Mill Point Road

Ravenwood #1

by J.K. Ellem

From Amazon #1 Bestselling Thriller Author - A Serial Killer Domestic Thriller.

A young woman moves into an exclusive gated community then discovers that her friendly neighbors are hiding dark and sinister secrets. But no one knows that she is hiding the darkest and most sinister secret of all.

When Rebecca Cartwright, young and recently widowed, moves into the exclusive gated community of Mill Point Road, in the town of Ravenwood, she thought she had found her sanctuary. Leaving behind the bad memories of her past, she soon befriends the welcoming group of wives who are her neighbors.

But behind the backdrop of beautiful homes, manicured lawns, and high walls, Becca soon discovers that the women of Mill Point Road are hiding dark and sinister secrets. There is Zoe Collins, young and timid, who is so in love with her husband yet she tries to cover up the bruises on her arms. Sabine Miller, the queen of information, together with her husband Mark, they are living, breathing statement of wealth and success. Maggie Vickerman, the older patriarch of the group, keeps her numerous liaisons with younger men hidden from her husband, Hank. And then there is Paige Hamill, the only child of a US Senator who desperately wants a child and will do anything to fall pregnant.

But no one knows Becca has her own secret, and it's the darkest and most sinister of them all...

In life, be very careful who you step on to get what you want...

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Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Book Club

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2019

About the author

JK Ellem was born in London and spent his formative years preferring to read books and comics rather than doing his homework.

He is the innovative author of short chapter, Hitchcock-style adult thrillers in the genres of crime, mystery, and psychological thrillers which have multiple plot lines that culminate in explosive, unpredictable endings that will leave you shocked.

In 2022 he was accepted into the Curtis Brown Creative, Writing Your Novel in Six Months course which he undertook in London while working on his manuscript for future submission.

He splits his time between the US, the UK and Australia.

Are you following JKE on Amazon? Great way to keep up-to-date with all my new releases, prime and kindle deals. Just click on the Follow Button found at the top of his author page. By following me you will receive notifications about all deals on all his books.

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Why not curl up and read one of his can't put down thrillers:

Ravenwood Series:
Mill Point Road
Ravenwood
The Sisterhood
An Unkindness of Sinners

The Killing Seasons:
A Winter’s Kill
A Spring Kill
A Summer's Kill
A Fall Kill
A Wintry Kill
A Dark Kill
A Forgotten Kill

Thrillers:
All Other Sins
Murder School
Audrey Kills Again!
Taxi Man

No Justice Series:
Deadly Touch
No Justice
Cold Justice
American Justice
Fast Justice
Sinful Justice
Dark Justice
Hidden Justice
Raw Justice
Final Justice

Octagon Trilogy:
Soldiers Field
Octagon
Infernum

Visit my Author Page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jkellem
Follow me on Facebook: https://goo.gl/pQZ9Du
Follow me on Instagram: https://goo.gl/jLKruA
Visit my YouTube Channel : https://bit.ly/3pMqV5X

Reviews

[Freesiab BookishReview · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t expect this book to be this bad. DNF. The writing was just problematic in so many areas, starting with the sex scenes. Comparing sex to horse riding and using outdated vernacular was distracting, as were all the adjectives. I thought I could continue reading if it was just that but the story wasn’t really what was described and it just wasn’t working for me. I think this genre needs to reinvent itself.

[Kathi Defranc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Read!! A young, widow moves into a gorgeous gated community, believing she has found her sanctuary! Beautiful homes and landscape, quiet and regal,Rebecca Cartwright thinks she will be able to improve her life after husband's death and start again. A group of wives and women who live in the neighborhood welcome her with open arms, but as Rebecca really gets to know these women she finds there are deep, mysterious secrets hidden by each one and she has her own secret to contend with!!
Together these group of women are basically involved in the '7 Deadly Sins', from one woman with constant bruises all over her body, a couple who stress how 'wealthy' they are, But are they, an older woman who enjoys sex with any young man around, and then there Is Rebecca, with perhaps the darkest secret which No Body knows...
Dark, suspenseful and a perfect reflection of a neighborhood of gossipy women, this story will keep you turning pages from one amazing moment to the surprising next! This author has a writing style I have come to count on when looking for a great story to read! I encourage all thriller readers to pick up this or Any of J.K.Ellem's books, you will go for an amazing adventure!!

[Jenjenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off strong then began going downhill and quickly picked up speed. The author was trying to throw in plot twists without character development, so the twists were either obvious to spot or ridiculous and pointless to the plot. No suspense and flat characters. Really pleased I didn’t pay for this book, and I am not looking forward to them trying to make a movie from this mess. Although a good screenwriter could possibly clean it up and with the excellent cast it might be okay, but it will take a lot of work.

ETA - there are two listings for this book on goodreads posting my review to both

Additional edit - after research found this book is NOT going to be a movie, that promotion was hype done by the author to incentivize people to purchase and read. Do not fall for the authors fake advertising like I did, this book is not being optioned as a movie and it’s horrible. Do not read

[Eadle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve come to the conclusion “domestic thrillers” aren’t my bag. This one is over the top, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It is just TOO TOO. Murder, deception, fraud, incest, child pornography, prostitution, bondage, adultery. (I feel like I may have left something out!) Pick one, pick two even, but geez. This is an overload. Everyone is despicable. Except the cops and they are nothing special. No real character development. The dialogue is awful. It’s a novel that seems to just (unsuccessfully) rely on shock factor. And, it’s just kinda trashy. Why 2 stars? The suspense wasn’t bad—at times. I need to stop falling for the hyped up clickbait appearing on social media. Aurgh!! I need a good book!!

J. K. Ellem—N.O.

[Janis · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was not one likable character in the book. Poorly edited. Horrible ending.

[Emma Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gossipy and sinister, Mill Point Road is like a juicier version of desperate housewives. Five women all with their own hidden affairs. Some deadly, some despicable and others that are downright mortifying. The plot oozes with drama, blackmail and infidelity. Not forgetting there is also a serial killer on the loose.

Realistically? It’s massively OTT. Completely and utterly unbelievable. But at the same time it’s also exactly what I liked about it. Indulgently crazy. 4 stars from me. ✨

[Lisa Hanson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry but this book was written like someone wanted to put everything in but the kitchen sink.

I was so looking forward to it after all the hype on Instagram but now realize that publicity is where the true gifts of the writer and the publisher lie. I had to finish of course—I am not one to walk away from a book, but the ending was pretty predictable. And all the red herrings just seemed too contrived. In addition, the copy I bought had so many editing errors it was distracting.

[Stacey Wright Aumock · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the most effed up books I’ve ever read. I didn’t care for any of the characters. The few that had potential weren’t main characters. And there was just too many storylines and subplots. It was completely unbelievable.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Okay...

I was expecting more depth since it was advertised as being made into a tv series or movie. In the end no real explanation into the "devil's" reasons for his actions. There really wasn't a character you could identify with or sympathize with. It was just TOO much... of everything.

[Diane Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing thriller

Now this is a thriller. I was shocked by the ending. Every character was mysterious, complex and written brilliantly. I saw every scene in my head perfectly. Highly recommend!

[Shelley Kumpf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t typically feel compelled to write a review but this was the worst writing. He should be embarrassed.

[Anne OK · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Killers, thrillers, death, mayhem, greed, jealousy, envy, murder, betrayal, revenge, deceit, love, lust, fear . . . Let me show you in my books.” -- J.K. Ellem

And just as quickly as you can count them off, Ellem has each one covered in this book alone! For a story that starts off a bit slow and sluggish, it soon picks up speed, offering surprise after surprise until you reach a twisted ending that leaves you wide-eyed and drop-jawed.

A gated community on Mill Point Road in Ravenwood, Maryland is home to five families. Prepare yourself to meet some of the most hedonistic, immoral and vile characters you’ll ever encounter. Husbands and wives, friends and neighbors -- and each and every one is conniving and secretive and downright cray-cray. DON'T TRUST ANYONE!

There were two exceptionally stable characters found in Detective Marvin Richards, a seasoned veteran New York City detective and a sharp witted and smart female rookie officer, Haley Perez. These two form a team to investigate a series of murders by the "Eden Killer", where all the victims are young men named Adam.

I immediately pegged one person in particular as the killer. I really wanted to reach the end and congratulate myself on being a good sleuth! Well, as much I hate to admit it, I’m no ace detective! I was so far off the mark right out of the starting gate. But it was challenging and fun to try and figure it all out.

My only real problem with this book is that I detest unresolved endings – and this one left several. Thankfully, the Eden Killer was caught and the case resolved, but other character-related matters were left with questionable dangling ends. I certainly hope the author has plans to follow through with another book or a novella to clear away some cobwebs and tidy up a bit to bring this one to full closure.

This isn’t my first thrill ride with this author. Nope, I’ve read each book in Ellem’s No Justice series that introduced me to a new character - Ben Shaw - who I quickly added to my list of favorites. While awaiting my next adventure with Ben, I’m making my way through the rest of Mr. Ellem's backlist of books. Though I’ve definitely found some I liked better than others, not one has disappointed.

[Maria Coro Arruti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the book leaves some questions on the air, I enjoyed the story, the writing and the flow. Usually I'm pretty good at "guessing" who the villain is; this time, it was a surprise. And I liked the female characters of the book: at last, some quite nasty, bitchy and rumormongers who inspire a little bit of sympathy and some males who are not so heroic and not so manly, defending their territories, spouses and such. That was a good twist for the story. Starting another book by this author. His books, at least this one, my first, reads easily. And that is a pro.

[Marc Fiorentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fictional story read well with a good flow and kept your interest as the plot unfolded. Even though the author is from the UK he was spot on with his development of the characters reflecting the unfortunate true characters of American wealthy elite society with their steady diet of arrogance, greed and betrayal. I’m happy it was picked for book club and thank my wonderful wife for pushing me to read and the addiction of reading!

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that when you are reading it is all wonderful and 5 stars but the next morning you are like really???

This is a book that can't really decide it's genre is it a police procedural, a bonkbuster or an unreliable narrator.

The book has about a dozen POVs and it makes everything pretty obvious.

I will probably read the next book in the series to determine if it is freshman blues or a terrible author

[Judie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the death of her husband Michael, Becca Cartwright entered a period of depression, especially after reading the letters written by Michael. She finally decided to move to a quiet secluded area. She chose Ravenwood, Maryland, and bought a home in a very small, gated community.
There are five homes on Mill Point Road. The women got together several times each week to talk about the news in the area. Translation: gossip, primary sexual. On the whole, they were very open about the relationships. For example, Maggie Vickerman, the oldest, like to brag about her sexual exploits with much younger men. She and her husband Hank had a son, Adam, who had left suddenly and sent online pictures of the sites he had seen traveling in Europe.
Sabine Miller was very flashy it had a lot of connections. She took Becca under her wing to buy clothes and furniture and was able to get many discounts. She. pushed to get people, especially her neighbors, to invest in her husband’s investment firm. Some reported excellent returns.
Zoe Collins wore long sleeves to cover bruises. Often she preferred standing to sitting down with the rest of the women. She “had become very skilled over the years of hiding which she didn’t want others to see. Most women wouldn’t tolerate it. Couldn’t tolerated it. Couldn’t understand. They had no idea what real love was....Real love involved forgiveness.”
Paige Hamill’s parents were wealthy. Her father was a US Senator. Paige was desperate to get pregnant. Her husband, Scott, was a writer, though not very successful. Sabine wanted them to invest money and decided that the way to get Paige to agree would be by going through Scott.
All five houses on Mill Point Road backed onto a steep ridge leading down to a road. The yards were fenced, with the gate at the bottom of the path from Becca’s house. The guardhouse keeper, Mac, warned her to not go down the Ridge because it was very steep, had a lot of undergrowth, and was dangerous.
Not long after she moved there, Becca decided to check out the ridge. It was a difficult hike, and on her way back up she found a gold bracelet with a name “Amber” and an unusual symbol. No one named Amber lived on the street.
Ravenwood had become the site for a mass murderer, dubbed the Eden Killer, because all his victims were young men named “Adam.” While no one knew who the killer was, the killer seemed to know the people on Mill Point Road.
Working to find him were Detective Marvin Richards who was a veteran New York police officer and Haley Perez, brash young police officer Ravenswood native.
While all the families on Mill Point Road seemed very open, they all had secrets. Author J.K. Ellem does a good job revealing them and has some very unexpected twists. The book is well-written, the characters are consistent and largely believable. My main complaint is that I was able to anticipate much, but not all, of what followed.

[Bella Scotia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bitterly disappointed.
It seems I too have fallen for the fake news that this book is being made into a film and believed the hype surrounding it.
The story starts off nicely building the world of Mill point road and it’s inhabitants. However I didn’t really engage with any of the characters, apart from describing their appearance and giving a limited who’s who, the author didn’t really develop any of them. As a result I found it hard to engage with any of them except Sabine Who was thoroughly unlike able and one dimensional .
Initially the story is a good page turner as there seems to be lots of little mysteries to solve about the residents of the gated community and of course the serial killer whodunit.
However the disappointment lies in the fact that each mystery was solved in about two lines with no “wow” moment. All the reveals were just casually dropped into a conversation between the characters or a quick scene with no build up.
The enjoyment of plot twists is the tension leading up to the reveal and then the satisfaction of the reveal itself.
The author chose instead to plant little seeds to keep us curious as to what was really going on and then blurted out the truth in a way that had me going back to check if I had missed a chapter. In one reveal it was the detective thinking back to what they had discovered. No real time uncovering of the truth as it happened.
Another one was cars turning up to empty a house after the fraud had been discovered. It was like all the action happened “off camera” and we only got a brief glimpse of the aftermath. Even the “comeuppance” if you want to call it that happened off camera. It was very much a story TOLD and not SHOWN.

In the earlier parts of the book there was so much description and detail when Becca moved into Mill point road (about her house and the forest behind it and how she intended to fill the house with understated objects... not about the characters) that it’s almost criminal that the second half of the book just rushed through each plot reveal as if the author had got bored of his own story and couldn’t be bothered to give any detail or rationale to the plot any more.
Plus.... was it really necessary that every single house in the community (only 5) was home to someone with a sinister/depraved secret?
Incest murder fraud child pornography adultery prostitution. That’s a lot for five households to get through. Maybe it should have been named Sodom and Gomorrah Road.
The story would have been fine if the tabloid plot lines had been dialled down to one or two, the characters fleshed out a bit, and the plot coloured in a bit more.
As it is it’s a sketch of a plot with too many threads, too little substance and a rushed ending.

If they were to make this into a film maybe they would build stronger characters with believable explanations for their actions. And actually give some decent closure on the twists and revelations.

Wouldn’t recommend this book at all.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mill Point Road is a wealthy neighborhood. When Becca moves into the 6,000 sq ft home by herself, her neighbors are curious about her. Zoe and Jason are one couple. It looks as if Zoe is an abused wife but the truth is revealed at the end. Sabine and Mark are the investment couple. Sabine is always networking to get people to invest with Mark. She is a shark. Paige and Scott are the rich wife and unemployed husband. Scott is sleeping with Sabine and is resentful of his wife who wants a baby. Scott had a vasectomy but keeps it a secret.
Maggie and Hank are the last of the couples. Maggie has lots of affairs and brags about them, Hank hides in the basement with his computer.

*Spoiler Alert*
Zoe and Jason are brother and sister who act as a married couple. Zoe is a dominatrix who beats Jason until he hits her.
Sabine and Mark are involved in a Ponzi scheme. Sabine gets arrested and Mark disappears. Sabine shows up at Becca's house to borrow clothes and gets stabbed by the killer who came to kill Becca. Mark gets shot in the head for dealing with some shady characters.
Hank is involved in kiddie porn and is arrested for trying to kill Maggie. Maggie is in the hospital recovering. When interviewing Hank, it is discovered his son Adam wanted to be Amber and Hank threw him out. Adam was a victim of the Eden Killer.
Paige has an affair with an Adam who was killed by the Eden Killer. She used him to get pregnant. Now she reveals to the police secrets of her neighbors to get Sabine and Mark arrested.
Becca is a widow who apparently killed her husband and made it look like suicide for the insurance money and because he was leaving her for his lover.

The story was good but some parts seemed unexplored. The ending was more of a cliff hanger.
The killer is revealed to be the original owner of Becca's house.

[J.K. Ellem]

Mill Point Road is a stand alone adult thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

For Sale now at:
* Amazon - https://amzn.to/2ITmMJ1

A SERIAL KILLER DOMESTIC THRILLER
In life, be very careful who you step on to get what you want…

When Rebecca Cartwright, young and recently widowed, moves into the exclusive gated community of Mill Point Road, in the town of Ravenwood, she thought she had found her sanctuary. Leaving behind the bad memories of her past, she soon befriends the welcoming group of wives who are her neighbors.

But behind the backdrop of beautiful homes, manicured lawns, and high walls, Becca soon discovers that the women of Mill Point Road are hiding dark and sinister secrets. There is Zoe Collins, young and timid who tells everyone she’s so in love with her husband as she tries to cover up the bruises on her arms. Sabine Miller, the queen of information, together with her husband Mark, they are the living, breathing statement of wealth and success. Maggie Vickerman, the older patriarch of the group, keeps her numerous liaisons with younger men hidden from her husband, Hank. And then there is Paige Hamill, the only child of a US Senator who desperately wants a child and will do anything to fall pregnant.

But no one knows Becca has her own secret, and it’s the darkest and most sinister of them all…

Greed, love, lust, envy, revenge and murder. Mill Point Road is the latest “up-until 4:00 a.m. reading” domestic thriller from Amazon #1 Bestselling author J K Ellem.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns

This book had a lot of suspense and kept you on your toes. I really enjoyed it and all the different twists and turns it took. My only complaint,which is not really a complaint but more an observation, was it reminded me of Melrose Place with all the females on the street sitting around gossiping about each other totally unaware of what was really going on behind closed doors.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost Enjoyable

While the mystery was intriguing enough and I finished it for that aspect, it was rough reading the way this author wrote the women interacting with each other. We don’t really get to know any of the characters before the ending that gets muddled in sensationalism.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read!

JK Kellem has done it again! He keeps you guessing until the very end with so many twists and turns!! If you love mystery thrillers, then Mill Point Road is a must read!

[Iris Levine Accettola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisty and Turny

This mystery thriller is multi-layered. I certainly couldn't guess whodunnit and why as there were many different things going on. It was a spectacular read.

[Lottie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot itself was basic at best, and poorly executed. The idea would have been good, had it been more thought out.
But worse than the poor plot, this book has everything you don't want in a book - incest, domestic abuse, paedophilia, homophobia, racism and a general theme of a hatred of women running throughout. It is interesting that the "worst" of these is considered to be the "fake feminists" which are criticised the most... I can only assume these represent the authors own views.

I cannot understand the hype surrounding this book.

[Eve H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, there wasn’t really much of a large plot twist at the end. There was a minor twist, but it was just that someone was transgender. Didn’t really contribute much to the plot, I wish that character had a bigger spotlight and then it would’ve made sense. I feel like the ending was rushed as well.

Taking away two stars for the unnecessarily detailed bedroom scenes. I seriously wish they’d put a warning so I can just skip the book all together.

[Up All Night Book Addict · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huh. I am not sure what made me pick up this book. I am pretty sure I found it on a list somewhere? I can't remember. No matter, I did pick it up. I can't really say I was a huge fan.

I'm a little at a loss for words. This book could have had so much potential. I mean, it had all of the right ingredients on the table, but the mixing of them apparently didn't go so well when the book was written.

I don't want to sit here and bash this book. So I'm just going to lay it out here. This one definitely wasn't for me. I couldn't stand one character.

The "twists and turns" were eyerolling inducing and not so shocking. The who, the why, none of it made sense in the end given everything that happened previous. The author couldn't decide if Rebecca was a good person or a bad person. I was getting whiplash.

I wish I could say I recommend this book. If you're looking for a book revolving around a serial killer, this isn't it. This book is more about all of the other characters than an actual serial killer.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, this wasn't amazing but it was pretty good. Some of the writing was... ewwah. Some of the topics, I feel like was thrown in there for the shock factor. I guess all along who the killer was but wasn't expecting it to play out like that. Some of the twists were like... wow.

[Chrys Minter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised

This book definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. Just when I thought I knew.... A plot twist that left me boggled. Great writing JK Ellem. I never would have thought the outcome would be as such.

[Caz Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd one felt sone stuff was added in aftercstory written to try and tie it together didnt work for me

[Gillian Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a total mind f**k but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommended for fans of dark neighbourhood secrets and drama. A guilty pleasure of mine xx