Title: Stranger In the Lake
Author: Kimberly Belle
Publication: June 9, 2020
Publisher: Park Row
Genre: Mystery; Domestic Thriller
Pages: 352
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
When Charlotte married the wealthy widower Paul, it caused a ripple of gossip in their small lakeside town. They have a charmed life together, despite the cruel whispers about her humble past and his first marriage. But everything starts to unravel when she discovers a young woman’s body floating in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife tragically drowned.
At first, it seems like a horrific coincidence, but the stranger in the lake is no stranger. Charlotte saw Paul talking to her the day before, even though Paul tells the police he’s never met the woman. His lie exposes cracks in their fragile new marriage, cracks Charlotte is determined to keep from breaking them in two.
As Charlotte uncovers dark mysteries about the man she married, she doesn’t know what to trust—her heart, which knows Paul to be a good man, or her growing suspicion that there’s something he’s hiding in the water.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
When I picked up this book, I was in a reading funk that had been lasting weeks. I love a good thriller and was hoping Kimberly Belle’s Stranger in the Lake could pull me out of my funk! To sum it up… it was far more successful than I was imagining it was going to be.
This story had intrigue and mystery from the start. I loved the instant suspense of the gossip-inducing relationship and then the first crime right off the top. While Charlotte’s character is not universally loved in their small town, I happened to like her. She handled herself very well with all the drama and her character was one that was inspiring on how she tried to be loyal to those around her and strong willed to get through everything.
While I did guess the killer about two thirds through the book, how it all played out was very exciting and shocking with each turn. Belle sure knows how to write a story that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved the main characters. I loved the little side characters who helped fill the gaps in this story and shape it into its most interesting parts.
If you love a good mystery, this is it. Thrills, suspense, mystery… Stranger in the Lake has it all.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your copy of Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can check out more great novels by Kimberly Belle on her website here!
