Murder Road by Simone St. James is a captivating blend of a murder mystery and ghost story set in 1995. The plot follows newlyweds April and Eddie Carter who, while on their honeymoon, take a wrong turn down a deserted road and unwittingly become involved in a series of mysterious murders connected to a ghostly hitchhiker. After picking up a distressed girl who later dies from her injuries, they find themselves prime suspects in a local police investigation that uncovers a dark history of disappearances along Atticus Line, a road feared by locals.
St. James's writing masterfully weaves together suspenseful and eerie elements, drawing from urban legends and creating a spooky atmosphere. Her characters are layered, bringing depth to the emotional stakes as they confront both personal secrets and the haunting events surrounding them. While some found the narrative a bit tangled, the nostalgic 90s setting and the blend of supernatural with investigative drama kept readers engaged, marking it as a gripping read that balances twists and spine-tingling moments.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of murder, violence, blood, and trauma related to character backgrounds and plot events.
Has Romance?
While the primary focus is on the mystery, there is a medium level of romance as it explores the relationship between newlyweds April and Eddie.
From The Publisher:
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 .
July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They're looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.
When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.
Ratings (11)
Loved It (6) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (4) |
Reader Stats (29):
Read It (11) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (15) | |
Not Interested (2) |
1 comment(s)
(3.5) this was such a fun, fast paced thriller! it was my first time reading simone st james even tho many of her books are on my tbr, but it def made me wanna pick more. i really like the tropes in here, the main one (
supernatural/paranormal
-- it's not a big spoiler but it only happens 30% into the book and i wouldn't like to know) i know it's not everyone's cup of tea.
altogether, i don't think is perfect nor revolucionary, but it was a good time. some people will say this is predictable and it probably is, but my brain was not working at all to try to solve the mystery. i would rec it!
read for gabbyreads' book troop.
What can you read after
Murder Road?
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