Jan 10, 2016

Book Review: River Road by Carol Goodman

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Snow came down suddenly today after a night of cold rain. It's keeping me indoors, plus a sore throat and the sniffles. Good weather for reading.


River Road by Carol Goodman, to be released January 19, 2016 by Touchstone
Genre: suspense

I received this book last week and finished it in two days. Set in a college town in upstate New York, the story is quite compelling. The main character, Nan Lewis, is a creative writing professor who is fighting alcohol addiction and grief over the death of her four-year-old daughter Emily years earlier.


She finds out she is denied tenure during a staff party and drives home that snowy night, hitting a deer that suddenly appeared at a sharp curve of the road, at the same spot her daughter Emily had been hit and killed in a car accident years before.


Nan is sure she hit only a deer, though she can't find sign of the animal after she exits her car and searches. The next day, however, she becomes a suspect in a hit and run accident that killed one of her college students in the same area and at around the same time she hit the deer.  How did this happen and what is the truth, Nan struggles to find out. 


The plot is suspenseful and the characters well drawn. A well written and plotted novel. I enjoyed reading about creative writing students and their teachers and the literary references throughout the book. 


Objective rating: a five-star read. 


Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary review copy. 

19 comments:

  1. I am sorry to hear you are feeling under the weather. I have been wanting to read River Road and am glad you liked it so much! Have a great week and feel better soon!

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    1. Thanks. still sneezing a lot. Good excuse not to be the one to go out and shovel the sidewalks :)

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  2. This one sounds good to me. Have you read other books by this author? She's one that I've meant to read for a long time. I probably have one or two of her earlier books around.

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    1. Kay, I have to look up her other books as I do like her writing.

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  3. Tis the season for bad weather, must have lots of candles and books on hand. Hope you feel better soon. Happy New Year.

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    1. I had to go looking for a book to suit my mood. My sniffles are making me extra fussy!

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  4. This one sounds really good. Thanks for sharing. Feel better!

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    1. Thanks, Lori. Still sneezing, but taking bird photos through the window to distract myself.

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  5. I just got this last week so I'm glad to see it's a 5 star read!

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  6. That sounds excellent, I wonder what is happening, alcohol, set up or just timing..... hmmmm Thanks Harvee

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  7. I've enjoyed this author in the past and also received this book. Glad to read u enjoyed it so much.

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  8. I hope you feel better soon...River Road looks like my kind of read. I'm glad you enjoyed it....and thanks for sharing.

    Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  9. River Road sounds really good. Thank you for the nice review. You can see mine here: http://theresaraymer.blogspot.com/

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  10. Cold weather and sniffles indeed invite warm inside reading. Good that River Road was a great book.

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  11. Sounds interesting! I hope you feel better soon!

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  12. I hate winter weather. Feel better soon!

    River Road sounds good - a thriller with literary references is right up my alley.

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  13. I'm glad you enjoyed the book, and I hope you feel better soon.

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  14. River Road sounds excellent.

    Thanks for sharing, and I hope you are having a good week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

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