Reviews

Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle

jenru9613's review

emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.5

mckayk's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

thephdivabooks's review

3.0

I actually finished this a few weeks back but I’ve been thinking about how I want to review it... I really wanted to love it but this one fell a bit short for me.

I loved the premise for this book and as always, Kimberly Belle created a fantastic setting for a mystery. I could picture the big house with all of the windows, the darkness beyond as it looked out over forest and lake, and the icy waters below the dock.

One thing I really enjoyed in the book was the disparity of socioeconomic wealth that was tied to the story. Charlotte grew up poor. When she married a wealthy widower Paul, she can’t deny that some of her feelings were related to the fact that Paul providing a stable life. Paul is also the subject of some local gossip, after his first wife turned up dead in the lake behind their house.

Now, another dead woman turns up in the same spot, and Charlotte must face Paul’s past. There are some other stories that will come up and weave into this that surround the haves and the have nots in this town. These were the most captivating parts of the story for me.

At the same time, I can’t say this was a favorite from Belle’s books for me. I really struggled to connect with Charlotte, though normally that is something Belle excels at.

I found Charlotte to be an underdeveloped character. Even after finishing the book I don’t have a clear picture of who she is, which made it hard to understand why she made some of the decisions she did.

I am curious what others thought about this book and Charlotte in particular! Perhaps there are some who really got her, and I’d love to know more about that.

All things considered, this is a solid book but wasn’t a favorite for me. Definitely looking forward to more from Kimberly Belle, because she really has fantastic books and is talented! Thank you Park Row for my copy.

gsbelinc's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

melsbels01's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

amyjoneswrites's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is what you'd get if Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier was written by a high schooler who read too much Colleen Hoover 

hawk313's review against another edition

2.75

Very predictable. 

zarlina's review

2.0

This book was 90% the main character feeling sorry for herself, and 10% mystery. Not even good mystery. The twist was obvious from the very start. It's always the rich boys trying to get away with murder. Yawn.

laura_vee's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

jillmlong's review

3.0

There is a lot going on in this story and sometimes I was confused.