It all started with a honeymoon, a wrong turning and a hitchhiker. Then they find them selves involved in a murder investigation. Though they are much more involved than I ever could have imagined. I was addicted to this book and read it in one day. I really enjoyed it and would like to read more from this author.

Arc review 👻

4.5 stars

This got me out of my book slump 🎉

Okay, omg. I’m so so excited and happy that I kindly received an arc copy on netgalley!

Simone st James is one of my favourite thriller authors. The stories get me EVERYTIME! This is up there as one of my favourites alongside “the sundown motel”.

This is a creepy thriller set in the 90s, a couple just married are travelling on their honeymoon when they get lost and end up on a road that is know for being haunted by The Lost girl….

I was soo freaked out the entire time, I couldn’t stop reading.

Highly recommend this when it releases, I had such a fun time reading it!

First of all I would just like to thank NetGalley, Simone St. James and Michael Joseph for an ARC of "Murder Road” in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an intriguing premise and I do love a good ghost story. This is a hauntingly tense thriller/horror, with an abundance of murder mystery.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well executed and the actual horror elements delivered the creep factor that I went into this hoping for. It kept me guessing until the end and there are multiple red herrings to lead you astray throughout.

The end fell slightly flat for me and I found some plot points to not be integral or relevant to the ongoing narrative. However, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a solid thriller that will constantly keep you on the edge of your seat and second guessing everything that you’ve read.

I would definitely recommend this to thriller/horror fans in need of a good ghost-centric mystery.

This book was creepy and strange and had me hooked! It's not very often books gibe me the jumps but this one had a couple of moments! Well worth a read!

I was pretty excited about this book and it started off quite good but I soon lost interest. It was too slow for me and I guess it built up the atmosphere but it didn’t work as well. Not for me.

I am a big fan of this author so I had high expectations of this book, and I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. The book is set in the 1990's, and starts with newlyweds pulling over to help someone on the side of the road on a deserted highway en route to their honeymoon. Things go badly awry from there. The writing was pacy and it's a cracking story which swept me along, I read it in one sitting. I would recommend this for readers who like a hefty dose of the supernatural .

I'm a huge fan of this author and this is the best book yet! I flew through this, was utterly captivated from the first page, brilliant well paced page turner!

I was eager to dive into "Murder Road" by Simone St. James, drawn in by the supernatural and spooky horror premise. Unfortunately, I found the writing somewhat immature, forced in its attempt to capture the 90s vibe, ultimately falling flat. The advanced reader copy I received as an e-book had missing letters, particularly the letter 'F,' making it challenging to decipher words and hindering the overall reading experience. As someone with a criminology background, the portrayal of police officers in the book did not align with my understanding, possibly due to my legal knowledge. While this book might not have resonated with me, I will continue exploring Simone St. James's other works, as I have enjoyed them.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy, I appreciate it.

First of all I would like to say congratulations to Simone on her new book! Regardless of my opinions or views on a book, I am always amazed at authors creativity and ability to write- it is something that I could never do!

I really hate to say this but I just did not enjoy this book unfortunately 😔 I loved the premise and was super excited during the first 20%, but after that it fell quite flat for me personally! This definitely felt more like a slow burn book which wouldn’t have been an issue at all had there been a bit more atmosphere and a bit more of a creepy build up. I did unfortunately struggle to get through this and, by the end, I just didn’t care. I also did not feel any sort of connection to the characters, although I did enjoy the small part of learning about their backgrounds.

Although a strong premise, this book just isn’t for me! However, I will be certainly be reading more books by Simone St James and I have already purchased The Sun Down Motel which I am very excited for!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the Arc, it is very much appreciated 🫶🏼

Murder Road by Simone St James is an excellent page-turner. I was drawn into the story very quickly, and I was finished the last page in no time at all.

My quickest read in about 12 months, I started Murder Road and literally couldn't put it down. I love Simone St. James's books, and this is, in my opinion, her best yet. Loved it.

Thank you to netgalley for this advanced copy!

I wasn’t sure at first but as the story continued, I was gripped. It’s a supernatural thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I enjoyed the characters and the author developed them so that you understood their backgrounds and how they ended up in the small town.

I would like to see more of the Snell sisters (perhaps as a second book?) as I thought that they were enjoyable!

This book is so haunting, it will keep you up all night!

Murder Road just became my favourite book of the year. I'm always looking for a ghost story that is genuinely scary and this was it for me. My heart was pounding at some moments.

Murder Road has it all. Eerie atmosphere, creepy scenes, mysterious plot and fascinating characters. It's scary without being gory, which I love.

There were lots of excellent characters. I loved Eddie and April's relationships and uncovering their secrets. The Snell sisters were super cool. B&B owner Rose turned out to be my favourite though!

If you haven't read any of Simone St James books yet then I definitely recommend this one. It's not out until the 28th March so if you can't wait til then I also recommend The Sundown Motel which is brilliant! Simone St James is a total autobuy author for me now and I can't wait to read some of her older books!

4.5 stars

“There are more things in heaven and earth [Horatio]
Than are dreamt in your philosophy”. This quote from Hamlet perfectly sums up the book.

July 1995. Wow. That’s how you start a novel, foot on the gas, 0-100 mph immediately. Eddie and April Carter are on their way to their honeymoon motel when he takes the wrong exit from the interstate. It’s dark, so dark, but then the headlights pick out a walker at the side of the road, they slow down and soon realise that something is very wrong. This is Rhonda Jean, she’s badly hurt, they persuade her to get into their car and set off for Coldlake Falls, Michigan, perilously pursued by a truck. When Rhonda dies, the couple are cast as a suspects and furthermore, it transpires that the road they pick her up on is Atticus Line, and Rhoda isn’t the first murder on that road, not by a long chalk. This is the Murder Road. What follows is certainly not the honeymoon that April hopes for as she narrates the mysterious and atmospheric tale.

Oh my days. To say there is tension in the air from the start is an understatement. From the get go, I have so many questions in my head and I love books like that. First of all, there’s an air of mystery attached to April. Who is she? Where is she from? She becomes increasingly disconnected and uncertain about why they ended up on THAT road. Why did Eddie take that particular turning ? There seems no rational explanation. What does he have to say about it?? What’s his story too? The characterisation of the couple is excellent and then there are the strange characters in Coldlake Falls in particular, Detectives Quentin and Beam. They appear on the spot very rapidly and that seems odd. They then seem to be playing an unpredictable game of cat and mouse with the couple and you feel their confusion. Then we have to consider their strange landlady, Rose, at the B and B the detectives insist they stay at. After an unpromising start, Rose thaws and begins to help them especially about the Murder Road and the ghostly legends of the Lost Girl. “If you see her you’ll be next “. This part of the storytelling is fantastic and riveting.

This well written novel is chock full of moments of fear, of mounting dread, its sinister, eerie, spooky and downright creepy at times with some fantastic imagery so you can picture scenes vividly. There are moments when there is tangible menace, your nerves jangle and chills go up and down the spine. Some scenes are so suspenseful with tension that is so taut I realise I’ve held my breath. When the truth comes, well now, that’s a stranger thing though perhaps the ending could have packed more of a punch since what precedes it sure does.

Overall, it’s chilling and gripping and at times a horrifying supernatural tale and a definite page turner. The 90’s timescale perfectly fits and the context is excellent. At times it put me in mind of “Don’t look now” … and that still creeps me out all these years later!! This is a novel that will stick in the mind.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Newlyweds April & Eddie are lost, driving down a dark country road. They see someone walking beside the road. They stop to help. It’s a young woman who’s been stabbed. They must rush her to the nearest hospital.
They are picked up by the police at the hospital, prime suspects for a crime they didn’t commit.
It’s a ghost story. It’s not in the slightest bit scary.
Thank you for an advanced copy.

I love a horror read so this book was made for me, it also made me not want to stop for anyone for the fear of ending up on murder road!

I am a huge fan of Simone St James, in particular The Sundown Motel, so imagine my excitement when my ARC request of Murder Road was approved.

This story follows newly weds Eddie and April as they are heading to their honeymoon. They find themselves taking a wrong turn and lost which leads them down a dark and dangerous path. While lost they find a young girl who has been stabbed on the side of the road. When they find themselves suspects they decide to take the investigation into their own hands.

I loved the narrative of this book. Simone St James always makes her books descriptive and this is not different - it was so much more than just reading a book, it feels like you're there. Her stories all seem to be more than your typical thriller/mystery, I love how there is an element of the supernatural in too.

I preferred The Sundown Motel, but I still thought this was an excellent read and I gave it 5 stars.

Thanks to #netgalley and #berkleypublishing for the opportunity to read this ARC copy of Murder Road - I loved it!

No good dead goes unpunished right? For Eddie and April, their good dead of picking up a stricken women leads them into a nightmare worth of any horror film. The narrative in this is superb, the tale is twisted, dark and really creepy!! I am off to look up the author’s other work now!

I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of Murder Road by Simone St James . I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Sun Down Motel ' and this author's new novel was one of my most highly anticipated reads of this year.

Due to be published in March the novel follows the unsettling story of April and Eddie whom have taken a wrong turn on the journey to the small resort town where they are due to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

Whilst I don't want to give away any spoilers from this moment April and Eddie are thrown into a unsettling mysterious plot which kept me guessing throughout. There were lots of twists and turns which kept me completely immersed and invested in how the story would unfold. The novel was a page turner from start to finish and I wouldn't expect anything else from this great author .
The author has a great way of emphasising the eeriness of the deserted highway and the whole story was an atmospheric blend of thriller / horror / paranormal with an extra throw in of the traditional urban legend .
Although the ending was slightly underwhelming it was an overall enjoyable read and I can't wait to look at the rest of this author's back catalogue. Thankyou #NetGalley #MurderRoad
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Wow this book took me on a wild ride from start to finish! Eddie and April Carter both with history found each other and was on their way to a resort to celebrate their honeymoon. But those plans changed when they picked up a hitchhiker. From there their lives spiraled! Thank you to the publisher for a copy.