Overall was not impressed with this. I’m a lifelong southerner and I had to check where the author was from, was very surprised he’s from Texas due to the way he describes the south. Bigotry can be found all over America not just the south.

You marry into the literary equivalent of Billy Graham and are shocked that this ultra bible thumping conservative family are upset by your gender fluid child? Please give me a break. All of the characters are stereotypes including Toby the free-thinking Californian.

I read the first 15% or so and skimmed the rest to get to the end. Not sure I’ll read another book by this author.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC I received via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Dark and twisted, this neo gothic family drama is full of strange happenings and stranger characters. While the personal challenges are riveting, the supernatural elements are distracting and make the pace slow and the feel odd. I think you’ll still like the disturbing scenes, the crazy twists and the shocking ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

HONEST REVIEW TIME 🫣

I have been so excited for this one. I’ve been seeing rave reviews about it, so when I received a finished copy I nearly jumped for joy. The first half of this book was SO GOOD, I loved the murder mystery aspect and the paranormal part was super unexpected but I liked it. I also loved how the book layout was.

The second half of the book fell flat. There was just TOO MUCH going on, and I had to keep flipping to the first page to remember who was who. I loved the paranormal part of things but I never really understood how the ghost came to be, and honestly I don’t think it was necessary. I mean, when I tell you there was a lot happening, I mean A LOT, it was almost like reading 2 books at once.

I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it. It was probably like 100 pages too long and the descriptions got kind of repetitive. All that to say I may not have loved this book, but it does have 4⭐️s on Goodreads - so you may enjoy it!

No Road Home is a smart, twisty psychological suspense novel perfect for fans of Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-law or Mary Kupica’s The Other Mrs.

Single father Toby and his female presenting seven year old, Luca, are thrilled to begin their new marriage to Alyssa, the granddaughter of famous televangelist, Jerome Wright. Alyssa has assured Toby that she wants no part of the family business but when they arrive at the family’s remote Texas compound things quickly take a dark turn. Jerome’s end of day predictions are becoming more frequent. When a rainstorm cuts off the roads the family becomes isolated on their estate. As the electricity cuts off, one of the family is murdered and Toby becomes their primary suspect. Meanwhile, Luca claims to see ghosts lurking in the hallways.

Fram’s details create a creepy setting adding to the tension of the unfolding plot. The large cast of flawed characters become increasingly suspicious as their back stories are revealed. No Road Home mixes Southern Gothic vibes with supernatural elements and themes of religious trauma to create a spine tingling thriller that keeps you glued to the page.

Thank you Atria for the twisty dark thriller, this was a fun, quick read and I appreciated how Fram developed the plot, characters, and twists. It's rare for me to like a story with so many unlikable characters so my enjoyment is a testament to a well plotted story and engaging mystery. Well developed Southern Gothic vibes that are made fresh in a twisty story that takes a pretty dark edge to the rich people problem themes that I love.

This book starts pretty normally, with a newlywed couple going to meet the bride’s family. Toby and Alyssa, along with Toby’s son, Luca, are about to meet the Wrights, a wealthy and conservative family. Alyssa’s grandfather calls himself a prophet, and has a weekly religious show, “The Prophecy Hour”. The rest of the family is so large, there is actually a list of them and who they are at the beginning of the ARC. I definitely don’t think all of them needed to be in the book, but there are certainly a lot of people who live at Ramorah, and Toby is nervous to meet them and introduce them to his queer son. Will this uber-religious family accept Luca?

You may be thinking “this is Deliverance” but while they live in a rural area, the Wrights have a large estate (complete with a church, stables and an airstrip) and indulge in regular things like smartphones, astrology, and prescription drugs. Lots of prescription drugs. Once Alyssa and her family settle in the Ezekiel Suite after dinner the first night, everything seems relatively normal…but something is NOT RIGHT. Luca is seeing a man, “Mr. Suit”, who Toby can’t see, crude things are being painted on doors around the house, Jerome yelled at everybody for their sins at dinner and insisted Luca come on his show, but the worst thing? Toby can’t stop the feeling that as early as that first night, his wife is wanting to move in with her family. Is Alyssa really who she seems to be?

The next morning, Jerome is dead. On the roof, in the rain, stabbed. Was it suicide or murder? A few members of the family have alibis, but most don’t. Due to storms, which are a must in any locked-room mystery, their Wifi went out and the roads are now flooded. There is no way to call for help, no way to escape, and that’s when things get really crazy. This goes from a simple family weekend to a weekend filled with fear, secrets, incest, lies and death. Toby just wants to escape with Luca, but with the roads out, there’s nowhere for them to go, and nobody for them to trust.

This book was written quite well, and was very unique. I was shocked time and time again as the book got more and more strange, leading to an ending I never saw coming. I loved the chapter titles, which is a small thing, but I had to mention it! This is a mystery/thriller, but this also has a large religious horror/supernatural aspect. It got a little weird along the way, and it could have been shorter, but I did like this unusual story. Four stars.

(Thank you to Atria Books, John Fram and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I think it was wrapped up nicely but I found the entrance to be a little longer than necessary. The lead up to the ending also was also kind of messy. It felt like with every sentence more plot twists were being thrown out and it got very confusing to follow. Overall a decent twist to the end.

Righteous Gemstones like Wright family with less comedy and more horror will be entertained by this trip into the deep Texas compound. Toby, newly married to Alyssa, arrives with his son Luca to find the family birthday celebration has turned into a locked room whodunnit courtesy of unrelenting rains and rising creeks. A family of shady characters with plenty of motivation for killing off the patriarch. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I did not see that ending coming!

I love a good suspense novel, and this one has it in spades. This doesn't even cover the various twists at the end of the novel. One revelation left open a question, and I'm glad it was answered; otherwise, it would have made me throw the book across the room!

Toby is caught up in a whirlwind romance with Alyssa Wright. We later find out she is the granddaughter of a television preacher—you know, the type who claims one thing yet rakes in all the money. They travel to her grandfather's home with his son Luca, and from there, the story gets a little crazy. But then, what good suspense novel doesn't get crazy?

The book covers a three day period, but it packs a lot into those few days. The grandfather is found dead, there are strange writings found on the wall, Luca sees an apparition, and so much more. This family might be the textbook version of dysfunctional. Toby decides to play detective and slowly unwinds the secrets this family is harboring. All the while, there is a raging storm outside, with the roads cut off due to flooding and no cell service or internet. Fingers are pointed at everyone, people go missing, secrets are revealed, and a storm threatens to take out the area.

This is a locked room mystery since the options are limited. Some of the answers will surprise you, much like they surprised me. I was fully engaged in this book and didn't want to turn off the light at night. Just when I thought I had all of the answers, the author threw more twists into the tale to deepen the storyline.

This was quite the tale, and now I am searching for his first novel to see if it is just as good as this one.

We give this book 5 paws up.

An ever-twisty mystery thriller about the perversions of queerphobia, reminiscent of Get Out with a dash of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, No Road Home unsettles, devastates, and uplifts in equal measure. The mystery only occasionally loses momentum, briefly slipping out of focus when it fails to track the large number of details and characters.

No Road Home has a classic set-up. Toby visits the sprawling home of his new wife, Alyssa Wright, with his son Luca. The internet reception and the roads are vulnerable to storms. A family of wealthy televangelists, all the Wrights have secrets. And, naturally, someone is murdered. From here, it checks almost all the boxes I could want in this type of supernatural thriller.

New information consistently upends and complicates the existing narrative, so that it’s never predictable. The setting feels alive, greatly helped by the supernatural element, and awash in tragedy and sin. Toby is a strong lead (and a unique one as a single father), and his bond with Luca makes it easy to root for him. As the machinations of the Wrights become clear, it becomes similarly easy to root against their enterprise. And the horror is heightened and grounded by sharp commentary on how queerphobia (and all bigotry) traumatizes and often perpetuates itself through the trauma.

Occasionally though, the momentum strains under all that the narrative is concealing. It takes a while for the large cast of supporting characters, many introduced all at once, to be given motives and become distinct from each other (though many do eventually become quite strong). Similarly, Toby likes to lock away memories, leaving the mystery’s details somewhat scattered at times. I suspect some readers will find this frustrating while others will delight in the added difficulty of piecing things together.

Still, any missteps fade into the background with the final masterful twist, which pulls together the mystery, Toby’s character arc, and the commentary on bigotry (though some readers might be frustrated by how much is withheld to make it work). John Fram knew exactly the story he wanted to tell. I suspect it will stick with me for some time.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a fascinating read in the world of a powerful dysfunctional televangelist family!

Read this if you like:
-southern gothic vibes complete with tinges of supernatural/horror and sense of impending doom
-powerful dysfunctional families
-people who are not who they appear to be with dark secrets and lies and hidden agendas
-ranging storm cutting off people in a isolated
Mansion gives eerie, creepy atmosphere
-world of religion and televangelism
-locked room mystery
-queer representation
-unlikeable characters
-twists and turns with a highly unexpected and satisfying ending

My rating 4 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC that will be published July 23 2024

No Road Home tells the story of Toby, a single father whose new wife is the granddaughter of a televangelist tycoon. Toby and Alyssa's relationship was a whirlwind; from their meeting when Toby was working as a teacher's aide at a private elementary school, and Alyssa rolled down her window and said you’ve been expecting me— she was picking up a friend's child—to marriage, they were together for only six months. Now, Toby and Alyssa venture back to Texas to her family's estate. Toby meets Alyssa's odd, wealthy family and is a bit worried about the influence they will have on his son. Soon, a storm hits, the roads are blocked, and Jerome, the patriarch televangelist, is found murdered on the roof. It's now up to Toby to protect himself and his son while unravelling family secrets he'd rather not know.

I thought this book had an excellent premise: Toby is trying to keep his seven-year-old son, who is trying to figure out who he is, let him be his true authentic self, and try to keep him as safe as possible from the world's bigotry. At the same time, his wife exposes them to her family's world of ultra-wealthy, ultra-conservative, ultra-religious televangelists. As Toby goes through the book, I hope for slightly better "secrets." The author had good ideas, but I believe too many were incorporated into the plot at once, making for uneven pacing and choppy writing. Without giving spoilers, I thought the reveals were OTT— I believe there are so many ways the author could have written to include certain secrets while staying away from other familial relationships.

Although I enjoyed the idea of the book, I think the writing missed the mark. Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as others may have enjoyed it. I wanted something better. I wanted to root for Toby to unravel this family's bigotry and hatred in a realistic yet thrilling way, exposing them to their hatred. Ultimately, I found it was underwhelming—

I found the writing choppy. There is excessive repetition of events from previous chapters. There were too many characters to keep track of. At the beginning, there is a page entitled THE WRIGHTS WHO MATTER, two and a half pages long. There are ten family members (characters to keep track of). The whole plot felt convoluted at times. I think there was too much telling than showing the reader. Please read the trigger warning before reading. There is an offence word frequently used to describe a woman's genitalia—offence language bigotry.
I want to thank Atria and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

At what lengths would you go to to protect your children?
This thrilling novel from John Fram shows Tobias, father to Luca, do everything he can to protect him and his son from his wife's new family, who is very religious and homophobic (Tobias' son is part of the LGBT+ community).
This reminded me a lot of Jordan Peele's Get Out, but instead of race, it was a family against the idea of being LGBT. It deals a lot with what do we with the trauma that spans decades and how do we come back for it... or on the flip side, what happens when we let it drown our lives?
The horror elements of this are also something that I was very into. Especially as you went on, the book became so hard to put down but also almost having to read through your fingers because of the disturbing revelations in the last half of this book.

John Fram's latest NO ROAD HOME is a multi-layered twisty suspense and complex genre-bending of literary, psychological, family drama, horror, religion, ghosts, gothic, LGBTQ, paranormal, whodunit mystery, and locked-room thriller for a spine-chilling creepy Stephen King/Dean Koontz vibe. At its heart is a story of family.

About...

A young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his wealthy new wife's televangelist grandfather is found murdered when they meet the family in the haunting small town Hebron, Texas compound.

Toby Tucker is a single dad in LA who has always protected his young queer son Lucus (age 7) from bigotry. Lucus calls himself a boy, but he is feminine, wears his hair long, and dresses in lots of pink and mauves.

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 he and Luca are about to embark on. He is off to meet his in-laws—what will he find at the compound?

Do Toby and Alyssa really know one another and each other's families? As a child, Toby had found everything about The Prophecy Hour faintly deceptive, beginning with its title. His Uncle Ezra watched the TV show and Toby and his sister Willow suffered through it.

Meet the powerful and wealthy Wrights:
~Jerome Jeremiah Wright:
Prophet, Patriarch, and CEO of Two Creeks Ministries

~Abigal: His wife (deceased)
~Corah: His sister
~Sarah Nella: His oldest daughter; COO of Two Creeks and Head of Ramorah (house/grounds)
~Ruth: Youngest daughter; Head of Congregational Development
~Hugo: Ruth's husband; Director of Praise and Worship
~Ginger: Ruth & Hugo's oldest daughter
~Matthias: Ginger's son
~Richard: Ruth & Hougo's son; Director of Future Ministry
~Kassandra: Richard's wife
~Alyssa: Ruth & Hugo's younger daughter

New Addition to the family:
~Tobias (Toby) Tucker: Alyssa's new husband
~Luca Tucker: Toby's son

Staff at Ramaorah:
~Marie and Julian: Hired help

As Toby and Lucus are invited to meet Alyssa's famous religious family at the Texas compound, they encounter some characters who have strange words and warnings along the way. These cryptic messages add to the eerie atmosphere and hint at the dark secrets the family is hiding.

Upon arrival, things are eerie, and bizarre things occur. Toby wonders what kind of family this is and soon he realizes he must escape with his son. What kind of family did he marry into and their motives?

This family is not how they appear on TV. They have dark hidden family secrets and much more. There is something dark and sinister. But then there is a storm, and flooding which cuts off the road. The family patriarch is found murdered and stabbed on the roof of the mansion.

Suspicion immediately turns to Toby. Then Lucus starts seeing someone in a black suit and strange words written in red on the walls and doorways. Then Lucas goes missing? What is going on? No one is prepared for the lengths Toby will go to in the fight to clear his name and protect his son.

Toby also has a secret past, a past that is somehow connected to the sinister events unfolding at the compound. As the story progresses, the reader is drawn deeper into Toby's past, trying to unravel the mystery and understand how it is connected to the present.

My thoughts...

NO ROAD HOME is everything and more that is described in the summary. I am not a horror, paranormal, or ghost fan; however, this novel worked on so many levels mainly due to the author's master storytelling. A murder mystery meets Gothic locked-room thriller. The past is as intriguing as the present. Dysfunctional family!

Creepy, spine-chilling, evil, and eerie, evangelists' stories are always dark and scandalous. When you have this many family members involved in a mega-church, you know that there are plenty of lies and secrets. The atmospheric locked-room thriller vibe worked well with the mysterious pasts of both the Wrights and the Tuckers. You are going to love Toby and Lucas.

Thought-provoking! There are many highly charged topics of bigotry, murder, revenge, predators, incest, identity, religion, family, wealth, race, and class-and plenty of deception, lies, and secrets.

Expect the unexpected! NO ROAD HOME is a terrifying rollercoaster of a read, with storylines and characters colliding in ways you'll never guess. Thriller fans, this whodunit murder mystery gem should be at the top of your summer TBR list.

Recs...

For fans of the TV evangelist show, OWN's Greenleaf and Jordan Peele's Get Out — meets Terah Shelton Harris' Long After We Are Gone (top books of 2024) and Liz Moore's The God of the Woods. Also for fans of authors, Ruth Ware, Alice Feeney, Carol Goodman, S.A. Cosby, Alex North, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz.

Thanks to Atria Books for an advanced digital review copy via NetGalley for an honest opinion.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
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No Road Home by John Fram did not disappoint!
NRH is a fantastic addition to the mystery genre.
I loved the characters and the story was well written. His debut title was described as queer Stephen King and it certainly was. And same goes for his upcoming title.
A very well written story that kept me captivated from page one.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This is one of those books where you really have to pay close attention because there is a lot going on and there are a ton of characters. I loved the atmosphere here, it was claustrophobic and chilling and the locked room style mystery really worked for me. Most of the characters are downright awful and this one goes very dark in terms of subject matter and I love the way the author showcases this type of thing. I don’t know if I would say this is a slow burn exactly but it definitely is more of a steady paced read with more action as you get close to the end. There are also some supernatural elements at play here and when that’s well done in a thriller it freaks me out and I was definitely creeped out here. There were some really well executed twists too, if you want a different type of mystery this is a great choice!

Toby and his son Luca are trying to fit in with their new family that Toby married into. The family is completely disfunctional , crazy with dark, dark secrets. Do not read at night when you’re alone!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

NO ROAD HOME by John Fram is a twisty, queer, southern gothic mystery. The suspense and atmosphere are unbeatable, and the plot is so intricately and cleverly done. Every bit of action and dialogue has purpose and meaning, and all the strands of the plot tie together in a satisfying, thrilling way. It does contain some supernatural elements that are more literal than I'd usually like, but they tie in well with the characters' dabbling in the occult. The main character, Toby, and his son, Luca, are sympathetic and easy to root for. It's a propelling read!

I really enjoyed this locked room mystery! The religious elements were creeeeeeepy as hell. The family was super sinister and suspicious. The mystery unfolded in a satisfying way, and I had fun trying to piece it together before the big reveal.

I did think some of the twists were a bit predictable, but I enjoyed them anyway because they worked so well in the overarching story. However, while I got what Fram was trying to do with the ending, I didn’t love the narrative choice. It didn’t fully take away from my enjoyment of it, but I wish it had been handled differently as it utilized a trope that I cannot stand (trying to keep this spoiler free, so reach out to me if you want to know!)

Even with the ending not being my favorite, I liked this dark, spooky, and intense mystery novel. Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the ARC. No Road Home is out tomorrow!

I was very ready for a thriller, and this seemed to have everything I needed to read. However, it's like the first scene was the actually good one, and then the read dragged until the end.

2.5, rounded-up to 3.

The story begins with a little of Great Gatsby's feeling of Nick, as Toby observes his in-laws, most of whom he was meeting for the first time after very quickly meeting Alyssa, getting married, and now moving to her family's estate. The family, however, is a famous one from an evangelic show that has been on TV for decades, of which even Toby has seen something back when he lived with his deceased uncle and older sister. Great Gatsby turns into The Shining when Alyssa's grandfather is found dead in the middle of a storm that leaves them stranded and only someone in the house could have done it.

This book has some hints of horror, probably because of the supernatural elements I wasn't expecting to be so used. That and the surprises were what I most liked about it. The thriller itself failed for me. The characters were probably one of the biggest reasons; they were shallow, like you downloaded them from a bank of suspects for a closed-room murder. It was all too convenient for a thriller. And when we finally find out more about them, it was either an information given too late for it to make the story more pleasing to read, or the exact opposite, because it was simply gross and didn't add to the plot.

My other problem was the big plot twist in the end. Unfortunately, it would be a spoiler to talk more about it, but, in my opinion, it's a cheap resource to fabricate a surprise but that instead made me very disappointed.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.