Kara Thomas writes captivating mysteries. Of the two perspectives I liked Amanda's POV's better than Lee's. You can see the mystery growing and get answers via her story. I also appreciated that a local writer is writing about local towns, I am also from Long Island. I would recommend this book.

Kara Thomas leaves me thrilled and stunned again to the last page taking in all that I’ve read. Lost to Dune Road plays toward a LISK type plot that has you on the edge of your seat throughout.

This story was intriguing, captivating even. It started out so fast paced, I was on the edge of my seat, but toward the end it slowed and slowed more. It crawled and I struggled to keep reading.

The premise for Lost to Dune Road was good, but I struggled with the characters and the pacing. The first part of the book was fast paced and flew by. It started to lag towards the middle. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, some I felt weren't necessary for the plot. I felt that the large amount of characters to track and remember distracted me from the storyline. The plot itself was interesting and compelling. The author addresses some tough topics while remaining sensitive. Overall, a good suspenseful thriller especially if you enjoy private detective-based thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lee is a journalist-turned PI after she gets a story wrong and her reputation is ruined. But suddenly she’s wrapped up in a new story that has ties to the story that ended her career. It’s full of powerful men who never face consequences and Lee is the only one trying to take them down. Good read!

In this story, readers are plunged into a world of power, where having enough influence and money is all one needs to make others bend to one's will. Enter our main character, Lee Ellerin, a disgraced reporter set on finding out what has happened to a young college student for her to wind up in a coma.

I like the strong characterization of Lee, as some one who is very observant and not willing to give up. For readers looking for a strong female main character, this thriller is sure to impress.

Sometimes it’s fun to read a book that mentions numerous places you know. For me,Lost to Dune Road was that book.Lee Ellerin’s life and career spectacularly blew up. She is now working as a private investigator when a phone call from a woman pulls her back into the case that cost her everything.
A young woman,Amanda Hartley lies in a coma. Her mother wants to hire Lee to find out what really happened to her daughter. She doesn’t believe with the police are saying, and soon neither does Lee.
Lee (she was a reporter) soon finds parallels between her last investigation, and what happened to Amanda. For the most part, this story kept my interest (especially all the Long Island and New York City references). I have to say though that I did get a bit confused at times, as there were an awful lot of characters. Lee’s long time crush also seemed a bit odd. Something quite minor that happened years ago was still controlling her feelings. I just didn’t think that was realistic, but what do I know about having a long time crush.
Other than a bit of head scratching over that, I enjoyed the mystery and what a surprise I did not guess whodunnit.

I have read other books from this author in the past and always enjoyed the female characters she writes. This one was not as good as other books I read from this author. I didnt like Lee as much as other main characters from this author. The mystery is not a page turner, but I was engaged enough to keep reading. The romance felt strange and I wished there was more build up to it. The backstory Lee has with this man is not enough for her to be reacting to him in such a dramatic way.
The book is a 3 star read for me. I enjoyed Out of the Ashes much more.

"Lost to Dune Road" by Kara Thomas is a gripping novel of suspense that follows the journey of Lee Ellerin, a disgraced reporter seeking redemption through the unraveling of a conspiracy of murder.

The story begins with Lee Ellerin, a journalist whose investigation into a young woman's unsolved murder ended in a tragic mistake, leading to the downfall of her career. Five years later, pregnant college student Amanda Hartley is found in a coma, with the police attributing her condition to a suicide attempt. However, Lee senses that there's more to the story, and the details surrounding Amanda's case don't add up. Questions about the father's identity, the source of funds for Amanda's luxurious penthouse, and the discovery of a note with Lee's name in Amanda's backpack raise suspicions.

Amanda was last seen on Dune Road in the Hamptons, the same location where the murder victim from Lee's previous investigation disappeared. This connection pulls Lee back into the unsolved case that not only destroyed her career but also left her haunted by mistakes of the past. As she digs deeper into Amanda's secrets and tries to find the truth, Lee finds herself on a dark and perilous path.

Kara Thomas weaves a suspenseful narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The novel is rich in mystery and intrigue, with layers of complexity added to the plot as Lee navigates through the shadows of the past. The exploration of redemption, guilt, and the consequences of one's actions adds depth to the story, making it more than just a traditional mystery thriller.

"Lost to Dune Road" is a compelling and well-crafted novel that masterfully blends elements of mystery and psychological suspense. Kara Thomas has once again delivered a gripping tale that will keep readers hooked until the final revelation.

Five years after her mistake during an investigation cost her everything Lee Ellerin has reinvented herself. The former reporter now works as a private investigator, mostly on insurance fraud cases. But when a grieving mother asks for her help on a different kind of case she agrees. Carol Hartley's daughter Amanda attempted suicide despite being pregnant at the time. She now sits in a hospital in a coma. Carol insists that her daughter would never hurt herself. She also shows Lee a note Amanda had in her backpack: Lee's name written on a scrap of paper. Carol only wants Lee to find out who the father of Amanda's baby is but Lee can't help but dig deeper. What she finds is a disturbing tale of rich men from doctors to real estate tycoons taking advantage of young women and getting away with it. With few people she can trust Lee has to tread very carefully to uncover the whole truth. The story alternates between Lee and Amanda's perspectives, which unravels the story in an intriguing way. I liked Lee's determination to find the truth despite her past and the people trying to get in her way. I look forward to Kara Thomas's next book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A well-written, clearly well-planned, thoughtful novel with obvious and genius inspiration from real-life events surrounding LISK, LTDL is a highly entertaining read that keeps the hits coming chapter after chapter. Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details with characters that come to life on the page, dialogue that reads more like a television show script, sprinkled with deliciously smooth twists, Lost to Dune Road is a solid, powerful book about how far people are willing to go to get what they want - no matter the cost.

Very tense and suspenseful read. The character development was kinda blah, but a good story nonetheless. Felt very relatable to what’s being going on in the country (USA). Will definitely recommend.

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.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

First of all, the cover artwork is beautiful and certainly reminds me of Dune Road. Lost to Dune Road is one of many Kara Thomas’ books I've read, and I really enjoyed it. This was an enthralling thriller from start to finish.

Five years ago, Natalee (Lee) Ellerin was a reporter for Vanity Fair investigating the disappearance of Jenna Mackey until she makes a mistake that costs her career. In present day, pregnant college student Amanda Hartley lies in a coma. She was found at a penthouse. The police are calling it a suicide; however, the facts of the case don’t add up. Who is the father of the child? How could she afford such a luxury apartment while going to college? Why did she have a note with Lee’s name on it?

This book in the beginning was very Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) inspired and I think that’s because Thomas is from Long Island. As someone who grew up on Long Island, I really appreciated how accurate her descriptions were as well.

Twists and turns occur over the course of the book and will leave your jaw-dropping. This will be your next TBR.

A massive thank you to Kara Thomas and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: murder, suicide, discussion of abortion.

I cant even fully put into words how much I liked this book. It was full of drama and mystery and kept you wanting more. I wanted to cry so many times and then again but happy tears. The ending was honestly the biggest twist that I never saw coming. Ive been a huge fan of Kara Thomas since I read her first book and now I have read all she has written. These characters had so much depth to them and you really did start to get attached and feel like you knew them.

I was excited to see Kara Thomas back! I still think her YA is a little more solid than her adult fiction but this was a good start to what honestly felt like a series to me.

I did think some of the storyline was too easy—she seems to have written about everyone involved in both cases and then either forgot or didn’t think it was important (like having interviewed one suspect’s adult child that fact somehow doesn’t come up until chapters after she learns about the suspect’s connection to the case) and everyone seems oddly eager to talk to her.

The other major issue was the character of William. At one point he sends her photographs from an art gallery show. He was someone who had worked parties with the injured woman and had a defunct food/drink truck business but the then the book says he was from the NYPD in the paragraph that has .her finding the email he spent her prior to their argument. This fact is repeated again in her conversation with Chase but in the rest of the book, William is not involved with the NYPD at all. At first I thought there were somehow two characters named William because the email sender had a different last name than food truck William but then it was clear when she talked to him that food truck William in the photos and was who sent them to her.

The storyline with Chase felt flimsy. It didn’t seem like they had ever really dated yet acted like young teens around each other. He was a very flat character.

These issues, among other things made the book feel like a rough draft that hadn’t made it to the editors yet. The ending seemed a little rushed and anticlimactic.

That said, I enjoyed the character of Lee and her background. I think we could see more of Lee solving crimes with her journalism and PI skills and over all it was a pretty solid mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!
This is my first read by Kara Thomas and will most certainly not be my last!
This investigative thriller kept me on the edge of seat from start to finish! I truly have zero complaints to share about this book, and the ending just really solidified it being a 5 ⭐️ read for me.
It is my understanding this book will be on Kindle Unlimited, and its publish date is 04/16/24!

For a disgraced reporter, unraveling a conspiracy of murder could mean redemption in a powerful novel of suspense by the bestselling author of Out of the Ashes.

I love Kara Thomas and this was another great novel from her. Wonderfully written with excellent characters and plot twists.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
This was a exciting read! Lee, a disgraced reporter turns investigator when Amanda’s mom offers her 10 thousand to find her pregnant daughters babies father. Amanda lies in a coma - they say suicide but it doesn’t add up. She had a note with Lees name. Why? Who was the father? Why would someone try to kill Amanda? Digging for information get very scary. Can Lee stay safe to find the answers?

Great mystery! Lost to Dune Road has all the elements of a good mystery novel, romance, strong lead characters, wealthy lifestyles, and chapters told from different character perspectives. Lost to Dune Road grabbed me from the beginning and held me to the end.