BOOK REVIEW: Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle #strangerinthelake #bookreview

You know how there are some authors who you spend months looking forward to each book release and you hold them to really high standards because they are a favorite of yours? One of those authors for me is Kimberly Belle. She usually releases her books in summer and they are always a pre-order for me! I was really excited this summer for the release of Stranger in the Lake, which is a solid thriller that definitely had some good twists, but ultimately didn’t grip me the way I connected with some of her other books.

About the Book

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.

Reflection

I actually finished this a few weeks back but I’ve been thinking about how I want to review it! I really loved the premise for this book (can you really trust the person you married?) 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 that are both stunning and frightening.

One thing I really enjoyed in the book was the disparity of socioeconomic wealth that was tied to the story. Charlotte grew up very poor and not in the best home and family. When she married a wealthy widower Paul, she truly did marry for love. But she can’t deny that some of that love is tied up in the fact that Paul is steady, he provides, he shares what he has because he truly loves her. But Paul is also the subject of some local gossip, after his first wife turned up dead in the lake behind their house despite being an excellent swimmer.

Now, another woman turns up in the same spot, and Charlotte must face the past of Paul’s and his late wife that has always lurked behind their marriage. Paul himself wasn’t always wealthy, but he became that way through his hard work and his marriage to his first wife. 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, and I wanted to know how they would all tie together.

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 for some reason as a character, though normally that is something Belle excels at. Perhaps this just wasn’t a good fit for me. I found Charlotte to be not fully formed as a character—so much of what shapes her isn’t revealed until the end. While this made for a few interesting reveals, 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 don’t think all characters need to be likable in books, but they do need to have strong development for me to be drawn in. 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 particular favorite for me. Definitely looking forward to more from Kimberly Belle, because she really has fantastic books and is talented! Thank you Harlequin Park Row for my copy.