A review by chaptersofchase
Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you, Celadon Books, for the gifted copy of Locust Lane {partner}

Genre: Slow Burn Mystery
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 1.17.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

"Relationships are negotiations. Don't judge them unless you're at the table when the deal is done."

Locust Lane is your typical wealthy families-misbehaving-mystery. Yes, it is a mystery. No, it is absolutely not a thriller.

This book is told from the POV of five characters (I had to make a character map to keep them straight); all of them are parents or step-parents. So, we never actually have a chance to hear from the kids involved with the murder.

I was invested in the first 20% of Locust Lane, but the remaining portion of the book felt like it took forever to get through. It's one of those books I did not necessarily like, but I also wanted to know how it ended. I didn't predict the ending; I had suspicions but didn't figure it out. So, that's good, at least.

The ending was lousy. I know the author was trying to make a statement regarding the wealthy vs. blue-collar, but I did not care for the book's conclusion, and it truly made me drop my rating from 3.5 to 3 stars.

✋🏼 Five POVs
💰 Affluent families behaving badly
🙅🏽‍♀️ Despised the ending
🐌 Slow burn

❌  In the very first chapter, there is a scene involving a dog being hit by a car and a few other things happening. The dog does not die, but I never felt that the dog's involvement was pertinent to the story. There are also references to rape-themed pornography and sexual assault.

I recommend reading Locust Lane if you enjoy Liane Moriarity's books.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault