A new thriller by Megan Abbot? I absolutely devoured this one! I grew up in Metro Detroit— and the Detroit references were spot on! El Dorado Drive was addicting! Not only did it take place in metro Detroit, but it was about three sisters who are wrapped up in an MLM. I was immediately hooked! I love Megan Abbot and this was my favorite yet. I can’t wait to see what Mean writes next. I’ll be recommending El Dorado Drive all summer long!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy of this book!

In EL DORADO DRIVE, written by Megan Abbott, the month of March comes in like a lion. I doubt it will go out like a lamb. The story starts with Harper assisting her sister, Pam, to bury a cookie jar. Then, Harper attends a high school graduation party for her nephew (Pam’s son), Patrick. Harper wonders how her sister, Pam, can afford such a lavish party for Patrick. I wonder how the party connects with the buried cookie jar, and if they both have anything to do with Harper’s money concerns.

Character construction is great. I feel like I’m in a room with these characters; they are so real. The plot moves along slowly at first but picks up speed as the story progresses, especially when major incidents occur. There comes a point where I have to keep reading to the very last sentence. I am never disappointed experiencing a Megan Abbott novel and look forward to reading future books. Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

There is simply no one who does this type of book better than Megan Abbott. Atmospheric, insightful, a beguiling blend of pitch-perfect prose and catch-your-breath suspense where the sentences ring with poetry and the dialogue sounds like your best friend.

Set in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, EL DORADO DRIVE is about Harper Bishop, who is drawn into a women's “investment club” by her sisters. All three sisters live in the fading shadows of their formerly privileged parents, and now the sisters struggle to make ends meet in the wake of a declining auto industry. The investment club—called “The Wheel”—seems a way for the women to find their own financial independence, but it instead draws the sisters into a well of secrets. A shocking murder forces Harper to confront her own secrets and the darkening spiral of the Wheel.

This is one of the best books of the year, and one of the best books of Megan’s career. She crafts her characters with her customary cutting depth, pushing everyone to their edges to reveal their individual truths. She builds the world with assurance, and once the hammer drops, she never lets the suspense drop. I can’t say enough how much I loved this book.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! There was so much background packed into the first half that I started to be fatigued. But it all comes back later! As someone who often predicts the end of of thrillers, even I was almost convinced by the red herring.

This was a very tense read as the sisters lose their fortune and encounter a pyramid scheme that culminated in tension and desperation.

Just what is happening on EL DORADO DRIVE? Megan Abbott has the answer!

Sisters, Harper, the youngest, barely making ends meet; Pam, the middle, currently in a contentious divorce with soon to be ex, Doug and oldest sister, Debra, whose husband is battling cancer, grew up in a wealthy suburb of Detroit, Michigan. As the auto industry declined, each of the women saw their fortunes slowly draining away. But there is light on the horizon in ‘THE WHEEL’, a group of neighbourhood women who have devised a club that allows them to make money of their own, not dependent on the whim and fortunes of others. When two of the sisters approach the 3rd to join The Wheel, she can’t believe how easy it could be to turn her fortunes around. Then a shocking crime throws the sisters and the club into a tail spin. As police investigate the club falls in to ruins and the members begin to turn on each other, all the while trying to keep their activities from becoming public. As the tension mounts and the women scatter in the breeze of the spinning wheel, two of the sisters will need to find a way to salvage their lives. Was any of it really worth the price they paid?

As expected with a Megan Abbott novel, the twists and turns happen at a fast pace. I could not turn the pages fast enough. This is one of those “one more chapter.” novels that will keep you reading long into the night and needing extra coffee in the morning. As the tension mounted, I could feel my pulse quicken and my heart beat faster in my chest. I always love a Megan Abbott book, and this was no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

EL DORADO DRIVE is the newest release.feom.the author of The Turnout. It's a slow burning, suspenseful story, focusing on sisterhood and betrayal. The short chapters and rich depiction of economic struggles in suburban Michigan make this an engaging pick for summer reading.

3.5 stars
This book had the promise to be an intriguing mystery/thriller. However, I found it to be more of a domestic drama with mystery coming in near the end. The plot involves three sisters and a pyramid scheme called "The Wheel." There are so many toxic relationships in the book and nobody I could connect with or root for. There is some suspense near the end when someone loses their life and one of the main characters, Harper, tries to figure out which of the suspects is guilty. I was interested to see how things would turn out and was very surprised by the ending. This helped turn this book around a bit for me since I like being surprised when reading a mystery.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the review copy of this ebook. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I have read other books by Megan Abbott and found them to be unputdownable thrillers. However, this book was unfortunately a miss for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot overall. I still would read more by Megan in the future, its just that this one book is not for me.

No spoiler: it's a pyramid scheme! I think what rubbed me the wrong way the most was how easily the women justified what they were doing to other women. All the characters felt shallow and pretty much the same. The basic premise could have been used in such a better way. I was disappointed that it didn't do more. So, end result, it is a good story and a good read, but not the juicy page-turner I expected.

3.5 stars. Multi-Level Marketing schemes were never so scary. The Bishop sisters used to have it all. But circumstance have changed for each one and financial ruin has gotten the better of them. Through her sisters, Deborah, but especially Pam, Harper is pulled into a "women's club". The Wheel is a $5,000 buy-in but you make that back 10 times over the more you recruit. At first, it's great. Pam can pay for her divorce and all her little extras. Deborah was drowning in medical bills, but no more. And Harper can pay back her BIL, Demon Doug, for his help with w/ her ex.
But then the "wrong" people are recruited by Pam. And she ends up murdered. Is the the ladies of the MLM Wheel, or is something more sinister going on?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this digital e-arc.*

Quick review today because it’s been a very long Monday and because I don’t have much to say. This book wasn’t for me. The overall plot revolving around The Wheel (see what I did there?) was convoluted and didn’t make much sense. I kept thinking something more sinister or supernatural was going on, but it was just a really badly set up pyramid scheme with little to no explanation. The same topics and issues were hashed out so many times without the plot progressing that it felt incredibly slow, and by the time anything exciting happened, it wasn’t enough to save it for me. I like Abbott’s prose generally, but all in all, this was a bit of a bust.

Thank you to GP Putnam and Sons and Netgalley for this ARC. El Dorado Drive is out tomorrow

I have loved Abbott's books for her depiction of girls' and women's relationships in various circumstances. Unfortunately, this one didn't live up to her best. I didn't find the marketing/business angle engaging at all. The writing is excellent, as always, but the subject matter didn't interest me.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Megan Abbott, and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

A nice thriller! El Dorado Drive follows 3 sisters who, in their quest to earn money, become entangled in a scheme called The Wheel where things quickly go wrong. The story is told mostly through Harper's perspective, who is the youngest sister, but all 3 women have secrets and complications that are revealed throughout. The story definitely kept me on edge to see what came next, and I love any story about women behaving badly/culty groups of women. The characters are all definitely a little unlikable, but I still found myself rooting for the sisters to succeed. Unfortunately, I did think the story became a little repetitive at times, and I also found the twist predictable. "The Wheel" and how it operated was a little more elementary than what I was expecting/hoping for, as it was really just a pyramid scheme. I also didn't think the logistics of how many women were involved made sense based on numbers that were said throughout. By the ending, I was glad to see the situation resolved and get answers, but I didn't feel any which way about what was revealed. If you want an engrossing "in the moment" thriller, this is the read for you, but if you're looking for something that is a little more thought-provoking, I would skip.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. Unfortunately I am not able to finish El Dorado Drive. I am not finding myself interested in the storyline.

A pyramid schem,e but make it about female empowerment. Add this to the list of books released in the last few years about MLMs. Not the traditional type of MLM but manipulative and predatory...to the point of murder.

Sisters, secrets, schemes, finances, and greed set the stage for El Dorado Drive. This book was a bit of a slow burn for me, and I struggle with slow burns. At its core this is a book around money, greed, darkness, deception, and pyramid schemes. The adage 'be careful what you wish for" and "if something seems too good to be true, it probably is" comes to mind while reading this book.

Harper is so down on her luck that she doesn't know what to do or where to turn. She moves in with her sister, Pam, who has survived a messy and ugly divorce. Harper is shocked to see Pam doing so well. Pam who was also struggling financially, is no longer struggling, in fact, she is doing quite well. How? It's simple, it all comes down to the Wheel. What?

The wheel is a group of women who add money to a pool and one lucky member gets the cash! All you need to do is put your money in, and recruit other women to participate. It's presented as women helping women. Who doesn't love that thought? But when Harper is invited to join......

Welp! This one sounded so good to me. I was intrigued by the of women helping women with something going wrong thrown in. I enjoy books with dark elements, and I thought this would be a slam dunk for me. As I mentioned, I struggled with the slowness in the book and feeling for the characters. I also struggled with women being down on their luck with HUGE financial issues, having to come up with money to throw into the mix. If you are so down on your luck that you need to move in with someone, how are you going to come up with the dollar amount needed to be part of the group??? Abbott does address this, but it just didn't work for me. I did enjoy the family issues and the interactions of Debra, Pam and Harper.

While I did have issues with this book, I did find it enjoyable enough to give it 3 stars. I did enjoy the look at greed, drama, betrayal, and schemes. I also enjoyed the twist and mystery in this book. I did find this book to be well thought out, it just didn't work well for me. I looked back at the other books I have read by Abbott and there have not been many but the highest I have ever rated a book I have read by this author is 3 stars. I just don't think I am the right reader for this author.

Many reviewers enjoyed this more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

This is very much a slow burn. The mystery does not come into affect until half way through. It has a lot to say about human nature and money. Some horrible characters here. I did like the sisterly bonds and Harper's strength.

Harper, Pam, and Debra — 3 sisters just scraping by. That is until they find The Wheel, a female financial empowerment group that might just solve all their problems.

This book is very moody. The writing is good and it really puts you into the place the sisters are. You can feel the longing, hope and desperation. The characters are complex and layered. You both like them and hate them.

However, it moved just too slowly for me. It was hard to keep my attention even though it had all the elements to be able to do so.

I would label this more as a family drama than a thriller but it does have some thriller elements.

Megan Abbott has such a distinct, hypnotic style that you either fall under its spell or you don’t—and I definitely did. El Dorado Drive is dripping with atmosphere. It’s sun-soaked L.A. noir, but with ann emotional undercurrent. It’s not a fast-paced thriller, but it is deeply unsettling in that quiet, creeping way.

The story centers around a former actress and her teenage daughter, who are both tangled up in the legacy of a decades old Hollywood scandal. But this isn’t really a “true crime” story in the traditional sense. It’s more about how a crime, and the story we tell about it, can echo across generations. The way Megan Abbott writes about female identity, performance, and the slippery boundary between truth and fiction is so interesting.

There’s a dreamy quality to the writing that made me feel like I was inside the world, like I could smell the chlorine and feel the heat radiating off the pavement. I wouldn’t call it twisty, but there’s this constant tension, like something is just barely holding together. I found myself completely absorbed, especially in the dynamic between mother and daughter. It’s intimate, and at times, kind of heartbreaking.

If you liked “The Turnout” or “Give Me Your Hand”, I think you’ll love this one. It’s a bit slower in pace, but the payoff is in the mood, the characters, and the psychological depth. I finished it feeling both unsettled and oddly satisfied.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the ARC.