Wednesday, August 7, 2024

No Road Home by John Fram Book Review

About the Book:


For years, single father Toby Tucker has done his best to keep his sensitive young son, Luca, safe from the bigotry of the world. But when Toby marries Alyssa Wright—the granddaughter of a famed televangelist known for his grandiose Old Testament preaching—he can’t imagine the world of religion, wealth, and hate that he and Luca are about to enter.

A trip to the Wright family’s compound in sun-scorched Texas soon turns hellish when Toby realizes that Alyssa and the rest of her brood have dangerous plans for him and his son. The situation only grows worse when a freak storm cuts off the roads and the family patriarch is found murdered, stabbed in the chest on the roof of their sprawling mansion.

Suspicion immediately turns to Toby, but when his son starts describing a spectral figure in a black suit lurking around the house with unfinished business in mind, Toby realizes this family has more than murderer to conceal—and to fear.

As the Wrights close in on Luca, no one is prepared for the lengths Toby will go in the fight to clear his name and protect his son in this “grand gothic story as enthralling as it is terrifying” (S.A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author).

My Review:

I did not find this book particularly engaging. Reading it was slow going. While I liked the child Luca, the other characters were not ones I liked much at all, especially the Wright family members. The plot is sort of the locked room style with a murder while a storm cuts off access to the house. There were good twists at the end that I did not see coming.

There are a number of issues covered in the book, many might be trigger issues for some readers. I felt the book is longer than it needed to be and I got lost sometimes, the narrative jumping time. Others may find this novel well written. It was just not for me.

My rating: 3/5 stars.


About the Author:


John Fram is the author of the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller The Bright Lands and No Road Home. He has written for The Atlantic and The New York Times. A native of Texas, he lives in Waco and Austin. Photo by Luke Fontana.

Atria Books, 416 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

No comments: