And this one is a bit different… set in the Y2K era, Marshall is a teen in Bloomington that is stopped by a cop on his 16th birthday. As a result of this stop, he gets a summer job as an assistant to a private investigator that is searching for a missing girl. His single parent mother is doing her very best to raise a well rounded self sufficient young man in a rather turbulent time. The Weller plays a key role in Marshall’s development which surprises them both. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the supernatural creepfest.

Lost Man's Lane (ARC)
Scott Carson
4⭐️

Pub Date: 3/26/2024

This is such a unique concept (well for me, since I haven't really read lots of horror). This book, to sum it up, is a supernatural thriller! It's pretty twisted! The premise was so intriguing. There was a major hint at the beginning of the story but I totally missed it *ahem, word play*. But I think the beauty of this book is not just the supernatural aspect of it, but also the coming-of-age of the MMC and how he navigates through it. Granted, I am a plot-based reader and some of the details came off as slow to me. Other parts even felt somewhat irrelevant until it later on, when these seemingly insignificant parts all pull through and actually holds a solid spot in the plot. So, it's definitely worth it to read every bit even the slower parts of the book. And when the rush came, the actual supernatural events, they came and landed hard. I couldn't stop reading. There's humor (cause teenagers are funny -ish), relationships, conspiracy (1999, Y2K topics), murders, rattlesnakes and the sinister thing that surrounds everything. Definitely expect the unexpected.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Atria for the review copy! This is a good read, kind of stealthy in the way it grabbed my attention and the small town, dark history themes with supernatural elements really worked for me, I needed a change up and as a fan of Stephen King and Michael Kortya and Chuck Wendig, this book worked for me.
Standouts
1. A strong coming of age theme with a well developed teenage main character, the kind of youthful strength needed to uncover darkness because they are not yet jaded though you can sense the pull of small town life secrets and darkness creeping in.
2. A long book that holds up, the pacing did not wane for me despite a long story. The length worked to let the journey and story have strong developed points.
3. Engaging themes, effective but not distracting supernatural themes but a better, and needed, focus on the human themes and mystery, the journey of the main character is the story itself.

Marshall Miller is sixteen and living in Bloomington Indiana with his single mother. He finally gets his driver's license and is pulled over by the police. Only the officer is a bit too threatening, the girl in the backseat of the police car looking a bit too scared. Later, Marshall finds out the girl is missing. He begins working with a local private investigator to try to solve a crime he finds himself at the center of. While trying to manage his growing and changing friendships and relationships, Marshall has to face one of Bloomington's darkest years.
The book is primarily a coming of age novel, with elements of a small town mystery and horror sprinkled in to propel the plot forward. Besides the central mystery, Marshall is dealing with going to parties, issues with his friend's family, rock climbing, and all of the classic issues of a teenager nearing adulthood. The 1999 setting leads to a lot of era-specific details in terms of the music and news of the day that surrounds Marshall throughout his journey. The book reminded me a lot of Richard Chizmar's Chasing the Boogeyman in the best ways, where both books involve the narrator as the author reflecting back on this time in their childhood when their towns were changed by the evil of a killer (though Chizmar's narrator was himself, this book has Marshall). The book slowly builds dread as Marshall can no longer ignore what he saw on the road that day he was pulled over, and it all led to a thrilling and emotional climax. However, for a 500 page book, it moves quickly because of the detailed and relatable scenes. I loved the main characters in the book and appreciated the level of detail the author put into fleshing out the town. The finale really worked for me because of the investment the book put into the characters surrounding Marshall. I highly recommend this to people who might be a little more horror averse because those spooky and supernatural aspects are mostly not at the forefront of the book, but are effective when they appear and all build towards the big finale.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of Lost Man's Lane in exchange for an honest review.

Ghosts. Snakes. Missing girls. What is reality and what is not?

Incredibly creepy supernatural thriller/mystery that did not help my fear of snakes one little bit.

It took me a minute to get fully invested in the story, but I’m so glad I stuck this one out because I really enjoyed the twists and storyline, even though I’m going to be checking for snakes for the next few days…

I don’t think I’m the audience for this book. I found the narrator annoying so I had a hard time being interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book!

Well. This book was a good old-fashioned coming-of-age tale with a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed this even though, if I'm being honest, the main character drove me a little nuts at times. However, I did get engrossed in this story and was curious to see how he would figure things out. The reader is kept guessing for a while until the final reveal which I liked. I do recommend!

A huge thank you to Atria books, Scott Carson and Netgalley.
I absolutely love the way this author tells a story. He somehow manages to scare the pooey outta me and still leaves me laughing uproariously!
I'm just saying that if you don't find that "the wall is all" funny as shit, then we probably will never be friends! Even half way through the book I found myself going back, just to re-read the climbing wall part. I was howling!
As for the rest? Please. Mr. Man writes some truly wonderful and compelling characters.
This story was at times just creepy as hell. Luckily I'm not afraid of snakes. Don't get me wrong, because every time I've ever come across a snake...be it a sidewinder, diamond back or even a garter snake 🐍 then I still run 🏃🏃like the hell hounds are after me. That's just common sense!
Anyhow, I loved this story, and I have now officially become a fan.
There were a few deaths that had me in years towards the end, but really it only added to the story.
This was a fantastic story.

I loved Carson’s writing style, the nostalgic vibes, likable characters, and humor mixed in with the creepy storyline. I just absolutely loved The Weller and the unlikely friendship with Marshall & I loved the character development and small town coming of age story. I feel like it was giving strong Stephen King vibes. Carson’s writing was bingable and eloquent even within a supernatural story. Thank you Net Galley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Immensely readable, comparisons with Stephen King are earned. Carson spins a great yarn and creates believable, sympathetic characters you root for. He builds tension expertly (if occasionally a little too slowly) and the payoff is successful! I particularly loved the setting (1999) and the inclusion of noteworthy events from that time period. Carson (Koryta) writes with grace and empathy.

I love coming-of-age novels regardless of the genre. There is just something magical about the most challenging time in all our lives, growing up. I want to thank Netgalley and Atria Books for the e-arc of this fantastic title.

Scott Carson is Michael Koryta's pen name for those not in the know. This is the 3rd book under Scott Carson. Spoiler: it’s his best one yet!

This is a coming-of-age tale set in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1999, one year before the big Y2K freakout. Nostalgia is everywhere, and it takes you back. The writing is beautiful and immerses you in the story. You feel like you are partying in 1999.

The story finds our hero, High School student Marshall Miller, facing off against human and supernatural forces. This genre-blending masterpiece combines horror, mystery, thriller, and light romance into a book that will undoubtedly be one of my favorite reads of 2024.

Strong King vibes are present here, which long-time readers will find welcoming. Lost Man’s Lane is a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

As a horror novel this one lives up to the trope with a lot of creepy bits. Although that could just be me there was so many mentions of snakes and I find them so creepy. Outstanding writing and plot development with a dash of nostalgia for every one that grew up around the horrors of 9/11, Afghanistan, Y2K.

This is an underrated gem just waiting for people to discover it.

This one had me hooked from the beginning.

I think this one was advertised as horror, but I wouldn't go in expecting that. It was definitely horror-light, but I still enjoyed it. The book is more about the coming of age of Marshall, who is working as an intern in a PI firm for the summer. It certainly had some "IT" vibes.

I loved that it took place in the 1990's, so there were a lot of throwback references that triggered feelings for me, being from that generation.

The writing was very engaging, the character development was on point, and I loved how the story unfolded. Overall, I recommend this to people who like creepy/supernatural but not full on intense horror books.

<i>Lost Man's Lane</i> is a horror/supernatural story, much like those of Stephen King and his earlier works. I was drawn in to this book from the very beginning. The writing is wonderful and kept my focus. The story is set in 1999 and there are many historical references to help preface the tone of the world at that time. Not only that, but the chapters all began with lyrics from 90s music (mostly rap and r&b). I loved being taken back nd thinking about those times.
Marshall finds himself in some tricky situations, many of them unexplained. When he tries to, he ends up becoming someone who is very unreliable and even the police don't want to deal with him. Growing up in a home of just him and his mom, plus the family that lives across the street, he developed some important skills of independence that helps him handle his way through these unusual situations.
I admit that the start of the book when we were just learning about the potential for something spooky was a lot more interesting than the ending when more information is developing. I think that any fan of the supernatural will appreciate this story.

Easily one of my favorites I have read in the past few months. Creepy and I was not sure where this was going but wow.. what a book. Fast read for a good size book..never boring and pretty Damn heartwarming. I will recommend this to anyone and everyone

LOST MANS LANE
Scott Carson

Marshall Miller is not having a good day. Not only does he nearly fail his driver’s test, but he gets pulled over for speeding just hours after receiving his license.

While the officer is writing his ticket and contemplating his doomed future, he sees that in the back seat is a woman with blond hair who has on a uniform from a local restaurant. He recognizes her and her uniform immediately. The officer is not a nice guy during their interactions, and it just makes Marshall’s very bad day that much worse.

He goes home and hides the speeding ticket with hopes his mother will not find it. A few days later, upon doing a bit of research and talking with friends, it was discovered that the officer who pulled him over did not work for the local police station. No one has heard of him. That is where the mystery begins in Scott Carson’s LOST MANS LANE.



For a coming-of-age novel it’s a fine length but being a paranormal thriller it’s a little too long. It requires a good bit of stamina because the moments of action are spaced and relatively low risk. Even when you’re in the story you’re not sure there is a story.

It’s like a movie you watch on a Saturday afternoon. It has good characters, it's fine entertainment, and you might learn a thing or two. But you wouldn’t want to watch it on Friday night.

The writing is like Stephen King's in that the world our characters live in is broad and big and the concepts are sentimental. I loved the elements of hip-hop that went along with the chapters.

The characters are the strength of the novel and possibly Carson’s writing. I loved Marshall (M&M) along with several of the side characters. I rooted for him, I rooted for his mom and his friend Kerri. I wanted everyone to win.

Isn’t that fun when that happens?

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced copy!

LOST MANS LANE…⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was pulled into this immediately - the writing is very engaging and really captured my interest and attention.

Yes, it did give me influenced by Stephen King (in particular, it reminded me in ways of Hearts of Atlantis (the bit about memories particularly, and later occurrences) was brought specifically to mind during my reading) and that’s enjoyable for fans of King’s writing and stories, but it’s wholly its own story - the masterful power of the plotting and writing of the author that keeps you reading.

This was my first time reading the author, either under his actual name, or his pen name, and I’m already looking forward to reading more 📖😊

I’ve read a lot of enjoyable books over the past few months but none of them engaged me as much as this did - I was completely under the spell of this tale. This hooked me from the very beginning and kept me turning the pages and was an amazingly fun read.



Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Completely undefinable category and hands down my now favorite read of the year so far. Part coming of age, part super-natural mystery, alongside powerful themes of friendship, love, and family. I did NOT expect to cry towards the end, and I also did not expect for a 500+ page book to read like 300. ( I almost debated putting this one off due to length but trust me, it’s worth it!) My first read from this author but I doubt it will be my last!

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for the eARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The synopsis for this one sounded so good and I am all for a good mystery thriller. However, the parts where it lost me were the supernatural elements. Because it was all wrapped up in one (and I didn't realize that before I started reading), it was hard for me to give this a higher rating and like this more than I could have. But, that's a personal preference and I'm sure others will enjoy this more than I did.

With that being said, this was written very well. It had a lot of attention to detail and described scenes well. I liked the characters and thought that the premise was interesting. Overall it was a good story.

4.5 ⭐

WOW. What a story. I absolutely LOVED it!

From the mystery to the nostalgic vibes to the supernatural essence. I was here for it all.

I really loved the depth of this story and how intricately detailed it was. Sometimes mysteries can feel and be a bit one dimensional in the world building / setting-the-stage sense, but Lost Man's Lane really delivers in that department. From the daily life and world of Marshall Miller down to the parallel depiction of world events of the time and musical sensations of the era, I was feeling simultaneously bittersweet and incredibly nostalgic. Portions of this were just so surreal and at the same time so relatable. I just got lost in all the little things and details of this book, in the best kind of way. Lost Man's Lane is so much more than a supernatural mystery! And my gosh, the mystery!!! Rather mindboggling and so, so cool. Though I certainly could have had more of said mystery. But the exponential unfolding of it throughout and then finally - finally! - the subsequent unraveling of it all, I couldn't stop reading! I had so many theories, but what Carson gives is beyond and so much better than I imagined! I really just loved all of it. New autoread author unlocked!!

- psychological thriller
- supernatural, slow-burn mystery
- incredibly nostalgic
- coming-of-age
- childhood friends-to-lovers romance