REVIEW as posted to my IG account 4/13

Review copies courtesy of MBC and Thomas & Mercer. Thank you #partner #gifted.

Lost to Dune Road
Kara Thomas
4/16

📖 For a disgraced reporter-turned-PI, unraveling a conspiracy of murder could mean redemption.

💭 This has everything I love in a mystery/thriller... The writing is excellent - the epitome of show, not tell. It's intelligent, plot-forward, perfectly paced, with no unnecessary details to bog it down. It pulled me in immediately, and kept me coming back for more.

Lost to Dune Road is a suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat, investigative thriller and easily one of the best I've read so far this year! I'm immediately adding Thomas's backlist to my TBR!

⚠️ This does get a bit dark and touches on SA and other difficult themes.

📌 Available 4/16, and will be available on Kindle Unlimited in both ebook and audiobook.

Exactly what you'd expect. Typical PI/Detective setup where they just run around interviewing people and trying to piece the crime together. Would have preferred the entire novel to be told from the victim's perspective rather than the PI. The victim chapters were well crafted and compelling. The PI chapters, not so much. Our PI, Lee, was that rough around the edges, beer drinking, taco bell eating (but still pretty!) character. Nothing new there. Her chapters were confusing due to too many characters, and annoying due to an unnecessary love interest.

This was perfectly readable and inoffensive. I'd just personally rather read something unique that I hate, than read something this generic.

I love a good murder mystery with a strong female lead, and this one did not disappoint! This featured a female private detective and the story was full of twists. It was fun to read and I was invested from the beginning. The conclusion was shocking and I never saw it coming!

Lee Ellerin is a former reporter whose investigation into the murder of a young girl caused her to lose everything including her own job as a reporter. Five years later, Lee is working as a private investigator, when she was asked to investigate the nearly attempted murder of pregnant Amanda who is left in coma. As Lee is investigating, she finds a connection between Amanda and the previous girl that Lee was investigating on--Amanda like the previous victim was seen on Dune Road. Is there a connection between the two victims? Why was Amanda at the Dune Road?

This was actually a fast-paced thriller, packed with twists and turns and is also a page turner. I also like the plot of the story as I found the plot to be interesting. The writing was also great and I feel that the author did a good job of making the reader draw into the story. Despite the good things, I felt there were too many characters in the book which actually made the book a bit confusing as to who is who. The romance part of this thriller I feel is unnecessary. Most of the characters in the book are unlikable which is also another bad thing. The story shifts between Lee, who is the main protagonist and Amanda the second known victim, which outlined how she got pregnant and got ended up in the situation. This is also more like a political thriller in my opinion as well--well known men, elite people from Hamptons, money, power...that was the main outline of the story.

But overall, I did enjoy the book despite these things and I am actually looking forward to read more books from this author. Worth 4 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This was another really good thriller by Kara Thomas! While she's not my favorite thriller writer, I always know I'm going to read a solid story by her. And Lost to Dune Road was no exception. From the get-go, this story grabbed my attention and honestly never let go. It moves at a fast pace, and there was a small dual-POV. The ending was a tiny lackluster, but overall, it was really well done and tied everything together. I thought the side characters were done really well too.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. The writing just felt so dense and hard for me to connect with. There were a lot of characters and I just couldn’t keep up. I kept getting lost.

This one didn’t work for me but I hope others love it.

Lee, once a reporter for Vanity Fair, lost her job by pointing fingers at a rich man. She's now a private investigator, and the job she recently has been hired for seems to link to a crime that happened that caused her to lose her job.

The plot of this story was very interesting to me, but the way it played out was hard to keep straight. There were so many characters and having 2 crimes intertwined was hard to keep separate. There was also a questionable past romance that didn't seem to fit the storyline and made it feel messy.

I did enjoy the 2 POVS. One was by Lee in the present and the other was by Amanda, which describes how the crime came to be.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kara Thomas, and the publishers for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest opinion.

Can Kara Thomas ever write a bad book?? Idk because I've loved everything I've read of hers.

This is wayyyy high up there with Dark Corners for my favorite book by Kara although I feel like Dark Corners was just so special to me that I have to choose that one.

This takes on such a classic detective thriller outline but with Kara's obvious style. The true crime aspect was well done. The characters were very well thought out and the mystery, while being predictable later on, was engrossing and very interesting.

I cannot wait to read more and I hope she continues on in this style and voice.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

Five years ago, Lee’s career in journalism ended after she made a mistake in not properly vetting a source, while writing about a missing woman. Today, she works as a private investigator, and tries to keep out of the spotlight. That changes when she is approached by the mother of a pregnant college student, whose daughter is in a coma. The comatose woman had Lee’s name on a piece of paper in her wallet, and her mother wants Lee to look into the circumstances behind what happened to her daughter. As Lee begins investigating, she discovers there may be a connection to the case that ended her journalism career.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very fast paced and full of action, and I never got bored. Lee is an easy character to root for, and I loved following her investigation. This book was full of twist and turns, and kept me guessing until the end. The final twist came out of nowhere and made my job drop. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lost to Dune Road by Kara Thomas is a crime thriller novel with a private detective at the lead. The story in Lost to Dune Road is one that is told mainly from the point of view of the main characters but does occasionally switch to another point of view with some flashing back to previous events.

Lee Ellerin had once been in her dream career of being a investagative reporter when things came crashing down for Lee. Working on a case that had gained national attention of a young woman’s unsolved murder Lee made a huge mistake and it cost her her journalism career.

Now five years later Lee has become a private investigator when she is contacted by the mother of yet another victim. Amanda Hartley is pregnant and in a coma after what was initially thought to be a suicide but Lee’s name was found in Amanda’s things even though Lee doesn’t seem to know her and with that connection Lee can’t help but dive into this new case as memories of the old haunt her.

Lost to Dune Road is not the first book I’ve read by author Kara Thomas so I went in expecting to absolutely love this one. Unfortunately that wasn’t so much the case with finishing at three and a half stars but it was still a solid story. I think for me this one was a case of just a little too much being added into the mix that I felt like it was kind of convoluted without really needing to be with a lot of characters tossed into the mix. The story was dark and one that drew me in and perhaps with a little less involved it would have been a total hit.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was my first book by Kara Thomas, but I have a few of her others on my TBR! Lee is a reporter turned private investigator working to solve the mysterious connection between two crimes that happened on Dune Road. I really liked Lee and found myself invested in her getting answers — especially after what happened to her with the first Dune Road crime. I kept trying to solve the mystery, but Thomas kept me guessing and the ending was satisfying!

LOST TO DUNE ROAD is a slow-burn thriller filled with suspense and tension.

Lost to Dune Road was a twisty and tense read perfect for heading into the summer season. My only real quibbles are that so many suspects get introduced that it was sometimes hard to keep everything straight and the ending was a little too rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this one.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Lost to Dune Road is a dark and suspenseful layered thriller, mystery. The story follows former reporter Lee Ellerin, who is now a private investigator and gets drawn back into an unsolved murder case when a pregnant college student, Amanda Hartley, lies in a coma. The novel delves into scandal, secrets, and the sway of the rich and powerful. The plot while complicated at times was twisty and kept me interested. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A topical thriller where past and present collide for Lee, a disgraced reporter who sees echoes of the case that ruined her career in the death of Amanda, whose mother hires her because she does not believe the official story. Wealth, privilege, and disregard for women all combine here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Know that there's a large character list and that you might find yourself annoyed with Lee periodically but it's a good read.

A solid outing for Thomas that is somewhat hampered by an unnecessary romance that at times disrupted the pacing of the book. Readers will enjoy the way Thomas doles out just enough clues and red herrings to keep you guessing and will likely also enjoy the book's denouement as it feels earned and makes sense within the context of the plot. For book collectors, this is definitely one you will want to have in your collection as the cover art is stunning.

Lee Ellerin is working as a private investigator after making a tragic mistake as a reporter while investigating a murder. With only small jobs here and there she is down on her luck when a mother contacts her wanting her help finding out who the father of her pregnant daughter is. You see her daughter is in a coma after appearing to commit suicide and the daughter had Lee’s information on her. As Lee digs into this case she finds connections to the case that got her disgraced as a reporter and she finds out that not everyone is as innocent as they seem.

If you like character heavy reads with multiple plots, this book is for you. While I enjoyed the twists and how everything connected, I found it hard at times to keep up with all the names and plots.

Kara Thomas has a way of pulling readers into her stories and keeping you hooked until the very end. I went into this one blind. I had no idea of the subject matter and while it was very heavy, there were opportunities for some comical relief that were taken by Thomas. I read this book in 2 days and needed to find out the ending. I was able to guess some of the twists but definitely not all. By the end I was on the verge of tears and left, yet again, amazed by the writing. Kara Thomas is becoming an instant read author for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Lost to Dune Road" by Kara Thomas is a mesmerizing mystery that unfolds against the backdrop of the Hamptons, Long Island, and New York City. Set in these dynamic locations, the story follows Lee Ellerin, a disgraced reporter turned private investigator, as she delves into the unsolved murder of a young woman and its eerie connection to a recent case involving a comatose pregnant college student.

Initially skeptical due to the title's lack of immediate intrigue, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and intricacy of the narrative. Thomas's storytelling prowess shines through as she expertly crafts a tale filled with twists, turns, and unexpected revelations. However, the length of the chapters may prove cumbersome for some readers, interrupting the flow of the story.

Narrated primarily from Lee's perspective, the narrative unfolds with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and motivations. Lee's dynamic with Chase, the former detective turned FBI agent, adds complexity to the plot, though their romantic entanglement feels somewhat forced and repetitive at times.

The plot itself is a gripping rollercoaster of suspense, with Thomas skillfully weaving together multiple threads to keep readers guessing until the final pages. However, the abundance of red herrings in the latter half of the book may overwhelm some readers, and the ultimate reveal of the killer may leave questions unanswered regarding motive and exploration.

Despite these minor flaws, "Lost to Dune Road" remains a captivating read that will enthrall fans of the mystery genre. Its vivid portrayal of the Hamptons, Long Island, and New York City, combined with its intricate plot and well-developed characters, make it a solid four-star addition to any reading list.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advance copy of this book for review purposes.

Lee’s career goes down the toilet after she makes a mistake during a journalism investigation. Now five years later, another case leads Lee back to Dune Road in the Hamptons. Are the cases connected and can she amend her mistakes from the past?

So. Many. Characters. I could have really benefited from a list in the beginning, although most were either investigators or possible suspects. I had a really hard time keeping them straight and often thought “wait who is that again?” Plus sometimes they are referred to by their first name, sometimes last name. Besides that, there was a decent, but sad, mystery behind the story. I loved the subplot of the road itself and how location played into it.

“Wrongful convictions are as much a part of Long Island’s DNA as Billy Joel and the twenty-four hour diner.”

Lost to Dune Road comes out 4/16.