Good hitchhiker serial killer mystery, though I have to think the only reason it was set in the nineties was to avoid the cell phone obstacle. Spooky, mysterious, and good character history woven in. ( )

As the novel begins, we meet newlyweds April & Eddie in 1995 en route to their honeymoon destination near Lake Michigan. They realize they have lost their way when they find themselves on a deserted stretch of road where they encounter a grievously injured hitchhiker, Rhonda Jean, whom they rush to the nearest hospital. Tragically, the young woman succumbs to her injuries and the police deem them persons of interest. It is revealed that Rhonda Jean’s death was not an isolated incident and several hitchhikers had been killed on Atticus Line in separate incidents over the last twenty years. Forced to stay back in Coldlake Falls as the local authorities investigate, Eddie and April embark on their own investigation into the town and the murders in an effort to clear their name.

I was intrigued by the premise Murder Road by Simone St. James. Atmospheric and suspenseful, this novel had a lot to offer. The paranormal element was interesting ( I don’t dabble much in this genre, but I do like the author’s way of incorporating the surreal elements into her plotlines!) and the sub-plots were well woven into the narrative which flows well. But after a strong start, I found aspects of the plot a tad too contrived to fully enjoy. While I can’t say that I disliked this novel in its entirety, guessing a large part of the “mystery” midway (it was rather obvious) left me less than engaged as the narrative progressed. I also found the outcome of one of the crucial plot points more than a tad underwhelming. I did enjoy the nineties' references, but somehow didn’t find the same integral to the story in any way. I have to admit that I found the supporting characters (The Snell sisters and Rose) more interesting than the main characters.

I paired my reading with the audiobook and I have to say that Brittany Pressley’s narration rendered this an entertaining immersion reading experience even though I wasn’t too taken with the execution of the novel overall.

However, I have enjoyed the author’s work in the past and hope to do so again in the future. ( )

Murder Road had a lot of the elements that I enjoy in murder mysteries, but I was somewhat disappointed in this latest book by this author. When I first started reading this author, I loved the mix of mystery / suspense / paranormal that could be found in the books, and found them creepy and gripping.The book did start off rather strong for me so I was hopeful at first, but then it got bogged down towards the middle and I started to lose interest. And the thing is, it wasn't that the source material was uninteresting, I think it was the way it was presented.

Newlyweds Eddie and April are the main characters in this book and I did enjoy their backstories. Both of them had some struggles in their lives and I found their perceptions of current events based on their backgrounds to be quite interesting; the whole concept that we can never leave run away from who we were is a running theme throughout this book and we have to accept that those experiences have shaped us into the people who we are today. There were a lot of repetitive thoughts and concepts though, and I got tired of April reminding us how beautiful she was even though it wasn't important to her. Really? I think the author was hung up on this concept and used 'the beautiful woman must be lying because she is beautiful' thing to the point of nausea. There really couldn't be any other reason why the police officer thought April was lying? Of course it had to do with the fact she was beautiful and was hiding something. Eddie's story fascinated me more than April's simply because I am married to a vet and understand the impact PTSD and being posted overseas can have on someone. I personally don't think enough is done for our vets so I liked that story line very much. I am definitely biased in that regard.

The story itself was actually interesting, but I wish the author had included more of the paranormal element to it, something that was very much lacking in this book. I think I was expecting something much more creepy, something with much more of a twist, but I didn't get that. I don't mind the police procedural aspect of the book as I like that kind of thing, but something paranormal thrown in would have been so interesting. I mentioned that I lost interest about halfway through the book, but I think it was the writing style, not the material, that was the cause.

Verdict
Murder Road definitely had some interesting elements to it, and there were some themes running through it that I liked. None of these things were fully developed or used in such a way to create that creepiness factor that is necessary to this type of book. There was little to no twist; in fact, I felt like there wasn't much of a denouement at all. Overall, while I didn't hate it, I didn't really like it either. If you are interested in reading this author, I recommend The Broken Girls. ( )

It is July 1995. Newlyweds Eddie Carter and his bride April Delray Carter are enroute to a honeymoon cottage on the coast of Lake Michigan. But they are lost. Instead of the interstate, they are on a dark, deserted two lane road, Atticus Line, and have no idea how they got there.
Up ahead April sees a light shining in the trees and soon they come upon a girl staggering along the roadside, head down, wearing an oversized coat. It’s 2 in the morning and Eddie and April debate whether to stop and ask if the girl needs assistance. They ultimately decide to stop and the girl, Rhonda Jean, reluctantly gets in the back seat.
April turns around to make conversation and notices that Rhonda Jean’s shirt is covered in blood and they realize that Rhonda Jean needs a hospital, the closest of which is in Coldlake Falls. As they proceed Eddie notices a large truck with bright lights speeding behind them with a girl in the bed of the truck.
When the trio turns into the hospital parking lot, the truck drives by. Unfortunately, Rhonda Jean’s injuries, stab wounds, were fatal and while Eddie and April wait at the hospital, two detectives, Quentin and Beam, show up. Eddie and April are astounded to find out that they are suspects in Rhoda Jean’s murder…that is until they find out soon after that there have been a series of unsolved hitchhiker murders along Atticus Line dating back twenty years. Eddie and April are the closest things to witnesses (and potential suspects) that Quentin has found.
The newlyweds are forbidden to leave town and are put up at a local B&B. They soon learn of an urban legend, the Lost Girl, who has haunted Atticus Line since her death in in 1976…the unidentified first victim. The legend continues that if you see a light shining in the trees, you will be the Lost Girl’s next victim.
Even though Eddie and April finally are absolved of the crime, they decide to stick around Coldlake Falls and look into the identity of the initial murder victim. The pull of the Lost Girl is too strong for them to step away. By doing so, however, secrets come to light, those of Eddie and April and the town. Will the revelation of these secrets pull Eddie and April apart or bring them closer together? Will the Lost Girl win and keep her stranglehold on them?
In an interview, Ms. St. James said that she set the time frame of the story in 1995 because it was pre-internet and people could truly get lost. There was no digital footprint or virtual directions. The victims for the most part were young, disenfranchised men and women who would not necessarily be immediately missed if they disappeared.
While the influence of the paranormal is less in Murder Road than it is in some of St. James’ other books, it still plays a significant, but not overpowering, role in this story. The police procedural with the detectives and the Carters is realistic and Quentin at times could be malicious; anything to solve a crime. The story line holds readers’ interest and St. James has populated the books with a variety of interesting characters including the unlikable Detective Quentin, the cranky B&B owner, Rose and the energetic Snell twins, who I won’t say anything about.
One reviewer said that St. James “…offered a gripping tale of crime tinged with the supernatural...” Murder Road is another Simone St. James crowd pleaser. ( )

A very unsettling book that doesn’t really go anywhere. In spite of all the shock and awe scattered throughout the pages, I just never got engaged with the characters or with the story. The characters are quite stilted and single-dimensional. The secrets revealed and the twists and turns kept me reading until the end, even though the end was unsatisfactory and left everything up in the air. ( )