Stranger In the Lake by Kimberly Belle ~ a Review

by MK French

Charlotte had a humble past when she married the widower Paul, leading to a lot of gossip in town. Her life with him starts to unravel when a woman is found drowned in the lake in the same spot his first wife was found. He denied ever seeing her before, but Charlotte had seen the two talking in town. The lie makes her begin to doubt him, and wonder what other secrets he hides.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

June 2020; Park Row; 978-0778388104
audio, ebook, spring (336 pages); domestic thriller 

Time-wise, Stranger in the Lake takes place over a relatively short period of time. Even so, there's so much that happens in it, and I really wanted Charlotte to get that happily ever after that she hoped for. She had gone from the trailer park to being the wife of a successful man, getting a job in his office despite not evening finishing high school. Paul puts her into an awkward position of lying from the start, then disappears. Whenever things get tough or difficult to explain, he takes off and essentially leaves her to piece things together on her own. Because of that she is put into a lot of danger, with the final twists in the story coming as a shock both to her and to the reader.

I really liked how plucky Charlotte was. As tough as she had it when young, she didn't let that steer her down a dark or depressed path. She kept pushing herself to do better, even with the odds stacked against her as an uneducated young woman with a drug addict mother, absent father and younger brother she essentially had to raise. The two still had a pretty good relationship as adults, and he tried to help out as much as he could when it was obvious that her charmed life wasn't as good as she thought it was. It would be easy for her to get mean and blame the situation, but instead she opted for the truth. I really admire that about her. When faced with the choice to take the easy way out, she turned away from the money and opted to do the right thing. Justice finally won out for everyone involved, making a very satisfying conclusion.

Buy Stranger in the Lake at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.