Review: November Road

Summary: Set against the assassination of JFK, a poignant and evocative crime novel that centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America—a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities, and the hope of second chances from the Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone.

Frank Guidry’s luck has finally run out.

A loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans’ mob boss Carlos Marcello, Guidry has learned that everybody is expendable. But now it’s his turn—he knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Within hours of JFK’s murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead, and Guidry suspects he’s next: he was in Dallas on an errand for the boss less than two weeks before the president was shot. With few good options, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas, to see an old associate—a dangerous man who hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish.

Guidry knows that the first rule of running is "don’t stop," but when he sees a beautiful housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two little daughters and a dog in the back seat, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks from the hit men on his tail. Posing as an insurance man, Guidry offers to help Charlotte reach her destination, California. If she accompanies him to Vegas, he can help her get a new car.

For her, it’s more than a car— it’s an escape. She’s on the run too, from a stifling existence in small-town Oklahoma and a kindly husband who’s a hopeless drunk.

It’s an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope—and find each other on the way.

Charlotte sees that he’s strong and kind; Guidry discovers that she’s smart and funny. He learns that’s she determined to give herself and her kids a new life; she can’t know that he’s desperate to leave his old one behind.

Another rule—fugitives shouldn’t fall in love, especially with each other. A road isn’t just a road, it’s a trail, and Guidry’s ruthless and relentless hunters are closing in on him. But now Guidry doesn’t want to just survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time.

Everyone’s expendable, or they should be, but now Guidry just can’t throw away the woman he’s come to love.

And it might get them both killed. -- William Morrow

Without a doubt, my favorite question at Book Expo each year is, "What book are you most excited about this fall?" And one of my favorite book people (Book Club Girl) said, "NOVEMBER ROAD." Of course, her recommendation was all I needed, but I'll admit the amount of well-respected authors on Twitter who were raving about this novel and the author Lou Berney, made me even more excited to read it! Plus, NOVEMBER ROAD received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Are you getting the idea that this book is a must-read?

Well if so, you are correct! I loved, loved, loved this book in a time when I don't get to read all that often. I basically hid every day during my lunch just to escape with this novel. It's that good. The characters are so incredibly real, and the plot is suspenseful, and I could go on and on; however, it's Lou Berney's writing that makes this book absolutely amazing.

The description above for NOVEMBER ROAD is pretty detailed, so I probably don't need to add much more to that. In summary, this novel takes place in the days following JFK's assassination and follows three people who are on the run -- Charlotte, a housewife who has just left her alcoholic husband, Guidry, a street lieutenant with the New Orleans mob, and a hitman who is chasing both of them. It's definitely not Guidry's intent when he picks up Charlotte and her daughters to fall in love with her, but he finds himself not only trying to safe his own life, but also trying to make a new one with her. It's quite the ride... both for the characters and the reader!

What amazed me the most about NOVEMBER ROAD is that, while it was a really well-written suspense novel, it was perhaps even more special because of the characters and the depth of their stories. It's part mystery, part suspense, and part love-story; and it truly reflects the mood of the country during this dark time. Every page is compelling and I absolutely loved how the author explored these characters' innate desire to live life to the fullest against the backdrop of Kennedy's death.

Another aspect of this novel which I'm finding hard to explain is the pace of the story. In many ways, the novel was extremely fast paced. The entire book took place in a short period of time and the chase aspect made it feel hurried. However, there were poignant times between the Charlotte and Guidry that seemed almost slow-motion in contract to the chase. I know this isn't making much sense, but I so appreciated how these two main plotlines wove together to make a beautiful story.

NOVEMBER ROAD would make an excellent book club selection. This is literary suspense at the highest level, and the character development is outstanding. You could really analyze their choices and motivations for quite some time. In addition, there are some universal themes that would make for some interesting discussion including love, loss, fear, second chances, forgiveness, and sacrifice.

I purposely left my review for NOVEMBER ROAD a little vague -- mostly because this novel left me speechless (if you can believe that.) It will without a doubt go down as one of my favorite books of 2018 (and maybe even this past decade.) Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.