My first John Fram book but definitely not my last. The story was tense and creepy and at the same time tugged on my heart strings. Characters were phenomenal and kept me totally invested in the story. Might have read long into the night. Lordy, Lordy! Packed with secrets, lies and strong family ties. Well done!
Thank you NetGalley, John Fram and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Bright Lands is a book that will stick to your bones, so when I saw No Road Home announced, I couldn't wait to read.

For years, single father Toby Tucker has done his best to keep his sensitive young son, Luca, safe from the bigotry of the world. But when Toby marries Alyssa Wright—the granddaughter of a famed televangelist known for his grandiose Old Testament preaching—he can’t imagine the world of religion, wealth, and hate that he and Luca are about to enter.

A trip to the Wright family’s compound in sun-scorched Texas soon turns hellish when Toby realizes that Alyssa and the rest of her brood have dangerous plans for him and his son. The situation only grows worse when a freak storm cuts off the roads and the family patriarch is found murdered, stabbed in the chest on the roof of their sprawling mansion.

Suspicion immediately turns to Toby, but when his son starts describing a spectral figure in a black suit lurking around the house with unfinished business in mind, Toby realizes this family has more than murderer to conceal—and to fear.

As the Wrights close in on Luca, no one is prepared for the lengths Toby will go in the fight to clear his name and protect his son in this “grand gothic story as enthralling as it is terrifying” (S.A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author).


This is a read-in-one-sitting whirlwind of a book.
I could not put it down.

The locked-door element gave me Clue X Ready or Not vibes, which is a killer combination. The Wright family is a delicious blend of evil on every level, brilliantly written to expose the facets of villainous behavior--larger than life and every day atrocities that force you to question your own comfort and thinking.

Examining identity, generational trauma, stereotypes and societal expectations, and biases, this book is more than a whodunnit. Fram's writing is clever, crisp, and utterly engaging. With a cast of unreliable narrators and expertly plotted motives, you won't be able to put this one down.

Huge thanks to Atria and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Toby Tucker has spent years protecting his seven-year-old son Luca. However, when he marries Alyssa Wright, the granddaughter of a televangelist, he has no idea what he is getting himself into. When they travel to the family compound in Texas, Toby soon realizes that Alyssa’s family has strange plans for him and his son. An extreme rainstorm hits and the family patriarch is found murdered on the roof. Toby is now trapped with Alyssa’s family. Will Toby make it out alive or will the Wrights pin the murder on Toby?

This was my first book by John Fram. I really enjoyed the lgbtq+ representation and the time spent on identity. I also enjoyed the Wright family secrets revealed throughout the book and the sort of whodunit locked room theme. However, there is one thing I would change. It is hard to fully understand what is going on from only Toby’s point of view, which is most of the book. I would have enjoyed hearing from other characters’ points of view more often. For this reason, I give it 3 stars. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a locked room thriller written from mostly one character’s point of view.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for a character list! This book was full of twists and turns and kept you guessing all the way! Looking forward to more books from John Fram!

Thank you to John Fram, Atria Books, and Netgalley for this ARC!

I will be thinking about this stunning, complex, gothic thriller, the brutally corrupt family at its core, and its truly inspirational protagonist for years to come.

Toby Tucker is a broke single father who only wants to protect his sensitive young son Luca from the hateful bigotry of the world. But he just married Alyssa Wright, the granddaughter of a powerful fire and brimstone televangelist who made church the family business. Worried that the family won't accept his son, Toby still follows Alyssa back to the family's massive estate to celebrate her birthday. Their first night in the home, a massive storm cuts off the roads , and the family patriarch is stabbed through the heart. It seems clear that the Wrights are eager to pin the murder on Toby, and at the same time, his son Luca starts to see a spectral man in a black suit lurking around the home. Toby must figure out what the Wright family is after with him and his son before the brood of vipers swallows them both whole.

There are so many parts of this book I want to praise, but so many secrets and reveals I need to keep to myself. What I can say is that No Road Home is a dread-inducing slow burn that builds multiple layers of information into a truly stunning finale. Fram's use of Biblical symbolism creates an entirely intriguing story that examines the ugliness that can hide behind a religious facade. On top of religious commentary, there's a terrifying plot whose suspense grabs you from the first page, and escalates all the way to the deadly ending.

I will never forget sweet Toby and his dogged determination to do anything for his son Luca, and I'll be telling every thriller reader I talk to that they need to get to know Toby and Luca too.

Fans of Haunting of Hill House, Lay Your Body Down, and any Mike Flanagan production will absolutely adore No Road Home.

Okay this has the religious trauma mixed into a thriller I have been WAITING FORRRRRRRR!!

I was invited to read this title, and I hadn't heard of John Fram before the invite, but needless to say he is going to be one author I will keep tabs on for sure.

This book had me in a chokehold. I could not put it down. There are so many twisty turns mixed in with crazy religion as well as young queerness that was absolutely delicious for me. I really enjoyed this one.

This was my first book from John Fram and it was impossible to put down! No Road Home is an atmospheric and gripping read. Toby is such a fierce and loving father, who is determined to do whatever it takes to save his son from the horrors of the house. Luca, his son, was a very observant and beautifully-written character. I loved how strong their relationship was and the amount of trust they had in each other. No Road Home kept me guessing with twists, reveals, and excellent pacing.

Readers who enjoy locked-room thrillers, LGBTQ+ rep, and high stakes will devour No Road Home. Looking forward to what John Fram writes next!

Thank you to John Fram, Atria Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

I don't normally like thrillers, but I was blown away by this book. A little warning: there is a lot of homophobia throughout the book and talk of conversion camps. This book was so well done that I almost don't know how I can talk about it without spoilers.

Toby Tucker and his young son Luca are precious cinnamon rolls, and the Wrights are a gross swamp of bad people. When Toby marries Alyssa Wright, he knows she belongs to the Wright Family. The Wrights are a televangelist family in Texas and when Toby and Luca travel with Alyssa to meet the family, a whole mess of problems rise to the surface. Toby just wants to protect his son...right?

This book was so good. My one grievance with this book is Alyssa's storyline; she felt like she could have been fleshed out more as a character. She was outside of the family in California as a pediatrician and suddenly she's involved in the family business? I know there is an inheritance and other money on the line, but it just didn't feel explained enough to me. Same with Ginger's story and her daughter; the daughter is just such a small thread that could have been fleshed out better.

But man, this story was hard to put down. The whole time I was just as nervous as Toby was. There were parts of this story that are truly sickening to read. The web of violence that just keeps getting repeated, the ending of the book does feel biblical. There is a small supernatural component to the book, which adds a beautiful depth. I love how supportive Toby is of Luca's queerness and how he will do anything to defend and keep Luca safe.

This is a great thriller and the ending is *chef's kiss*. Definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc; all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the copy of No Road Home by John Fram. I loved the premise of this book and Toby was a great main character. He was such a good father, always looking out for his son’s well being and being willing to sacrifice so much for him. I was grateful for the ‘cast list’ at the beginning so I knew who the characters were. It started out slowly, but I got finally invested in the story about halfway through. It was darker than I expected. I didn’t enjoy the subject matter and hated the reason for all of the family discord, so that ruined the book for me. The final twist/reveal was interesting, I just wish the rest of the book had been better.

Not only did i love this cover this book did not disappoint.

Was full of twists, turns and just lots of mystery. Loved the writing and will read more from this author.


Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

A closed door murder mystery written in the vein of 'The Mighty Gemstones', with an LGBTQ slat. Mr. Fram crams a lot into this plotline--supernatural elements, a gothic estate, power hungry televangelists, homophobia, a shocking murder--and it's really fun to go along for the ride.
Toby should have known what he was getting into when he married Alyssa, the daughter of a famous wealthy televangelist, but he's in love, so who knows. He brings Luca, his gay son, into the marriage. They are soon invited to the patriarch's grand estate in Texas to meet the extended family. What could go wrong? There it seems like Alyssa and her father have a different agenda, and Luca has seen a man in a hood roaming the property. When the father is found dead from a gunshot wound, the accusations fly, and the newcomers are the main target. Of course they are now trapped in the house due to an impending storm and have to solve the crime themselves! Once Toby starts finding out some of the family members' secrets, things escalate quickly as they are fighting to hold out until help arrives.

This is a very entertaining take on the classic locked room thriller that manages to address acceptance and inclusion as well. Toby and Luca are very well developed and you are rooting for them to make it out of there alive. You won't see the end coming until it smacks you in the face.

Did he marry for love or for money? I am not big on the whole TV ministry thing. But it did make a good backdrop for the story. Is the family all about sharing the gospel or is it about pulling in money? How can Luca become so important to the family? The book is full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. The ending is spectacular. Good setting, good storyline and good characters made this book one worth reading.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I enjoyed this thriller and ended up reading it in one sitting. The writing was excited, and the plot kept me interested!

WOW WOW WOW!!! This was mind blowing! I love mystery/thrillers where I don't know what the heck is going on even though I'm there for absolutely all of it!! So much was happening in this story but it was masterfully written and so easy to follow along that I was glued to the pages. Who are these people?? So many villains! So much debauchery coming from a such a God fearing and supposedly God loving family. The entire story blew me away. 5 stars!!

This is the story of Toby who is going home with his new wife to her family estate. He has a son (not with the wife) and the wife's grandfather is a very famous televangelist. From the moment they arrive, things are not as they should be. Each member of the family is more suspicious and unusual than the other. His wife is also not who she thought he was.

And then the grandfather is found dead.

There's a storm, no one can leave. This locked-room mystery gets creepier and creepier and requires many many trigger warnings. By the end I was disgusted by pretty much every character. I sort of guessed some of the twists but there were some surprises too, many not so pleasant ones!

While it took a while for me to get into the story and I wasn't always a fan of the writing, I did keep going if for nothing else to find out what happens. That alone makes this book worthy of the 3.5 stars!

with gratitude to netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

No Road Home by John Fram is a book that you do not want to pass you by. Make sure to add it to your TBR list! Toby and his young son Luca are meeting the Wright family for the first time. Toby just married the youngest grandaughter of the famed televangelist Jerome Wright. In order to get her inheritance Alyssa must be married and have a child before she turns 30. Toby is now trying to save Luca from the evils of the Wright family. Toby and Luca can trust no one while the rain keeps coming down and the dam is rising as they are now trapped in this house of horrors. This book is truely a page turner and will keep you up way past your bedtime to finish it. This is for fans of Peter Swanson, Michael Robotham, Ruth Ware, Claire Douglas, and Lisa Jewell.

When I read the blurb for No Road Home, it caught my attention. I have a strange fascination for evangelical preachers. I don’t know why; they have always fascinated me. Anyway, when I saw that the family of such a preacher was going to be featured, I was super interested to see how messed up they were (and the book didn’t disappoint). With the main character being a man who is parenting a queer child, I was also very interested in seeing how that was going to play into this book. I wasn’t disappointed. No Road Home had me glued to it until the wee hours of the morning.

The main storyline in No Road Home is centered on Toby, his son Luca, and the hellish couple of days he spends with his new wife’s family in Texas. This storyline was twisted. Actually, it was not twisted; it was knotted. Much was happening with and around this family, and the author took his sweet time revealing everything. But the same thing can be applied to Toby. A lot was happening internally with him, and his internal issues added extra depth.

The book gets off to a slow start, but it doesn’t stay slow for long. After Jerome is found killed, everything just snowballs. Throughout the storyline, one surprise after another is revealed, and each reveal explains a little more about Toby and the Wright family. By the end of the book, this storyline was blazing fast.

The relationships in No Road Home did make the book. I liked seeing how the author defined each and changed each relationship. The one that stood out the most to me was Luca and Toby’s relationship. That was pure love. Toby was willing to do whatever it took to shield Luca from bigotry in any form. He was also willing to do whatever it took to make sure that he and Luca left the property. The other relationship that stood out was weirdly Jerome and Cora. I can’t get into that relationship without massive spoilers, but it was similar to Toby and Luca’s….except that Cora did everything for the wrong reasons.

No Road Home is huge on secrets. Every character in this book either had a secret or knew one. I was overwhelmed when the author started revealing everything because it seemed all done simultaneously.

There were quite a few mysteries with some huge twists. The author does a good job of keeping them all under wraps. My biggest one was Willow and her connection to Toby and the Wright family. That was one of the biggest twists in the book. The other twists paled in comparison but still took my breath away.

There is a paranormal angle to the book that interested me. At first, I thought what Luca was talking about was a type of imaginary friend. But the more Luca spoke about it, and what Toby found on the roof, the more I figured out not only who but also what Luca befriended (and, weirdly, who was shielding him from the family).

I have so much more to discuss, but doing so would mean revealing spoilers, and I don’t want to do that.

The end of No Road Home was quick. I liked how the author explained everything and left no storyline open. I rarely end a book like this feeling satisfied, but in this case, I did. Everyone in this book, except the victim, got what they deserved. Why except the victim? He should have been kept alive to face the music with everyone else.

Many thanks to Atria Books, NetGalley, and John Fram for allowing me to read and review this ARC of No Road Home. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

3.5 stars -- whoa this book had a LOT going on, so buckle up!

Toby is a young single father who has been barely scraping by. All his problems seem to be solved by marrying Alyssa Wright, a granddaughter to Jerome Wright, famous tv preacher, and into their giant Christian empire.

But when they arrive at Alyssa's family estate to celebrate her thirty birthday, something feels off from the jump. This family, for all their wealth and prestige, clearly has many secrets and bitter jealousies amongst them. It is hard to keep track of all the players at first, so this one will require careful attention as you settle into this locked room mystery.

While there was a lot of information to keep track of, I think John Fram did an excellent job tying it all together. I think the elements of supernatural really worked here too! Definitely a creepy mystery with lots of vengeance vibes.

Book Title: No Road Home
Author: John Fram
Publisher: Atria Book
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 442

Toby Tucker is a widower raising his young son Luca in California. Toby has accepted Luca's sexual identity by providing support as well trying to keep him safe from bigotry.
However when he meets Alyssa, he knows he is ready to remarry- six months later he marries Alyssa Wright—the granddaughter of a famed televangelist,
He and Luca are invited to Allyssa's family compound in Texas and finds he has entered a different word one that is biased and judgmental, a contrast to Toby's liberal perspective in proudly raising his son.
Things get worse when the family patriarch is found stabbed to death. Toby is immediately suspected.
As I started to read this I questioned what attracted me to want to read this story.
I suppose it was when a reviewer I like described it as – ‘Gripping, atmospheric, dark, and captivating’.

It does started out slow and there are a lot of characters (I was thankful for the Hi-Light feature).
Since my favorite genre is psychological thrillers as I love to try to figure out whodunit- I was told this genre attracted people who like solving math problems so I wanted to stick with this and come up with the formula to figure out this equation. It definitely was dark

I did enjoy Fram’s ‘Authors’ Note’ and his inspiration as well as motivation for writing this. He tells us that he moved back to his parent’s home when things got financial bad for him. Said he saw sides of his parents that he never really appreciated. He describes his father as generous soul working past retirement age to providing for his family.
Fram realized that few fictional heroes are like his father: good men who love their family and will do anything for them. Toby walked inholding Luca’s hand and he knew Toby would do anything for Luca.

Story definitely was dark and yes there was a bond between Toby and Luca that we all can relate.

I was on the fence regarding my rating. of this story. I liked it but didn't love -am giving it 3.4 stars as to me 3 means good – just wasn’t 4 stars great.

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 23, 2024.