I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher allowing me a copy of this book to read. This was a pleasant surprise and I did enjoy this read. I would rate it a 3/5 stars.

Wow! What a great thriller! Tobias Tucker, his young son Luca, and his new wife Alyssa are going to visit her family in their large compound in Texas, led by her grandfather, a famous Televangelist. It's the first time they will meet her family. This is a Southern Gothic mystery, but it is so much more! Alyssa Wright is strange, and things are definitely not what they seem. The suspense builds slowly from a low simmer, to rolling boil, to a full ecplosion. Someone's killed, and it's a locked room mystery. Toby starts investigating to find the killer to himself as the prime suspect. An edge of your seat thriller, with an ending I didn't expect. I really enjoyed it, and I know you will too.

Toby marries Alyssa, travels with his son Luca to Texas to meet her family and then her televangelist father is murdered in John Fram’s “No Road Home”. There’s a lot going on in this locked room thriller including plenty of characters, interesting family history, astrology, religion, trauma, and the supernatural. The pieces of the puzzle eventually start falling into place. But when the AHA moment happened, I had to put the book down, walk away and have a moment to myself. I’m shook! I mean that I was overwhelmed and surprised AF! Read this if you liked “The Bright Lands” by John Fram, enjoyed Twin Peaks for the weirdness, read LGBT fiction and/or like to think you’re clever, cunning, devious and sly. ARC was provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No Road Home
A Novel
by John Fram
This was a fairly good read for me. I guess being from Texas some things were off. It was not one I could read again, but suggest to other.

This was an okay read . It is your locked room narrative and is engaging and keeps you reading. It has some gothic aspects too .

A locked room mystery with a gothic atmosphere and despicable characters, this was an interesting, disturbing read. This is a story of family secrets, murder, identity, and strong family bonds, good and bad. It took a little getting into for me, starting it on and off, but once this story picked up, I couldn't put it down. Eerie and intense at times, but also slow-burn. The plot was good, the actions of certain characters horrendous. This was a great read, and I give it four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Atria Books for this ARC.

No Road Home was a chilling representation of the horrors behind closed doors, in the life of a wealthy family. The Wrights are wealthy, televangelists whom our MC Toby marries into. Upon meeting her family, almost immediately a shit storm commences. When a dead body turns up, family secrets come to the surface, and a storm cuts them off from civilization, Toby realizes the trouble that not only him, but also his son Luca are in. The story focuses on religious hypocrisy, homophobia, mental health, sexual identity, and then some. There are some heavy and quite disturbing topics, but that’s what really gripped me. It’s a typical whodunit, with a pretty shocking conclusion. The Wright family will make you want to rip them to shreds, but Toby is a redeeming character. A father who only wants to protect his son from the hateful bigotry in this cruel world. Overall, if you’re into “whodunit” stories with LGBTQ+ representation, this one may be for you!

This is a slow-burn narrative. I love the 'locked-room mystery' with paranormal and a bit of occult aspects. Pair this with LGBTQ characters it is compelling. . It's worth giving a try for those interested in a mix of suspense, mystery, and positive representation.

I'm in the minority on this one - it seems like I've been saying that about reviews a lot lately - but I just could not connect to the story at all. I was drawn to the premise and found the opening intriguing, but it rather quickly devolved into a bit of a hot mess of family dysfunction and personality flips and rather horrible name-calling and mistreatment of pretty much everybody. It felt like layer upon layer upon layer of awful that didn't seem to be going anywhere but it increasingly dreadful circles.... This just wasn't for me.

No Road Home by John Fram
Pub date: July 23, 2024

Toby is a single father to Luca and newly married to Alyssa. Alyssa comes from a very wealthy family that has made their money from televangelism. Toby and Alyssa married quickly and all seemed well until a trip to Alyssa’s family’s compound. It starts with a mystical and mysterious warning from a store clerk just outside the compound and things only get worse as a freak storm hits. There’s a murder and general mayhem along with a whole lot of homophobia and bigotry.

While I loved the atmosphere that Fram set, I had a hard time following the actual storyline. There’s a lot going on and a lot of characters to keep up with. Then there’s the complete personality shift in Alyssa and her family (her good to bad and them – some bad to good, or good to bad – depending) Anyways, for me, the plot got weighed down by a lot of unnecessary deviations. I think the paranormal/occultist shift and the deep dark family secrets all exploding into one big story took away from the core message, which I think was important.

My thanks to Atria Books for this gifted DRC.

Review of eBook

Toby Tucker and his son, Luca, and his new wife, Alyssa, travel from Los Angeles to Ramorah, her family’s estate in Hebron, Texas. His meeting with her parents had been less than auspicious; he felt rather anxious about meeting her televangelist grandfather and the rest of the family. Naturally, the reputation of Jerome Jeremiah Wright, billed as America’s Prophet, was a bit daunting, even for someone who considered The Prophecy Hour a carnival act.

But the Wright clan . . . filled with cruelty and spite . . . isn’t particularly welcoming.

And then Jerome is found on the roof . . . murdered.

======

With all the elements of a gothic horror novel, this unfolding narrative reveals the closely-held secrets in this family. With well-drawn [but not at all likable] characters, a huge Southern gothic mansion, a fierce storm, and a delightfully twisted plot filled with unexpected revelations, readers will find this dysfunctional family tale keeps them guessing.

With an undercurrent of tension running throughout the telling of the tale, the various characters reveal their true natures. Suspense builds, heightened by creepy sightings, shivery shadows, and a touch of the occult, all leading to an unexpected denouement. Fans of family drama, suspense, and thrillers will find much to appreciate here.

Recommended.

Unfortunately, the use of an unnecessary expletive throughout the narrative is certain to offend many readers; its overuse lowers the rating for the book.

I received a free copy of this book from Atria Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#NoRoadHome #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Great character development, and the plot kept me invested throughout the whole book! Unsettling in the best possible way.

Toby and his son Luca travel to Texas with his new wife Alyssa, to meet her family. Knowing of the televangelists only what he has seen on TV, The family has set plans for handling their empire. Toby is in no way prepared for what he and Luca are about to experience.
This book is a great representation of families who look great from the outside but don't look so great when you start to peel away layers. The eerie shadows, creepy sounds, and weird characters play great roles in this story. The family secrets and their way of keeping family members in line are such ingenious moves. This book gives you loads to ponder. It kept me guessing. Great take on welcome to the family.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

A wild ride! Definitely an "outside the box" story. This story has a full house of quirky - and rather frightening - characters. Toby is a completely different type of MC, you're never quiet sure if he's vacant eye candy or someone with very high intelligence. He certainly has enough "locked doors" in his mind to keep you wondering what goes on behind those eyes!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.
Toby Tucker and his son Luca are on their way with Toby's new wife, Alyssa, to her family of very wealthy and well-known televangelists. It doesn't take long for him to realize he and Luca have landed amidst a nest of vipers. They are particularly strange around Luca, at once wanting to indoctrinate him by toughing him up, as well as at the same time being snide about his gender.
Toby is very protective of sensitive and sweet Luca, who's desperate to keep close to him. The family is determined to separate the two, no matter the cost.
A very readable and frightening read that I enjoyed a lot. The ending was highly satisfying. Good stuff!

A creepy house, a disturbing family and a murder! Go John Fram! I almost gave up on this book in the beginning and I am glad I didn’t. The story picked up and then I could not put it down.
It does have some parts that are very shocking. I like disturbing and shocking, but it might be too much for some readers. #NetGalley

After reading this book, I can't help but sit back and say Wow! This was one heck of an involved tale that encompassed so many crimes and perversities happening on the estate of a televangelist. Toby becomes swept up in a whirlwind romance with Alyssa, not knowing that this will propel him into a storm of madness. Toby, Alyssa and Luca travel to the family estate, and are then faced with a house full of people with hidden agendas and secrets. Upon the patriarch's murder, it becomes evident that almost everyone has a motive. Since Toby is determined to find out what happened, he doggedly uncovers the secrets of his new family, putting himself and Luca in danger. They are cut off from the town by a raging storm outside, the danger of which is rivaled by the charged game of cat-and-mouse happening inside. Each secret uncovered has an explosive effect, and this book is the equivalent of fireworks! You will not see the end coming! This book grabs you at the start and tightens its hold with each new element introduced - you will not want to put it down and it will linger in your thoughts long after the last page! Oh, Mr. Fram, you have set a high bar for your subsequent books! What an incredible read!!

This started out as very mysterious and had potential but sadly it devolved into a warped and twisted story.

My favorite book of 2024!! This is a horrifying, fast paced, lock d0or, religious thriller/horror! Highly recommend checking out trigger warnings before jumping in - especially related to child abuse and religious trauma.