No Road Home: A Novel
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 93 ratings
Price: 17.71
Last update: 09-08-2024
About this item
In this “whip-smart, horror-tinged whodunnit in the style of early Stephen King” (Julia Bartz, New York Times bestselling author), a young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his wealthy new wife’s televangelist grandfather is found murdered.
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).
Top reviews from the United States
John Fram
Entertaining and full of commentary, John Fram’s summer horror release was as much fun to read as it is to write about. It’s twisty and twisted and it’s the book I’m talking about today.
Toby loves Alyssa. Alyssa loves Toby. And his son, Lucas. Recently married Alyssa is bringing Toby home to meet her notorious religious family.
Toby thinks he is prepared and would do anything for Alyssa so as they approach the sprawling estate, he tries to put all his misgivings aside. Whatever happens, she’s worth it.
Once they arrive it becomes abundantly clear that Alyssa has downplayed how wealthy her family is, how creepy they are, and how “religion” is referring to The Old Testament.
Her family runs a huge church that televises their sermons and events. Each family member is expected to work for the church and participate in the televised sermons.
It takes a while for this to dawn on Toby that this now includes him and Lucas. Before he can wrap his mind around this fact the patriarch of the family ends up dead. Toby’s focus becomes how to keep him and Lucas safe and get them out of the creepy house.
What he doesn't know is that it'll take everything he has within him to make that happen.
Toby is a frustrating character. He often walks hand in hand with the things that ail him and walks arm-in-arm into death with the monsters that are killing him.
Addiction horror is scary to those who have danced with the devil and lived. Black horror is both terrifying and affirming. And touching on those themes successfully all while having a religious horror backdrop was an effective combination.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure!
NO ROAD HOME…⭐⭐⭐⭐
Toby Tucker has married Alyssa Wright and with her and his son Luca they travel to Alyssa's parents house to stay for for a bit. Alyssa is the granddaughter of an extremely famous televangelist and the majority of her family works for his church.
Upon arriving at the Wright family compound, Toby feels uneasy right off the bat. The family has plans for his son, who seems to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community, but the author doesn't really come out and say that (though LGBT and Queer is listed as genres on goodreads), instead Luca is just referred to as "sensitive", which is extremely offensive and off putting.
The night of arrival culminates in a catastrophic storm that blocks the roads and leaves them without power. During this time Alyssa's grandfather is found murdered and all fingers start to point at Toby. Meanwhile, Luca starts talking about a black figure in a suit that has unfinished business. Not to mention that the family still is trying to use Luca for their gain.
No Road Home was an extremely weird book. I was not expecting the storyline to go the way it went and found most of it to be kind of lackluster. For the most part, there were not many likeable characters except Toby and Luca, but the fact that Toby called his son "sensitive" repeatedly made me like him a bit less.
For the most part, at lot of the background on the religious extremism seems to track. The wealth and manipulation that was mentioned in No Road Home, is definitely what you see happening in the real world. The paranormal aspect to the book was a bit interesting, but didn't fully draw me in. I don't know there was just something missing from the storyline that I can't quite put my finger on.
I must admit that until the climax of the book I was going to give this 2 stars, but the huge reveal drew me in. I didn't see the twists coming and I really loved the way the storyline came to a close, it was extremely satisfying.