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A review by _onemorechapter_
Murder Road by Simone St. James
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
๐ญMurder Road centers on a married couple, lost on their way to their honeymoon destination. They pick up a hitchhiker on an abandoned road, a hitchhiker who turns out to be grievously injured. After doing the right thing of bringing the girl to the hospital, April and Eddie Carter find themselves SUSPECTS in what ends up being the girl's death. As the couple digs into the history of the town while the investigation begins, they start noticing that the town has some secrets of their own. Some secrets that they can't quite comprehend and April has secrets of her own that she doesn't want being discovered as well.
Simone is the Queen of ghost stories and I loved some of her previous books. She always delivers a dual timeline book that keeps me flipping pages long into the night. She is my go-to author for all things spooky, creepy, and twisty. I absolutely love how she incorporates the supernatural, and also a little bit of horror into her storylines.
Murder Road has a strong start. In fact, I was very intrigued by the first 1/3 or so. There were quite a few mystery carrots dangled that I looked forward to uncovering answers for. The plot was good and engaging with the mix of supernatural elements but unfortunately still fell flat for me. I normally get shivers down my spine, and goosebumps all over my arms when I read Simone's thriller, but I just didnโt get the same vibes from Murder Road for some reason. I canโt put my finger on exactly why, but mostly, the writing just didnโt seem as strong this time around hence the 3.5 stars.
Murder Road is not a bad novel, but I felt it could have done a lot more with its premise. I expected more of an eerie atmosphere or frankly more death at least. 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.
Most obviously, the book lacks the atmosphere that The Sun Down Motel was absolutely steeped in. There is barely any description: the writing is very functional, switching between the narrator's internal monologue as she tries to figure things out and dialogue with other characters. I was disappointed by the urban legend/supernatural factor of the Lost Girl, who is said to kill hitchhikers on a lonesome highway, and how it didn't quite expand upon itself in ways that I was hoping for.
A lot of the mystery was easy - everyone they(Couple) spoke to told them something, clues were found easily, and there were 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. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the main couple. They were extremely likeable and you cannot help but root for both of them throughout the book. Every character in this book is beautifully written. Here we have damaged people on a search for redemption, and each one is expertly crafted. I even liked the addition of the kooky side characters (I would read a series of mysteries solved by Gracie and Beatrice).
Overall, I don't think it's the BEST ghostly mystery/thriller I've read, but it is an interesting take on the genre. I still enjoyed this one, but just not as much as her past thrillers.
๐.๐ My favorite part of this book? The dedication: For anyone who was told theyโre weird because they read too much. Because youโre not, and you donโt. ๐
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.5
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.03 (1969)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐:Mystery, Thriller, Horror Fiction and Paranormal Fiction
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes!!
๐ธ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐:
"Assert your authority, I wanted to tell him. Act like you are already in control. Thatโs how you dominate someone bigger than you."
"Helplessness gets you nowhere."
"You canโt run from your demons foreverโsometimes you have to walk into them head-on."
"Stories donโt always end the way theyโre supposed to. They donโt always end at all."
Simone is the Queen of ghost stories and I loved some of her previous books. She always delivers a dual timeline book that keeps me flipping pages long into the night. She is my go-to author for all things spooky, creepy, and twisty. I absolutely love how she incorporates the supernatural, and also a little bit of horror into her storylines.
Murder Road has a strong start. In fact, I was very intrigued by the first 1/3 or so. There were quite a few mystery carrots dangled that I looked forward to uncovering answers for. The plot was good and engaging with the mix of supernatural elements but unfortunately still fell flat for me. I normally get shivers down my spine, and goosebumps all over my arms when I read Simone's thriller, but I just didnโt get the same vibes from Murder Road for some reason. I canโt put my finger on exactly why, but mostly, the writing just didnโt seem as strong this time around hence the 3.5 stars.
Murder Road is not a bad novel, but I felt it could have done a lot more with its premise. I expected more of an eerie atmosphere or frankly more death at least. 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.
Most obviously, the book lacks the atmosphere that The Sun Down Motel was absolutely steeped in. There is barely any description: the writing is very functional, switching between the narrator's internal monologue as she tries to figure things out and dialogue with other characters. I was disappointed by the urban legend/supernatural factor of the Lost Girl, who is said to kill hitchhikers on a lonesome highway, and how it didn't quite expand upon itself in ways that I was hoping for.
A lot of the mystery was easy - everyone they(Couple) spoke to told them something, clues were found easily, and there were 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. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the main couple. They were extremely likeable and you cannot help but root for both of them throughout the book. Every character in this book is beautifully written. Here we have damaged people on a search for redemption, and each one is expertly crafted. I even liked the addition of the kooky side characters (I would read a series of mysteries solved by Gracie and Beatrice).
Overall, I don't think it's the BEST ghostly mystery/thriller I've read, but it is an interesting take on the genre. I still enjoyed this one, but just not as much as her past thrillers.
๐.๐ My favorite part of this book? The dedication: For anyone who was told theyโre weird because they read too much. Because youโre not, and you donโt. ๐
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.5
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.03 (1969)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐:Mystery, Thriller, Horror Fiction and Paranormal Fiction
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes!!
๐ธ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐:
"Assert your authority, I wanted to tell him. Act like you are already in control. Thatโs how you dominate someone bigger than you."
"Helplessness gets you nowhere."
"You canโt run from your demons foreverโsometimes you have to walk into them head-on."
"Stories donโt always end the way theyโre supposed to. They donโt always end at all."