Simone St. James continues to create stories and images in her writing that keeps you up at night - both wanting to read more and scared for what goes bump into the night. This story follows a couple that get caught in the middle of a murder investigation in a small town on their way to their honeymoon. One would assume they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, or where they? We soon learn that something mysterious is at play with twist and turns that you don't see coming. This book is perfect for those true crime lovers and enjoy paranormal stories. It is definitely a spooky story but I don't think I would categorize it as horror. It plays on the thrill of the chase of a murderer with giving you goosebumps from something that shouldn't be real. Truly loved this one - probably her best since Broken Girls.

Murder Road is a road best avoided, especially when the moon hangs low and shadows dance with secrets. April and Eric unwittingly journey down this ominous path and stumble upon a young woman, isolated and injured. As they become stranded in a small town brimming with untold secrets, they realize that leaving may not be an option when they become suspects of foul play.

Simone St. James crafts a bewitching, tense, and eerie haunting ambiance that propelled me to eagerly turn the pages in anticipation of each ghostly encounter. Known for her captivating blending of mystery, atmosphere, and supernatural elements, she offers a fresh perspective on familiar plot devices, that adds an extra layer of allure to her storytelling, drawing me into a journey filled with suspense, and fascination.

BUT and I always have one: I felt slightly let down when the motivation was unveiled, and the unresolved conflict surrounding the ghost's motives seemed unclear.

However, The character development is yet another spellbinding aspect of the story, with intricate personalities that are as flawed as resilient. The dynamics between the characters are well-crafted, unveiling their hidden secrets, which adds intricate layers to the narrative and enriches the dynamics of their relationships. My perception of one character underwent a fascinating transformation when their unexpected actions and motivations were revealed, adding an intriguing twist to the storyline.

Despite its flaws, Murder Road is a journey I enjoyed with its suspense, mystery, and supernatural allure that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish providing a thrilling ride.

A Witches Word Read

Simone St. James has mastered creepy supernatural thrillers. Murder Road is just another of her works filled with plenty of tension and mystery. Eddie and April pick up a woman whom they assume is a hitchhiker on the side of the road. When they discovered she is injured and bleeding, they rush her to the hospital, only to have her die. They discover that she is only one among several victims in Coldlake Falls and the highway. As the saying goes, no good dead goes unpunished. Eddie and April suddenly find themselves suspects in her murder. With the help of Rose, the B&B proprietor, and two teenage sisters, Beatrice and Gracie, the two work to clear their name and find the real reason behind the murders. They find that the answer is more nefarious than they realized.

I really enjoyed this book. It's full of plenty of nostalgia, intrigue, thrills, and just the right amount of creepy supernatural to excite me. I love writing and how the author navigates through a plot of turns and surprises. St. James does a wonderful of creating atmosphere. Murder Road is a chilling read and unsettling at times. It had me engaged from the very beginning. Fans of St. James will not want to miss this one!

I think I just really like Simone St. James's writing.
Two newlyweds are on their way to their honeymoon when they get lost and find a girl walking a deserted highway. She is bleeding and terrified saying "He's coming."

They take her to the local hospital where she ends up dying. They are automatically suspects in her death.

They start looking for answers when they realize that this road has had deaths happen over the last twenty years.

Now if you don't like a touch of paranormal in a book this may not be for you. BUT I love it. This had just enough of the creep factor to keep me reading.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

*I was provided an arc of Murder Road on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
As soon as I found out Murder Road was about to be published, I scrambled to get my hands on a copy. I adore The Sun Down Motel and the way Simone St. James seamlessly wove the natural and supernatural into one compelling story. This new novel further solidified her place as one of my most beloved authors.

In Murder Road, readers follow a newlywed couple who encounter the victim of an attempted murder that starts a chain of events that alter the course of their lives forever. How did they end up on this road where so many hitchhikers have died through the years? Why doesn't the husband recall turning onto the road in the first place? Does the Lost Girl, the alleged ghost of the initial murder victim, really exist or is she a mere legend?

Murder Road kept me on the edge of my seat. It was spooky enough to make me stay awake at night, but not overly scary or gory. My one complaint was that the ending felt a bit abrupt to me. There was a lot of build up throughout the story and I would have like to have seen the final moments in a bit more detail. However, this is still one of the most wonderful thrillers I have ever read and I will definitely be recommending it to other readers.

Honeymoon from hell! Hitchhikers… murders… legends… this book has them all. I love the 90s vibes as I’m a true 90s gal. I wasn’t obsessed with the ending but it was still great.

April and Eddie are just married and headed to their honeymoon when they take a wrong turn. A wrong turn that leads them to a young woman walking down the road alone in the dark. After picking her up, they see she is covered in blood and they head right to the hospital where she dies. Suddenly they are suspects in not only this murder, but the many murders that have happened on that road over the years.

Whew, this one took me on the full ride. Little bit of ghost story, little bit of thriller, whole lot of crazy! I have loved St James novels in the past, and this one did not disappoint! She has such a way of combining realism with the supernatural, which is not easy to do well. Every time I thought I had an idea where the story was going, St James threw something else my way to throw me off. This is a fantastic book from a trusted author!

Simone St. James is an auto-buy author of mine, as I loved “The Book of Cold Cases” and “The Sun Down Motel”. So when I saw “Murder Road” I jumped at the chance to read it early. Suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this book’s narrative. I found the plot to be a bit generic. The introduction of the Snell sisters, two more armchair detectives, halfway in the book didn’t help the story. There was a last minute chilling thrill at the book’s end. I listened to and enjoyed the audiobook version on publication day. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Simone St. James is an author I don't think ever misses, and I was really swept up by Murder Road. It balanced horror and mystery really well, and I don't think the horror-averse (me, typically!) should avoid this one- it's more spooky than anything, with an eerie setting that is well captured. The 90s era time is captured well, and fits this story.

I love Simone St. James' ghost stories - maybe even moreso than her books that are more strictly thrillers, I think? The eerie way she's able to so perfectly describe creepy scenes and characters and experiences always reminds me of watching a scary movie or early episodes of Supernatural - so spooky & well done!! The newlywed couple in this were very cute; I don't normally like couples (or specifically the husbands, if I'm being honest) in books - they're usually so bland and boring and I'm like, WHY are you with this man?! But Eddie was interesting and kind and treated April so well, and April's backstory was really interesting.

This was fun!! 3.5 stars, rounded up -- there were a few things I found a little silly toward the end, or maybe just a little too conveniently explained? But I did enjoy the journey!

“…no one had a sense of drama like a teenage girl..”

Eddie and April Carter have been married two days when the unthinkable happens: a middle-of-the-night wrong turn leads them down an isolated road where they find a young girl walking alone. It’s only after she gets in their car that they realize she’s been stabbed. Things go from bad to worse when she later dies at the hospital — and without any other witnesses and a car full of blood, these two out-of-town strangers are suddenly the lead suspects.

Unable to leave town during the investigation, Eddie and April do some digging of their own and uncover a string of murders along Atticus Line that go back two decades. All remain unsolved — and all begin with the legend of the Lost Girl, the first girl to be murdered. She’s the only victim who remains unidentified and it’s said if you see her, you’re next.

Simone St. James is always a solid read for when I want a fun mystery that’s a touch spooky. (Matt makes fun of me but my comfort shows are paranormal series, please give me all the hauntings, all the ghosts, everything that goes bump in the night! I’ll eat up every last crumb and then some!)

MURDER ROAD was a shockingly quick read, I finished in two sittings, and I did enjoy it but feel it it was lacking something her other books had. I loved the 90s setting — get ready for LOTS of talk about OJ’s trial and Princess Diana — but wanted a bit more of the paranormal aspect.

& this is a minor issue but continued to stick out for me: Eddie and April have been married two days at the start of the book, have only known each other since February (it’s now July). Yet there’s constant talk of ‘I had never known him to do x’ or ‘he knew that I was always x.’ They’ve known each other a total of six months at this point.

While I feel the ending could have been tightened up (it came off as a bit of a cop-out) MURDER ROAD was an enjoyable, entertaining weekend read and I’ll be here with open arms for Simone’s next!

Not my fav Simone St. James book but it was enjoyable enough. The first 30ish% is amazing and the last...10% is awesome. I saw the twist coming but still enjoyed a spooky factor with the supernatural element.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for providing me an ARC for an honest review!

**4.5 rounded up**

Summary:
Simone St. James’s latest book, Murder Road, follows these newlyweds, April and Eddie. It’s 1995 and they’re on their honeymoon cruising down this eerie, deserted road when they spot a hitchhiker who seems like she's in trouble. Being the kind people they are, they pick her up, but things take a chilling turn when they see blood on her jacket and a truck hot on their heels.
Next thing they know, they're tangled up in a series of gruesome murders that have plagued this road for years.
But suddenly, THEY’RE the prime suspects, with the police breathing down THEIR necks.
They’re determined to clear their names, so April and Eddie start digging into the town's dark history, only to uncover something supernatural lurking in the shadows.
They not only have to unravel the town's secrets but also fight for their lives against forces they never imagined.

My thoughts:
This book gave me that same creepy, eerie feeling that her book, The Sun Down Motel did, which was great.
I liked that you’re not only learning about this town they stumbled upon, but also April and Eddie
April and Eddie have their own personal demons and they allow one another grace to deal with their past in their own ways.
This was an absolute page-turner and I absolutely recommend it if you’re a fan of Simone St. James, if you’re a fan of books with old towns with mysterious pasts, if you’re a fan of main characters with mysterious pasts…
Definitely pick this one up!

Thank you, Partners @berkleypub, @netgalley, @prhaudio, and @simonestjames for my #giftedbooks! 🙏🏻

This is my first Simone St. James book and won't be my last. I love her ability to create a creepy thriller filled with twists and turns I did not see coming. The final twist is a doozy and took my breath away!

I listened to this book on audio and narrator Brittany Pressley did an excellent job of bringing this thriller to life.

This book centers on newlyweds April and Eddie heading toward their honeymoon in Cold Creek Falls, MI when they pick up a young girl who has been stabbed. As they race to get her to the hospital they also raise suspicion from local law enforcement. When the girl dies, April and Eddie find themselves as suspects.

In an effort to prove themselves innocent. They begin sleuthing around and learn about "The Lost Girl" who was killed and left for dead on Atticus Line in 1976. She's been haunting this area since then. Filled with strong supernatural elements that kept me engaged from start to finish, I was on the edges of my seat the entire time.

Set in 1995, this book resonated with me. I was 19 and could see this happening in real life. This book is filled with secrets and eerie elements. It's hard to know who to trust. Supporting characters Rose and the Snell sisters added a dimension I thoroughly loved!

I was so excited for this book and I did finish it but ultimately, it was not for me. I LOVED the first 40ish % of this book. It kept me intrigued and I couldn't want to see what April/Eddie were going to uncover. Unfortunately, after that it kind of started to be unrealistic and just so many sub plots that it veered so far off the main plot at multiple times. I also found the main characters to be pretty flat.

If you like a lot of paranormal elements then I think you would LOVE this. The writing is great but ultimately the story wasn't for me as a whole.

3.5 stars. Although I enjoyed this book while reading, I feel like it is not a book that is going to stick with me. This book felt a little different from previous books and kind of lacked the atmospheric suspense they had. It is still a good read and I would recommend it, just feel like I like her other works better.

Having recently finished “Murder Road" by Simone St. James, I am happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group!

“There was something very, very wrong with this road.”

I've driven the dark roads of northern Michigan on many vacations with my hubby, and thankfully we've never traveled on one as desolate and creepy as Atticus Line.

I was pulled in as this ghostly murder mystery was revealed and enjoyed most of the journey. Was it hard to believe at times? Sure it was. But I love being able to suspend reality for a bit when traveling through the mind of this author. This story was perfect to read at night, alone in the dark. It gave such a creepy and ghostly vibe; exactly what I hope for when I pick up a story from Ms. St. James.

LOVE LOVE LOVED this book! Simone St. James is a genius at writing thrilling paranormal books!! On their honeymoon, April and Eddie take a wrong turn and end up on a dark creepy road. When they come across a girl who's been attacked and stabbed, they pick her up and take her to the hospital. But then they appear suspicious...Knowing they didn't do anything wrong, April and Eddie are determined to prove their innocence and get out of this god forsaken town!

This was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases and it did not disappoint!! I’m typically not a fan of ghost/paranormal stories, but I am always a fan of how Simone St. James writes them!

April and Eddie took a wrong turn on the way to the resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. They find themselves on a deserted road where they come across a lone hitchhiker. They offer to give the woman a ride, and once she gets inside their car they notice she is bleeding badly. The woman does not survive, leaving April and Eddie suspects in a murder case. There has been a series of unsolved murders on the same road, and Eddie and April are determined to solve the mystery.

The atmosphere that St. James created on this deserted road was top tier. It was beyond creepy and revealed that something sinister was lurking. The short chapters made me keep justifying squeezing in one more chapter 🙊

I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read by this author, but MURDER ROAD is definitely up there as one of my favorites!

It's July 1995. Eddie and April Carter are looking forward to celebrating their honeymoon on the shores of Lake Michigan. Their plans get derailed when they take a wrong turn off the interstate onto a lonely highway. There they pick up Rhonda Jean, a hitchhiker that has been attacked. Was she the latest victim of "The Lost Girl" or was her attacker more earthly? Eddie and April need to solve the mystery before they lose their freedom, or worse, lose their lives.

Simone St. James has created yet another terrifying story that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing what the next twist will be. The ghostly element that she adds to her stories is also present in this book and helps add to the mystery that blurs the lines between reality and legends.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.