This is the first Kara Thomas book I have read and for the most part, enjoyed. The story is about an ex-journalist who is determined to solve that case that cost her career. This was defiantly fast paced, and I did not see the ending. It is nice to see authors incorporate new plot twists and not the same old ones you see reading thrillers. The two complaints I have are the amount of characters in the book. It started to get confusing after a while and was the romance really necessary? Overall, I did enjoy it for the most part. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc.

Lee is a disgraced reporter because of a story she had written several years prior about a murder of a young woman. Now, another young woman is in the hospital and Lee’s name and phone number are written on a piece of paper. How are these two women connected? As Lee digs into the latest incident she learns that she is ruffling the feathers of some of the Hampton’s elite. A slow start but strong finish.

I enjoyed Lost to Dune Road. I’ve read books by Kara Thomas and really like her writing style. This story was fast paced and dealt with strong topics. Overall, the story was interesting and kept me hooked.

Lost to Dune Road is a dark and suspenseful thriller that handles some tough topics. Did I enjoy it? Eh … kind of? The premise is good, but it lost me a bit when it came to the characters and the pacing.

The good:

That cover – so pretty! The cover is, like, 60% of the reason that I decided to grab this book off of NetGalley. I'm like a magpie with shiny things, except that I'm human and my irresistible things are colorful, not shiny. So not like a magpie with shiny things at all, really. Also, I read recently that birds are actually scared of shiny stuff and the magpie thing is a myth, but whatever. The cover is just pretty, okay?

The subject matter – this book handles some really tough topics. Police (and politician) corruption, wealthy individuals and their ability to skirt the law, abortion and adoption, and unhealthy relationships (especially where older men with young girls are concerned). They're not fun subjects, but Kara Thomas writes about them in a sensitive yet entertaining manner.

The plot – compelling and interesting. I really liked the way that both of the major storylines were woven together, even though I sometimes got a bit confused about which victim I was reading about and who did what to whom.

The setting – I'm a former New Yorker and I enjoyed reading about all the various locations in Manhattan.

The mediocre:

The romance – It was unnecessary and the relationship didn't seem particularly realistic.

The characters – they're all rather unlikeable. I mean, I can handle unlikeable characters, but the bad guys are all mostly one-dimensional villains and the good guys are all horribly broken people that aren't much more likeable than the villains at times. Kona (a dog / very minor character) is cool, though.

The pacing – parts of this book were really suspenseful and parts of it dragged on for forever. This novel came in at 272 pages on my Kobo e-reader, but I swear it felt like it was 400+.

The bad:

The characters, part two - HOW MANY CHARACTERS DOES A BOOK NEED? I couldn't keep them straight and felt like I needed a flowchart at times. So many awful rich men. So many cops. So many witnesses. So many family members. So many suspects. If you have a Swiss cheese brain like I do, prepare to be tremendously overwhelmed by all of the names you'll have to remember.

So, yeah. This wasn't a terrible read by any means, and if you like private detective-based thrillers, there's a decent chance you'll enjoy this one, too. Was it one of my favorites? Nah. But would I pick up another book by this author? Most likely.

Final rating: 3.4 stars, rounded down.

Lee finds herself in a familiar situation - investigating a crime. The only thing is, last time this didn't go so well for her, and she ended up losing her job as a reporter. These days, she's a PI, and she's trying to find her way after her name is found with a woman in a coma. The story is then her trying to figure out what happened to this woman, why she had her name, and even what the truth is about the first crime. This is one that was a quick read. It was more "procedural" which isn't generally my thing, but this was also written in a way that it kept the pace moving. I needed some good thrills in my life, and this did hit the spot. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this April 2024 release!

3.5⭐️

Lee Ellerin was a formally well known investigative journalist who lost her job while investigating the murder of a young woman found on Dune Road. Her leave no stones unturned attitude lead to the death of a man in power and she lost everything.

Five year later, Lee has been working as a private investigator when she is contacted by a desperate mother looking for help. Her college age pregnant daughter was currently in a coma after what everyone believed was a suicide attempt. Lee agrees to look into the case once she learns the connection between Amanda and Dune Road.

I liked this for the most part. It was fairly fast paced and action packed that kept my attention. I liked Lee as a character and her desire to not only clear her name but also help the mother's of these young girls who got wrapped up in something bigger than themselves. The contrast between Chase and Nelson, two men Lee can depend on for the most part, and the corrupt men of power was also strong.

My biggest complaint of this was there's just too many characters. There were a lot of similarities between the two cases that Lee had been investigating that it was hard at times to keep who was who straight. She spent so much time chasing down one lead after another that ended up being red herrings that by the time we got to the twist I had started to lose interest. The motive for the killer really didn't come clear until the last little bit of the book and by that point it felt too late.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this ARC to me!

This book took me an unusually long time to finish. There was too much info dumping, too many characters, and the plot was way too complicated—to the point where I found it hard to follow and keep track of everyone. On top of all that, the romance was unnecessary and unbelievable. The writing was good enough on a fundamental level, aside from a few proofreading/grammar errors and a couple of mistakes. But I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the story, and I really had to force myself to finish it.

On the up side, the cover is gorgeous.

I’ve come to expect riveting murder mysteries from Kara Thomas, and Lost to Dune Road was just that. It's gritty and sharp and very hard to put down..

As a journalist, Lee Ellerin reported on a high-profile missing person case. She named a wealthy Dune Road resident that everything seemed to indicate was responsible. After he was proven innocent, she lost more than her job. She also lost any chance of getting hired as a journalist elsewhere and any hope of finding the missing girl. Years later, she’s approached by the mother of another young woman nearly murdered on Dune Road. Lee finds it too easy to connect the two cases - too easy unless there’s a real connection. If someone is hurting girls on Dune Road, She sets out again to find out who.

Lee believes that there is no such thing as a good person. She's a mixture herself, so full of hangups, distrust, and affection that she feels absolutely real.

Lost to Dune Road has all the drama and muddy waters of a real investigation. Many of the characters and elements sound like those from the Gilgo Beach murders case. Kara Thomas has exceptional twists at the ends of her novels, and this one is no exception. I enjoyed the read, but now that I’ve finished I remember it with an unusual sensation. It feels like something that actually happened instead of a novel that I read. Five stars for this novel and highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley as well as Thomas and Mercer for this advance read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book.

This is my 4th Kara Thomas book. I have read The Cheerleaders, That Weekend and Darkest Corners (all of which I really enjoyed). Like the others Lost to Dune road was another 5-star hit for me.

For one- the victim (Amanda- who is a pregnant college student in a coma) is a very sympathetic character and you want to understand and know what happened to her/who caused this to happen. Her mom- Carol- is a total baddie who refuses to stop investigating when the police do not seem to be asking enough or the correct questions.

Our main character is Natalee, who is a blacklisted journalist, turned PI who I very much loved and was invested in. Although caught in a web of danger, she refuses to backdown and keeps investigating.

.....therefore, I obviously thought the characterization in this book was wonderful. Each of these characters (including the suspects) are very well developed and the reader gets a real feel for their mannerisms, quirks and personality. The way Thomas wrote some of these characters does not let on who may be responsible- you will suspect many.

Now to the mystery itself- unfortunately, this tale seems to be one repeated through time, powerful people killing women....so I was very invested in getting to the bottom of what happened to Amanda and why Natalee's career as a journalist went caput. The twists were wild- you think it's one person, then another, then another before you finally realize who is responsible. There is also some good old community corruption in the process.

I spent my days thinking about this book when I wasn't reading and rushing home to continue reading. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and family, anyone looking for a great mystery, girl power, or a crime novel mirroring some of the problems occurring in the real world. 10/10 fantastic job Kara Thomas!

Disgraced reporter turned private investigator Lee Ellerin is drawn into the mystery surrounding college student Amanda Hartley who is pregnant and comatose. With that, Lee is plummeted back five years, to a different young woman’s unsolved murder that led to the undoing of her career. Lee is determined to find answers to both mysteries. She calls in favours during her investigation, not least from an old flame that she has unresolved feelings for. This could be Lee’s chance at redemption. Or as she closes in on the truth, it could kill her.
Lost to Dune Road is narrated in multiple viewpoints and has dual timelines, which at times affects the pacing and creates confusion. Overall, an enjoyable thriller with appeal for fans of private investigator/journalist protagonists. It could potentially be the start of series too. Trigger warnings include statutory rape and abortion.

Being a huge fan of Kara Thomas' YA novels, I was excited to have the opportunity to read one of her adult thrillers! The storylines fit together perfectly, and this book contains plenty of twists and deep character development that Thomas is well known for. She covers some pretty heavy topics in this one but does so artfully. Some parts of the plot, particularly in the middle, dragged on a bit, but the last few chapters truly gripped me until the end! It's a classic mystery thriller that would make for some great book club conversations - I plan on bringing up this one for future meetings! Thanks so much for the ARC!

So good. Like stupidly good. I thoroughly enjoyed Lost to Dune Road by Kara Thomas, so much so that I wish I could go back in time and feel more excited when I was approved for the ARC.

The story is told through alternating POVs, had exciting twists & turns, and it was absolutely thrilling watching it all unfold. This read like a TV series - dark like The Killing, with tense build-up and high stakes. I'd absolutely have to binge it all at once, and would be so bummed when it was over. Not unlike the way I felt when I finished the book. I wish I read it slower, but it was impossible to put down!

I adored Natalee (Lee) and felt so protective of her. Supporting characters were also likeable, and all in all made me hope it isn't the last time I hear about them (fingers crossed for a series).

I can't recommend this book enough to thriller fans. I don't imagine any being disappointed by the story/characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel had me hooked from the beginning. It's storyline is compelling and the many suspects/villains are so terrible that I longed for justice. The ending was amazing, and I definitely didn't see it coming.

I love the realness of the flawed characters.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Okay, I will admit I wasn’t sold in the first third or so - there were so many people and nobody was trustworthy and Lee was such a hot mess you weren’t even sure if you could trust her.

But hot DIGGITY did this take off in the last half. Twists! Turns! Chaos! Violence! Even more twists and turns!!!!! I was riveted! And then! I was crying, for a situation that was sad but also hopeful (kind of). But wait! The last chapter had me BAWLING. I will never recover. I will also never go to the Hamptons.

That was quite the plot twist! I always enjoy Kara Thomas' books and I enjoyed this one immensely. I would love to read more books about Natalee Ellerin! I found there to be a few plot holes but nothing that deterred from the story.

Closer to 3.5 stars.

I enjoyed the YA thrillers by Kara Thomas (The Cheerleaders & That Weekend), so I was excited to read an adult thriller by her!

I really liked the New York setting, following a private investigator and the plot itself was interesting and I wanted to know how the two storylines would come together.

I think I struggled with the amount of characters and plot lines, that at times I had trouble remembering why parts of the investigation were relevant. I feel the book could be trimmed down just a little, as some chapters were longer than necessary. The pacing was also something that I struggled with, some of the story was super engaging and suspenseful and other parts really dragged and didn’t seem to move the story forward at all.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

I love Kara Thomas. I loved this. It was fast paced, I liked the mystery and that it’s connecting two cases, I liked the characters and even though I usually get confused with a lot of characters, I didn’t in this one.

This was my before bed read and every day I couldn’t wait to go to bed so I could keep reading. This may be my favorite book of hers I’ve read so far!

"Lost to Dune Road" by Kara Thomas is an enthralling narrative that captivates readers from the first page to the last. Thomas weaves a gripping tale of mystery, suspense, and human resilience, set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of Dune Road. The characters are intricately developed, each with their own secrets and flaws, adding depth to the narrative. Thomas's writing style is both evocative and engaging, effortlessly drawing readers into a world filled with twists and turns. The story's unpredictable nature keeps you on the edge of your seat, and the author's skillful storytelling ensures a satisfying and memorable experience. "Lost to Dune Road" is a must-read for anyone seeking a compelling and well-crafted mystery.

It feels strange to say that I enjoyed this, as it covers a lot of potentially upsetting subject matter. (For instance, obvious inspirations for the story include the Long Island Serial Killer.) That said, this was a well-written, engaging book, but something for me was missing.