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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Wow - such a quick and interesting thriller/crime novel. Katie has moved back home and is finally adjusting to her old life, when a teenage girl goes missing on her family's lodge property. This brings Katie back to when her own sister went missing 2 decades ago. She can't help but think the 2 may be related. Katie is determined to find out what really happened to her sister.
Kinda predictable, but I enjoyed the way this was written and I'm excited for the next book!
Kinda predictable, but I enjoyed the way this was written and I'm excited for the next book!
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Enjoy your time in God’s country.”
Two vanished girls, twenty years apart, one lake town that didn’t change much in between. “Grady Lake” was a fast fast fast read, a hair over novella sized page-turner. You can finish this in a day if you put your mind to it, and you’d be glad to as the story never quite hit a wall: a compelling plot with a quick pace is a pleasure to finish, yet not a race. Great scene and setting construction, easy to lose yourself in the sinking dread of this story. Even if you think you know where it’s going, there are surprises around every crook in the trail.
The lack of physical character description really threw me off. Not knowing what anyone looked like created dissonance with reader-character attachment. At times, the dialogue veered rudimentary and childish, which made it hard to take a genuinely dark concept seriously. Not to mention, the MC’s internalized misogyny that, if it had come around more often, would’ve spoiled the entire show.
4/5 A bit miffed at a cliffhanger end/segue into a “part two” but Hyde had my number and I put book two on hold about thirty seconds after finishing this.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
J.L. Hyde’s latest thriller, Grady Lake, is an outstanding four-star read. Having previously enjoyed Delta County, Summer of ’99, and Midnight in Delta County, I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this —and it did not disappoint. Hyde has a remarkable ability to capture the essence of small-town America, particularly Northern Michigan, a place I’ve always dreamed of calling home. She brings to life the nuances, unspoken rules, and deep-rooted histories that define these communities in a way that only someone with an intimate understanding could. As always, Hyde crafts a suspenseful, well-paced narrative filled with subtle clues that keep the pages turning. The novel builds to a stunning conclusion, only to leave readers with an even more intriguing hint of what’s to come. Fans of atmospheric thrillers and richly detailed settings will find Grady Lake to be another exceptional entry in Hyde’s body of work.