April and Eddie are on their honeymoon. After a whirlwind romance and quick marriage they will spend 5 days in a hotel not far from their Ann Arbor home. When they end up lost on Atticus Line and pick up a hitchhiker, their plans are hugely diverted. When the woman in the backseat ends up dead they are suddenly involved in way more than they intended to be. They are murder suspects, ghost hunters and so much more as they find out secrets about this strange town and each other.

If you are down for a good ghost story then pick this one up! St. James is a master teller of the paranormal and this was one of her best!

Murder Road is a spine-chilling mystery that combines elements of supernatural horror with a traditional thriller. The story begins in July 1995 when April and Eddie, a young couple, are on their way to a small resort town for their honeymoon. A wrong turn leads them to Atticus Line, a deserted road with a dark history. They spot a lone hitchhiker and decide to give her a ride, only to discover blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down the road, chasing them.

After dropping the injured hitchhiker at the local hospital, they are shocked to find out that she dies soon after. This unfortunate event draws the couple into a series of unexplained murders that have plagued Atticus Line for years. The Coldlake Falls police suspect them of being involved in the deaths, and April and Eddie must clear their names. As they investigate the town's history and the sinister occurrences along the road, they uncover something far more disturbing—an otherworldly presence that seems to control the fate of those who traverse this path.

**Review:**
Simone St. James crafts a gripping tale that expertly weaves suspense, horror, and supernatural elements into a seamless narrative. The premise of a deserted road with a history of gruesome murders sets the stage for a story filled with tension and an eerie atmosphere. The book's characters, April and Eddie, are likeable and relatable, making their predicament all the more compelling.

As they delve deeper into the mystery, the pacing of the novel keeps readers engaged, with each revelation leading to more questions and escalating suspense. St. James' skill in creating a sense of dread and foreboding is evident throughout the story, and the supernatural twist adds a layer of complexity that elevates the plot beyond a typical thriller.

The interactions with the Coldlake Falls police and the town's inhabitants reveal a community with its secrets, adding to the intrigue. The themes of trust, betrayal, and the unknown make "Murder Road" a captivating read that will keep you guessing until the end.

Tropes
- Small town with dark secrets
- Supernatural elements
- Unexplained murders
- Wrongfully accused protagonists
- Investigation and uncovering of secrets

Murder Road is a gripping and atmospheric mystery that blends the best elements of horror and thriller. With its compelling characters and haunting setting, this novel is a must-read for fans of eerie and suspenseful stories.

Loved this one. A great elaborate twist at the end but what I love about all of Simone's books are there's a blend of mystery and thrilling moments. This MAY be my favorite but she is an author that I own almost every book and will reread them at some point.

Another excellent supernatural mystery by Simone St. James!

April and Eddie drive to their honeymoon destination but are waylaid when they find a young woman walking down the road. They offer her a ride and then discover she’s been stabbed so they rush her to the hospital. Little do they know, they’re opening a door to the evil that’s the cause of the disappearances over the past 20 years.

April and Eddie are lost, looking for the town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to be a hitchhiker, they stop to help. But not long after, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them. When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Road. As April and Eddie dig into the town's history, they soon learn that there is something dark and supernatural at work.

MURDER ROAD is an eerie, small-town murder mystery that’ll have you side-eyeing all its residents. April and Eddie were a compelling couple. April was likable but secretive. I wanted to peel back her layers and learn about her history. Meanwhile, Eddie was more reserved and so darn sweet and protective. He was a great husband, even while still working through his past trauma. I didn’t care for the detectives, though. Besides one, they seemed one-dimensional and in a hurry to point unwarranted fingers.

As the chapters progressed, the unexplained hitchhiker murders cranked up the suspense, and I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know who was behind these murders! Simone added a supernatural element to the plot, but I wish it had come earlier in the narrative. It would have been much more cohesive. Besides that, I enjoyed the story as a whole, even if I figured out the main twist early on. I’m looking forward to reading Simone’s backlist since this, surprisingly, is my first book by this talented author!

I have really enjoyed some of this author's previous books and while this one was still entertaining I found the supernatural element a little heavier in this book and a little too much for my tastes. I enjoyed both the main and side characters (especially Rose) and the mystery, but was somewhat disappointed in the resolution. That being said, I finished it in two days, so it was an easy read and held my interest,.. just be warned this one has quite a bit more than a touch of supernatural. 3.5/5 stars!

This book blew me away! I love Simone St. James and her writing. It kept me in the edge of my seat the whole time. A must read for this year. 5 easy stars ⭐️

I'm going to pretend that this book doesn't exist so that Simone St. James has only written 5 star books for me.

I definitely feel like my lower rating is 100% a me thing. Looking at other reviews I'm actually excited that people devoured this book and loved it.

I personally found it to be repetitive and boring. The first half of the book was an easy 5 stars for me. I was captivated, it was spooky, and the mystery had me wanting more. The middle kind of went downhill and then the ending had me sighing because it just wasn't it.

I just didn't quite click with any of the characters and the writing felt very flat. The 90's references were way overdone and at what point is it enough? I think the ending wasn't exciting and didn't fit the vibe of where this book was going.

Again though, I think this is 100% a me thing.

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite thriller. The storyline was okay, the characters were kind of interesting. But I mostly felt like it was just missing something the whole time. It also felt like it was far too rushed. There were moments were I thought it was getting pretty good, then it got cheesy and a bit disappointing. However, this is a book I will still recommend to patrons. I do understand not every book is for everyone. And I just didn't vibe with this particular book.

This was creepy and twisty and I loved every page of it.

I don't want to spoil anything because it's fantastic the way it unfolds, but I will say that I loved these characters. Especially the way they loved each other.

Oh, and I could have read a million more pages of the Snell sisters.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

4.25/5

It should come as no surprise that Simone St. James is one of my favorite authors, and I have been a long-time fan of the way she can mix a dash of romance with a supernatural thriller. Murder Road delivers on both counts, and it is made even creepier thanks to our mysterious ghost and the lack of technology. St. James takes us back to 1995 in this story, and it definitely made me feel a little nostalgic even though I will forever be grateful that now we have mobile phones with GPS at our fingertips. I loved April and Eddie, and they are a perfectly flawed couple trying to navigate this creepy mystery along with small-town mentalities.

Brittany Pressley is our narrator extraordinaire for the audiobook and I told the author at a recent book signing that she must never have anyone else narrate. Pressley is the cream of the crop when it comes to audiobook narrators, and she completely embodied and enhanced the storyline. Murder Road came SO close to being a 5-star read for me, but the driving factor behind a certain something just made absolutely no sense to me, and I was very disappointed with that part. I can’t say more than that due to spoilers but oh how I struggled. Otherwise, this was a smashing success and delivered on so many levels including shocking secrets and twists.

Broken Girls and The Sundown Motel are Simone St. James's best books, in my opinion. Murder Road just didn't grab me like those did. The plot seemed disjointed for the first half of the book, and the characters seemed flat.

When April and Eddie are on their way to a resort for their honeymoon, they stumble upon a hitchhiker. When they pick her up though, they realize she’s been stabbed. This starts a series of events that leads them to be murder suspects, but there is something more sinister happening in Cold Lake Falls. There are more unsolved hitchhiker deaths, and April and Eddie decide to get to the bottom of these mysterious instances with the help of a B&B owner and two teenage sisters. Simone St. James is back with another supernatural thriller, and like her others, it doesn’t disappoint. While the characters aren’t exactly likeable, readers will still find themselves rooting for them. This is a must read for St. James fans and mystery readers. What’s more mysterious than an abandoned, possibly haunted, road in the 1990’s?

Short synopsis: April and her new husband Eddie find a hitchhiker on a deserted road headed to their honeymoon destination. When she dies in the hospital Eddie and April immediately become suspects.

My thoughts: I love how going into any St. James novel I know I’m going to have to suspend some belief, because there is usually some sort of supernatural/ghost element.

This was so fun and had me hooked from the first pages. I loved how April and Eddie’s not so perfect pasts, and the story of the Lost Girl unraveled… I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

The spooky elements were done so well! I found myself holding my breath on behalf of the characters!

Read if you love
- Supernatural mysteries
- Small towns
- Atmospheric settings
- Time flashbacks
- Honeymoons gone wrong

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Simone St. James is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me and this book (the third I've read by her) is no exception to that. She is very good at weaving together what should be a basic, realistic mystery/thriller and giving them spooky, paranormal twists. With this one, I was so sure I had it figured out, and then she made me doubt myself, only to then confirm my earlier suspicions had been correct - that made for quite a fun reading journey.

I love Simone St. James, and this book solidified her as one of my favorite authors - every single book I've read by her hooks me almost immediately, and I INHALE her stories!

This story follows newlyweds Eddie and April on their to their honeymoon, when they stumble upon a hitchhiker with a stab wound. Things ramp up from there and never let go!

Wholeheartedly recommend. This book was SO good!

Definitely give Murder Road a read if you're in the mood for a slower-paced mystery with sprinklings of paranormal elements! This was set in 1995 and I absolutely loved the 90's nostalgia combined with the questioning of the supernatural. If you've read and enjoyed this authors previous work, I think you'll enjoy this one as well.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for my early review copy!

**Review of "Murder Road" by Simone St. James**

"Murder Road" by Simone St. James is a novel that unfortunately falls into the 'did not finish' category for many readers. The premise—an eerie, suspense-laden road shrouded in mystery and past tragedy—starts promisingly enough, offering all the elements of a classic thriller that could keep readers glued to the pages. However, the execution doesn't quite hit the mark.

St. James is known for her ability to blend supernatural elements with chilling historical fiction, but in "Murder Road," the pacing seems off. The story begins slowly, and for some, it remains too meandering and fails to pick up speed. The initial chapters, crucial for grabbing attention, lack the immediate hooks necessary to draw readers deeply into the narrative.

Character development, often a strength in St. James' works, feels somewhat lacking here. The protagonists might come across as underdeveloped or not compelling enough to invest in emotionally, which can be a significant deterrent for those trying to push through the slower parts of the book.

Moreover, while St. James usually excels at atmospheric tension, here the setting and mood might not be engaging enough to overcome the plot's slower pace and thinner storyline. For readers who thrive on fast-paced, tightly plotted thrillers, "Murder Road" might seem to drag, leading to a lack of satisfaction and the decision not to finish the book.

Although "Murder Road" may have its admirers, particularly among those who appreciate a more leisurely and atmospheric storytelling style, it unfortunately does not manage to universally captivate. Potential readers might need a good dose of patience and a love for slow-burn narratives to find this road worth travelling.

I love anything that Simone St. James writes and this was no exception. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the 90s setting, and definitely feel like it added to the creepiness factor. I was invested in the mystery and loved the relationship between the main characters. That being said, the side characters were perfection, and should anything happen to me, please find some real-life Snell sisters to seek me out, please and thank you. Also, I couldn't read it at night for fear of summoning the Lost Girl's face, so fair warning if you're a wimp like me.

A young couple quickly become go from witness to suspects after rescuing an injured hitchhiker and taking her the hospital where she dies. While clearing their name, they find something more sinister might be happening on this road.

I enjoyed this book. It’s not my favorite Simone St James novel but I I found it interesting and it kept me wanting to know what happened next.