Publisher: Atria Books
Date of publication: July 23rd, 2024
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, LGBT, Mystery Thriller, Queer, Paranormal, Adult, Suspense
Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | WorldCat
Goodreads Synopsis:
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 might have some very strange plans for Toby and his son. The situation only grows worse when a freak storm cuts off the roads and the family patriarch is found murdered, stabbed through the heart on the roof of the family’s 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 murder to be afraid of. And 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.
First Line:
The knife slides free, the door clicks closed and here, at last, is the rain.
Important details about No Road Home
Pace: Fast
POV: 3rd person (mainly Toby, with a couple of chapters from Luca and Julian’s POV)
Content/Trigger Guidance: No Road Home contains themes that include bullying, classism, conversion therapy, homelessness, incest, pedophilia, grooming, sexual assault, child abuse, cheating, infidelity, addiction, anxiety, depression, dissociation, alcohol consumption, drug abuse, overdose, infertility, pregnancy, blood, gore, chronic illness, dead body, loss of autonomy, medical treatment, physical illness, cancer, death of a parent, death of a sibling, grief, suffocation, confinement, knife violence, murder, attempted murder, physical assault, gun violence, and flood. Please read carefully if any of these triggers you.
Language: No Road Home contains explicit swearing and language that might offend some people.
Sexual Content: There is no sexual content on page in No Road Home.
Setting: No Road Home is set in Hebron, Texas.
My Review:
When I read the blurb for No Road Home, it caught my attention. I have a strange fascination for evangelical preachers. I don’t know why; they have always fascinated me. Anyway, when I saw that the family of such a preacher was going to be featured, I was super interested to see how messed up they were (and the book didn’t disappoint). With the main character being a man who is parenting a queer child, I was also very interested in seeing how that was going to play into this book. I wasn’t disappointed. No Road Home had me glued to it until the wee hours of the morning.
The main storyline in No Road Home is centered on Toby, his son Luca, and the hellish couple of days he spends with his new wife’s family in Texas. This storyline was twisted. Actually, it was not twisted; it was knotted. Much was happening with and around this family, and the author took his sweet time revealing everything. But the same thing can be applied to Toby. A lot was happening internally with him, and his internal issues added extra depth.
The book gets off to a slow start, but it doesn’t stay slow for long. After Jerome is found killed, everything just snowballs. Throughout the storyline, one surprise after another is revealed, and each reveal explains a little more about Toby and the Wright family. By the end of the book, this storyline was blazing fast.
The relationships in No Road Home did make the book. I liked seeing how the author defined each and changed each relationship. The one that stood out the most to me was Luca and Toby’s relationship. That was pure love. Toby was willing to do whatever it took to shield Luca from bigotry in any form. He was also willing to do whatever it took to make sure that he and Luca left the property. The other relationship that stood out was weirdly Jerome and Cora. I can’t get into that relationship without massive spoilers, but it was similar to Toby and Luca’s….except that Cora did everything for the wrong reasons.
No Road Home is huge on secrets. Every character in this book either had a secret or knew one. I was overwhelmed when the author started revealing everything because it seemed all done simultaneously.
There were quite a few mysteries with some huge twists. The author does a good job of keeping them all under wraps. My biggest one was Willow and her connection to Toby and the Wright family. That was one of the biggest twists in the book. The other twists paled in comparison but still took my breath away.
There is a paranormal angle to the book that interested me. At first, I thought what Luca was talking about was a type of imaginary friend. But the more Luca spoke about it, and what Toby found on the roof, the more I figured out not only who but also what Luca befriended (and, weirdly, who was shielding him from the family).
I have so much more to discuss, but doing so would mean revealing spoilers, and I don’t want to do that.
The end of No Road Home was quick. I liked how the author explained everything and left no storyline open. I rarely end a book like this feeling satisfied, but in this case, I did. Everyone in this book, except the victim, got what they deserved. Why except the victim? He should have been kept alive to face the music with everyone else.
Many thanks to Atria Books, NetGalley, and John Fram for allowing me to read and review this ARC of No Road Home. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
If you enjoy reading books similar to No Road Home, then you will enjoy these books:
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