This one started off throwing the reader into the action. I enjoyed how the two cases were connected, even though it wasn't entirely clear why they were connected. I enjoyed Amanda's POVs as it gave the reader so much more insight on what was going on during her final months. I did think there were some difficult situations within the story, but they felt like they were dealt with well.

A cold case heats up in this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller. Just in time for summer, this book meets all the criteria for a vacation read. A disgraced reporter finds herself at the center of a similar case but this time she's investigating an attack and the mother wants answers. Wealth, power, a penchant for young women, corruption at the highest levels mean answers may never come. Excellent beach read, so good you may never go in the water.

Massive thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and Kara Thomas for my advanced review copy. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite click with me, and I had to throw in the towel at 29%. It's not really my cup of tea, and I couldn't find the motivation to power through, especially considering I was already 29% in.

Natalee (Lee) was a reporter who is now working as private investigator, she was fired in 2019 from her journalism job while reporting and trying to help solve a case of a missing girl named Jenna. Jennas body was found a year later on Dune Road.
It’s now been five years and another girl named Amanda is pregnant and in a coma, The police say she attempted suicide, but the details don’t add up. Where is the father? Who was paying for Amanda’s Manhattan penthouse? when Amanda’s mother contacts Lee and informs her that Lee’s information was found written on a piece of paper in Amandas backpack. Lee is confused she doesn’t know her- but Amanda’s mother wants to hires her to find out answers on what really happened to Amanda and who the father of Amanda’s baby is.
Lee begins to investigate Amanda’s life, she begins to find connections to the years-old case that landed her in hot water and led her to being fired the infamous case of Dune Road. But finding a killer and unearthing Amanda’s secrets sends her down a darker path than she has ever walked before and someone is determined to keep the past in the past.
Please Check trigger warnings before reading. Some TWs include statutory rape, violence, abortion, and sexual assault.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read my fair share of Kara Thomas YA books, but this was my first time giving one of her few adult novels a go. Lost to Dune Road is a noir-ish mystery about a journalist turned PI who is forced to revisit an unsolved murder she was reporting about by being hired to help figure out the father of an unborn child by a girl who supposedly tried to kill herself and now lays in a coma.

Overall this ended up being a pretty good read. It felt a little long in spots and probably could've done with some tighter story telling. However, I still found it enjoyable and would recommend it for those that love a good cold case mystery.

Lost to Dune Road definitely covers some tough and controversial topics.
Lee's investigation into a girl's disappearance and murder several years ago resulted in her becoming a disgraced reporter and ousted from the career she loved. Now, years later, a young pregnant woman is in a coma and her mother found Natalee's name in her bag. She is asked by the mother to help her understand what happened to her daughter - did she really try to commit suicide? If so, why? As Lee starts to dig, she comes across similarities and connections to the young woman that was lost to Dune Road and killed years before.

I liked the premise of the story, even though it was all a bit dark with a lot of shady characters. At times the overlap of Jenna and Amanda became confusing, as did the number of characters in the book. I wasn't sure why the romance was thrown into the story, but maybe there was originally a different element the author had in mind.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. Kara Thomas has an easy-to-read writing style and a good, but complicated, main character.

I’ve been a fan of Kara Thomas for years, and this adult thriller was a treat! Lovely prose, captivating characters, and twisty and delicious suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley & Thomas Mercer for access to this E-ARC! I actually really enjoyed this one! The characters were very well-written and the setting was cool. Definitely will read more from this author.

Lost to Dune Road was a suspenseful, full-of-surprises thriller! Kara Thomas is a new author to me and I didn’t want to put down her twisty, turning book. Lots of action and intrigue packed into this tight story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Lost to Dune Road was a hard to put down mystery that features a really intriguing main character, who I kind of hope gets to feature in another book.

Lee is brash, stubborn, and dedicated to solving these mysteries but there's a great deal of humanity in her that I really responded to. Instead of being bogged down in how the mysteries effected her life, she's always thinking primarily of the victims involved, even if Jenna could have used as much attention as Amanda eventually got. It's slightly ironic that Jenna, who was overlooked by the media in the novel, is also overlooked in the narrative. I also wish that the romance was featured more heavily in the story given that it is so integral to Lee and how the story wraps up.

That being said, the book still features so many twists and turns that it's hard to get bored and even harder to predict how it was all going to wrap up.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Kara Thomas is 1 of my favorite YA mystery writers, and I believe this is her 2nd adult mystery. I loved her last one, and this book is more of a crime fiction book.

Natalee Ellerin is a journalist turned private investigator. She got fired and canceled 5 years ago, when she accused the wrong rich dude of killing a young woman named Jenna. Now, she's working for a local Long Island lawyer for workman's comp type claims. Natalee goes by Lee because of a creepy murderer who called and taunted her after her fall from grace. Natalee receives a call from a woman named Carol, who is Amanda Hartley's mother. Amanda is in a coma and is 6 months pregnant after a possible suicide attempt. Carol wants Lee to find the father of her daughter's baby and had her name written down in her daughter's handwriting.

Lee gets further in her investigating by connecting Amanda to Jenna and interviewing key people in Jenna's life, as well as a former cop turned FBI agent Chase Sullivan and retired cop Nelson Malave, and the looming presence of chief of police Mike Molineaux. For Long Island, racism and corruption go hand in hand.

There are parts in which I could hardly put the book down as we got Amanda's point of view in flashbacks. I very much felt this could have been an SVU or OC episode or story ARC. While Lee's a gifted writer, she shoes herself an accomplished investigator. If you are a fan of female PI's, you will like this book.

TW for mentions of rape in the past, grooming, drugs. The book is available 4/16/24. 4 25/5☆

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. It had a strong start but it started to feel very repititive in the middle. I didn't really feel the tension

There was a lot of information thrown at you in this book. Kara Thomas is an auto-buy author for me, so I was really psyched for this. I did like it, with the difficult subject matter and everything, but it was a bit overwhelming at times. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Lee is a private investigator asked to look into what happened to a pregnant woman in a coma by the woman's mother. Everyone believes Amanda tried to take her own life but her mother believes otherwise. Besides, Amanda had Lee's name written down.

Lee used to be a reporter until she investigated a woman's disappearance and subsequent murder. She made a mistake that led to her downfall. She soon discovers there's a connection with the case she reported on and what happened to Amanda.

It's a very interesting story, Lee is determined to gather enough evidence to take the person(s) responsible down. The only problem is they're all rich connected men and it's all much bigger than she even imagined.

I liked the story but had trouble getting into it at some points. There were lots of characters, lots of facts thrown at you from the past and present crimes. I found myself reading whole paragraphs that refused to stick in my mind. This book actually read like a true crime novel or an investigative report. The tone was pretty much emotionless a lot of the time.

I love everything that Kara Thomas writes. It pains me to give her book three stars. Which isn't bad at all! I did like this book, I just didn't love it.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This was a really quick and tense read! I trusted no one and the snappy flow of the book made it even better! Don't hesitate to pick this book up.

This book is absolutely a five star read. The author did such a great job with her characterization and the story set up. So much so that I can’t even begin to describe the fury I felt in me while reading it. I think part of it is because the idea of people in power using their position to get away with anything, including murder, really happens everyday. I was infuriated for Lee, for Jenna, for Amanda. That men who had nothing more going for them, other than that they were ultra rich, could use people as playthings and ruin their lives when they were done with them. How quickly people were willing to fall into their pockets instead of speaking out against the wrong being committed. It happens all the time, and yet it still surprises me. Now, granted, this story is fictional, but the author did an incredible job of making you feel like it was real. The ending was more than satisfying. It was definitely a case of, “Here’s your cake, now choke on it.” I kind of hope this ends up being a series because I would love to read more with these characters!

Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

A Compelling Mystery Muddled by Many Characters and Plot Threads

3.5 stars

Lost to Dune Road is a gripping thriller centered on a former journalist, now a Private Investigator, who tackles a case linked to the scandal that ruined her career. This novel highlights the rich and powerful in the form of a Jeffrey Epstein-like character.

Told primarily through the POV of Lee, a former Vanity Fair reporter, she is a driven character with a strong voice. Unfortunately, she is closed off, making it difficult to connect with her. The other POV shared is that of Amanda, a 20-year-old art student who falls prey to a wealthy and powerful man.

There are two mysteries, but as the plot progresses, other mysteries emerge. All were compelling, and there were some surprising twists that I didn’t see coming.

Unfortunately, there are some problematic elements. The plot is overly complicated. In addtition, there are too many characters to keep track of, a romance that fell flat and didn’t match the plot, and too many moving parts, which resulted in some parts being glossed over and creating plot holes. Another gripe is that information just seems to fall into Lee’s hands without much effort. This isn’t a bad read by any means; the plot and the characters just need to be simplified.

Thomas always brings strong characterization to the table, which is evident in this novel. Although I didn't love Lee, I understood her character. The case was fascinating yet sickening. The reveal of the killer caught me off guard, and there was one final surprising twist at the end. Overall, this is a worthy but flawed read.

TW: Sexual Assault

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer in exchange for a honest review.

The plot and main mystery of the Lost to Dune Road was compelling and interesting. However the biggest downfall was the number of characters. At times I would need a refresher as to what role everyone played. Overall, the book was enjoyable.

Let me just say that I LOVE Kara Thomas's books. I am always hooked on her stories and I can never get enough after each read. I was so excited to receive an ARC for this book!

Lee is a reporter who has lost her career due to one mistake she made. She is blackballed from her journalism career, and now is trying to piece together a new life. Lee is now a private investigator and can't shake the case of the missing girl who ended her career. Now five years later, another girl, Amanda, is pregnant and in a coma. What happened to her, and why was Lee's information found on Amanda? Did she really try to end her life or was their something more nefarious going on. Lee is thrown back into investigating what really happened to Amanda. Was this all connected to the missing girl from Lee's past?

What I enjoyed:
- this was a very dark thriller and story. There were some crazy and toxic plots going on. There were things that made me uncomfortable but I was compelled to continue reading.
- This was full of twists, red herrings and kept me on my toes the whole time. I know their were times I held my breath and I was completely shocked.
- The pacing was well done! I felt like I was kept interested the whole time and had no issues devouring the book
- the slight romance! Now necessary, but I did enjoy it

Overall, this wasa really interesting and dark read. The themes were super dark but the author is truly amazjnf at crafting an intriguing plot line. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone looking for a wild ride of a thriller. 4 stars out of 5. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lost on Dune Road was a page turner for sure. I really enjoyed this story was more of a mystery to me than a thriller and did have some real life comparisons to the Long Island Serial Killer. I was surprised by the twist at the end which brought my rating up from 3.5 to 4 stars. Would absolutely recommend this one and will read more from Kara Thomas. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for an honest review.