No Road Home

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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).

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See What Readers Are Saying

“Fans of everyone’s-a-suspect stories will be riveted as long-held secrets float to the surface, twisted motivations are revealed and revelations of generational trauma and abuse prompt them to consider whether the most outwardly pious might just be the biggest sinners of all.”

BookPage, Read the full review here ⭐

“By turns searing, soapy, and spine-tingling, Fram’s latest pays homage to Southern Gothic icons Michael McDowell and V.C. Andrews while also tipping its cap to modern horror great Jordan Peele…exquisitely rendered, realistically damaged characters lend credence to myriad mad twists, propelling the tale from portentous start to pulse-pounding finish. Trenchant, terrifying fun.”

Kirkus Review

“No Road Home is a heartrending indictment of prejudice and corruption wrapped in a mystery as twisted as the family at its center. Enter Ramorah at your own peril, but don’t bother saying your prayers—God has forsaken this place.”

Luke Dumas, USA Today bestselling author of The Paleontologist and A History of Fear

“A mesmerizing mash-up of murder mystery and modern gothic horror, No Road Home proves there are some familial bonds that redeem, but some are better off cut.”

Sarah Langan, acclaimed author of Good Neighbors and A Better World

“Trapped in an opulent estate during a storm, a man must solve the murder of a Jerry Fallwell-esque patriarch before his new wife’s family pins it on him. No Road Home is a whip-smart, horror-tinged whodunnit in the style of early Stephen King. Fram explores important themes of religion, family, wealth, race, and class–all within the confines of a fast-paced, locked room thriller.”

Julia Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat

“No Road Home is a grand gothic story as enthralling as it is terrifying. John Fram swings for the fences and does not miss.”

S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author

“Fram touches on generational curses, anti-queer bigotry, and religious trauma in this tense, supernaturally tinged locked-room thriller…Fram lends authenticity to the behaviors and motivations of his sprawling cast, keeping readers glued to the page…[an] ambitious swing for the fences.”

Publishers Weekly

“In the darkly spellbinding No Road Home, John Fram expertly mixes the Fall of the House of Usher and a twisty closed-room mystery into a unique kind of Texas gothic epic. A compelling, thought-provoking, page-turning read.”

Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and most recently, The Pallbearers Club

Media and Interviews

Check out my interview on Twisted Passages Podcast with Marie Sutro.

I chatted with Brett on Brett’s Book Stack about the genesis for the story as well as what makes a good thriller, and the timing of the book based on current events.