Book Review: Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon

My Rating : ⭐⭐⭐

When twenty-year-old Eden Perry is found murdered in a house on Locust Lane in an affluent Boston suburb, three teenagers Hannah, Jack, and Christopher who were the last to see her alive are suspected to be involved. While Eden’s mother wants justice for her daughter, the families of the teens scramble to protect their children, often turning against one another while juggling their own complicated family issues. Added to the fray is an unreliable witness who might have seen the killer. Who killed Eden and why? Drugs, money, love or is there more to the story?

Stephen Amidon’s Locust Lane has its share of murder, lies, indiscretions, cover-ups, and a whole lot of family drama. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Patrick, an alcoholic who is grieving the loss of his own daughter due to a drug overdose and who might have seen the killer while driving on Locust Lane, Danielle (Eden's mother), Alice (Hannah's stepmother), Michel (Christopher's father), and Celia (Jack's mother). I liked the plot structure and found the writing in tense moments quite compelling. Realistic characters (most of whom are flawed and unlikable), strong dialogue (in parts) and a powerful ending (the final 25% was a gripping read) are the strengths of this narrative. Please note, however, this is more of a family drama with a murder mystery at its core than a “thriller” in the true sense of the term. On that note, I found the writing a tad too descriptive and more than mildly repetitive. I generally have no problem with multiple perspectives but I think the pacing suffered due to the same in this book while also contributing to the repetitiveness. I was surprised that we do not get much insight into what’s going on in the minds of the teenagers barring their individual versions (often more than one) of the events from the night of the murder that they share with the adults. I do feel that the mystery angle was well-executed but the “drama” was a bit too much and often took the focus away from the mystery. I do enjoy domestic thrillers only when there is a balance between “domestic” and “thriller” which sadly was not the case with this story.

In short, while I did not dislike Locust Lane, I did not love it.

Many thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due for release on January 17, 2023.