"If messes bothered me I wouldn't be talking to you."

Messy, dysfunctional, addicted, often privileged is one way to describe most residents of the Emerson suburb where a ride down Locust Lane might be a one way trip. Intricately creative author Stephen Amidon's Locust Lane is a delicately woven tale of a neighborhood teetering on the precipice of its own destruction.

Driving home late at night on Locust Lane Patrick hits a dog. He gets out to help it (it's ok) but he senses someone behind him. He turns and thinks he sees a man hiding in the trees but can't be sure. The next day the headlining story is the murder of 20 year old Eden in a house by Locust Lane. As Patrick gets caught up in the case three suspects emerge, Hannah a sweet but troubled girl, Jack a spoiled rich Frat boy and Christopher the misunderstood new foreign student.

What makes this such a propulsive neighborhood thriller is the determination of the parents of these suspects to protect their children. The always reliable narrator Cassandra
Campbell provides us with an eclectic full cast of characters who lie, cheat, and connive to save their kids and themselves. Most of them are wretched beings but a few broke my heart especially Patrick. He is trying to do the right thing but his insurmountable grief and alcoholism lead to disastrous results.

The killer wasn't too shocking but what some get away with is definitely disheartening but then there's the ending giving us some hope, maybe a sequel. A mashup of Big Little Lies and HBOMax's Mare of Easttown this thriller will have you running on Locust Lane.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from #macmillanaudio via #NetGalley For a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon is a dramatic mystery about a teenage girl who shows up dead in the home of a well-off family in an affluential neighborhood. Drama ensues as friendly alliances are tested and parents do their best to maintain their children's innocence.

Although this book did have more drama then I prefer in a mystery, the author effectively had me convinced I knew "who-dun-it" and I did not. The ending left me feeling a bit like I didn't get the resolution I needed, but that feeling is an accurate depiction of how most would feel because of judicial injustice so it seems fitting.

Locust Lane is a domestic suspense novel that takes place after a 20-year old woman has been murdered in an affluent suburban Massachusetts town outside of Boston. It follows the perspective of adults related to the case in the quest to determine what has happened and who is at fault for her death. Three high school seniors have an idea of what happened, but aren't being completely truthful. Their parents aren't always honest and have their own motivations. The story is well-crafted and kept me riveted. I didn't really connect with the characters, but felt very invested in what would happen. The author well illustrates how wealth, class, and education intersect with justice. I listened to the audiobook, which is well-narrated by Cassandra Campbell.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing this ebook/audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I found this story to be very interesting but unfortunately it was a little too slow for me. I did like the narrator and they are what kept me listening. Overall, I would recommend it if you want more of a slow burn thriller.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Eden Perry is murdered in a quietly affluent Massachusetts town, the suspects are all teens from the area. Jack, known as a bit of a bully but is from a very prominent family, his mentally precarious girlfriend Hannah, whose distant father has left most of the upbringing to his second wife, and Christopher, the son of a restaurant owner.

Danielle, Eden's mother, is decidedly not affluent but her daughter has been staying with relatives and seemed content there. Danielle wants to know what happened to her daughter. The plot takes several surprising twists and turns on the way to resolution.

Hannah's stepmother, trying to help her finds her life come crashing down around her, Christopher's father is afraid he will lose everything, including his son and his restaurant. And Jack's parents have covered up for their son many times in the past and are willing to do so again if necessary.

With most characters portrayed as people just trying to cope with their problems, it is difficult not to be sympathetic to their mistakes and missteps. The mystery is finally solved, but not fully exposed.

Recommended for those who enjoy serpentine mysteries.

This is my first novel by Stephen Amidon and I really enjoyed it! It is said to be for fans of Mystic River and Little Fires Everywhere and that is very accurate. It has some mixed reviews, but I feel most of them stem from the amount of characters and POVs within the novel. I didn’t find that to be bothersome at all. I enjoyed getting to know the different families and they were all so different, I didn’t find it hard to keep them straight. That being said, even getting to see into all of these character’s mindsets, I still could not figure this book out! I thought for sure I had it early on, but I was wrong! I felt like it was well thought out, I enjoyed the way the author divided the book into days and getting to see what each character is doing at different times. I really connected with the parents as they are trying to figure out what happened, while hoping to prove their child’s innocence. I just loved reading how all of the stories and characters came together!

Synopsis: When a young girl is found dead in an affluent New England suburb, the powerful families close ranks to keep their children safe. Eden Perry’s death forces police to investigate three high school seniors who were partying with her hours before she was found. Hannah, is a sweet girl with a troubled past. Jack, is a popular kid in school, wealthy and not kind to his classmates. Christopher, son of a restaurant owner is just trying to fit in. The parents will do anything to protect their children and in doing so, only end up complicating things.

This one is out today! Grab your copy now! Thank you to celadon and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copies of this book! I mostly read the hard copy, but listened to some of the audio here and there and the narrator does a great job of keeping your interest!

Locust Lane is a typical story of rich kid getting away with whatever he does because of his rich, powerful father. Nothing special to this story to make it one I'll remember.

I chose this one because it was a mystery and the audiobook was narrated by one of my favorite narrators. She did amazing as usual and I enjoyed the book as well. There are a lot of characters and I found myself taking a moment to remember who was who. The story itself was interesting and I was drawn in immediately! I would definitely read more by this author.

This was a fast read, that was filled with so much drama. There are so many character that it took a bit to get into it, and took some time to remember who was who. But over all the it was a good read and I did still enjoy my time.

This was a fast read with drama surrounding the murder of a young woman. There were quite a few characters to keep track of (on audio it was a little hard to follow) but overall it was a good story! I am here for a story about broken humans and that is what I got.

This one had a lot of characters to keep up with, and not all of them were very likable, but it kept me guessing & was super twisty! It was a great novel to start the year with, and I will definitely read another by this author. The ending was satisfying.

I enjoyed the continuing shifts in viewpoint and how that allowed the story to develop. But the ending left me in the lurch.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Celadon books for this early release audio.

I gave this book a solid 3.5. I started it as an audio and had to restart it three times before I could get all the POVs straight. Once I did, I realized the author did a very good job with giving each character their own personality. I picked up a hard copy to finish the book because they were on the shelf early at B&N.

Twenty year old Eden is found dead at the house she is dog sitting for, and a local teen, Christopher is arrested for the murder. However, there’s suspicion that someone is hiding something and Christopher might be covering for someone. The story explores all the dark secrets and manipulation kept within a small town and all the local families.

I will say that I felt some of the characters had unnecessary back stories, which didn’t add to the overall plot. I know why Patrick was a necessary character, but his whole back story didn’t add to much. And it was so unnecessary to have that much detail about him hitting a dog, right off the bat. I swear I thought I was going to be listening to a werewolf story, with how much the beginning talked about this dog. I also could have done without Danielle (again, I get that she’s Eden’s mother), it was just too much.

The ending was somewhat infuriating, and didn’t entirely make sense to me. I am not going to give away any spoilers, but after the whole thing unfolding, I expected a more satisfying ending. It felt rushed and was just unsatisfying all around. I would have been fine with the end, had there been a little more explanation as to what more happened.

Overall though, I enjoyed the book, minus the abrupt ending.

All of the stars for Locust Lane.

I had been reluctant to check this one out due to some mixed reviews, but I was convinced to listen with a friend and am so glad I did. This story has a LOT of characters-- I would recommend take notes or going slow in the beginning because it is helpful to understand who is who. That said, all of these characters are shady and mysterious. The whole time I listened, I keep saying "I just need to know what happens!" It is definitely a slow burn suspense, but it absolutely pays off. This is easily a top suspense read, and the way Amidon writes these characters is nothing short of perfection.

Everyone in the small affluent town of Emerson had a secret, but someone has a deadly secret. When Eden Perry is found dead, a local teen becomes the prime suspect. But nothing is as seems. The story is told through multiple narrators, none of them all that likable. The story started a bit slow and confusing but I quickly got sucked into the drama of this small town. It could be because it reminds me of many local Massachusetts towns near where I live that I could see this scenario actually happening at. There was a lot of dramas and lies and of course a murder to be solved. My only complaint is it wasn’t tied up neatly at the end. I know some people enjoy that but there was just too many loose threads for my liking.

Even though this story is listed as a mystery/thriller, it presents itself as a domestic drama with some mystery and intrigue thrown in. This story has many point-of-views and can be hard to follow at times. Each section of the book is from the perspective of parents who weren't directly involved in the murder. Each parent had a backstory, but these were not very detailed and didn't add to the storyline. There are a lot of people involved in this situation. They each have their own issues, and no one is quite innocent. Who can be trusted?

This was a decently written mystery, but full of drama that was just "too much" in my opinion. There wasn't a good balance between the mystery and domestic drama. If you like different point of views, unreliable characters, and lots of drama, then this story is for you. I didn't love this one, but I think it just wasn't for me. It will be a beloved read for many readers.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eden Perry’s death after partying with three other teens causes many problems for all the neighbors. Hannah is sweet but has a history of punishing herself, Jack has a history of belittling his classmates and even causing the death of a girl, Chris is mild mannered and the least likely to have killed her, but he is the one accused. I liked that this book had a lot of secrets about the parents that were uncovered as the story progressed. It is a story where I routed for the underdog and his loving father when it seemed like there was no justice. Very good book with interesting, complicated characters.

This is a very slow burn mystery told from 5 POVs. It’s a lot of characters to sort through at the beginning until you figure out who’s who and who is related. All of the perspectives are from parents - so none are coming directly from the kids that are involved in the murder. This one didn’t quite work for me with a lot of drawn out build up and an ambiguous/unsatisfying ending, but I could see others really enjoying it and it would make for a great book club pick with lots to discuss.

This was a very well done thriller that I find myself still thinking about long after I have read it. It is on the slow burn side for sure but it kept my attention throughout as we slowly began to learn more and more about what happened to the young woman found dead and who might be behind it. This is told from several POV’s, which I enjoyed, however none are from the teenagers and I wished we would have gotten theirs even if brief a brief chapter or so.

I enjoy neighborhood settings with its residents behaving badly and this one definitely fit the bill. Each character had something going on either in their past or current day that they preferred to stay hidden, but as we know, nothing really does as each parent scrambled to protect their child. I figured this one out but it did not take away from anything, and I really enjoyed the buildup to the suspenseful ending.

I also enjoyed the audiobook for this, Cassandra Campbell narrated, and I was glad I read this one via this medium. I recommend this one overall and cannot wait to see what Amidon does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ALC and ARC to review.

This story had me hooked from the beginning! I enjoyed both the audio & paperback version of this story as I alternated between the two. There were lots of characters, but the audiobook helped me to differentiate. I enjoyed the high end town, he said/she said mystery & domestic issues too. I truly enjoyed every second of this book until the ending. There was no clear resolution for me and the ending left me hanging and a little frustrated. I was hoping for something different! Overall, this was a solid mystery read but the prevented this book from being great for me. Thanks to the publisher for the gifted advanced copy!