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boomwormbrittany's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Murder Road follows April and Eddie who are driving to their honeymoon in July 1995 when they end up on a random backroad. As they are driving they pick up a girl who is badly injured and ends up dying later in the hospital and they are made the main suspects. Now they are working to unravel the mystery of the murders on this road in the past few years.
I thought this was a pretty interesting thriller/mystery novel to read. I really like Simone St. James writing and it seems to get stronger as she continues on writing. However I did find that this book, although supposed to be set in 1995, didn't really strongly show that part of the story well. Besides mentions of a few 1995 events, it wasn't very clear the time period and this could have taken place in any time.
I also found myself sometimes annoyed with April as a main character because she would always allude to this "deep dark past secret" she had but it all really led up to nothing at all. Same goes with Eddie and his discharge from the military. I thought that they could have been fleshed out more as characters and a couple as I didn't believe their chemistry.
Also the explanation of the cause of the murders and the "twist" I had already guessed before about halfway through this book so I wasn't really surprised by it. I also thought this could have been strengthened better as well.
Overall, I thought this was just an okay book, not one I really loved or hated. If you are interested in picking it up, I would encourage you to give it a try.
I thought this was a pretty interesting thriller/mystery novel to read. I really like Simone St. James writing and it seems to get stronger as she continues on writing. However I did find that this book, although supposed to be set in 1995, didn't really strongly show that part of the story well. Besides mentions of a few 1995 events, it wasn't very clear the time period and this could have taken place in any time.
I also found myself sometimes annoyed with April as a main character because she would always allude to this "deep dark past secret" she had but it all really led up to nothing at all. Same goes with Eddie and his discharge from the military. I thought that they could have been fleshed out more as characters and a couple as I didn't believe their chemistry.
Also the explanation of the cause of the murders and the "twist" I had already guessed before about halfway through this book so I wasn't really surprised by it. I also thought this could have been strengthened better as well.
Overall, I thought this was just an okay book, not one I really loved or hated. If you are interested in picking it up, I would encourage you to give it a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Toxic relationship
audreylee's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The atmosphere was prime. Creepy and intense. Most of the characters felt true; however, one central character felt inconsistent. There were many various threads in this story and a few too many unanswered questions but it was still an excellent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse
hannahshardbacks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
luverbyrd's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Terminal illness, and Murder
shesflippinpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Stalking
evawondergem's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Gun violence
soobooksalot's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I've said this before, but Simone St. James is one of my auto-buy authors.
Hands-down, no question. Murder Road was everything I have come to expect from her and more. Loved it.
Murder Road doesn't take place in a dual timeline like her others. It's 1995, and newlyweds April and Eddie find themselves on a wrong road en route to their honeymoon destination.
They come to learn the storied and tragic history of Atticus Line and find themselves being investigated for the most recent murder.
This is a thriller with a touch of the supernatural, and Murder Road's "Lost Girl" won't be one to soon forget.
Recommended!
Hands-down, no question. Murder Road was everything I have come to expect from her and more. Loved it.
Murder Road doesn't take place in a dual timeline like her others. It's 1995, and newlyweds April and Eddie find themselves on a wrong road en route to their honeymoon destination.
They come to learn the storied and tragic history of Atticus Line and find themselves being investigated for the most recent murder.
This is a thriller with a touch of the supernatural, and Murder Road's "Lost Girl" won't be one to soon forget.
Recommended!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Murder, Car accident, and Mental illness
achay91's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Drug use and Sexual content
dblue236's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This author is rapidly becoming one of my favorites, and this might possibly be her best yet- of the ones I've read, at least. I loved the creepy horror movie feel of the story and while there was at least one aspect of the twist toward the end that was predictable, I still loved watching it play out. I couldn't put this down and burned through it in about a day and a half, and I can't wait for the next one from Simone St. James!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Drug abuse, and Cancer
clarke's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Murder Road was enjoyable for the most part.. I will try to review with as minimal spoilers as possible. I feel like the description provided on netgalley doesn’t accurately depict the book you’re getting - it's mostly solving some murders with a dash of supernatural (but really not that much), not run for your life because youre next thrilling horror. I expected more of an eerie atmosphere or frankly more death at least? The actual summaries on goodreads/storygraph paint a better picture, but I hadn't looked at them prior to requesting/reading.
As for the writing: it could do with another proofread, and there were some annoying inconsistencies (like which car was where for example). The book shifted tense annoyingly - ie it varied between the past tense from April's POV, like she was telling this story/writing it (with fourth wall breaks included), right alongside the present mystery/her present moment thoughts and questions. Information about April was hidden from us as though April didn't have all of it herself, but she did and was hiding it from other characters (not that it was surprising, although I'm sure it was meant to be). This got really annoying, especially the shift between 'what's going on, who killed her??' to 'haha I know what happens' and back again, with some flashbacks added in for good measure. If I had to read her rehashing the mystery again or that Eddie had 'gone too deep and she couldn't follow' one more time?! And did you know it was their honeymoon?? It's hard to miss bc they never say it /s. The timeline/time period also seemed wonky, it could've easily been modern day without iPhones for the majority?
I can't say much about the reveal of the killer without spoiling it but the main mystery was SO OBVIOUS and then there's just a nice random person who's never been mentioned before the end to tie everything up in a bow. Except there's still questions. I also desperately need Trish to have an MRI - why did no one get her an MRI?? Tell her to go to the doctors?? Anything? (Leaving her alone bc she seems fine is not the happy ending you think it is). Otherwise, a lot of the mystery was easy - everyone they spoke to told them something, clues were found easily, and there's a lot of people willing to help these two strangers accused of murder - sleuth sisters, a woman with a not great bnb business, ghosts, you name it. It all just went a little too smoothly (although I doubt their bowel movements did, their diet did not seem great - I think there was 1 salad and 1 banana (covered in ice cream)). And WHO just leaves a house open for anyone to use and never checks on it?
I think if this was sold to me as a murder mystery, maybe I'd enjoy it more, but it's not what I was expecting. The inconsistencies in writing were annoying but not a complete deal breaker. Overall, I just wanted more. Other than the character who popped up at the end, it was all really obvious and I guessed the crux from the off. If you like murder mysteries with a supernatural element, that's 90% focused on past murders, then you will probably like this. I wanted blood and terror. I wanted desperate survival. A trend of merciless killings, with maybe a gorey opener. Not 'oh hitchhikers have been killed on this dark tree-lined road for decades and sometimes there's a light in the trees that is a ghost'. I just wanted more.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc.
As for the writing: it could do with another proofread, and there were some annoying inconsistencies (like which car was where for example). The book shifted tense annoyingly - ie it varied between the past tense from April's POV, like she was telling this story/writing it (with fourth wall breaks included), right alongside the present mystery/her present moment thoughts and questions. Information about April was hidden from us as though April didn't have all of it herself, but she did and was hiding it from other characters (not that it was surprising, although I'm sure it was meant to be). This got really annoying, especially the shift between 'what's going on, who killed her??' to 'haha I know what happens' and back again, with some flashbacks added in for good measure. If I had to read her rehashing the mystery again or that Eddie had 'gone too deep and she couldn't follow' one more time?! And did you know it was their honeymoon?? It's hard to miss bc they never say it /s. The timeline/time period also seemed wonky, it could've easily been modern day without iPhones for the majority?
I can't say much about the reveal of the killer without spoiling it but the main mystery was SO OBVIOUS and then there's just a nice random person who's never been mentioned before the end to tie everything up in a bow. Except there's still questions. I also desperately need Trish to have an MRI - why did no one get her an MRI?? Tell her to go to the doctors?? Anything? (Leaving her alone bc she seems fine is not the happy ending you think it is). Otherwise, a lot of the mystery was easy - everyone they spoke to told them something, clues were found easily, and there's a lot of people willing to help these two strangers accused of murder - sleuth sisters, a woman with a not great bnb business, ghosts, you name it. It all just went a little too smoothly (although I doubt their bowel movements did, their diet did not seem great - I think there was 1 salad and 1 banana (covered in ice cream)). And WHO just leaves a house open for anyone to use and never checks on it?
I think if this was sold to me as a murder mystery, maybe I'd enjoy it more, but it's not what I was expecting. The inconsistencies in writing were annoying but not a complete deal breaker. Overall, I just wanted more. Other than the character who popped up at the end, it was all really obvious and I guessed the crux from the off. If you like murder mysteries with a supernatural element, that's 90% focused on past murders, then you will probably like this. I wanted blood and terror. I wanted desperate survival. A trend of merciless killings, with maybe a gorey opener. Not 'oh hitchhikers have been killed on this dark tree-lined road for decades and sometimes there's a light in the trees that is a ghost'. I just wanted more.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, War, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Cancer
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