Thnaks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

Megan Abbott is such a fun author. She writes thrillers that never feel in your face but you feel the tension right below the surface until it appears. Boom. El Dorado Drive really got me it was a culty like pyramid scheme and I ate it right up.

El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott was just fantastic!
She never fails to hook me and always keeps me coming back for more.
This was once again another amazing psychological thriller.
The characters are well-developed.
Abbott skillfully creates a tense and atmospheric setting.
Overall, this is an intriguing read. It's very entertaining, gripping and comes with an unexpected twist.

Many thanks to NetGalley, and Penguin Random House | Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Megan Abbott. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Harper is forced to move back in with her sister, Pam, because of financial issues. Once there, she's surprised to see that Pam seems to be doing so well financially after a nasty divorce and her husband cleaning out their bank accounts and even the kids' money. Pam shares her secret - a women's group called the Wheel, whose function is to lift each other up. But when Harper and their other sister join, the sisters unleash a darkness within the group.

This is a slow burn thriller that leads up to quite the ending! I liked the timeframe - in the 70s and 80s in Detroit after the crash of the car industry there. It had a gritty, desperate feeling throughout when opportunities were few and people suddenly had to do without. And just what would some people do to get money? It was the perfect setup for groups such as Mary Kay, Amway, and the Wheel to come in and promise the world. I liked the interaction between the sisters and Pam's daughter Vivian's storyline as well.

The three Bishop sisters – Debra, Pam, and Harper – know what it’s like to fall on hard times. They grew up privileged in an upscale Detroit suburb, only to see their family’s circumstances crash when the auto industry did. Now adults, the hard times are knocking again. Debra and her husband are buried under a mountain of medical bills, Pam is locked in a contentious and expensive divorce battle, and Harper’s finances are so bad that she moved in with Pam and her kids.

When Pam comes to Harper with an unusual way of making money, Harper is skeptical but she’s also desperate. So she agrees to join The Wheel, which is basically a pyramid scheme where you have to bring in new members to make your way up the levels to make money. But with The Wheel’s success comes greed, and some members will stop at nothing – even murder – to keep it going.

Megan Abbott has this talent for writing tense, simmering suspense that keeps me glued to the pages, and El Dorado Drive is a prime example! This isn’t an in-your-face thriller with over the top twists, it’s a slow burn that digs deep into the bonds of sisterhood, betrayal, greed, and power. The prose is compelling and atmospheric, perfectly evoking the 2008 Grosse Pointe setting. Abbott knows Michigan inside and out, and as a Metro Detroiter, I absolutely loved how all of the little details set the scene. Every little thing, from road names, restaurants, and even the high school mascot, is 100% on point.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I’ve read one other book by Abbott and listened to two others. I prefer reading her books and this one may have been my favorite. It has a large cast of characters but they are distinct. The resolution, although convoluted, was satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is a story of sisters that I felt like was just OK. It was a thriller that I wish had more twists.

Abbott is an auto read author and el dorado drive returns to similar territory as the turnout, exploring the bonds between sisters. Set against the 2009 recession during the auto industry collapse in Michigan, everyone is struggling and the setting and tone are bleak. The bishop sisters are no exception-once a successful and comfortable family’, Deb, Harper, and Pam find themselves down on their luck and desperate. That is until the opportunity to join a female-led society offering them wealth and growth (ie pyramid scheme) called the wheel presents itself to them, at first it seems bright and promising for the sisters, and they feel hope. However, the wheel soon begins to show a dark side. As usual, death and chaos ensure in the back half. As with most of Abbott’s books, the tension simmers low and slow and then picks up steam and explodes. Abbott has a knack for evoking setting and drawing you into her characters and and plot effortlessly. I’m not sure if she covers any new ground with this one, but I will continue to follow where she leads!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Abbott returns to a familiar theme she explored in her book The Turnout: The enigmatic interpersonal dynamic known as sisters. You hate each other, you love each other, you want to chop off each other’s hair, you braid it and put ribbons in it instead. You steal each other’s clothes and lend each other clothes and give each other clothing as gifts. It’s a bond no one else understands.

There’s another kind of sisterhood to speak of in this book too: that of sorority, of exclusive membership, of belonging to a group of other women just like you who seemingly have the same needs, wants, and desires. Who share the same goals and motivations in life.

They say the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, but how was that blood cut?

El Dorado Drive is the type of thriller that simmers as you read, with a low-riding tension that jars occasionally like you’ve hit a pothole in the road. It swings us back in time to Michigan in 2009, just after the auto manufacturing companies here in the US got bailed out by our government during the worldwide economic “recession”. All of our main characters are down on their luck because of money woes: houses foreclosed on, trust funds drained, laid off from jobs, healthcare bills piling up, debts accruing interest, 401Ks being liquidated, and marriage after marriage ending in divorce. These characters are desperate, and desperate people do desperate things. This leads to an increasingly manic atmosphere that pops and leaves behind a mystery that then takes you through some fantastic twists and turns trying to figure out whodunit. 4⭐️



I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: LGBTQ Fiction/Suspense Thriller/Women’s Fiction

Abbott is one of the best as social thrillers, digging into the small problems of everyday life which can spiral into much worse. The Bishop sisters are living in a decaying suburb of Detroit, and their money problems lead them into a group which is part self-help, part ponzi scheme. Unsurprisingly there is death and disaster which follow. Abbott is amazing at place and the unspoken mores of a social structure. She paints the rules of women of certain age in a specific corner of America and then rips out the seams.

The Bishop sisters grew up in wealth just outside Detroit, but as the auto industry crumbled, so did their privileged lifestyle. Harper, struggling to make ends meet, is pulled into a mysterious club called the Wheel by her two older sisters, Pam and Debra. The Wheel promises financial independence for women like them, but it quickly becomes something much darker—addictive, dangerous, and ultimately criminal. As the stakes rise, one shocking act threatens to unravel everything they've built. This was an interesting and fun read—my first by Megan Abbott—and I really enjoyed the slow-burn tension and twists throughout. The story dives deep into sisterhood, desperation, and power in such a sharp and compelling way. I’ll definitely be picking up more from her!

Happy Publication Day!

This story was dark and twisted!

Harper is down on her luck and moves in with her sister, Pam. She is surprised to find that Pam is doing so well financially after surviving an ugly divorce. But Pam has a secret. She is a member of the ‘Wheel’, a group of women helping women. New members add cash to a pool and then one lucky member wins the pot of money. When Pam invites Harper to join, they accidentally set off a series of dark events that could cost the sisters everything.

This was a slow burn. I was gripped by the way these desperate women were willing to participate in something so risky and insane. There was definitely a shocking feeling that something like this could actually take place in real life. I thought this novel idea was unique, original and well executed.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A thriller about a mysterious pyramid scheme group of women (MLM reminiscent?) Yes, please! Toss in a trio of sisters who all have secrets and financial troubles, and it makes for a fun read.

There are times (as is common in this genre) where the characters actions were so ridiculous and nonsensical, it was annoying. I don't want to give spoilers but one of the secrets Harper keeps just didn't make sense to me at all - like what's the big deal!?

The ending was a surprise and I didn't see it coming. It was a fun read, page-turning, but not all that memorable. There were some interesting themes about human nature, family bonds, money and greed that elevated it a bit.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, GP Putnam's Sons, for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a slow burn until about the halfway mark, then things happened fast and furious!
The Bishop girls grew up with money, belonged to the country club, lived in a nice neighborhood of Detroit. Then their father lost his job in the auto industry. Now adults, Harper gives riding lessons at the hunt club, Debra and her husband are struggling to pay his medical bills, and Pam thought she had returned to the glory days only to have her husband lose it all, including her and their kids to divorce. After losing her apartment, Harper moves in with Pam, surprised to see Pam suddenly doing so well -a new car, caviar parties- despite struggling only a few months ago to pay her son's tuition after her ex drained the kids' college savings accounts. Pam tells Harper about the Wheel, a club of women supporting each other, in a way that sounds a lot like a pyramid scheme (but no, it's a triangle, not a pyramid! And it moves -see, it's a wheel!). Heavily in debt, Harper puts her doubts aside and invests into becoming a member, but she soon realizes that desperate women might not be the best people to trust. With money comes envy, greed, and danger. Abbott does a superb job of taking the reader into the minds of these women, especially Harper, exploring her moral conflict and rationalizations. I enjoyed the twisty plot, which held plenty of surprises, and devoured this book in a little over a day.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows 3 sisters who find themselves in a money pyramid scheme- everything seems perfect until one of them winds up unalived.

I did enjoy this book but needed more from it. This was more of a slow burn thriller and I was left just needing something else.

A new thriller by Megan Abbot? I absolutely devoured this one! I grew up in Metro Detroit— and the Detroit references were spot on! El Dorado Drive was addicting! Not only did it take place in metro Detroit, but it was about three sisters who are wrapped up in an MLM. I was immediately hooked! I love Megan Abbot and this was my favorite yet. I can’t wait to see what Mean writes next. I’ll be recommending El Dorado Drive all summer long!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy of this book!

In EL DORADO DRIVE, written by Megan Abbott, the month of March comes in like a lion. I doubt it will go out like a lamb. The story starts with Harper assisting her sister, Pam, to bury a cookie jar. Then, Harper attends a high school graduation party for her nephew (Pam’s son), Patrick. Harper wonders how her sister, Pam, can afford such a lavish party for Patrick. I wonder how the party connects with the buried cookie jar, and if they both have anything to do with Harper’s money concerns.

Character construction is great. I feel like I’m in a room with these characters; they are so real. The plot moves along slowly at first but picks up speed as the story progresses, especially when major incidents occur. There comes a point where I have to keep reading to the very last sentence. I am never disappointed experiencing a Megan Abbott novel and look forward to reading future books. Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

There is simply no one who does this type of book better than Megan Abbott. Atmospheric, insightful, a beguiling blend of pitch-perfect prose and catch-your-breath suspense where the sentences ring with poetry and the dialogue sounds like your best friend.

Set in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, EL DORADO DRIVE is about Harper Bishop, who is drawn into a women's “investment club” by her sisters. All three sisters live in the fading shadows of their formerly privileged parents, and now the sisters struggle to make ends meet in the wake of a declining auto industry. The investment club—called “The Wheel”—seems a way for the women to find their own financial independence, but it instead draws the sisters into a well of secrets. A shocking murder forces Harper to confront her own secrets and the darkening spiral of the Wheel.

This is one of the best books of the year, and one of the best books of Megan’s career. She crafts her characters with her customary cutting depth, pushing everyone to their edges to reveal their individual truths. She builds the world with assurance, and once the hammer drops, she never lets the suspense drop. I can’t say enough how much I loved this book.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! There was so much background packed into the first half that I started to be fatigued. But it all comes back later! As someone who often predicts the end of of thrillers, even I was almost convinced by the red herring.

This was a very tense read as the sisters lose their fortune and encounter a pyramid scheme that culminated in tension and desperation.

Just what is happening on EL DORADO DRIVE? Megan Abbott has the answer!

Sisters, Harper, the youngest, barely making ends meet; Pam, the middle, currently in a contentious divorce with soon to be ex, Doug and oldest sister, Debra, whose husband is battling cancer, grew up in a wealthy suburb of Detroit, Michigan. As the auto industry declined, each of the women saw their fortunes slowly draining away. But there is light on the horizon in ‘THE WHEEL’, a group of neighbourhood women who have devised a club that allows them to make money of their own, not dependent on the whim and fortunes of others. When two of the sisters approach the 3rd to join The Wheel, she can’t believe how easy it could be to turn her fortunes around. Then a shocking crime throws the sisters and the club into a tail spin. As police investigate the club falls in to ruins and the members begin to turn on each other, all the while trying to keep their activities from becoming public. As the tension mounts and the women scatter in the breeze of the spinning wheel, two of the sisters will need to find a way to salvage their lives. Was any of it really worth the price they paid?

As expected with a Megan Abbott novel, the twists and turns happen at a fast pace. I could not turn the pages fast enough. This is one of those “one more chapter.” novels that will keep you reading long into the night and needing extra coffee in the morning. As the tension mounted, I could feel my pulse quicken and my heart beat faster in my chest. I always love a Megan Abbott book, and this was no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.