This book has a lot of drama, but nothing that made me want to keep reading. I was so bored with the characters that I couldn't finish reading it.

Huge thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a pretty easy book to fall in to. Typical of a murder mystery/small-town secrets type of book. I felt pretty engaged through the entire thing! Ultimately the ending fell short for me. Without giving anything away it just didn't sit right for me. Little too much pretentious white-privilege for me.

I did think all the multiple POVs (there were at least 5) was a bit much for this type of book. Especially on audio! Little confusing at first but eventually I got the hang of it.

3.25/5

Locust Lane was a really thrilling and propulsive novel. I enjoyed the themes of what parents will do to protect their children. I liked the different points of view.

This was a very fast read with a lot of drama surrounding the murder of a young woman. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and because of that Im glad I had a digital version as well. That allowed me to properly keep track of the characters at the beginning and then I transitioned to the audio once I had a good handle on each person.

This was ultimately a very sad story and a little more dramatic than I tend to prefer. But, as I said, it was quick, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to read and listen to this. It landed around 3.5⭐️.

The narration was good, especially considering just how many different voices needed to be transitioned through.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

A man driving aimlessly in the middle of the night hits a dog, stops to check on it, and sees something in the dark copse nearby. But it's late, he's been drinking, and his relationship with local police is troubled, so he returns home and reports nothing. The next day, the dead body of a teen-aged girl is discovered in a home right near the scene of his accident. Several other teens are known to have been in the house with her just before her death. Were they witnesses, or even perpetrators in the killing? Was her death accidental or intentional? In this wealthy suburb, as conflicting theories and rumors fly, the teens' parents are quick to push back to protect their children.

Amidon has crafted a propulsive and very engaging story about the lengths to which parents will go to protect their children, and the influence of wealth, power, and public opinion on the pursuit of justice. Character development was clearly secondary to plot, and the ending felt just a bit rushed, but overall, this was a very satisfying mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio-arc and e-arc!

I knew I wanted to pick this one up as soon as I read the synopsis. “On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.”

And then I read the prologue, and I was hooked! It was an intense opening scene. I was very drawn into this one at the start. The book is told from multiple POVs, and it’s the parents POVs. They are trying to figure out what happened and what their kids knew. They uncover family secrets and find out a lot about their kids lives.
However, part way through I find I started to lose interest. I felt like there was a point where I was just hoping for new information and something to add more suspense to the story. In the end it started to get more interesting again. I don’t want to spoil anything by saying too much but overall, it was a great story! Check this one out when it is released on January 17, 2023!!

The murder of a teen girl in a wealthy, MA superb has its residents fearful and questioning their safety. This was a character-driven study of the lives of the parents involved. The plot plodded along at times but the author did an excellent job of creating a unique interpretation of a psychological suspense. The ending worked really well and I applaud the author for his originality.

This wasn't my favorite, but I am a picky reader. I think other readers will enjoy it, and this is an obvious addition to the collection.

It was sort of an un-thrilling thriller. I had a difficult time remembering who was who because there were too many character point of views. The choice to switch POVs to finish stories was odd? The book was already moving a bit slow for my taste

This is a story about pretty houses that hide terrible people.

Let me start by saying that this book is very well written & the many characters are fleshed out. The author is obvious really talented, and I’ll totally check out future works.

… and I hated this book. It was wildly depressing & I’m really not sure what the moral of the story was, other than power and privilege trump truth. I’m aware that it’s reflective of reality, but I’m disinterested in that angle in my fiction- I want fictional worlds to be better.

Thank you so much @netgalley @celadonbooks & @macmillan.audio for the e & audio arcs! The audio was excellent.

I want to thank the published for both an E-arc and Audiobook ALC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of the elements i loved in it twisty story and a small town with a lot of secrets. Although i felt the character kinda feel a little flat for me personally overall. Other than that this story was good a lot of elements you expect in affluent neighborhoods murder.

| About|

On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.


| Thoughts |

The amount of backstory they were able to provide the massive amount of characters was so much that I could see them as real people. Scary good! The plot, the mystery and the way it all is all set up was very intriguing. I didn’t want to put it down. I really was invested and had to figure out what was happening. It had me going in so many different directions with my thoughts. I for sure thought I knew pretty early on what was going on and who was to blame. The twists whew! So good! It really grabs you from the very beginning.

I have a difficult time with stories that paint the police as corrupt. I know minorities are often locked up unfairly, while white criminals go free, but this seemed a stretch too far. An ambiguous ending left this reader feeling cheated.

Good premise and skillful writing, but the ending was disappointing.

LOCAST LANE by Stephen Amidon had my nerves screaming from the first sentence. Patrick was driving and hit a dog. Yes, he swerved, just clipping the backside of the dog. When he got out to check on the dog, he thought he saw a figure in the woods. But he couldn’t be sure since he’d been drinking. The tone is set for a tense story, the reader is roped in, and the rest of the time is spent trailing bread crumbs.

Over the course of eight days, a mystery involving a shocking murder of a teen-ager, Eden, unfolds. The three young suspects all from good families, and the reader watches well-meaning parents who try to solve the mystery and still protect their own young. An interesting part to me involved the backlash caused by the influence of social media. This story is organized and well-written with unsuspecting turns and twists. It’s a completely believable story, one that could happen in any of our neighborhoods. The author has penned an action-packed tale that never slows down. And you’ll never guess who did it!

Absolutely loved this story. Read in 24 hours and couldn’t put down. I’ve raved about this on my page. Highly recommend.

Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon sounded so good, but unfortunately it was a huge miss for me.
I found the last 20 percent or so to be quite interesting but, I wish we had heard from Hannah, Jack and Christopher instead of or in addition to their parents.
When the truth came out, I was shocked.

While this one wasn’t for me, if you like slow burn thrillers with lots of family drama, I’d recommend this for you!

Thank you to Celadon for sending me an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for review!

This was a twisty, unpredictable, interesting and quick read.

I enjoyed that the story felt fresh, but I struggled with the ending. Overall this was a great read and one that was new without being TOO over the top in trying to blow your mind.

The premise was unique and overall - a job well done.

The frustration I felt for and because of the parents in this book was the most memorable part of it for me. What do you do when your children are involved in something terrible and life-changing, and you suspect that they're not telling you the full truth? What do you do when communication with your loved ones fails and you just can't make it work again? What would you be willing to do to protect your family, even if it comes at the expense of others? What can you do when the people keeping you from justice are rich and influential? Locust Lane is a fantastic mystery and an intriguing exploration of the decisions people can make when lives are at stake.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of Locust Lane in exchange for an honest review. Locust Lane will hit shelves January 17, 2023.

💫 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲 💫 ⁣
By Stephen Amidon⁣
Publisher: Caledon Books (Jan 17.2023)⁣
Genre: thriller ⁣
⁣
𝘈 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘣 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯. ⁣
⁣
〰️Debt and grief stricken Michel with his culinary skills and desires.⁣
⁣
〰️Alice with her perfect life in the big mansion and stepdaughter. Running from the early years of her life straight into the ease of a life of luxury… who cares if she finds some fun on the side?! ⁣
⁣
〰️Celia, wife and mother. For me, the hardest character to connect to as I wanted to pull her hands from her eyes. ⁣
⁣
And mostly, the trio of teens: Hannah, Jack and Christopher who are the last to see Eden alive. What happened that night is the mystery to be solved and the lies keep piling up. ⁣
⁣
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸….. ⁣
⁣
𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦 (𝘺𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳) 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘊 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘯𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 (𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬)… 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘌𝘛 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦….I hate ambiguous endings.

A tiny New England town is rocked when a women is found murdered.

How can a women be found in this affluent town! As the details start to come forward everyone is in protective mode.

Eden was partying with teens the night before, so of course there are suspects. Hannah, Jack and Christopher and their parents all have a motive. Will they do anything to protect themselves and their children or turn on each other?

This story is complicated and woven that there are so many possibilities and will keep you turning the page to find out what’s next.

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to more.


Due out January 17, 2023. Thank you Celadon, NetGalley, Macmillan audio and author Stephen Amidon for this advanced copy.