Thank You to NetGalley for the free eARC.

Simone St. James is one of my favorite authors. I was so excited when I was able to read her new book. It is a quick, easy read. I loved the characters. The story was thrilling and suspenseful from the beginning.

A husband and wife are on their way from Ann Arbor to a little cabin for the honeymoon. In the middle of the night, they get lost and end up on a road where strange things happen. They pick up a woman who's bleeding and walking along the side of the road. They convince her to get into their car and take her to the hospital. They become murder suspects and are not able to leave town. They learn more about the road they were on and that there have been several unsolved murders on that road over the years. When they're cleaned and can leave town, they encounter something that could only be paranormal/ poltergeist/ ghost and can't leave town until they have solved the murders and the mystery of the road.

I like the paranormal that the author uses which adds more depth and intensity to the story. I couldn't put this book down. I would definitely recommend it. I think this may be favorite ones of hers.

This is one of my favorites so far from SSJ. It is a great ghost story with 90s flair. A small town haunted by murders but also maybe just haunted? The book has some great pacing and twists. Two people trying to survive in a place they are not familiar with while under suspicion from a town reckoning with its past. If you enjoyed The Book of Cold Cases, I think this is a perfect follow up. It is the same paranormal thriller subgenre as The Sun Down Motel as well, but the plot is pretty different from that one.

4.5 stars

Michigan. 1995. April & Eddie Carter are on their way to a small resort for their honeymoon when they find themselves lost on a deserted road. Suddenly, a stranger in need of help appears alongside the road. Once the hitchhiker is in the car, it’s clear they have a situation on their hands. A mysterious vehicle is now after them. The hitchhiker is bleeding out. In the nick of time, April & Eddie manage to get the hitchhiker to a local hospital. But it’s too late…. April & Eddie have become the prime suspects in a years-long murder investigation. Digging into the local history while trapped in a strange town, April & Eddie discover something unnatural is stuck in Coldlake Falls and might be after them next.

Spooky ghost story, 90’s nostalgia and serial killers?!? I was so here for this one!

Simone St James always has the magic touch when it comes to intertwining the paranormal and real world mysteries. This one even leans a bit more into the paranormal than some other books and I was A okay with that.

This was definitely a page turner. All of the characters are written in such ways that as the reader, you had no idea who was trustworthy. They’re all flawed, but at the same time you couldn’t help rooting for them!

Some things I saw coming but there were also some fun twists along the way. Really enjoyed this one!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

DNF at 40%. I was in the mood for a good thriller and thought it might be the right time for the new Simone St James. Thank you to PRH Audio and Berkley for the free ebook and audiobook to review. Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me - it felt very slow. It also felt weirdly out of time to me - it is taking place in the mid 1990s but often felt more like the mid 1960s. I can’t tell if that’s mainly from choices the audiobook narrator made or the writing but I think it’s a combination of both. Ultimately I decided this one isn’t for me.

Thank you Berkley for this free e-book! Simone St James is one of my favorite authors and I nearly fell out of my seat when I saw her book was available to read and review!!

There’s one road in Coldlake Falls that people steer clear of. It’s one where several murders have occurred over the years yet remain unsolved to this day.

Murder Road story follows a young newlywed couple, driving overnight to their quiet honeymoon getaway when they happen upon a girl in the middle of the night hitchhiking on a dark road. They pick her up only to discover that she’s been stabbed and is losing consciousness. They deliver her to the hospital and quickly become number one suspects for the crime. They have to solve the case before they are wrongly convicted. But there are forces at work in the mysterious murders on Atticus Line.

What I liked:
This story was bone-chilling. As someone who doesn’t read many ghost stories, I trust this author to do them well and she delivered yet again. The plot gave me just enough amateur detective POVs and intrigue and haunting scenes to keep me reading just one more chapter.

What I struggled with:
After the initial rush of the first two chapters the story slowed down and I found myself craving more action. It was worth the wait, it just took me a while to get past the first third of the story.

If you enjoy mysteries or ghost stories this book is going to be a must-read!! It hits shelves March 5th! Be on the lookout or pre-order it from your favorite store!

It ain't a Simone St. James story without a ghost, them's just the rules. A small town haunted by a string of murders in the 90's? Yes please. This book absolutely flew by and I didn't want to put it down. It felt like it had more of a paranormal influence than her previous novels, which could be a negative for some readers. For me, it was a-ok and was fundamental for the plot to make sense. I wish we got more of April and her mom's relationship, especially given some of the reveals, but c'est la vie.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Murder Road by Simone St James
.
April and Eddie are off to their honeymoon, but they have taken a wrong turn. They are on a long, deserted road when they spy a young woman hitchhiking. They don’t notice till she is already in their car, that she is bleeding. A lot.
.
What I liked:
-This book was a lot of fun to read. It was addicting to try to figure out what was going on or what would happen next.
-I loved all the reveals. A couple of them made the story more gripping.
-There is a bit of a slow build at the beginning but about halfway through I didn’t want to put it down.
-You know it’s a good book where no one is free from suspicion at some point!
-The end was really good!
.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love stories about being stranded in slightly unsettling towns with creepy unsolved mysteries then I would definitely recommend this book!

A special thank you to @berkleypub & @netgalley for the early access to this arc.

🎉 Pub Date: March 5, 2024

I started reading this in the evening and next thing I knew, I was waking up the following morning with my overhead lights on and dimmed. 😂 I was thoroughly spooked but in the best way possible!

I’m a huge fan of this author’s work and I really love the way St. James writes the supernatural into her books. Murder Road wasn’t any different. I also didn’t find Murder Road to be predictable, which is something I appreciate and hope for in thrillers. I was kept guessing until the very end.

Newlyweds Eddie and April are on a road trip towards their honeymoon when they somehow end up taking a wrong turn (dun-dun-dun). They end up in the small town of Coldlake Falls, but not before picking up a young woman (bleeding and cut) from the infamous Atticus Lane.

The young woman ends up dying shortly after the couple bring her to the hospital.
Honeymoon cancelled, Eddie and April are now prime suspects (witnesses) for the murder unable to escape the nightmare they’ve so suddenly become involved in.

Shortly after their trip to the hospital they settle in at a local B n B, where the couple learn that the murder they’ve recently “witnessed” wasn’t the town’s first. A string of unsolved murders dating as far back as the 1970s are all believed to be connected, with the most recent only adding to the mystery.

This book was atmospheric & spooky, a murder mystery wrapped inside a thriller. I loved the crime-solving component of this book as well as the 90s era setting. Really there is just so much I enjoyed, I highly recommend reading this to everyone.

A SPOOKY THRILLER MURDER MYSTERY SET IN THE 90s?! FIVE STARS.
Simone St. James is one of my favorite authors. I don’t typically love paranormal plot lines, but St. James combines paranormal historical mystery into her thrillers in a way that I can’t get enough of. I have read The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel, and The Book of Cold Cases. I loved each one but Murder Road is my new favorite! I loved this book so much. Eddie and April’s story was unique and chilling. I love how she writes her characters with so much dimension. I felt empathy for Eddie and April’s past family traumas. You can't help but to root for them to solve the mystery of the murders on Atticus Line “Murder Road”. I was on high alert for most of the book waiting for ghosts to pop up. Who doesn’t want to be in fight or flight mode while reading on your kindle in the dark?!

This is a Paranormal Horror Thriller. This book took me on a crazy scary thrilling wild ride that I loved every minute of it. There were so many twists and turns some I guessed, but some had me guessing right up to just before they were revealed. I loved this book so much. The ending was just so great, and I loved it so much. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Traveling on a deserted road, honeymooners April and Eddie are lost. While they are trying to get back on track they see a person on the side of the road. They stop and offer the young woman a ride. They soon notice a truck speeding towards them and that the young women is drenched in blood. They race her to the hospital but she has lost too much blood and dies. The couple finds themselves stuck in the small town of Coldlake Falls under the suspicious eyes of the local police.. April and Eddie discover there is a dark history in this small town and find themselves prime suspects in multiple murders along that dark road.

This latest book by Simone St. James cements her as the Queen of supernatural thrillers. The ghost story and murders along that stretch of road combined with all of the secrets among the characters equal a well crafted thriller that was hard to put down.

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #MurderRoad #SimoneStJames

Ooh, I loved this story! Paranormal thrillers are always kind of a mixed bag for me, but I really enjoyed how this plot flowed and the conclusion was really satisfying! The thought of an abandoned, haunted road where hitchhikers are brutally murdered was chilling and I didn’t want to put this story down!

In this creepy thriller a couple is on their honeymoon when they pick up a hitchhiker who has been stabbed. After she dies at the hospital the police begin to suspect the couple of her death and others along the same road. Filled with supernatural elements and some twists readers will be taken on a ride.

An amazing blend of mystery and the paranormal! Loved this upcoming release by Simone St. James! Eddie and April are newlyweds heading to their honeymoon destination when they encounter a girl walking a lonely stretch of road. Something seems wrong, so they take her to the hospital where she dies. So begins them spending their honeymoon in a strange town with an interesting collection of side characters. Well plotted and paced story!

4.5 atmospheric stars

This is my fourth book from this author, and I love how her writing is so atmospheric. She’s consistently a 4- or 5-star writer for me. This one is no different!

Perfectly set in the mid-1990s Michigan, we meet April and Eddie en route to a cabin for their honeymoon. With a crazy detour where they get lost in the woods, instead of starting their honeymoon, they find themselves transporting a young woman hitchhiker to the emergency room. Who is the hitchhiker and what does she have to do with April and Eddie? Is she the Lost Girl?

The police question the newly married couple, suspicious of them, and they decide to investigate on their own. Is that ever a good idea?

This one has a supernatural angle, as this author’s books often do, and I really liked it! There’s a mystery to unravel as well, and some tense moments!

There are some great characters in this one -- Eddie and April, of course. Then, there are the fantastic Snell sisters – I loved every moment that they had in the book. Even the woman Eddie and April stayed with (Rose) was well-rounded and played an important part.

This one was a quick read, and I was entranced the whole time!

This is a fun book that mixes murder with mystery and the paranormal. Such a fun concept that the past can call you back home without you even knowing. Readers are going to fall in love with this supposedly impossible to solve mystery of murders along a road for generations. Is it a serial killer or is there more going on then meets the eye. I can’t wait to recommend this book to any mystery loving reader. They will surely enjoy the ride.
Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Murder Road is a suspenseful thriller with many twists and turns to keep readers guessing. What starts out as a honeymoon getaway for a newly married couple, April and Eddie, leaves them stranded in a small town and in the middle of a murder investigation after they attempt to help a badly injured girl they find walking down the road in the middle of the night. Unable to leave the town while under investigation, the newlyweds decide to start looking into a string of unsolved murders and a missing girl who disappeared from the area in 1976. Soon they find more disturbing things happening around them and they realize that there may be more of a connection to the situation than they first thought. This one has a touch of supernatural elements in it as well.

Simone St. James holds a special place in the world of paranormal/horror stories for me. Each story is unique, with an unexpected plot, but is always brimming with a dark chilling atmosphere. Murder Road is a consuming story that I did not want to put down. April and Eddie are young newlyweds. Despite difficult upbringings, they are kind people, who have found themselves at the center of a murder investigation. I adored how the story was laid out, and how the couple felt compelled to solve the mystery of a long ago murder. Rose and the Snell sisters were terrific additions and added interest and depth to the narrative. The ending was satisfying and wrapped up any issues I had with plausibility and motivation.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Simone St. James knows how to write the perfect atmospheric creepy nostalgic thrillers. This one I think creeped me out the most compared to her other books. 90s, ghosts, small town, murder, mystery...what’s not to like?

“If you see her, you’ll be the next one found at the side of the road.”

I LOVED this. The elements of horror, paranormal and thriller combined worked together flawlessly. Should I have read this alone at night while my husband was away? Nope.😂 But I did and I couldn’t stop reading.
I loved the characters, the story was chilling and creepy and it was set in 1995 which gave a nostalgic feel. Definitely be sure to pick this one up!

Thank you Berkley for the advanced copy.