Great narrator for this book! Any small, affluent town mystery that weaves in all sorts of interesting characters. Very interesting ending... Really enjoyed this one!

This was an atmospheric domestic thriller that kept me guessing right to the end. Excellent on audio narrated by one of my favs, Cassandra Campbell too. If you like stories about small towns, class and justice this one doesn't disappoint. Perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane's Mystic Falls. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I could not finish this book. I felt the storyline was great and I think I would've liked it better as a hardcopy. As an audiobook, there were many characters and too much character development front-loaded that I found it hard to follow who was who and how each character/set related to one another. I got about 30% in and still didn't quite know what I was looking for or what plot I was supposed to be following. I read a lot of mystery novels and love plot lines that keep you searching, however, this was too much searching to be enjoyable.

The narrator did a great job and was easy to listen to!

A powerful character-driven novel that will leave you reeling.

When a crime happens in a small, wealthy, New England town, families and friendships shatter. What seems straightforward, is anything but, and the truth, when it all comes out, is like a sucker punch to the gut.

One evening, four teenagers partied at the Bondurants, and only three made it with their lives intact.

As this story unfolds, and we learn what happened to Eden Perry, unease and dread settle in for the long haul.

Guilt slinks off parents, their children, strangers, and their bedfellows like sweat. Truth be told, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not as no one is innocent in the town of Emerson.

Will Justice be served? Is there even such a thing? There’s only one way to find out.

Locust Lane is riveting, character-fiction, gut-wrenching fiction that will grip you from the very first page. Immediately becoming a favorite read of mine, I can’t wait to see what Stephen Amidon comes out with next.

Huge thanks to Celadon Books for the e-galley, and to MacMillan Audio for the e-alc via NetGalley.

This one had seemed promising, but fell flat for me. It kept me interested, but the storyline was very predictable in my opinion. The ending was also anticlimactic. This book just really didn’t stand out for me. Others seemed to enjoy it, but it wasn’t the right book for me.

3.5 rounded down

This was a slow paced literary mystery that was more on the family drama end than thriller. We learn early on that a young woman has been murdered in a prestigious neighborhood while dogsitting for friends. The same night, an impaired man accidentally hits a dog with his car. While checking to see how the dog is, he glimpses a man hiding in the dark but can't make out who it is. And so begins a story of several families who are intertwined by this tragedy and whose lives will all be impacted in various ways. It was a sad story with devastating consequences that illustrated the injustice between upper class and lower class and Caucasian and POC. In this way, I can see the comparison to Celeste Ng's books.

I really liked this book but I wanted to love it. I just felt that the pacing was off. I wished the author had used the characters' actions, thoughts and dialogue to create depth rather than relying primarily on backstory and description. Each time a character's backstory was presented, it ground the plot down to a halt. Momentum was lost. And because the plot was slower paced to begin with, it significantly impacted my ability to stay fully invested.

With that said, it is a story worth reading as others may be more emotionally drawn in than I was.

The audio narration was very good. It was a performance that added depth to the book.

A gracious thank you to #MacmillanAudio and #Netgalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a well written thriller. I wish I would have read it instead of listening, as I tend to zone out a bit and struggle to keep thrillers straight, but a good story regardless

I have mixed feelings about this one. It was a slow-burn novel that kept me interested but the ending lost me, so a three-star rating is where this one falls for me.

Welcome to Emerson where money talks and using privilege can always keep you on top!

Eden Perry, a teenager has been found dead. She was known to be difficult although before she was murdered, she had started turning her life around. She had moved in with family members who were helping her since she couldn't see eye to eye with her mother.

The last people who saw her alive were three teenagers: Hannah, Christopher, and Jack. Jack came from a rich family and he believed everything was owed to him. Hannah was Jack's girlfriend and she was willing to do anything for him. Last, there is Christopher, the son of a local chef who becomes the prime suspect.

The parents of all three teenagers in one way or another will interfere with the investigation.

What I disliked included the portrayal of the cops with a one-track mind, one-dimensional to say the least. And as I mentioned earlier, I didn't like the ending. It was quite depressing.

What I enjoyed was getting to know the darkest part of these characters. No one was completely innocent. They all had shades of darkness. The narrator, Cassandra Campbell, did a wonderful job of bringing them to life.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Celadon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After teenage Eden Perry is found dead, the last known people to be with her are three other teens. Jack, Jack's girlfriend, Hannah, and their friend Christopher. What happened that night that led to Hannah's death?
The parents of the three teens are the primary narrators;
Jack's mom, Celia and Hannah's step-mother, Alice along with Christophers widowed father, Michel but we hear from Danielle, Eden's mother as well as a few others.

I would've loved to have heard some of this story told from the POV of the teens as well but that's just me.
This is a solid and enjoyable slow-burn murder mystery, brilliantly woven, intricately crafted plot that gathers momentum on every page, this is superb storytelling told in terse prose-a dynamic read that is both intensely gripping and deeply affecting.

I really enjoyed this one and read and listened to this one. And now I can't wait to read more from the author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A modern day mystery dinner with a twist. I gotta say I thought I had it figured out in the end. I absolutely did not. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Gripping novel that doesn’t confuse the listener which can happen with an ensemble. Story was titillating and not annoying with the little crumbs it leaves you throughout.

I really enjoyed this domestic drama. I could definitely see this one as a true crime episode about murder in suburbia on the ID channel.

I thought that the story unfolds at a perfect pace and the drama and revelations never stop.

The epilogue was fantastic and wrapped the book up in the same suburban drama as how it began.

Excellent narration.

As I was reading this book I kept getting so mad at the characters. I have come to realize books where rich people play the "poor me" card, I get frustrated. Most of the characters in this book were terrible. I don't want to go into too much detail and give anything away, but if you like slow burns with unlikeable characters, this one's for you! 

I listened to the book and I thought the narrator did a great job. However, I would have liked it a bit more if there were different narrators to go along with the different POVs.

This book is really well written. The author did such a good job at writing the different POVs. Each character had a different background, and some with completely different social standings. The topics in this book are difficult, and I think they need to be talked about more. I was so angry throughout the entire book. It's just something you have to experience. As soon as I was done I had to message a friend and talk about it. It brought up that much feeling. It will leave you thinking more deeply on certain social topics.

Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for my copies in exchange for my review!
I will add bookstagrams link when I post.

This book got me from the first sentence for sure, it kept me on the edge and made me want to listen to more and more. You learn there has been a shocking murder to close for comfort in a very wealthy neighborhood. This was one I was able to figure out the twists towards the end before it happened but I still enjoyed it. I did feel as if the ending was a bit untied and left me with a few questions but over all it was a really good book to listen to! The flawed parents who justify their actions to save their kids to cross the lines and things get rather heated!

What a fantastic audiobook narrator.

This book was such a fun mystery that the author take the reader along for the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!

Locust Lane is really driven by the characters. Right from the start, I felt a deep curiosity and then a connection to the main characters in the novel. The plot moves along the way it does because of the people. For a thriller, there is really very little immediate action, with most of the action having taken place before the book even begins. But as I said, the plot doesn't suffer at all because of this fact. Definitely worth the read.

Thank you CeladonBooks for my gifted copy of this arc. I was able to listen to the audiobook while reading and let me tell you, narrator Cassandra Campbell was perfect for this book.

The book hooked me from the start and it grew in suspense the further it went. When a young woman, who isn’t a local in a small upper class community,is found murdered in her uncles home, the police have their work cut out for them.

Told from multiple POVs with well developed characters. This is a slow burner suspense book you will have a hard time putting down.

Sorry it took so long for feedback. Ended up reading a physical copy and really enjoyed.. Thank you to the publisher for the ALC.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest, I requested this novel because the cover looked amazing and I adore the narrator. Cassandra Campbell can do no wrong as far as I am concerned! Luckily this novel was really, really good.

Stephen Amidon did a great of writing in very distinct voices for each character. The mystery was well crafted and because there was so much going on with each character this did not feel like a typical domestic thriller. No offense to domestic thrillers because I love them but this was a cut above.

I was pleasantly surprised by Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon. When I learned the murder mystery centered around the death of a young woman and the three teens who were with her on her final night, I expected the story to focus on them.

Instead, the majority of the plot featured the parents of the young people - their wealth and influence (or lack thereof), their connections, and their secrets. It includes the themes of wealth, power, privilege, addiction, and race.

The story is told from multiple points of view, including one parent from each of the four youth's families, and two additional individuals/couples. Each plays a role in their affluent New England suburb, and they are connected in more ways than is initially evident.

Along the way, readers learn about the personalities of the youth and the dynamics of their relationships with each other and their parents. The plot includes many characters and it's necessary to track them to follow the story, so I found it helpful to make a list to connect spouses, children, etc.

This is not a thriller or a suspense novel but a character-driven mystery. More family drama than page-turner. Overall, the tone is sad and depressing so readers should pick this up when they're in the right mood for this type of book.

I appreciated reading this via audiobook performed by Cassandra Campbell, one of my favorite narrators, while on a road trip I've driven many times. The bad behavior, secrets, and intrigue made the miles fly by. However, the ending felt me sad, angry, and disappointed and lowered my rating from 4 to 3 stars.

Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the print and audio review copies.