Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was not good, and I hate that I feel that way. The plot was not interesting, the characters were borin (all the sisters sucked). Too much emphasis on one person the whole time.. I like when books have last page twists but only if executed properly. I just think this book fell really flat. I don't think the author is a bad writer so I will give her other books a try.

In Megan Abbott’s El Dorado Drive, Harper Bishop is invited by her sisters to join an elite pyramid scheme, called The Wheel. What follows is an examination of the relationships between greed, suspicion, and trust among family and friends, when large sums of money are on the line. The story starts out slow, unfurling the action at a leisurely pace, but finishes out fast and strong.

Thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my
Honest review.

MLM...we all know someone who has gotten sucked in at one point...jamberry? Lula LA Roe? Mary Kay or Avon? Welp we have all also wondered how someone could fall victim..this book is chock full of victims, questionable choices and morals.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book from Penguin Group Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

I find Ms. Abbott's books to be slow burns, which in general is not a style I prefer, but she does it well enough to keep my interest. One of my favorite parts of this book was that the synopsis doesn't reveal the "shocking thing;" I think in many books, this would have been included in the summary, and not at all knowing what is to come does actually make it shocking.

Ms. Abbott did a very good job setting the background of the sisters' childhood, as well as the economic situation of that area. The entire aspect of the pyramid scheme is very timely as well. However, the actual concept of The Wheel is a bit insane and I am not sure who would actually participate in it

I loved that we really had no idea who the villain was and that everyone was a suspect. I didn't expect who it was or the other twist toward the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher , and the author for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is set in 2008, just outside Detroit, and the tense atmosphere during this economic crisis in motor city was a great choice. Unfortunately I think this is the only choice I agree with as far as the plot goes. I had to DNF this around the 25% mark. It doesn’t feel like a true thriller, the story sort of starts and stops and meanders about. It’s not very thrilling. I also think this old trope of the queer characters being so “different” or ostracized is just so tired and irrelevant. I understand this book takes places about 17 years ago but come on.
Overall, not for me.

Intriguing premise with a slow build. I was interested in the idea of a system in which women contribute funds to a group and support each other, but also take advantage of one another's vulnerabilities. I thought something tragic or major would happen a bit earlier on, but the pacing gives the reader a chance to meet the characters and begin to care about each of the three sisters. I would recommend this book to fans of Wendy Corsi Straub and Lisa Scottoline.

El Dorado Drive is the first novel I've read by author Megan Abbott. The mystery part was okay, but my four star rating is for the way money is so prevalent in every relationship, it's almost its own character. It felt both raw and real.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from #NetGalley.

3.5 stars.

This book was okay. I usually love Megan Abbott's books so I think I expected more. The premise was great but I feel like plot and character development were lacking. The book meandered around for a bit and then BOOM - it was over.

I'm excited for her next book!

I was so excited to see Megan Abbott has a new book coming out. I’ve been a fan and have enjoyed many of her books. Unfortunately, this was not a favorite. I won’t say it was bad but it wasn’t great either. I felt like the story moved slower than necessary with not enough drama, action and twists to grab me. Wanting to know how it ended is what kept me turning the pages, I just didn’t want to give up on her book. The end was satisfying enough and I was rewarded with a little twist I wasn’t expecting. I wish the rest of the book was the same.

"It was playful and it wasn't, Harper thought, like everything between sisters"

Megan Abbott understands sisterhood and all it's deep complexities, that much is true.
El Dorado Drive is a little longer than it needs to be, but it does a good job of explaining what it's like to have sisters and be the "different" one.
Harper, Deb, and Pam are the sisters in this story and they all aren't where they want to be in life. They grew up solidly well off until college when their family hit hard times...they've all aspired to get back to wealth since then. Deb married rich, but is now going through a contentious divorce. Pam is in deep medical debt from her husband's cancer treatments. Harper lost a bunch of money in love and now is barely scraping by. All sisters become involved in a women's social club called The Wheel where women "invest in each other" and basically commit tax fraud. and from the beginning it's clear there will be murder and things don't go according to anyone's plans.

Megan Abbott keeps you guessing and suspicious of everyone right til the end!
my main complaints are that it dragged a little in length because scenes kept getting repeated.

El Dorado Drive is a slow-burning, atmospheric murder mystery that immerses readers in a town clinging desperately to its faded glory. The novel follows three sisters, once wealthy but now struggling with the harsh realities of financial ruin, broken marriages, and dark secrets. Set against the backdrop of a once-thriving auto town now in decline, the story weaves together elements of family drama, greed, and deception.

The strength of this novel lies in its rich character development and sharp social commentary. The sisters’ attempts to reclaim their past—whether through marriage, ambition, or sheer survival—add depth to the mystery, making every character a suspect. The Ponzi-scheme-driven women’s club adds an extra layer of intrigue, showing how desperation fuels risky decisions. The tension builds gradually, keeping you guessing until the final, unexpected twist.

While the novel’s slow pace allows for deep world-building, it occasionally drags in places. Some sections focus heavily on the town’s nostalgia and the sisters’ internal struggles, which, while compelling, can feel repetitive at times. However, the payoff is worth the wait, with an ending that delivers both shock and satisfaction.

For fans of literary mysteries that blend family dysfunction with crime, El Dorado Drive is a gripping and well-crafted read. It’s a story about money, power, and the lengths people will go to hold onto both—even when the past has already slipped away.

As gritty and menacing and gripping as anything Hammett ever threw down, and as raw in its relationships as Thompson. Megan Abbott is the master of hardboiled tension and shadowy suspense.

The relationships and dynamics herein are a powder keg. Add in the pressures of modern life, split families, secrets, jealousies, and the material world and you've got the circumstances to ignite, body bags at the ready.

You can't never be innocent again.

It hurts my soul to give a Megan Abbott story less than 4 stars but unfortunately El Dorado Drive just did not resonate with me at all.

Megan Abbott is the queen of slow burn thrillers for me. She has a great ability to set a scene and really build to absolute madness. This book unfortunately fell flat for me. The characters weren’t likable enough in my opinion and I never felt any connection to them. I loved the post bailout Detroit setting and the ways families are struggling and managing but it didn’t do enough for the story. Overall, The Wheel, the women, the mystery, it all just fell flat for me and became a race to get to the end so I could move on.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC before it’s intended publication date of June 24, 2025.

Nothing is free in this world seems to be the underlying theme here. The story starts off a bit slowly but quickly picks up steam. The three Bishop sisters grew up rich and privileged. As adults and as the family money declines, they find themselves having financial difficulties for different reasons. They hear about a club called The Wheel which if they throw in enough startup money, promises a huge return. What could possibly go wrong with that? The author makes it totally believable how they would fall for everything and as usual, does a great job of writing about female relationships. Megan Abbott is quickly jumping up to my favorite author list.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Megan Abbott and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of June 24th, 2025.

El Dorado Drive is one of the more believable thrillers I’ve read recently—maybe because I’ve heard of a “secret club” like the Wheel in real life. It’s not hard to imagine how a money-making MLM scheme could spiral out of control and lead to tragedy. After all, people will do unspeakable things for money. While I found this book compulsively readable and thoroughly enjoyed it, I wanted a little more action.

Megan Abbott is one of my favorite thriller writers; one of my favorite parts of her writing is the complicated and nuanced relationships between female characters, whether it be friends, sisters, mothers. This did not disappoint!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'El Dorado Drive" by Megan Abbott - expected release date of 06/24/2025.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow-moving book. Halfway thru, I was still waiting for it to go somewhere. Then it did, but not in mind blowing way. Even when the 'whodunit and why' was revealed, it wasn't all that exciting. I liked all the references to Detroit and it's suburbs though!

Harper’s in debt. Her sister, Pam, is going through a nasty divorce and struggling to raise two teenagers. Their other sister, Debra, is dealing with financial strain from her husband’s cancer diagnosis. However, when introduced to the Wheel, it promises to turn things around for the sisters, with women giving to women. Yet, it has a more sinister underbelly. How far will people really go to get what they feel they deserve?

Set around the time of the 2008 recession in Michigan, the first act instantly had me enraptured. It encapsulated so well what it was like to live in the Midwest during that time range and was deeply reminiscent of my own youth. Everything seemed so real and relatable.

As the women joined the Wheel and the story evolved, I still found myself completely engrossed. It was like you knew things are too good to be true, and quietly waited to see how things unraveled. It still stunned me with the amount of realism and personal depth put into it. However, some of the side characters seemed a bit one-dimensional.

The last third of the book is what made it go from five stars down to four for me. It just felt cheap and obvious with how they approached it, and while the final plot twist did surprise me, and the ending felt realistic, it kind of fell flat for me. It was like Megan Abbot wasn’t completely sure how to dial up the intrigue, and it was as if Harper, our narrator, was going through the same cycle of thoughts over and over, just pertaining to different people and situations.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good domestic noir with a side of crime, especially midwesterners, for who I feel this especially strikes a cord.

Set in Michigan in 2008, Abbott explores the dynamic of three sisters from the perspective of Harper (her sisters are Pam and Debra). Harper has always felt different from her sisters, notably because she’s lesbian and never married. When she arrives on the doorstep of her divorced sister Pam, she finds out that Pam is involved in a pyramid scheme called The Wheel. Attracted by the money and urged by her sister, Harper becomes involved in the pyramid scheme as well.

The murder takes a while to occur, which is fine, but that meant it didn’t explore the “whodunit” part for very long. I didn’t understand how people in such a financially depressed area could gather up $5,000 to participate in The Wheel, but I guess it was more of an upper crust poor?

I’m not sure Abbott’s writing is for me. I’ve only read one of her novels in the past, and that one was lukewarm. And I found this one lukewarm as well. I think the author keeps her characters at a distance, which frustrates me as reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

It publishes June 24, 2025.

Great read by Megan Abbott about middle aged sisters all with their own financial troubles, who find themselves trying to dig their way out with a pyramid scheme. This book is dripping with commentary about money, and has a realistic portrayal of both sister and mother/daughter relationships. There is an ex-husband who is causing money troubles and plenty of secrets to keep the reader on their toes. I don’t typically read thrillers but I really liked The Turnout and wanted to give another one of her books a try. It’s a win! Only small critique is that the first 50% of the story was building up to the catalyst event, I was ready for something to happen a little sooner.