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.

No Road Home checks all the boxes for a high-stakes suspense thriller. An eery gothic mansion, a family full of secrets and sin, an impending storm of biblical proportions, and a small dose of the supernatural.

This story has a lot to unpack - homophobia, transphobia, racism, incest, rape, murder, religious horror and so much more. I think the plot is extremely clever, but the execution was confusing at times. There were so many twists that I think some could have been removed to help streamline the overall plot and mystery more. I did enjoy Tobias’s insistence on playing detective and reading as he pieced more and more pieces of the puzzle together.

The atmosphere was my favorite thing about the book. Not only were delving deep into the family’s secrets, but also diving deeper and deeper into the family’s home. I liked how the setting reflected everything the family was trying to bury, right down to the cabin in the woods. If you’re looking for a book heavy on LGBTQIA+ representation with themes of atonement and revenge, this thriller is for you!

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

Toby Tucker has tried to be a good single Dad to his sensitive son, Luca. When Toby marries Alyssa, the daughter of a famed televangelist, he agrees to take Luca and visit the compound where her family lives. But when her famous Dad turns up dead and murdered, things take a dark turn, and Toby must do whatever it takes to save his son.

The good...I like Fram's writing and the pacing of his stories. However, the subject matter just isn't for me. It's about bad televangelists, and I get that, but there are plenty of stereotypes that I don't like, and there are so many horrible characters. I'm clearly not the intended audience.

NO ROAD HOME
John Fram

Entertaining and full of commentary, John Fram’s summer horror release was as much fun to read as it is to write about. It’s twisty and twisted and it’s the book I’m talking about today.

Toby loves Alyssa. Alyssa loves Toby. And his son, Lucas. Recently married Alyssa is bringing Toby home to meet her notorious religious family.

Toby thinks he is prepared and would do anything for Alyssa so as they approach the sprawling estate, he tries to put all his misgivings aside. Whatever happens, she’s worth it.

Once they arrive it becomes abundantly clear that Alyssa has downplayed how wealthy her family is, how creepy they are, and how “religion” is referring to The Old Testament.

Her family runs a huge church that televises their sermons and events. Each family member is expected to work for the church and participate in the televised sermons.

It takes a while for this to dawn on Toby that this now includes him and Lucas. Before he can wrap his mind around this fact the patriarch of the family ends up dead. Toby’s focus becomes how to keep him and Lucas safe and get them out of the creepy house.

What he doesn't know is that it'll take everything he has within him to make that happen.

Toby is a frustrating character. He often walks hand in hand with the things that ail him and walks arm-in-arm into death with the monsters that are killing him.

Addiction horror is scary to those who have danced with the devil and lived. Black horror is both terrifying and affirming. And touching on those themes successfully all while having a religious horror backdrop was an effective combination.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure!

NO ROAD HOME…⭐⭐⭐⭐

A gripping and atmospheric novel with elements of gothic suspense, family drama ,religion, and psychological tension. A cleverly crafted plot.
Many thanks to Atria, and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

After four years, John Fram is back ladies and gentlemen and he’s better than ever! Fram’s upcoming summer 2024 release, NO ROAD HOME, is the perfect combination of GOOD RICH PEOPLE (Eliza Jane Brazier) meets television series The Righteous Gemstones. The book is centered around Toby Tucker and his young son Luca. Toby and Luca have such an incredible bond and Toby is a dedicated and loving father, but his parenting comes into question after he marries Alyssa Wright. Alyssa is the granddaughter of Jerome Wright, the famous televangelist who uses religion as a basis of hate on his popular television program. The Wrights are extremely wealthy and live in a small town in Texas where they basically run the county. When Alyssa invites Toby and her new step-son Luca to her family home, Toby enters the lion’s den. Alyssa claims that her family is “too rich to be bigoted” but when Toby and Luca arrive, they realize that something isn’t adding up with the Wright family. The situation grows worse when a storm cuts off the transportation in/out of their home and they lose WiFi and Internet service and the family wakes up with a murder. When all suspicions lead to Toby, he must figure out who’s really guilty while also protecting his son at all costs.⁣
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This book is very different than Fram’s last book, THE BRIGHT LANDS, but the metaphorical messaging still gives you Fram vibes. Even with over 400 pages, I read this book in two sittings because I couldn’t put it down. The action starts very early into the story and the twist is SO F**KING GOOD! I’m telling you now, you will never expect how this book develops. There’s three characters who I absolutely loved (no spoilers), a lot of characters who I loved to hate, and a lot of twists and turns that I did not expect. I absolutely loved this book and it’ll be in my top reads of 2024. John, please don’t have us waiting four years ever again bb!

(I will be sharing this in a piece for CrimeReads.) John Fram’s sophomore book is a thrilling rollercoaster, a Texas gothic featuring a sprawling isolated estate, a rich televangelist and his sinister brood, an apocalyptic rainstorm, and serpentine hallways leading to strange rooms. Of course, there’s also a little murder. My advice to you while reading this is don’t trust anyone.

Toby will do anything for his son, Luca. When he marries into the Wright family, they head to the family home for a meet and greet of their new family. Luca is trying to find the true version of himself and that doesn't quite fit in with the Wright's family faith. When a storm hinders anyone from leaving and someone is found murdered it becomes clear all is not okay in this family. Everyone seems to harbor secrets that could ruin someone else's life. Who has the biggest motive to keep the others quiet. Toby and Luca will serve a large purpose for the family. The lengths Toby will go to in order to protect Luca will be tested. Who knows who will make it out of the storm alive.

This is a slow burn with a locked room setting. Toby is a well done character who's willing to stop at nothing to protect his son. The entire Wright family might be completely bonkers. There's a small super natural element but I don't think it really added or took away from the story. I think for some readers this will be a knockout book, unfortunately for me I wasn't into it until the last 50 pages of so. That's what made the story for me. Toby is what kept me reading until that point. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Lust, greed, homophobia, religion, revenge, incest, family drama, and more mix with a revengeful ghost and the murder of a millionaire televangelist on a dark, stormy night. All members of the prophet’s family have reasons for wanting him dead, but who killed him? Tobias (who had just married the slain man’s granddaughter) had arrived that day at the family’s palatial home with his seven-year-old son Luca. Being new to the family makes Tobias suspect number one, so he decides to play detective to figure out what happened.

As he begins to uncover the secrets of their millions, Tobias soon finds that the family has a tangled web of lies and secrets that go back decades. In addition he discovers they have big plans for Luca which don’t include him. The love he has for his dead sister’s son is strong, and he will die before he lets anyone hurt his boy. What he doesn’t know is that the Wrights will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This eerily told story of the lengths a family will go to hang on to money and to hide their many sins, has much truth. Though the reader may have to suspend disbelief at some points, it makes for interesting reading to figure out whodunit. I was completely wrong.

Recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

I read the author's previous book so I was interested in reading this one. Unfortunately I found this one quite dry. The writing and the characters were fine.. The plot was slow moving and I just was not invested enough to complete this book.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This is the first book I have read by John Fram. It is a locked room mystery with a gothic lilt. Great addition to mystery genre with lovely queer rep.

This locked room thriller was like nothing I have read before in the best way! John Fram is a new author to me, but I look forward to reading future books.

In 2020 when I read John Fram's debut novel THE BRIGHT LANDS, I was Over-the-Moon excited and astounded. In fact, I was more akin to orbiting Pluto! So learning that THIS AUTHOR has a New Novel Upcoming! sent me right back into orbit. NO ROAD HOME is absolutely INCREDIBLE! That's not a "sweetness and light" happy Incredible, though: NO ROAD HOME rocked my foundations. (Just when I thought I'd read it all...) In 2024 I've been reading a number of perturbing (disturbing) novels, including some seriously dysfunctional family groups. In terms of evil families bound up with evil homes, I'm just going to mention two other exceptionally perturbing novels, so you can get a flavor of what you'll be falling into as soon as you open NO ROAD HOME:
2023's THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando, and 2024's THE INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS by John Connolly. Welcome to--not just the Dark Side--but a realm of unconscionable, genetic and nurtured, Dysfunction. You might never be the same.