It’s 1999, and Marshall has just received his driver’s license. His first drive as a licensed driver provides him with a funny tale to tell friends, until he realizes it places him at the center of an unsettling mystery. Marshall must learn about his own past while working with a detective to solve the mystery of a missing girl.

This book was an excellent coming of age story intertwined with a supernatural thriller. I found myself quickly drawn into Marshall as the main narrator. He was so funny and observant, and there were scenes that had me laughing out loud (the first climbing wall scene, if you know you know). This book is so nostalgic for millennials and gen Xers, as it’s set in 1999 and references major events and 90s topics like Columbine, Y2K, 90s music stars, and Napster. I found this book to be creepy, mainly because of the snakes and supernatural elements. Fans of Stephen King will love this book!

Thank you to Scott Carson and Atria books for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The character's voice read a lot older than the age of the character but circumstances called for it.

This book is essentially just about a teenager and how society never listens to teenagers when they know things and all the stuff that goes wrong because no one listens to the teenager.

This novel kept me in suspense and on the edge of my seat throughout. Marshall is a high schooler who gets pulled over in a traffic violation by a police officer who seems odd. Marshall notices a young woman in the back of the cruiser who is reported missing a few days later - the ball is rolling and you are kept guessing as to who this police officer is and how is Marshall connected. In a mystical, supernatural story that takes place in 1999, you are. put in a time capsule of events, cultural references, and a mystery that snowballs to an exciting end.

16 year old Marshall is returning home from getting his driver’s license when he’s pulled over for speeding. The entire encounter feels “off” to Marshall, especially when he notices a young girl sitting in the back of the police car. His instincts were right when days later he sees a missing persons poster featuring the girl he saw in the police car. Lost Man’s Lane is another outstanding supernatural thriller by author Scott Carson, and the focus is on relationships in this coming-of-age story, and doesn’t rely on gimmicky ghosts (although this IS a ghost story) to further the plot. The reader is firmly behind Marshall and his friends as they peel back the layers of a seemingly haunted town, and Marshall holds the key to unlocking the mysteries that lie within. I absolutely ripped through this in one sitting, spellbound by the deftly woven tale that spans generations, totally engrossed by the storyline and characters. Loved it! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unexpectedly blown away!! I enjoyed reading this book--a whole lot more than I thought I would.
Don't miss out on this one-you'll regret it!

For a sixteen-year-old, a summer internship working for a private investigator seems like a dream come true—particularly since the PI is investigating the most shocking crime to hit Bloomington, Indiana, in decades. A local woman has vanished, and the last time anyone saw her, she was in the backseat of a police car driven by a man impersonating an officer.

Marshall Miller’s internship puts him at the center of the action, a position he relishes until a terrifying moment that turns public praise for his sharp observations and uncanny memory into accusations of lying and imperiling the case. His detective mentor withdraws, friends and family worry and whisper, and Marshall alone understands that the darkness visiting his town this summer goes far beyond a single crime. Now his task is to explain it—and himself.

Lost Man’s Lane is a coming of age tale about Marshall Miller and the day he sees a girl in the back of a cop car, only to learn that she’s a missing person shortly after, abducted by a man impersonating a police officer. 1999, Bloomington, Indiana. Marshall starts working with a private detective and finds that natural is in the word supernatural for a reason. There’s darkness in his town for the first time in decades and he’s going to figure out why.

Marshall has my heart? Marshmallow. ♥️

This book is so prescient and nostalgic - AIM, Napster, Y2K, falling in love with your best friend, Columbine, summer heat along with beer and death and blood, being 16 and grappling with yourself and your feelings and all of the world’s tragedies, and how once that recognition starts, it never stops. The repetition of it all… I think I hear some buzzing today at this moment, matter of fact.

The storytelling will remind a lot of readers of SK, but it’s very much its own epic.

The horror — missing persons, cops, snakes, corporeal, rock climbing. It’s intense. Man, I cared as the reader. I really cared. This book feels like a weird gift, @michaelkoryta. It was so fucking heartwarming and I related to so much of it.

Of special note: The friendship between Marshall and the Weller is the stuff of The Town; whose car we taking? and it’s fucking delightful. Marshall and Kerri, snow and fire? Romance.

I really can’t thank @atriabooks enough for kindly sending this to me to read. It was a lovely surprise in my inbox. It really is spellbinding and I know other readers are going to love this when it’s released in March 2024. Can’t wait to have my physical copy!

5/🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

"Lost Man's Lane" by Scott Carson is a captivating supernatural thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning.

The story unfolds in the small town of Bloomington, Indiana, where the mysterious disappearance of a local woman has sent shockwaves through the community. Sixteen-year-old Marshall Miller lands a summer internship working for a private investigator who's tasked with solving this baffling case. For Marshall, it's a dream opportunity, allowing him to dive headfirst into the intricacies of the investigation. His sharp observations and exceptional memory make him a valuable asset to the team. However, his involvement takes a dark turn when he encounters a chilling moment that turns his life upside down, casting doubt on his integrity and putting the entire case at risk.

Scott Carson weaves a tale that effortlessly blends coming-of-age elements with supernatural suspense. Marshall's character is well-crafted, and readers can easily empathize with his journey as he grapples with accusations, whispers of doubt, and a growing awareness of the eerie forces at play in his hometown. The narrative takes unexpected twists and turns, keeping you engaged and eager to unravel the mysteries alongside the characters.

Carson's storytelling is both eerie and gripping, living up to the accolades from acclaimed authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz. The sense of impending darkness, the skillful character development, and the meticulous world-building make "Lost Man's Lane" an enthralling read. The way it explores the complexity of truth, memory, and the supernatural is both thought-provoking and spine-tingling.

If you're a fan of supernatural mysteries and coming-of-age tales with a touch of darkness, "Lost Man's Lane" is a compelling addition to your reading list.

It's been quite a while since a book has affected me in such a powerful way. I absolutely loved everything about LOST MAN'S LANE. Its one of those rare books that resonates so strongly with the reader. At least it sure did with this reader! No spoilers. You need to experience this one for yourself to see how good it really is. I hope you devour it with the same excitement that I did. Scott Carson, this is your best yet. That's saying something considering the quality of your previous books! Thank you for writing this particular gem.

This was a fantastic story full of eerie creepiness, ghosts, secrets, and friendships in unusual places. I wasn't familiar with the work of Michael Koryta or his nom de plume Scott Carson before this, although I had heard of the former. I'm definitely now going to be seeking out books by both authors because the writing here was excellent, with spot-on pacing and wonderfully deep characterizations that had me engaged from the first pages. Carson has a fabulous way with language, teasing out incredible insights with seemingly innocuous and simple phrasing, and it makes for a very entertaining and impactful read. This was a great pre-Halloween book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I love a great Stephen King style read - they aren't as easy to find these days and I was super psyched to pick up Lost Man's Lane based on King's own recommendation.

In Lost Man's Lane we meet the wondrous Marshall Miller - a 17 year old senior trying to get through high school
When he has a chance to work for a private detective, he is all in, and even tempted to discover his missing father's identity. Two soon, he experiences supernatural issues that cause others to distrust him and for him to question himself. What is happening in his small town and can he save his friends and family from it?

Very King-esque with rich characters, small town story and realistic and interesting dialogue driving a story of supernatural so well told that it is believable and scary enough to make you keep the light on! This is my highest compliment! More Books Scott Carson!
#Atriabooks #ScottCArson #LostMansLane

Lost Man's Lane is just about perfect and I was hooked from the opening lines. It reminded me a lot of a Stephen King novel – his more recent novels, that is, not the ones with killer clowns and rabid dogs and aliens (I say this as someone who hasn't read a King novel in years, so please ignore this statement if King has actually broached these subjects again recently – for all I know he has a whole series of books about rabid Saint Bernards at this point). The narrative style kind of reminded me of Joyland, even though the storylines are completely different.

This book is tagged as a horror novel, and there are definitely creepy bits. But the horror takes a backseat somewhat to other life-altering events that occur as Marshall navigates the last days of his boyhood – at its heart, this novel is really a bildungsroman. The horror is interwoven into Marshall's story but isn't the entire story, if that makes any sense. There aren't any parts I can say were truly scary, but there are definitely some creepy scenes – Marshall's first encounter with Corporal Maddox was … uncomfortable, to say the least.

If you're a Xennial, you'll probably experience a whole lot of nostalgia while reading this one. There's talk of Columbine and Y2K and 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan and all sorts of other events that were defining moments for those of us who came of age in the late 90s and early 2000s.

There are some really great characters in this book. Marshall was a perfectly fine main character, but the real MVPs of the story were the side characters – Noah and Jerry and Jake and The Weller were all complex and realistic (well, maybe Noah can't quite be considered realistic, but …) and sympathetic personalities who probably each deserve a book of their own.

If you like humor, there's some of that, too. Sean Weller has some particularly funny lines, but the scene in the rock climbing gym is one of the most hilarious bits of writing I've read in a long time. I might've woken up my husband in the middle of the night while giggling over that one. Even if you don't like horror, this book would be worth reading just for that one scene.

And the setting? Well, I've never been a huge fan of Indiana, but this story makes it sound almost … nice? Well, except for all the rattlesnakes, that is. And the murders. But for a rattlesnake-infested murder-state, it sounds really pleasant.

Final rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up. If you like creepy bildungsromane (who knew this was the plural of bildungsroman?!) with likable, original characters and a plethora of snakes, definitely give this one a read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

wowowowowwowwowowowow I liked this book a lot. I read it slowly n between my halloween TBR and its so good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

This was one that I'm still thinking about days after I finished it. I hadn't read anything by this author before. I enjoyed his writing, with his realistic portrayal of Marshall, a high school student in 1999. Marshall witnesses a disturbing incident when pulled over by a police officer. This leads him through a mystery that brings him to a detective, to rock climbing, to a new friendship, to a confusing love interest, and to the dark times of 1999 (Columbine, Y2K panic, etc.). There were supernatural elements, which is what I'm still thinking about. It was an interesting story with quite a few twists!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Lost Man’s Lane. This book was really good. The year is 1999 and you Marshall Miller is a high school student who lives with his mom in a college town. Things are good. He has friends and now he’s getting his license and he is really happy But an unexpected incident changes Marshall’s life. He knows something is wrong with the cop and the whole situation feel eerie. But Marshall dodges a bullet and only gets a ticket. But as the cop pulls away Marshall notices a young girl in the back seat. She’s crying and Marshall thinks it’s weird but quickly forgets.
When a young girl is reported missing Marshall knows it’s her. The girl in the cop car.
And this starts the saga of Marshall miller a high school student on a mission but soon this interest is much more and people start to get hurt and Marshall is the center of the storm.
Such a great story and the author truly has the pen for supernatural while realistic dialogue moves the plot along.
I loved this book. 5 stars. If you like John Connolly or Stephen King this book is for you.
5 stars

Great story. I liked how the author crafted a likable teenage male character. Well done! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.

This book was excellent.

Everything I love about Michael Koryta’s writing came through in this excellent novel.

Highly recommend