What an interesting mash-up of genres! Lost Man’s Lane truly embodies a coming-of-age story with some suspense/mystery, a bit of the supernatural, and a whole lot of snakes! 🐍 There’s even some historical fiction mixed in.

The day 16 year old Marshall Miller gets his driver’s license is one he won’t soon forget but not necessarily for the milestone itself. Pulled over within hours of getting his new license, our MMC unknowingly finds himself wrapped up in the disappearance of a local missing girl - as one of the last people to see her before she disappeared! 😱

The unique premise of this story will have you hooked from the start, and the perfectly developed characters coupled with the twisty mystery will keep you continuously guessing who you can trust. The horror and paranormal elements were new for me. Those are not genres I typically read, but the author did a great job of weaving the story together with all of these diverse elements.

As a millennial, the nostalgia of the late 90’s was REAL! It grabbed me by the heartstrings and brought me back to what I remember as a simpler time. ❤️🥲

The only critique I have for the book is it was a bit drawn out. There were times were the over descriptive details took away from the story.

Worthy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read! Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I’m not going to lie, “Lost Man’s Lane” by Scott Carson was not the book I thought I going to read when I started. It was billed as Mystery/Thriller on NetGalley, however it was a mash up of mystery, thriller, horror, paranormal and some historical fiction mixed it. Marshall Miller has secured himself a summer internship with a local private investigator who is investigating the disappearance of a local woman.

Set in an around Y2K, this was a flashback into a time when, while the world was mostly positive nothing was going to happen, there was a hint of panic that the world would come to a halt at midnight. Carson uses this heightened panic and other historical events to create a tense atmosphere in which to place this murder mystery with a paranormal twist coming of age story. Throughout the book, the main character is telling us a story of his past that leads of down rabbit holes with plenty of twists and turns where you have no idea who to trust and who is on your side. I found this book well written and it kept me on the edge of my seat (and probably up tonight 😂), but given the horror and paranormal, this is a book I would not normally pick up. It is characterized better on GoodReads now.

I have only ever read one other book by this author, but both have been so freaking enjoyable!

This book has some intricate writing. The story is so compelling. I found myself thinking about the case and the characters whenever I wasn’t actively reading this in the two days it took me to read.

There are some fantastic mysterious elements, an action packed plot line and some really perfect supernatural levels inside of this book. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a thriller with creepy, unexplainable supernatural aspects.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the copy of Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson. The endless descriptions made this a tough read, but I started skipping them and the book got easier. I was really engrossed once the story got going, but the writing style still tripped me up. I loved how little things in the story I had forgotten about cleverly came together in the end. I loved the idea of the story so it’s too bad the writing style didn’t work for me and it took so long to coalesce.

This was my first book by Scott Carson and I am beyond impressed. This was an easy five stars with how engaging and original the plot was! It actually reminded me a bit of Stephen King’s The Outsider. The supernatural vibes were there while you grow extremely attached to the main characters and eat up the nostalgia. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!!

Michael Koryta's new Scott Carson book is wonderful. Completely engrossing with a great mystery and real emotional resonance. I loved it all the way through. Highly recommend.

The book is written as someone looking back on when he was in high school in 1999, which is perfect for me because I graduated high school that year. The voice is immediately accessible, engaging, and relatable (especially for me). The story immediately draws you in—a teenager in 1999 getting his driver's license and getting pulled over the same day by a cop who might be mentally unhinged and might also have a kidnapped woman in the back of his cruiser.

The time period also works surprisingly well as a parallel to our current tumultuous times. Columbine was that year, which was the first major school shooting that kicked off the age of "active shooter drills" in which we now live. And when those scenes popped up in the book, I was immediately taken back to watching the footage on TV. Additionally, one character "spen[ds] a lot of time marinating in the menaces outside his door," convinced the Y2K danger (if you lived through it you know people were genuinely scared that on 1/1/00 all the computerized systems would fail) would cripple society into a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Carson embraces this approach to get the reader thinking about our current lives. After the Columbine shooting, a character remarks that something like this will never happen again . . .

The book's gothic mystery is wonderful, complete with secrets, snakes, and ghosts. The main character starts working for a PI but this very quickly leads to much bigger problems. And soon you're not sure what is real and what isn't.

Carson knows how to keep those pages turning.

Primarily, the book is a coming-of-age story in which narrator learns much. "Some nights," for example, "you're going to need to be the one who carries the shovel." There's friendship and romance and jealousy and violence. The tone is perfect, the right blend of looking-back objectivity and in-the-moment honesty.

Carson (aka Michael Koryta) deserves praise as well for how damn skilled he is at tying up the numerous story threads. It makes for an incredibly satisfying read full of excellent writing, great thrills, and real emotional power.

A must read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on March 26, 2024.

I was pleasantly surprised with Lost Man's Lane. In fact, it may very well be one of the best books I will read all year and I am eager to recommend it to mystery readers. The story has regular connections to real world events, such as Columbine, the construction of Mandalay Bay in Vegas, the big F-5 tornado in Oklahoma, 9/11, and more. The story connects the characters - albeit distantly - to these events and captures feelings and emotions that many real people (expecially millenials and gen X) can identify with today. The book's historical anecdotes leave you with an eerie feeling of deja vu, and draws you deep within the story. This is amplified by the undertone of paranormal that lurks in character experiences and accounts of events. One of the things I love most about this book is that everything feels wrong somehow.

As the reader you will spend this entire book trying to reconcile what you know with how you feel about what you know. Like you know a character is being truthful when they give an account of something they experienced, but you also know that the truth is wrong somehow. How can both things be true simultaneously? How can the truth be the truth but also be a lie? Feeling lost? Good. You are exactly where you should be.

While this story may be long it takes you on a wild journey. The story blends both elements of a mystery and a coming of age story for the 16/17 year old main character after he barely passes his drivers exam. From there his day goes to hell as he gets pulled over within hours and unknowingly finds himself wrapped up in the disappearance of a missing local teen. After realizing he was the last person to see the girl alive, he becomes determined to find out what happened to her. While other characters and storylines grace the pages, it really boils down to a MC going from boy to man and finding himself it he world-just so happens his last few years of high school will also coincide with a wild supernatural twist. I really enjoyed the side characters and how everyone is sort of in their own teenage hell. Though the hero certainly has them beat with his rabbit hole of a discovery. The authors personal connection with the town portrayed in the book really adds a deeper dimension. This is particularly true as there are a few key places of importance that the characters return to plus a slew of history on the town. Really inciteful and engaging read!

Before I begin my review, you should know this book contains a lot of snakes. Yes, snakes. If that’s a big NO for you, then I’d turn around now, otherwise “honk and proceed with caution.”

Lost Man’s Lane is a brilliantly written novel that contains a bit of everything - a coming-of-age story, some horror, a thriller/mystery, and a little bit of the supernatural. Dare I call it a mashup of J.D. Salinger and Stephen King?

I was hooked on the story from the very first page - I really enjoyed reading Marshall’s perspective and the side characters (Jerry, Kerri, James, The Weller, and Noah) were all larger than life. The snakes plot-line threw me a bit, but not enough to stop reading. I had to see how everything was going to come together and could not put the book down!

If you love character-drive novels with horror/mystery/supernatural elements, I highly recommend reading! Plus, the late-90s nostalgia really took me back. A very insightful and engaging read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Bestler Books, and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:
👻 Horror
🕵🏻‍♀️ Private Investigators
🥛 Missing Persons
🐍 Snakes
🔀 Twists ans Turns

This book is one that many would say if you like Stephen King read this book, I myself have not read anything from SK yet, but if this is a comparison, I am sure to do so soon!

This book really delivered on the creepy horror vibes and I was here for it! This definitely won’t be my last from this author!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my thoughts!

Marshall is working as an intern with a local PI during the summer, and this puts him in the center of action. However, it stirs up some unsettling memories as well. As his mentor withdraws, is friends and family begin to whisper, and Marshall is left alone to understand the darkness that is hovering over his town. Will he be able to find understanding in it all?

I think that I am in the minority here, but this book just wasn’t really for me. I do think that had I listened to it, rather than read it on kindle, my enjoyment factor would have been higher. I have found that coming of age books are some of my favorite audios, but least favorite print, and I when I selected this one I didn’t realize it was going to lean in the territory of coming of age so much.

This was quite the genre mash-up and I’d say predominantly a coming-of-age story, told from the perspective of a teenage boy. I think that the author did do a good job of getting into the mind of a teenage boy, and I appreciated that. However, I found the book to be overly descriptive overall in a way that just wasn’t for me. I also really didn’t like most of the characters, there was just something about them that didn’t work for me. I did appreciate the single mom rep, and the flash backs to the 90’s so there was a lot of nostalgia for me within the pages.

Overall, this was an intriguing read, I just wish that I would have enjoyed it more and I think it would be fabulous on audio.

Thank you so much to Atria books, Emily Bestler Books, and Netgalley for this e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Marshall Miller is seventeen and just trying to finish high school. When he gets an opportunity to work for a private detective, he jumps at the chance. The detective happens to be working on the biggest crime their small town has seen in decades - the disappearance of a local woman. At first, Marshall is very invested in the action but as he begins remembering details, the people begin to question his motives and begin to suspect him.

This story had a bit of a Stephen King feel to it - the small town, the eerie feeling that something wasn’t as it seemed. If you like character-driven stories and a supernatural element to your mysteries, check this one out :)

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC! “Lost Man’s Lane” releases March 26, 2024.

This wasn’t my favorite book it was too woo woo for me. For the right person it is probably a hit but I had a lot of problems. The 3* rating is generous, would probably rate it a 2. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Marshall expected to have a summer of freedom after getting his license, but he didn't expect the turmoil when he went to work for a private investigator. He finds himself smack in the middle of the missing person's case the P.I. is working on. Living in a small town, neighbors, friends, and family end up caught up in the tragedy. Some of the fantastical elements of the case at first seem implausible, but as the story goes on, they become a fascinating part of the plot.

Michael Koryta's Scott Carson alter ego is a true heir to Stephen King's crown. A grounded story with supernatural twists, Lost Man's Lane's protagonist is a teenage boy in 1999 with whom all readers can identify. When he takes a internship for a private investigator, Koryta's own expertise in this field becomes obvious. Even when the story takes wild leaps, the truth of Koryta's characters makes everything believable.

✨This is coming of age tale that is equal parts tender and nostalgic, intense and unnerving. Throw in some laugh out loud humor, and you have a winner.

✨The storytelling is very King-esque in that it masterfully blends small-town creepy folklore with the wistful longing of nostalgia. First loves, unlikely friendships, teenage antics and terrifying goings on make this a convincingly spooky trip down memory lane.

✨It’s also a fascinating historical snapshot of 1999 pop culture with mentions of Y2K, Columbine, Napster, AIM, The Matrix, No Scrubs, The Sixth Sense and more.

✨The author effortlessly weaves elements of thriller, horror, mystery and romance for a real genre-bender of a novel.

✨This is a long read, but I enjoyed all of it.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Stephen King books
✨Dean Koontz books
✨Coming of age stories
✨Supernatural thrillers
✨90s nostalgia
✨Genre benders

Definitely recommend.

Wow. I wish I was as good at writing as Scott Carson is so my review could do this exceptional novel justice. Lost Man's Lane was absolutely phenomenal. I laughed, I cried, and I laughed through my tears. That whole rock-climbing scene was comedy gold! The characters were so real I feel like I know them. I loved Marshall, his mom, The Weller, Jake, Jerry and Kerri. They were all so well-developed and distinct. This novel has a little bit of everything. It's a beautiful coming-of-age story with mystery, romance and supernatural horror. I think there's something for just about everyone. The length of this book worried me at first, but it wasn't a problem at all. Sometimes when I read a longer novel I feel like it could have been shorter, but this one is perfect how it is. Honestly, I'm blown-away and I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could. I enjoyed Scott Carson's previous books, but this one is on another level. I can not wait to see what he comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I will post this on Goodreads and Amazon on or near publication date as per the publisher's request.

Lost Man’s Lane was very well written. It has fantastic character development and I couldn’t put it down. It has sad, poignant moments, creepy horror moments, and laugh out loud moments. I loved the characters and I loved all the late 90s culture references. He really developed the setting so well. The paranormal plot that developed wasn’t my favorite part of the book, but I tend to be skeptical. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to friends.

This writing style wasn't for me. The excessive descriptions and the way the characters were depicted did not work for me.