Fast Friday Review: River Road: Snow, Snow, and More Snow

River Road
by Carol Goodman
Hardcover, 288 pages
Touchstone, January 19, 2016
3 stars

Nan Lewis is driving home from a faculty holiday party at the university in upstate New York where she works after learning she has been denied tenure. Upset and tired, she's startled when she hits a deer, but even more startled when, after exiting the car, she can't locate the animal. Nan eventually gives up, instead heading home, eager to avoid the ensuing snowstorm. The next morning she is woken with the news that one of her students was hit by a car and killed – in the same location as her accident with the deer. Nan, as a result of the damage to her car, is a suspect. Shunned by the school community and haunted by memories of her daughter's accident at the same spot six years earlier, Nan must investigate to clear her name. 

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I really enjoyed Goodman's Lake of Dead Languages so I was eager to dive into this one. It's a face-paced read, with twists and turns coming fast and hard almost from the start.  The writing was atmospheric and moody, though the constant descriptions of trudging through snow got repetitive after a while. My biggest struggle with this novel was entirely wrapped up in the plot. There are enough characters with secrets to entertain the idea the idea that any one of them could have been the murderer, but I figured out the "whodunit" fairly early on. Even worse, the murderer quite the melodramatic monologue explaining her dastardly plot.  There was a touch of a romantic story line that, surprisingly, didn't feel forced. Unfortunately, I didn't like Nan, as she was a bit of a snob, looking down on her fellow coworkers and being surprised that the police officer investigating her student's death was a reader. Ultimately this book was an okay read but wasn't my favorite by Goodman.

My recommended beverage of choice for this book is a hot toddy. There is *so much* talk of snow and cold weather that just reading it was making me cold. There are many ways to make a hot toddy, but I'm a fan of the traditional version. If it ain't broken, and all of that.


The Classic Hot Toddy

1 1/2 oz brown liquor (rum, whiskey, or brandy)

1 tbsp honey

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 cup hot water

lemon wedge and cinnamon stick for garnish (optional)

Combine the first four ingredients into a warmed mug. Add the garnishes if desired.