Slow burning book with multiple POVs. Once I got all the characters figured out I was very interested, however the slow pace of the story had my attention wandering. There was a lot of back story for each of the characters that didn't add anything but distraction from who actually killed Eden. I felt a huge disconnect from Eden's mother and felt her behavior was completely unrealistic. Overall, the actual story line pertaining to Eden's death and the pursuit of her killer was very interesting with some good plot twists!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this highly anticipated book, courtesy of NetGalley (thank you!). The storyline was intriguing and focused on the murder of a high school girl. It was told from multiple perspectives that painted a picture of the relationships between townspeople and potential suspects of the murder.

I normally love books with multiple POVs but unfortunately this fell flat to me. It was such a slow burn that I lost interest in finally finding out who committed the murder at the end. Tangential stories involving affairs, social classes, and other small storylines muddled the book too much. I believe this author has potential and I would be willing to try another book by him in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of Locust Lane!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I tried again and again to read it but the plot just couldn’t keep my attention and I didn’t like the multiple POVs. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future though!

Finally!! I finally finished this book but ultimately had to listen to it as an audiobook to get it done. I got this an ARC from the publisher and started it but stalled at 14% The characters were not likeable and it was unclear who you were supposed to be rooting for in the story. Told from the points of view of the parents, you only see what they are going through in relation to the murder. The language is over the top in a lot of places and the ending was very unsatisfying in my opinion but understandable since the premise is rich parents protecting their kids. Overall, the mystery wasn't compelling enough to make me want to read it when I got it.

Locust Lane is a riveting story of what powerful families will do to protect their own.

One night, in the middle of the night, a murder occurs on Locus Lane in Emerson, Massachusetts. Eden Perry, a visitor, is found dead. The three teens that were with her say when they left she was alive. But was she? And if so, then how did she end up dead?

I enjoyed the complexity of this story as the characters grapple with this tragedy in their community. Although Eden was the one murdered, she is not the only victim of the crime. There were many nuanced and difficult choices made. I found the ending, while not completely satisfying, realistic.

I recommend this book to any readers looking for a thoughtful and reflective winter read.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

What an amazing book! I really feel like this is one of those books where the less you go in knowing about it, the better. Great writing, awesome story, and amazing characters.

Read if you like:
•character driven stories
•twisty thrillers
•great pacing that makes you keep turning the pages
•bingeable reads

Run, don’t walk and grab this one!

I love a book about rich people and their secrets. Given this, I was all about the premise for Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon. This book delves into the depths to which parents will go to protect their families and how privilege can be at odds with justice.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I must admit that I was a little wary of Locust Lane and put off reading it for a while. Total surprise for me when I enjoyed it so much! I am tough on thrillers, but Locust Lane kept me interested, engaged and guessing right from the start. Recommend!

Wowzers, this one had me on the edge of my seat! It was propulsive, engaging, gripping, and took me on an emotional and anxiety-filled ride. Like others have said, taking notes for this one helps you keep the characters and their connections to the plotlines straight, so definitely do that in the beginning!

This may be my first Stephen Amidon novel, but it won't be my last!

Thank you to @celadonbooks for my gifted copy!

The book opens with a promising setup—a small town with its share of secrets and a mysterious lane that seems to hold the key to a host of untold stories. However, as the plot unfolds, it becomes evident that the initial intrigue fails to evolve into a compelling narrative. The pacing is uneven, with long stretches of stagnation punctuated by brief moments of attempted excitement that feel forced and out of place. The characters, unfortunately, lack depth and fail to engage the reader. There is a noticeable absence of character development, leaving the protagonists feeling one-dimensional and uninteresting. Their motivations and actions remain unclear, making it difficult to invest emotionally in their journeys. As a result, the supposed twists and turns in the story fall flat, lacking the impact they could have had with more well-rounded characters.

The setting? Incredible. I love a little rich New England neighborhood.

The plot? Decent. Your typical rich families and their dramatic children.

The characters? Eh. I'm sure they're meant to be unlikeable and they definitely were.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This was more of a drama than a thriller. It was a slow paced story and while I liked the premise, the overall story fell a little flat for me.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This was a fairly slow burn thriller that I didn’t hate, but I didn’t love either.

I enjoyed the cast of seemingly morally gray characters. I’d say it’s your classic thriller, but very descriptive to the point it could be considered ‘dragging along’. With that being said the multi perspective thriller has a pretty compelling plot that I think will keep you guessing and reading!

Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for the eARC of Locust Lane! All opinions in this review are my own.

Locust Lane takes place over a few days after a local woman is found murdered in the home she had been staying in. Locust Lane is supposed to be the most sought after road in town and it is shocking that something like this would happen on such a quiet street. The tension builds as more secrets are revealed and characters start contradicting each other's stories.

This multiple point of view thriller was so addicting! I ended up reading it in four large chunks because I couldn't put it down! I love thrillers when you are not quite sure who to trust and the shifting perspective helped to build the tension. I definitely want to check out more from this author!

I really wanted to like this book, because I saw so many people talking about it when it first came out. But sadly I was unable to really dig in and enjoy it. I ended up DNF-ing at about 35%, unfortunately.

I usually like books with different POVs throughout, but in this case, they were too lengthy and more confusing than anything. I felt like it took awhile for things to even start happening, other than that first chapter. And because of that I was rather bored instead of hyped. I would try reading another book by this author someday, hoping maybe it was just a one off of me not liking LL. So personally, I would not recommend this book as a good thriller for spooky season. But the choice is up to you. If you get past the 35% mark perhaps it gets more entertaining and less confusing.

This isn’t a book I’d ordinarily pick up but for some reason it tickled my fancy when I saw it on NetGalley 10 months ago. I finally got around to reading it and while the twisty thriller part was great, that was the only thing that was good about it.
In Emerson, an affluent Massachusetts town, a girl named Eden (from the other side of the tracks) is found dead in a house. The police investigate and find that 3 Emerson teens were the last people with her. No one truly knows what happened to Eden, and while the police are confident they arrested the right teen, a couple of adults decide to prove them wrong.
I have so many issues with this book, but I want to first point out that as as a mystery/thriller goes, it’s very good. It kept me guessing and I was invested in the story.
I realize this is not a legal fiction like Defending Jacob or Mad Honey, but the bits with the defense attorney drove me crazy. I’m not sure how much research Mr. Amidon put into the writing of this novel, but he clearly never spoke with any defense attorneys (or any attorneys for that matter).
Also, I was turned off by the writing style. Short sentences, sentence fragments, and hard to read dialogue can make or break a book, and unfortunately, it broke it for me. I would have given this 4 stars had the writing been a bit better. I was actually quite surprised to learn that this isn’t the first book Mr. Amidon has written because I honestly believed it was. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy of this. It hit the shelves way back in January.

When I read about this book, I was immediately interested and curious to discover more.
A wealthy Boston suburb, a local girl murdered, elite families
Yep, definitely had my attention and I couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold.
It's one of those gripping thriller/mystery books that feels a little too true and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Grab a blanket and get cozy to enjoy this thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Celadon Books for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🚙🌚Book Review:
Title: Locust Lane
Author: Stephen Amidon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Ooooo, my favorite type of book! A suspenseful thriller/mystery. I really, really wanted this one to be a five-star. Alas, it wasn't 😔. It was okay, but I just didn't feel that the actual people involved in the "incident" told their side of the story as much as the parents who weren't even there.

A young woman, Eden Perry, is found dead in a home in the affluent part of the town, Emerson, located in Massachusetts. Eden hasn't chosen the best lifestyle for the past couple of years, but she was trying to better herself leading up to her death. Strangely, the investigation led the detectives to her last night, which was partying with a group of local teenagers. The parents of these teens will do anything to protect their children, regardless of the circumstances.

Thank you, @netgalley and @celadonbooks , for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Published: January 17th, 2023

This was a little too much of a slow burn for me, I felt like I was slogging through and it was very hard to enjoy the plot.