Murder Road by Simone St. James – a Review

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Description:
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 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.

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.

Review:

Murder Road by Simone St. James is another one of her excellent psychological thrillers.  Murder Road takes place in the summer of 1995, centered between newlyweds April and Eddie. They are embarking on road trip to for their honeymoon destination, only to discover they had taken a wrong turn to Coldlake Falls; as they end up on a deserted highway called Atticus Line. On the dark road, a flash of lightning shows a woman slowly walking; they stop and offer her a ride, which she hesitates, but then accepts.  April notices blood on the girl, and they rush to find a hospital, to help the her; who in a short period dies. 

 Detectives Quentin and Beam show up at the hospital, and after being interrogated, they warn April and Eddie, not to leave town.  Instead of being good Samaritans, they now are considered suspects. Unexplained murders have been happening along the Atticus line for many years, and legend has it that a vengeful spirit roams the road, hunting for hitchhikers.  Rumors say twenty years ago, someone was murdered, unable to identify her, they name her Jane Doe, but legend calls her The Lost Girl.

Unable to leave, April and Eddie manage to have the owner of a B&B allow them to stay. At first Rose, was very weird, but in a short time, Rose opens up, and beings to help them, explaining the stories from the past. They learn more about the ghostly legends of The Lost Girl.  They also meet Beatrice and Gracie Snell, two teenage sisters, who are wannabe detectives, with lots of information about the missing people.  Truly, they were better then the detectives.  Both Eddie and April have their own secrets, which neither knew about; they both suffered from domestic abuse, adoptions, and personal drama.  As we reach closer to the end, there is a surprise that will reveal some things from the past.  Besides that, I really liked April and Eddie.

What follows is an exciting, dark, suspenseful and creepy mystery in both time periods, which kept me hooked to find out what happened.  Murder Road was an exciting and awesome mystery, with a slight paranormal element, as well as being chilling and captivating.  The mystery has so many surprises, which were gripping and horrifying at times; a page turner all the way. Simone St. James did an amazing job writing this captivating thriller. If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers with a ghostly background, you should be reading Murder Road.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher