Kimberly Belle

Charlotte didn't know her greatest risk was saying, "I do." 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.

Stranger in the Lake

Trisha Cox

I started off wanting the give this book three stars and then when the truth starts to come out I thought I would give it four but then it went on and I’m back to three. The story it’s self was interesting but the main character Charlotte annoyed me so much. She seemed so intent on proofing her husbands guilt it made me feel like I had someone missed part of the story. 

mads

A solid 3-star read.

I had a lot of thoughts while reading this book. During the whole first half, I kind of hated it, and I also guessed correctly who the primary antagonist would be, but then the ending wound up saving the book for me. While I was right about how things would eventually shake out, the ending and consequences were more complicated and nuanced than most thrillers. It didn't end with just okay person gets caught goes to jail, and everyone goes back to their normal lives. It felt like there were real repercussions for all involved, and I didn't anticipate everything that happened in the end.

That said, I'm not crazy about Belle's writing style in general. Every other sentence describes chills up her spine, words leaching to her stomach lining, etc. I don't live cliches like that and also think she has a habit of over-describing the scenery when she's not sure how to drive a scene to its next moment. 

Don't get me wrong, there were chunks of her writing I found really elegant and written well, but most of the scenic descriptions were chopped up and repeated multiple times. Like okay, we know the lake is a glittering pool of black or a dark smudge beyond the glass! And yes, the clouds are thick and SMOKY (this word appears so many times, omg) when a storm is coming. 

The pacing is off, too, which some other reviewers have mentioned. Early on, there are like three whole subsequent chapters that are just people having conversations in the kitchen?? And the subplot about Chet's cooking just didn't feel necessary. 

Overall, not a bad read for a thriller, but I wouldn't call it a "quick" read like most thrillers. It can definitely get tedious at times. I wasn't fully hooked until the book's last quarter, and I'm not sure everyone will give it that long to get interesting.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Stranger in the Lake

Author: Kimberly Belle

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: Thrill Seekers

Publication Date: June 9, 2020

Genre: Thriller

Recommended Age: 18+ (death, violence, language, gore, sexual content)

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 352

Synopsis: 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: For the most part this book was good. The book had great writing and the plot was intriguing. The book also had great world building.

However, I really couldn’t get into this book. The character development wasn’t there for me and the plot, while good, felt like others I’ve read previously.

Verdict: It was ok, but not my fave.

“Spellbinding. Another outstanding novel by Kimberly Belle, masterfully written to lure you in and never let go.” — Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife 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. Look for these other pulse-pounding thrillers by Kimberly Belle: Three Days Missing The Marriage Lie Dear Wife

A Novel

Totally Addicted to Reading

I am so glad I chose to be a part of the blog tour for Stranger in the Lake. Based on the synopsis .I figured this would be an engaging read and the author did not disappoint. I was quickly pulled into the story trying to decipher truth from lies.
In this story the reader met Charlotte, who believed her dreams came through when she married Paul Keller. Charlotte, a former gas station attendant, grew up in a trailer park, neglected by her drug addicted mother and forced to raise her brother by herself. Paul an architect came from wealth, so for Charlotte who knew nothing but poverty to marry someone like Paul was indeed a dream come true. However, not all that glitters is gold. Paul’s first wife died under mysterious circumstances and he was a suspect, but the evidence was not enough to implicate him. The gossip mills were hard at work when Paul and Charlotte got married and not everyone approved. Charlotte refused to allow the malice to upset her after all they loved each other and nothing could shake that foundation. Then she found the body of the woman she saw her husband speaking with the day before floating in the same spot where his first wife was found. At first it appeared coincidental, but when the lies began and her husband left her to field questions from the authorities and their colleagues, she begins to question his actions.
I had a hard time warming up to Charlotte in the initial stages, but she grew on me and I ended up rooting for her.
Now the story was far from suspenseful, but the mystery kept me engaged. It had me turning the pages because I needed answers. It was hard deciphering between the lies and the truth and I didn’t know who to trust, be it the main or supporting characters. As the story delved deeper into Paul’s past, suspicions are raised. Suspicions that led to doubts on Charlotte’s part and created holes in the marriage. As we all know, a relationship built on lies has no leg to stand on.
The story was well paced and there was never a dull moment. It provided flashbacks of Paul’s and two of his friends’ past. At first, I wondered at the significance, but as the plot evolved it established the connections, which led to a jaw dropping conclusion.
Stranger in the Lake depicted the extent a person or persons would go to keep their secrets hidden. This was my first-time experiencing Belle’s writing, but it will not be my last.
 
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

Stranger in the Lake

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