Murder Road by Simone St. James
Horror/Suspense
March 5, 2024- Berkley
ARC

Review by Angela

Simone St. James sets her newest suspense novel in Michigan in 1995. April and Eddie are on their way to a honeymoon cabin when they get lost and end up on a deserted road, Atticus Lane. Eddie pulls over when he spies a woman hitchhiking, injured and scared. Discovering the severity of her injuries, they take her to a local hospital and quickly find themselves the main suspects in a murder investigation. Now stuck in Coldlake Falls, they find themselves doing a little investigating of their own. And what they discover is that murders have been occurring on this road for years, and the police will do anything to solve the crimes.

This was a fantastic, creepy murder mystery. A bit different from this author’s usual storytelling style, there is no back and forth timeline- but it worked for me, nonetheless. I don’t think there is anything Simone St. James will write that won’t work for me. Part of the murder mystery revolves around a series of murders that have occurred on the deserted back road where the newly married couple pick up the injured woman, and part is April and Eddie’s own backgrounds.

I at first thought that April’s tumultuous and sketchy past would be the thing that would end up being the bridge that would connect all the pieces together at the end… but I was wrong. I was surprised, and pleased, at the way this author wrapped everything up.

One of the things I love about this author’s books is that they defy genre classification. There is always a supernatural, gothic element, but the suspense is always at the forefront and as with Murder Road, a mystery that holds readers captivated.

Another winner from Simone St. James. Definitely recommend.

Grade- B+