Not what I expected all…in a good way! This is a coming of age novel (first crushes, friendships, parents) with a side of horror (:snakes, curses, ghosts). Wonderful characters that I become heavily invested in. Pretty much read in one sitting! Looking forward to the next one by this author! Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

This was a great compelling read. It kept me on my toes and wasn't like anything I've read before. I love a story that keeps me guessing from the beginning to the end, and I definitley was doing that all throughout this one. Overall this was a great read.

This was a really interesting, terrifying story. I don’t want to spoil any of this but just know that you will not be expecting what is going to happen. I found his writing to be very affecting and it really drew me in. I’m excited to read more of Carson’s work.

"Lost Man's Lane" was my second book of Scott Carson and while I remember enjoying "While They Wait", I don't recall the details of it. This thought was incredibly memorable and will be sure to stay with me for a long time,

What makes it such a rich story is the details and the characters. Apart from Marshall, I loved Noah Storm, Monica, The Weller, Maddox and even Jake Crane. While this is marketed as a horror/supernatural thriller book, I think this is more of the coming-of-age tale of Marshall Miller with a mystery at its core.

There is also some laugh-out-loud hilarity in the books along with plenty of nostalgia. The is set in 1999 so there are plenty of references to Y2K (I had no idea that it was such a big deal) and mentions of Columbine,

All in all, I would love to read this intricately woven story once again a few years down the lane because I'm sure this is the kind of story you'll be able to appreciate more when you reread it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the e-copy!

4.5/5

When you know, you know. This will easily slot into my favorite books of 2024. It is one of the best books I've read of the past few years. Carson does a masterful job of building characters and relationships and I got instantly invested. He took me right back into the late 90's, with nostalgia that I was expecting, but also with these special characters that reminded me of people I knew.

This book has horror elements, coming of age, thriller, mystery and more. It had all the things I'm looking for and it was an instant classic. As the story progresses, the pace picks up and by the end there were heart-poundingly tense moments. I LOVED it.

Lost Man's Lane is coiled and ready to strike at the hearts of readers on 3/26. This one comes with my highest recommendation.

Thank you to the Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an eArc. All opinions are my own.

I heard Joe Hill recommend LOST MAN'S LANE several times during a weekend convention, and knew I had to check it out. To no surprise, LOST MAN'S LANE does not disappoint. A coming of age thriller that quickly turns to horror, LOST MAN'S LANE is one of those books that you have to recommend by saying "I can't explain it, but trust me, you want to read it". There are parts of this book that are so tense you feel as though you are there, and there are genuinely scary and unnerving parts. But, Carson has also built in a lot of heart - I laughed and cried while reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy.

I am going to be thinking about this book for a very long time.
Slow burn coming of age story with some horror elements.

The day Marshall gets his license he gets pulled over by a cop and the experience absolutely changes everything. He is thrown into an investigation of a missing girl and becomes an intern for a PI to help figure out all the nonsensical clues they stumble upon.

I really liked the paranormal horror bits even though they took a while to really get going. The coming of age was really centered with in depth character development- Marshall starts out with making some decisions that stressed me out but over the course of the book he really matures almost too quickly (thanks trauma). The investigation twists and turns are not easy to figure out-which I found enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC.

Set in 1999 in Bloomington, Indiana, anyone familiar with Btown and IU will enjoy the many (maybe too many) references to restaurants, local businesses, and locales. A thriller for sure but also a supernatural tale of a local teen dealing with weird occurrences during the Y2K craze, Columbine, the Twin Towers era. Great story with a, literally, explosive ending and great character development. Of all the characters The Weller caught my heart and almost broke it.

I devoured this. Propelling and a gripping story. Couldn’t put it down. Thank you Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Atria Thrillers for this copy of "Lost Man's Lane."

I've added this to my list of all-time favorite books - it was captivating, addicting, creepy, heart-pounding, and pulled me in with the promise of a ghost story and a crypt that must stay buried.

It was also a tender coming-of-age story where "part of being 16 is laughing at things that hurt."

Weaving the historical site of the Stepp Cemetery, the Crabbites, and other aspects of Bloomington, IN to make them integral parts of the story made it feel very real to me.

And sorry for those who don't like snakes, but there is a supernatural one in the book.

I am so thankful to Atria Books, Scott Carson, and Netgalley for granting me advanced audio and digital access to this title before it hits shelves on March 26, 2024. I really enjoyed the dialogue and narratives of this book and look forward to more of this artist's work to come.

4.5 stars—Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson is one of those books that I will think about for years and years to come. It takes place in 1999 in Bloomington Indiana. The main character, Marshall, is 16 years old, and some weird things are going on in his town. Marshall sets out to find the answers and may find some answers that he does not want.
What follows is a mystery and coming of age story that was so much fun to read! The nostalgia was off the charts for me. Although I was in my early 20s in 1999 the current events and music that are mentioned in this book brought me back. The fear of Y2K, Columbine, just to name a couple of them. The character of Marshall was so relatable and likable to me. The friendships portrayed in this book were amazing and made me feel sentimental for the friendships of my youth. This style of story reminded me of a Stephen King or Richard Chizmar novel. I laughed and cried during this book. Do yourself a favor and read this!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Marshall is a 17-year-old making his way through school with all of the pressures and angst that only that age can conjure. His mother is a single mom doing the best she can. Marshall is harassed continually by the bullies in his school. His primary problem is that he has seen a ghost who threatens his life.

A series of mishaps and life-threatening events are thwarted by the one person who might dislike him the most. He then befriends Noah who hires him for the summer and works to train him as a private investigator. He keeps seeing the ghost who continues to make his life miserable. Add a repeating history of young girls mysteriously going missing and the entire story takes on a terrible and foreboding patina.

I remember reading Edgar Allen Poe during my high school years and marveling at the twists employed in his books. Scott Carson has employed some of that style and the result is a myriad of unexplained deaths. Can Scott save his girlfriend and solve some of these questions? I could not put this book down and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

A dark thriller that plunges the reader into the alarming side of the paranormal. Fantastic.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson
Pub date: March 26, 2024

Marshall Miller is 16, living with his single mom in Bloomington, Indiana. He’s got a good life. His best friend, Kerri, lives right across the street. Life is good. At least until the day he get’s his drivers license and gets pulled over by a weird cop who says strange things. Marshall notices a girl in the back of the cop car, she looks uneasy and she’s crying, but who wouldn’t? It’s only later, after he finds out that she’s missing that he discovers he’s the last one to see her alive.

This is the start of this brilliantly told horror story that is so complex (in the best way, mind you) that I don’t quite know how to review it adequetly without revealing spoilers. The strangeness of Marshall’s life after that day until the very end of the book is that of a teenager doing his best to live his life and all it’s challenges while also facing a terrifying horror.

The characters are some of the best I’ve read, becoming invested in each of them was a walk in the park. I loved Marshall, his sense of right and wrong, the friendships he made along the way, especially with the kind hearted giant, Weller.

There’s humor in abundance and when I tell you I’m still laughing at Marshall’s rock climbing fiasco up the Terminator Tower, trust me, I laugh every time I think about it!

Definitely a highly recommended read!

Eerie, compelling, original

Synopsis: A woman’s disappearance shocks a small town in Indiana, and 16-year old Marshall Miller is thrust into the middle of the investigation.

Thoughts: Part supernatural thriller, part coming of age story, Lost Man’s Lane is a layered and expertly written tale reminiscent of Stephen King. This book is full of interesting and complex characters - I would read a book centered around many of them. Marshall is a compelling main character as he is grappling with growing up amidst complicated circumstances. The setting of Bloomington, Indiana, in the 90s worked very well as real events of the time (Y2K, Columbine) provide a tense backdrop for the story. There are some crazy supernatural elements, but nothing I would consider to really be horror. I will caution you though, if you have a phobia of snakes, this might not be the book for you.

Read this if you like:
🐍 paranormal thrillers
🐍 Stephen King vibes
🐍 coming of age
🐍 snakes
🐍 90’s small town USA

Unfortunately, DNF at 40%.

I loved the beginning of this thriller. Set in 1999, the chapters are full of 90s nostalgia, and I absolutely loved that aspect. The internet was brand new, screen names and away messages were all the rage, and land lines were our means to communicate via phone. I also liked the missing person aspect, and the “dirty cop” bad guy. However, the story never got going for me after the initial incident. Marshall is 16 years old, going so it his business, and that’s all that’s happening. I wanted more urgency and more action to hold my attention, and unfortunately I just found myself wanting to put the book down.

This being said, I think many other readers will enjoy this for the atmospheric writing and character development.

This was a slllllooooooowwww burn...I mean the fire in field at the party in the beginning was the fastest burn there was. Part coming of age, part paranormal mystery, this was OK but not the book I was hoping for.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC which I was given in exchange for an honest review.

Lost Man's Lane was an excellent read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and didn't want to put it down! Marshall is a 16 year old kid who gets pulled over by the cops less than 10 minutes after obtaining his drivers license. After bragging about the cop not filing his ticket to his friends at a keg party, Marshall comes to realize that girl in the back of the cops car has been missing, and the cop was an impersonator.

This is a thrilling, suspenseful and supernatural read, and I am excited to recommend it!

Booksellers this is a great hand sell for fans of Stranger Things and The Unmaking of June Farrow.

This digital review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Huge thanks to netgalley and Atria for my review copy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's layered perfectly, with enough suspense to keep the pages turning. Marshall was an excellent main character between that age of boy and man. It's 1999, and Marshall gets pulled over on his first day of driving. This sets off strange events that have him questioning so much, which leads him to a PI named Noah Storm. Together they try to piece together what's going on with that officer, but Noah himself only leaves Marshall with more questions. Just when I thought I understood what was going on, something threw me off that trail. As the story slowly unfolded, the ending left me with bitter-sweet feelings on this one.