In El Dorado Drive, Megan Abbott spins a hypnotic tale of glamour, obsession, and the dark side of reinvention. Set in a glittering world full of ambition and artifice, the novel follows characters dancing dangerously close to the edge—emotionally and morally. Abbott’s signature noir style shines here, with sultry prose and razor-sharp character work. The mystery unfurls with mounting dread, drawing readers into a slow burn that erupts into a jaw-dropping finale. As always, Abbott examines power, femininity, and desire with brilliance and bite. El Dorado Drive is magnetic, stylish, and utterly intoxicating

El Dorado Drive puts a dark, compelling spin on the world of MLMs, exposing just how predatory and seductive these schemes can be, especially for women craving financial independence and control. The family dynamics between the sisters felt raw and real, with their complicated history adding depth to the unraveling mystery. While the plot moved steadily and had some solid twists, it was the psychological tension and the examination of money, power, and desperation that stood out most.

Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for the gifted copy.

I usually don't complain about a book being too slow-paced, but this one got on my nerves. I found the red herrings too obvious and the ultimate conclusion was just sad. It's not bad, but just not what I'm looking for in a thriller.

I found this to be a little bit slow but interesting characters and well developed.

I write haiku reviews but am happy to provide more feedback.

Megan Abbott is a truly stunning writer. The way she turns a phrase is always unique and completely perfect. Her storylines keep me captivated and El Dorado Drive is no exception. This might be my favorite book by her yet.

I love everything Megan Abbott writes. She has this crazy ability to dig deep into her stories and create these fully fleshed out characters that make them leap off the pages. Here we have women on the brink, as they have been most their lives as children of Detroit, who are willing to risk everything for a shot at their golden heydays and so they can dig themselves out of financial holes. The twists and turns are brilliantly done and you feel each suspicion land on different characters like a gut punch.

Love her, always.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and it delivered.The writing was compelling as the pace continued to build through the whole book. When a group relies on the participants to keep it secret but also needs constant recruitment of new members you know something is going to happen. I loved the psychological elements when it came to the mystery and pyramid scheme. I finished it pretty quick, it was hard to put down.

Thank you @melizaabbott @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

This was an interesting read. I liked the storyline between the sisters as I have 2 sisters of my own. Enjoyed reading it!

A moody, slow-burn thriller that explores sisterhood, desperation, and the lure of financial independence gone off the rails. The premise of “the Wheel” is intriguing, and Megan Abbott captures the underlying tension of female ambition and loyalty well. Still, the pacing dragged in places, and the emotional stakes didn’t always hit as hard as they could have. Solid concept, but it didn’t fully stick the landing for me.

Thanks to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP for the chance to read this book

Pretty good Fast paced read, I feel like the last little bit at the end was kinda rushed, when we found out what happened but still was pretty good.

In this new novel from Megan Abbott three sisters find themselves in the middle of a women-led pyramid scheme in suburban Detroit which leads to a deadly end.

I enjoyed this atmospheric read, especially because it focused on sisterhood, women circles and psychological aspect of the story. If you think cliques are outgrown after high school, this novel with prove you wrong. The entire time in this slow-burn read I was anticipating something bad to happen. I felt like these women were playing with fire. I also appreciated how raw and real the story felt. Seeing the glamorous facade and getting a glimpse of what's going on behind the closed doors was eye-opening.

Overall this was a very different, slow-paced thriller that kept me guessing. Check out this book if you haven't yet.

Eek!

I love Megan Abbott. I have enjoyed all of her books that I have read......until this one. 👎

These three sisters are so insufferable that I'm throwing in the towel. I feel awful saying that about one of my favorite authors but I just can not continue.

I hope her next release is of the same high standards I have come to expect because this book was a complete dud for me.

I received a free ARc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent read with a couple of good twists. That being said, there were so many people to keep track of, so I was constantly getting them confused. It moved at sort of a slow pace. I thought it also went on a little longer than it should have..

Each facing financial struggles the sisters, Debra, Pam and Harper turn to "the Wheel" , essentially a pyramid scheme disguised as a "woman helping woman" organization. For the price of a buy-in, each women then recruits other woman to buy-in and ultimately as the reach the top of the triangle they receive a substantial payout. The sisters grew up in affluence until the auto industry in Detroit crashed and their family lost everything. This has left a mark on them and coupled with their hardships they currently facing, they're desperate for a quick resolution. It was a little slow for me and not necessarily compelling but overall fairly enjoyable.

What was most interesting about this one? The MLM component and sadly reality that I myself had fallen victim to one when I was younger. Overall I enjoyed this one, however I don’t feel as though it is memorable.

El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott is a dark, twisty, and twisted look at sisterhood, get-rich-quick schemes, and how far people will go when they're in a bind. While its not my favorite book by Abbot, the suspense is slow-burning but pays off with some wild twists and a punch-in-the-gut conclusion.

Clawing her way back after her ex-husband completely wiped out their kids’ bank accounts, Pam is desperate for a win.

Her older sister Deb is barely hanging on financially while caring for her husband during his cancer treatments. And youngest sister Harper? She’s not raising kids or juggling a marriage—but she is in serious trouble after borrowing money from the worst possible person. Now she’s being threatened to pay up… or have her secrets exposed.

Enter: The Wheel—a women-backed “social” group that Pam claims is the answer to all their problems. With thousands suddenly in her account, Pam brings in Deb. And eventually, a very hesitant Harper.

But what exactly is The Wheel? Because something about this group just doesn’t sit right. And when things start unraveling, it becomes clear—some members will do whatever it takes to keep their secrets buried and the cash flowing.

This backstabbing, cultish thriller was my first Megan Abbott read—but it definitely won’t be my last! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Big thanks to NetGalley, Megan Abbott, and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this suspenseful and intense novel in exchange for an honest review!

El Dorado Drive represents the street where a woman named Pam now lives, but also the downfall of Pam and her sisters Debra and Harper. The middle aged sisters grew up with money in Grosse Point, Michigan but the slow down of the automotive industry caused their father to lose his job and the sisters to lose their opportunities for a better life. The book starts with Pam having a graduation party for her son Patrick, and sister Harper decides to move in with Pam. This is a slow burn thriller that I found it hard to get into. The opening scene with the graduation party seemed to go forever, although it was meant to give us a background of the sisters. All of the sisters are broke: Debra has a husband battling cancer resulting in huge medical bills, Pam has two children to put through college and Harper owes someone a lot of money.

Pam tells Harper about a pyramid scheme type thing called "the Wheel" which is later called the group. It costs $5,000 to join and the idea is that each woman who joins gets their name on a wheel and eventually each will get the spoils from the meeting or party. This scheme doesn't really make sense and I couldn't figure out how Pam who won the jackpot of $25,000 one time, is able to sponsor other woman by paying their buy in fee, buy various luxury items and still have piles of cash left. There is a murder later in the story and the author does a good job at creating a trail of clues for the reader to try and figure out the mystery. Not my favorite from this author and I didn't like the sister characters or think the cult like scheme was all that interesting. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC for review.

It was okay, I appreciated the recurring theme of the contrast between aspiration and reality--a gap that reveals a seediness beneath the surface of so many things, including Pam's street, Demon Doug, the Wheel Club, and the central crime. Yet I left the story wanting something. Maybe to feel something for the characters, especially the sisters? I felt like I was at a remove throughout. Thankfully, it was a quick read and I was motivated to keep going because I wanted to know whodunnit.

An outstanding exploration of the pressures brought on to a community of women by changing financial circumstances and how this leads to a murder.

The Bishop family used to be well off. Then the Detroit motor industry collapsed, the money ran out, the parents died, and now Debra, Harper, and Pam are left: “They never thought about money until it was gone and then it was all any of them thought about.”

The three sisters have each been forced to dig their financial hole even deeper, to the extent that they can never see a way out from under what they owe. Of all of them, Pam has fallen the hardest having married a go-getting businessman and lived the high life before they divorced and he stopped paying alimony and started raiding their kids’ college funds. But Pam is also the extroverted charismatic sister and she thinks she’s found a solution. Only Pam ends up dead.

Told from Harper’s perspective, the author brilliantly captures the grind of constantly worrying about money and what it represents. It’s not just the Bishops, the whole region has been hit and it’s the women who take it the hardest, particularly those used to a life of privilege. It’s easy to see why the prospect of easy money is so appealing and it’s also easy to see why, in their desperation, nobody wants to ask too many questions.

The characters of the three sisters are beautifully delineated and the plot is driven from there. Harper’s wistful memories of their childhood give the context and contrast to their current desperate straits and helps explain why money is never just money, but represents security, independence, and freedom.

Though this is billed as a crime novel, the crime, Pam’s murder, is really just a hook to hang the atmospheric world building on. The author has always had an exceptional eye for the emotional and social lives of groups of women and this is no exception.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the digital review copy.