I love Simone St. James in the way that the Sundown Motel was a 5 star for me. I dislike her in the way that after you read one, you've read them all. This book was a DNF for me. I could not get into it or suspend my disbelief even to give it a fair shot. I think that I may just have to move on from Simone St. James

DNF @ 25% ish. I have really enjoyed Simone St. James’ books in the past, but for some reason I just have not been able to connect with this one and push forward. I believe this is a me problem and encourage all readers to give Murder Road a try for themselves.

"I didn't like guns as a kid...Didn't even like them as toys. And there I was, years later, and I knew how to kill people"

this was so disappointing like she really had me in the first 50 pages, the mystery was intriguing and creepy and this town was so weird, and I loved Rose as a character and wanted to read more of her, but oh boy did it go downhill. The two main characters were so dull and their tragic, hidden backstories were so obvious, so many of the "plot twists" were cringy, and everything that happened was oh so convenient. The last 50 pages had me groaning from how awfully things tied up and the fact there was 50 more pages of nothing happening except what we already knew.

This definitely feels like a departure for St. James from her other work. There's a lot of her hallmarks here, but there's also a lot of hallmarks missing. I don't think I liked it as much as her last few, I was able to guess some of the twists, but it was fast paced and kept my attention.

I am SO BUMMED that I didn’t love this one. Simone’s other books have all been huge hits for me and this one just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and it just fell flat for me. I still appreciated the story and the supernatural, I just wish it had more!

A thriller that’s set in Michigan written by Simone St. James? Yes please! This book immediately grabbed me, hook, line and sinker! I loved the suspense and twists in this book. They just kept coming! Every time I thought I figured it out, there was another twist which lead me to believe it was someone else. This was a fast paced book that kept me on the edge of my seat, and the whole hitchhiker thing? That just creeped me out! I also liked how she slowly incorporated the history about each character giving us a better insight of their past, leading us to start questioning whether that particular character had anything to do with the murders (at least for me it did). It made it even better that information would randomly pop up during the most inopportune times, almost as if to put them into the position of “getting caught with their pants down”, causing them to look even more guilty.
This was a really intriguing gripping story that I had a hard time putting down. I tore right through it! I’ll definitely be reading more by this author!
Thank you Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Simone St. James for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Do you have any authors that you'll read without even knowing what the story is about, like just give me the book, I know I'm going to be thoroughly entertained? Simone St. James is one of those authors for me. Since I first discovered her books, I have absolutely loved the weird, spooky, creepy rides that she takes me on. And I love each new book more than the previous one. How does she do that? I totally devour each and every one of her stories!

Murder Road is an exciting, breathtaking thriller with the right amount of supernatural happenings, things that could, maybe, really occur... maybe. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and totally loved everything about it. The twist that ties it all together is mind-blowing.

I highly recommend Murder Road but be prepared to spend some time with April and Eddie because you won't be able to rest until they do.

3 stars

Eerie and atmospheric!

A young newlywed couple travels to a small town for their honeymoon where they end up involved in a long standing cold case police investigation.

The beginning of this book was full of atmosphere, tension and mystery. The author had me curious from the very first page. The 90’s nostalgia was entertaining and I loved the small town setting.

Although my interest did lessen in the second half, I was invested in finding out how the story would come together. I liked the characters, but can’t say that I completely connected with them as my investment in them did trail off near the end. They were entertaining but not people that I truly cared for and their behaviour and decisions became overly dramatic near the end.

Overall, this was an entertaining popcorn thriller that was easy to fly through but not a stand out in the genre. I usually connect stronger with this authors work, so this definitely wasn’t her best for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

Not my favorite Simone St. James. I felt the story was lacking and didn’t hold my attention the way her books typically do.

TITLE: MURDER ROAD
AUTHOR: Simone St James
PUB DATE: 03.05.2024

A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases.

THOUGHTS:

I love a good supernatural thriller and this is something I expect from Simone St James - her writing is always well paced, chilling, and with a fantastic backstory for each of her characters. St James just knows how to scare enough to give me the heebie jeebies and putting me, the readers in one of the most eerie part of a road trip - you know the plot- lost and you pick up a hitchhiker, then there is blood and all hell breaks loose? Yes that one but there is always an unexpected twist that will always surprise you. Now that is brilliant.

I really loved the atmosphere of Murder Road. I did find it a little predictable and some of the reveals a little irrelevant to the story line. I would have loved to learn more about the other victims as well. Otherwise a pretty decent and creepy book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

I love Simone St. James books and this was no exception. Twisted through the end, it was definitely a gripping thriller.

This book was so freaky. Simone St. James always manages to freak me out. Her writing is so descriptive. The scene where they thought they saw someone in the back of the truck gave me nightmares! Loved this story, really kept me interested and I've already recommended it to others who love this genre!

Simone St. James has once again delivered a perfectly thrilling paranormal time. I was on the edge of my seat as I tagged along to the investigations of a long standing, creepy as all get out, urban legend in a small town. Between the terrifying encounters with a hitchhiking entity, to uncovering dark secrets of the town's past and present, this thriller is definitely one to read at night--but make sure you leave a light on!

A supernatural thriller with nostalgic 90s vibes. Eddie and April are driving to their honeymoon hotel when they take a “shortcut” along a dark and barren road and see a bloody girl on the side of the road. They stop to help her and after their attempt at a good deed are now suspects of a murder investigation.

You know how when you’re watching a horror movie and the protagonists make poor decisions and you end up screaming at the tv for them to run away? This book was like that. Full of creepiness and mystery, I was hooked from the beginning. The ending was executed better than I expected. This was my first Simone St. James book but won’t be the last.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC. Murder Road is out now.

This was a bit out of my element with the supernatural aspects but I was game for it. The book was worth reading. I was surprised at the twists in the plot. The characters were very clearly distinguished. I'll read other Simone St. James books.

In July 1995, April and Eddie are driving to their honeymoon when they pick up a hitchhiker along a dark Michigan road. When the hitchhiker dies, April and Eddie quickly become the only suspects. They decide to clear their own names and discover that the road is known for a string of murders going back to the 1970’s and the local legend of the Lost Girl.

Simone St. James does it again with another brilliant ghost story. I loved April and Eddie and that this book was set in 1995. It gave it such an eerie feeling since there were no cell phones or GPS then. It also had a nostalgic feeling for me with the pop culture references since I grew up in the 90’s.

St. James always blends genres so well and Murder Road was no exception. This is a paranormal story blended with a mystery, and it worked so well for this book. April and Eddie’s characters were fleshed out really well, and I enjoyed learning about the secrets of their pasts while trying to uncover the mystery of the Atticus Line. There are some exceptional secondary characters in this book as well. Rose and the Snell sisters were fantastic and put a little humor into an otherwise dark and serious story.

I thought the ghost story was done really well. The Lost Girl had an urban legend feel that worked so well with the small town setting and dark highway that April and Eddie encountered her on. The way the story ties itself together in the end really blew my mind. There were definitely some chilling and frightening moments in this book which made it the perfect spooky read for me!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Definitely not my favorite of this authors. I loved the 90s setting. No cells phones and having to go to the library? Yes but the mystery in this one was pretty lame

I didn't read the description before starting this one, so I loved not knowing what to expect. I had thought it was just a straightforward thriller. The supernatural elements came as a creepy surprise. I liked the 90s setting, I feel like mystery/thriller books are a lot more fun without modern tech. The nostalgia was there, but it didn't feel overdone. I liked the weird small town setting where everyone seemed to have secrets and no one could be trusted. The story had a lot of twists and I never saw a lot of them coming. Overall, a 4.5 star read, another hit from St. James.

Simone St James never disappoints, and Murder Road is no exception. It was fast paced and has all the vibes of a supernatural horror film and I loved every second of it.