved the way everything came together and that there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming!

This book was so good, well planned out, excellent follow through.
The only reason I rated it as a 4 star, instead of a 5 star, is because I figured out the entire plot before it was revealed. That and the end needed a smidge more explanation, in my opinion.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Was not my favourite read, but not a bad one by any means. This was a fine, easy page turner but nothing special IMO.

As a big fan of Kara Thomas's YA books, I was really intrigued by this story. I loved that it explored the, at this point, well known corruption in some of the Long Island police departments and wrote a story that feels fresh while also feeling like it could have been ripped from the headlines. Compelling storytelling all around.

This is the first book I have read by Kara Thomas and I can definitely say this won't.be the last. I am just sad that it took me this long to read her work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It definitely kept me intrigued throughout the whole storyline. There wasn't a second that I wasn't intrigued or questioning who could have done what.

This storyline kept me wrapped up in a constant whodunnit cycle. I enjoyed being in Natalee's POV, because she had a unique outsiders view. A view that was needed in order to see what was really happening.

The elite 1% always have a code of what happens in their places never leaves their places. It gets swept under the rug and never spoke about again. Even murder. This is every day life. No big deal to them. Until it is to everyone else.

I loved the deep dive into the world of Amanda's life and where it took her. She came from Tennessee all the way to New York to live her dreams to be a photographer. She wanted to get her degree and live out her dreams and have her work in galleries. She just didn't dream her life would turn out the way it did.

Natalee may have been blackballed after a murder she was investigating years before but that didn't stop her from her investigating what happened to Amanda at Carols request.

I never thought that the journey I went on would ever get to that point that it did, but it definitely kept me guessing. I was confused and guessing at every twist and turn.

If I said I didn't cry at the end I would be a big fat liar liar pants on fire. 👖 🔥 I bawled like a little baby. I couldn't helped but feel for the people involved for all the damage that was done in the end.

I cannot wait to read another by Kara!

I read Out of the Ashes last year by Thomas and was looking forward to this one, but it left something to be desired. The plot was convoluted with many moving parts, a large interconnected cast. The resolution at the end of who was behind the main issues was surprising, but felt so out of left field that it didn't make sense, while so many characters that had been investigated were totally irrelevant. The main character's lack of self awareness and emotional immaturity also was out of place for a private investigator/journalist. I don't necessarily recommend this one, but if you want to read it, go for it.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of Lost to Dune Road in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the advance copy of Lost to Dune Road.

Lee is a reporter who lost all credibility after an unfortunate mistake that resulted in a death. Now, five years later, she makes a living being a private investigator under a nickname so as to not be as easily recognized.

She receives a call from the mother of Amanda Hartley, a pregnant college student who is currently in a coma from a supposed attempted suicide. There are a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle, like who is the father or how is a broke college student living in an apartment in Manhattan? Amanda’s mom found Lee’s name on a paper in Amanda’s stuff, which Lee cannot understand either…until she figures out that Amanda was last seen on Dune Road, the same location as the last case Lee was reporting on was focused on.

Taking on Amanda’s investigation while also revisiting the case that ruined her career, Lee will dive back into the dangerous world of the Hamptons elite bringing secrets to light that powerful people would rather stay buried.

Kara is back with another dark and gritty mystery that will keep readers invested and guessing until the end.

I love a Hamptons setting. I know I’m getting toxic rich people problems whenever I see that’s where we’re headed. The Hamptons also allows for a mingling of the elite and the not-so, which is exactly what we got with this one. Naive girls in need of financial security stumbling into the dark side of a place that is not typically viewed as such.

The plot set up was great. I have seen a couple of these ‘disgraced reporter’ stories lately and I think it’s a cool angle on how to give a character a backstory that immediately causes us to sympathize and root for them, while also lending a reason as to why this person who isn’t in law enforcement is good at investigating.

I wouldn’t call this a political novel, or even really politically-driven, however there are some big current hot button topics addressed that could be considered political like abortion, police corruption, and powerful people and the things they may be able to get away with.

I always look forward to what Kara is going to put out next, I enjoy both her YA an adult novels and I’m here for another installment in either age group.

Occasionally you cross paths with a book that sounds like it would be right up your alley, but sadly you don't connect with it. This was one of those for me. Too many characters, plots moving in different directions, unlikable and unrelatable characters just made it hard to follow and find interest in it. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC.

This one was just so good - in my opinion did everything I needed it to.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. This story takes you in a journey of a mother’s love for her daughter and her will to know what happened to her daughter. She hires a private investigator, Lee to help. This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, there is so much to learn about what happened to her and there was never a dull moment!

Lost to Dune Road had such a strong premise but fell short in execution. The main POV was difficult to connect with and I much preferred Amanda’s POV. I paired the digital ARC with audio and that was enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Kara Thomas is becoming one of my auto buy authors. This was such a terrific mystery and made even more tense with multiple POVs. Unreliable characters made this even more intense. Highly recommend

i originally wanted this title because of dune road/the hamptons and i live on long island so i figured i'd be interested. while i was right about that, it was mostly confusing going back and forth between jenna and amanda's stories while also keeping up with a list of other characters. i don't usually go for police procedurals but this was a quick read that kept me guessing.

This thriller is definitely darker than Thomas' YA books but just as engrossing. The story focuses on the connection between a cold case from the past and a current injured woman. A former journalist takes on the case in her current role as a private investigator and is determined to find out what happened to a pregnant young woman. This has a strong exploration of women's issues being discussed in our nation and many questions for the reader to grapple with within their own belief system. I really enjoyed how each character felt both sympathetic and untrustworthy in their own ways. I was very invested in the story and was fascinated to find out how the author would wrap up the story (she did it very well). This is one I would definitely recommend. Thanks to Kara Thomas, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So so so good! I loved hearing from the different characters perspectives! We were able to understand how each main character was feeling and hear from different sides of the story. I will say... I thought I had it figured out and then there a twist thrown at us right at the end that was fantastic!
Highly recommend!

Would recommend for fans of…
🕵🏼‍♀️ Out of the Ashes
🕵🏼‍♀️ The Last to Vanish
🕵🏼‍♀️ A Flicker in the Dark

Kara Thomas is quickly becoming one of my go-to thriller writers! With her second adult thriller, she’s proven she can seamlessly bounce between YA and adult, delivering suspenseful mysteries in each genre.

Dune Road follows Lee, a former journalist and current PI who’s asked to investigate a case that may be related to the one that destroyed her journalism career.

Dune Road shares a lot of similarities with Out of the Ashes — a struggling protagonist, a cold case that society has written off, and a tiny bit of grittiness that adds to the realism of the mystery. Thomas does a great job of building out Lee’s backstory (which really helps the reader understand her motivations) without bogging the plot down with unnecessary details. I thought the premise of the mystery was very unique, and I was kept guessing until the end.

***Minor spoilers below***

The only downside of this book in my opinion was the corruption subplot. While it was essential to the larger mystery I found all of the names and details about the corrupt misdeeds to be a little confusing and it bogged down the larger plot.

***Spoilers end***

Lost to Dune Road is out now. Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, MB Communications & Thomas Mercer #partner, for the advanced copy of Lost to Dune Road in exchange for my honest review.

I first discovered Kara Thomas last year with her debut adult thriller, Out of the Ashes. I was thrilled to see she had another adult thriller and that it was set on Long Island this time!!!

This is another dark, gritty thriller that kept me captivated the entire time. It involves a cold case that is connected to a current mystery, and cold cases just happen to be my one of my favorite tropes in the thriller world and I loved how this plays out. It really kept me guessing as to what would happen next. It is a very tense and suspenseful read, and I felt all the characters were not only so well-crafted but also had me on edge – you just didn’t know who you could trust.

I loved Lee, the main protagonist. Despite all that had happened to her, now a blacklisted journalist turned PI, she didn’t let that stop her from finding out that answers that still haunted her from all those years ago. Little did she know when she takes a case about the girl in the coma that she would uncover so much more.

This book has a ripped-from-the-headlines feel to it, giving it a true-crime feel. There is almost a procedural element to it, mixed with the unsolved murders and all the corruption. And let’s not forget the settings – moving between The Hamptons and NYC, this one oozes atmosphere! There were many unexpected twists and turns, and I definitely did not see that ending coming! It was more than satisfying.

If you like dark, gritty reads with a strong female character, then definitely pick this one up when it releases on April 16th!

This is my new favorite Kara Thomas book, I think. I also have a soft spot for books about reporters and books (loosely) based on real-life cases. I enjoyed both points of view, especially so that we could see what was going through Amanda's head. I also really appreciated the look into women's health and safety sprinkled throughout, from the right to choose to how vulnerable being a woman can be in many situations. There were definitely a few twists I didn't see coming, and the ending felt right. I received an advance review copy for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Enjoyed as an audiobook, this was an easy book to jump right into. The story starts right off - Lee is picking up the pieces of her life after blowing it up by accusing a very powerful man of abducting and killing a young woman. She was a journalist and now she is a P.I., chasing down potential fraud for an attorney. It's not the life she thought she'd have.

But then, another girl is attacked. It's near the first one and Lee is sucked back into the life she once was shoved out of - and is worried she'll blow this new, lower status life she's established. But, can she really just walk away from potentially solving that first crime?

This was so good! I really liked Lee, even though she was prickly and protected. I liked the way her mind jumped around, drew conclusions, and she was cautious about who knew what secrets. I found the mystery really compelling too! When the twists and turns finally lead to a conclusion, I was shocked. I had no idea how it would all turn out and I really liked the conclusion. The narrator was great, too!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Lost to Dune Road by Kara Thomas tells the story of reporter Lee Ellerin, whose investigation into a young woman's unsolved murder ended in tragedy, leading to the loss of her career. Five years later, Lee finds herself pulled back into the case when pregnant college student Amanda Hartley is found in a coma under suspicious circumstances. As Lee delves deeper into Amanda's life, she uncovers unsettling connections to her past investigation.

While Lost to Dune Road offers a gripping premise, I found that the book wasn't for me. The story felt politically charged, which might be challenging for some readers in today's climate. Additionally, the constant jumps between Jenna's and Amanda's stories made the narrative confusing at times. With a large cast of characters, it was difficult to keep track of their individual stories. However, for fans of unsolved cases and police procedurals, this book might still be worth a read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kara Thomas for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.