**4.5-stars**

The suburban town of Emerson, Massachusetts, seems like the ideal place to live and raise a family, but we all know that a lot drama goes on in such towns. It may hide below the surface, but trust, it's there. In Stephen Amidon's Locust Lane, the death of a young woman, Eden, opens up a crack through which the more unsavory sides of this town can be viewed.

After her body is discovered, it is clear that Eden was a victim of foul play. The police investigation into her death includes three local teens discovered to have been partying with Eden that night, Jack, Hannah and Christopher.

This narrative follows multiple perspectives of the adults in the town tied to Eden's death. These include Jack's Mom, Celia, Hannah's Step-Mom, Alice and Christopher's Father, Michel, as well as Patrick, a man who inadvertently ended up near the crime scene on the night in question. We also get the perspective of Eden's Mom, Danielle.

This might sound like a lot, but it wasn't difficult to follow. I think Amidon did a really great job of presenting all of these different perspectives in a distinct and important way. Each one added to the building-out of this story. Sometimes I feel like, when there are this many perspectives, some are not as important, or interesting as the others, but that wasn't the case here at all. In fact, I can't imagine this story being told any other way.

I found the connections amongst the adults so interesting. Their relationships, whether mere acquaintance, friendship, or something more, had a very tight-web feel. Emerson is a small, wealthy town, and Eden was an unwealthy outsider. She didn't grow up there like the rest of the kids. This definitely had an impact. How could the truth ever come to light with the parents involved to the extent that they were?

The kids felt more like pawns in a game the adults were playing, as the parents scrambled trying to make sure their kids came out of this incident okay. Very little thought was given to the dead girl. Honestly, this felt real as heck.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration. It was so well-done, truly bringing the story to life. I definitely recommend it. The story itself is super intriguing, but I felt the quality of the narration really took it to the next level for me.

The tone and feel of this story reminded me of a gorgeous blend of some of my favorite Crime Thrillers and Domestic Dramas. I'm thinking, for example, of books such as Take It Back by Kia Abdullah, A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson and Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda, to name a few. If you enjoyed any of those novels, you should absolutely have this one on your TBR!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I was hooked by this story, beginning-to-end. This was my first Amidon novel and I'm looking forward to many more!!

If you love soap operas and Law & Order, sheesh this book is for you.

Its drama. Drama. Drama. ALL THE DRAMA!

In my head I was thinking "Wow. This is very similar to the show "A Million Little Things" just centered around murder and with extremely unlikable characters." [So nothing like the show Danielle? You dingus.]

Now don't get it twisted, I was thoroughly entertained the entire book. It was like seeing a couple fight in public. You don't wanna look but you can't stop yourself from looking.

I hated every single one of these characters. I hated what they stood for. I hated the slimy things they got away with.

I kind of felt filthy being absorbed into this story. I felt like I was a peeper onto this families love triangle of a drama filled nightmare. It felt so wrong to be entertained.

But I feel this was the message Stephen Amidon wanted to send to his readers. He wanted you to have deep rooted hatred for his characters. I am going to warn you now, Celia, she's the worst. She's entitled. She's fixated. She's naïve. She isn't someone you're meant to enjoy reading about. Honestly the entirety of her family is quite disgusting. That is all I have say on that.

I think this is a thriller that I will continue to look back on and sort out my feelings about the plot.

It's a deep look into society. How corrupt that the world can be. It's hurts my head just to think that all the wrongness in this story exists in our world.

This was a good read. Not my favorite but it has a message that will make you think about society as a whole. What's right, what's wrong. What can you do to make a change in the world.

I have to brutally honest, it is a slow burn but the drama will keep you gripped into the story. The rich white women of the story really know how to dish out the neighborhood scandal. The rich entitled children running around will appall you. The secrets that are deep within each of these characters souls will shock you.

I was so wrapped up in the drama surrounding each character that I lost sight of the mystery of who the murder was that I was mind blown when they were revealed. That's one way to get your readers, throw a train wreck at them to distract them from the real chaos happening behind the scenes.

Speaking of rich women, Cassandra Campbell did a wonderful job narrating this book. Her voice is very easy to listen to. I thought she presented the character well especially Alice and Celia. I was very entertained to the point that I binge listened to the entire ten hours in two days.

I am here again to remind you sweet souls to check the trigger warnings on this book. It gets extremely intense. It notes a wide variety of sensitive topics especially race, classism, rape, sexual abuse and bullying.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy and Celadon Books for the advanced reader copy!

Stephen Amidon's latest book is a thrilling, immersive read! Locust Lane is a hotbed of secrets, murder, family drama, accusations and crisis.

Told from alternating points of view by parents in the community. Parents who struggle with secrets of their own but are willing to go to any length to protect their kids, even if it means breaking the law.

When Eden Perry turns up dead the neighbors circle in to protect their families. Her death is the beginning of an intense investigation once it's discovered their kids were all with Eden partying the night she died. Hannah, sweet but unstable, Jack, popular but known to be a tad creepy. The local bully. Christopher, the outsider who just wants to join the in crowd. Throw in crazy parents with their own agendas and hang on for the ride. Intense and suspenseful to the very last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was sucked into this book right from the beginning. It's a delightfully-gripping, small-town murder mystery set not too far from Boston. There are lots of points of view, which really keeps things interesting as you start to piece together information from all sides, and start to see who's playing who.

Everyone thinks that Emerson, Massachusetts is about as safe as it gets, until a young woman is found dead. The police quickly produce a suspect, but are they just working to close ranks with the town's most powerful families to direct focus from the real killer?

With every page turned you sink deeper into the seedy underbelly of not only the town but the dark side of its seemingly-upstanding residents too.

I couldn't put this one down, and alternated between the physical copy and the audio version. The audio comes in at 11 hours and 25 minutes. It's narrated by Cassandra Campbell, and I thought she did such a brilliant job of bringing each POV to life. You might recognize her voice from Where the Crawdads Sing, Valentine, The Charm Offensive, and so many more!

I enjoyed this one, especially on audio. It was a much slower burn than I initially thought, more of a mystery than a thriller. And because I went into wanting something that was unable to put down, I did find that it dragged a bit. There were quite a few characters, which was hard to follow at times, and while I was able to mostly keep track, it's something to keep in mind if those types of stories don't appeal to you.

3.5/5!

There’s something about a book set in a small town featuring families tied together because of a mysterious circumstance that instantly piques my interest. Locust Lane is told through the narrative voices of 5 main characters, which might seem like a lot, but doesn’t feel that way when you’re reading. Amidon smartly chooses to cluster these narratives together by day instead of simply alternating chapters between the characters. I thought that this structural choice made it very easy to distinguish each character from the other and track their plotline. Naturally, the narrator's lives are all intersecting throughout this story and Amidon does a great job making sure each character shares their viewpoints on the same situations.

The story itself has a bit of a predictable quality to it simply based on the nature of the crime and the setting. I didn’t feel that my ability to correctly guess what might happen next hindered my experience while reading. I found myself embracing and enjoying the way Amidon structured the reveals for twists.

🎧: I listened to this one as an audiobook, which I highly recommend checking out! The narrator does a fantastic job distinguishing between each character and bringing them to life.

A huge thank you to Celadon Books for my gifted copy and NetGalley for my free audio copy!

I was immediately drawn into this slow burn, domestic drama. I always love a rich people behaving badly story and this one follows the overlapping lives in an affluent community as they try to get to the bottom of a murder case. Told from multiple points of view, the community is trying to figure out what the teens were up to that night. The book asks the question, how far will a parent go to protect their child.

My book club will be discussing this book today. I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks!

I read both the audio & physical formats and I thought it worked well in both ways.

While I did like this book, it was super freaking wordy and there were far too many characters to really keep up with. So many different people and POVs it was hard to keep up with it all through audio, especially with the singular narrator. The story is pretty relatable and felt real when it comes to the way that small town criminal justice systems work. If you know the right people, you can get away with about anything.

The audio quality was good but it definitely NEEDED multiple narrators to make it easier to keep up with. Half the time I wasn’t even sure who’s POV I was listening to and had to find context clues or rewind to find out. It’s the main reason for my lower rating actually. Keeping up with this book was hard work and it’s already pretty long.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early access to the audio!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was lucky enough to revive both a physical and audio copy from the publisher. I thought the story was interesting and you learn what people will do to protect those they love and how much other teens have influence over one another . The story I found followed a consistent plot but I think the characters needed more. I didn’t really care about any of the characters in the story except Christopher .

This thriller starts out very well for me. Locust Lane has just about everything I like; (bad) group of friends, dysfunctional families, money and power, secrets and lies, and an affluent neighborhood where nothing bad ever happens until someone is murdered.

I like the pace. I've seen others say that this is a slow burn, interesting enough that this time it didn't bother me. Maybe because I enjoyed the wonderful audio. But keeping up with the characters was a challenge, especially for some of the parents. I keep forgetting which parents go with which kid. 🤷‍♀️

Twenty-year-old Eden was with three of her friends on Locust Lane, a nice area in Emerson, MA. She was found dead and it was ruled a homicide. Three friends are now at the heart of the investigation and it's only natural that their parents will do whatever it takes to protect their own child.

The story is realistic. I find that the ending wasn't OTT and believable, like cruise control to the finish line. It was close to my prediction but I still got it wrong. But wait, the epilogue, like what? I don't understand it at all, I listened to it more than five times and I don't get it. 🤔

A solid read with a "whaaat?" ending.

I really enjoyed the narrator. Cassandra Campbell did a wonderful job reading all these PoVs!

What a fast paced, fun read! This was full of drama, some good twists and turns with some added social commentary that fit well without being too obvious. A good one who enjoys suspense or mystery that's not too anxiety inducing.

When a young woman, Eden, is found dead, the community of wealthy residents close ranks to protect their own.

Teenagers Hannah, Jack and Christopher are the main suspects, but the story is told mainly from the POV of their parents.

The themes are familiar: race, privilege, and addiction, but at this point in my reading life, these themes are a bit too familiar and growing old and tiresome.

Cassandra Campbell narrates the audio but, with multiple POVs, the book would have benefitted from a full cast of narrators. The middle of the book bogged down from repetitiveness.

I appreciate an ending that makes me think, but this one left me unsatisfied. These are not people you can get behind or support in any way. I’m no prude, but the author’s gratuitous sexual details and language was off-putting.

I don’t mind unlikable characters, and, in fact, many of my favorite novels have an unlikable cast of characters, but they need to be relatable, sympathetic, or funny. These were none of the above. So 2 stars from me.

I appreciate the opportunity to read the book, but since it wasn't for me, I will limit my reviews on social media.

Murder rocks a small close knit town in Massachusetts with secrets buried deep.

This thriller follows the parents in a small Massachusetts down where a teenager has been found dead and the last three people to see her alive at the heart of the mystery of what really happened and who is responsible for the death. With two of the three teenagers a couple and from the close community they quickly spin a tale putting the blame on their "friend". As we get further into the story we find the teenagers aren't the only ones with secrets that are being kept.

While the story kept you guessing right up until the end the lack of point of few from the teenagers made it feel semi disconnected. The narrator did a great job however I would have preferred to have a male narrate those roles in place of a women reading in a "male voice"

Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon was a great audiobook! The narrator did an excellent job of providing variation of voice for each of the characters. It's a classic whodunit with a mysterious murder and a good list of suspects that has you wondering who the actual perpetrator is throughout the story. You also have the beloved trope of the wealthy behaving badly. The parents are circling the wagons hoping to not have their child be the murderer. The nicely paced plot will have you not wanting to stop listening. Read and enjoy!

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.

In this slow burn whodunnit there is a whole cast of unlikable characters. 3 teenagers and their parents for a total of 9 POV’s is a lot for my mind to keep straight. This story is packed with secrets galore that make each person suspect. I personally am not a slow burn fan but If you like juicy secrets, multiple POV and neighborhood drama this may be the book for you.

Locust Lane is about the death of a teenage girl who was found after a night out with friends. The setting is in an upscale neighborhood where residents try to disguise their family drama and personal demons. On the surface, the cause of death seems obvious as do the suspects but everyone is pointing fingers while others are trying to cover up possible motives.

Told in multiple POV, this mystery/suspense novel was a great read! It started out strong but I got a little overwhelmed with sorting through the multiple characters. As the mystery unfolded, there were some tough issues to read through which greatly enhanced the story and kept me guessing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: thriller
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: moderate
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🚫
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: whodunnits
𝙏𝙒 ⚠️: typical thriller, some SA discussion

This book has a large cast of characters - if you listen to the audio you will need to really pay attention to the tone, cadence, and pitch of the narrator to keep track.

I enjoyed the theme of wealthy families protecting their kids and pointing their fingers at other families- having gone to a prep school - this was so realistic. Parents like that never believe their kid could be capable of anything bad.

There were a few loose ends I would have liked to see tied up (ending felt a little abrupt after a long buildup). There was a great twist at the end that I think could have been drawn out a little more. A few of the character lines did not have any resolution.

Overall a pretty standard but good slow burn thriller.

👏🏼 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 to readers who enjoy slow burn suspense with a large cast of characters.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC recording of Locust Lane.

I wanted to read this book because a review said for fans of Dennis Lehane. This book is not Dennis Lehane nor is it the quality of his writing. In my disappointment, I went into Netgalley to read reviews and I'm glad I did. I changed my expectations and ended up enjoying the story. It was a very slow start picking up speed about a third of the way in. There are multiple narrators so the reader never knows if she is reading the truth or a perspective. A number of the characters are very unlikeable. Nothing wrong with unlikeable characters but they should at least be interesting.

After the prologue, the story starts with the discovery of a dead teenager. It seemed that she had been partying with three other friends, all wealthier than her, all of whom become suspects in her murder. This wealthy town has reputations to guard so the parents rally around their own, willing to do whatever it takes to keep their child in the clear.
Characters aside, the story addresses some very interesting issues. Bullying and fear; alcoholism; and class among other things. The ending is very interesting. No clean, tidy, red bow that wraps everything up.

My first book by this author and I can literally see it being played out as a movie - it would be so good!!

A typical story of class, status, and the advantages that money brings along with it. A poor girl dies in a wealthy suburban neighborhood-obviously we can’t blame the rich kids! I really enjoyed this story and it was great on audio. I was guessing until very close to the end. It was probably the realistic ending, but man did it make me sad. It would definitely make for a great discussion at a book club!

I’m not exactly sure what I wanted out of this one, but I wasn’t totally hooked…

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this ARC. I enjoyed the narrator of this book, but with the different POVs of so many characters it did make the story hard to follow. I felt like the twist was out of left field as well.

This was my first read by this author.