A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

I didn’t realize this one was part of a series and couldn’t get attached to the characters or storyline.

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Lost Lake. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Detective Gemma Monroe is back, trying to solve cases while juggling a home life with a baby and a fiance. Responding to a missing person at Lost Lake, Gemma has the feeling that this is no ordinary disappearance. When the investigation uncovers that the young woman has ties to a local museum, which has something missing themselves, will the detective be able find a common thread that ties both together or is it simply a coincidence?

I like Gemma Monroe, but I do not think that the author did enough to progress the character. Additionally, I question the reason for Gemma's personal life to have such prominence in the story. A good police procedural strikes a delicate balance between the two and this one shades a little too heavily in the personal direction. As this book series takes place in a small town in Colorado, there is a rich environment that the author has yet to explore. I wish that the setting was featured more, as it does not feel like a realistic place because of the lack of description. Overall, I like the series, but would like to see some more character development moving forward.

I loved this story. It is a pretty straight forward mystery novel and it did keep me interested the whole way through. This is the 3rd book in the Gemma Monroe detective books and I hadn't read the first two. I do feel you could definitely read this as a stand alone novel if you'd like.
This book kept me guessing on the who done it, Whenever I thought I had figured it out I was wrong and did not see the it coming on who actually did it. I love the way this author was so descriptive with everything and integrating a lot of the back stories with the characters. After reading this book I will be going back and reading the first two.

I loved the premise of this book. There was almost something supernatural to it and I loved exploring the mystery of Lost Lake right along with Gemma. Despite the fact that this book is part of the Gemma Monroe series, I didn’t feel that I needed to read the previous books to be able to read this one.

The story is good and it kept my attention enough to want to follow through. However, I wouldn’t say it was riveting either. I felt like there was so much going on in the book, from the actual mystery of Lost Lake to smaller mysteries, and I felt like all the goings on detracted from the main story.

While I did enjoy this book I can’t say that I’ll even remember it in a month. It was just okay for me, certainly not great.

Lost Lake by Emily Littlejohn, this is a good mystery, the writing is well done and the characters are believable. Lost Lake is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone book as it does hold its own, but to really get to know Gemma you should read the others too (good reading!). If you are looking for an easy, good read this is it. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers at St. Martin's Press for letting me read this ARC book and give you my honest opinion!

First, a young curator at a Colorado history museum vanishes on an overnight camping trip. Next, a valuable historical diary disappears from the same museum before a fund-raising gala. Then there's a murder at the museum after hours. Detective Gemma Malone stays more than busy in Emily Littlejohn's satisfying third mystery, Lost Lake (St. Martin's Press, digital galley). A new mother, Malone continues to be an appealing character as she untangles a family's secret history and the rumored curse of the icy, isolated lake.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

3.5 Four friends go camping at lost lake. When one friend goes missing durin the night, Gemma is called to investigate the disappearance. Little does she know that this will be the beginning of something much larger.

Wasn't sure what rating to give this, and I may have gone a little high. I do, however, really love the character of Gemma. She is easy to relate to, a new mother trying to juggle career, motherhood and s relationship with her fiance. Her grandparents who raised her after her parents death are also a factor in her life, like so many of us, the sandwich generation. Since this turns into more than one single case, a local legend is also related, the pages flying by. Some of the dialogue sometimes, not very often, so that they stood out when they happened, seemed clunky. Also the motives for the murders seemed a bit of a stretch. So despite a few reservations this is a new series, this being the third, that I definitely look forward to reading.

ARC from Netgalley.

Lost lake is a great vacation read. This will take you on a journey of suspense. I will be recommending Lost Lake to my fellow book worms.

This was another book I requested on NetGalley before realizing that it was a part of a series. The story stood on its own fine, so it wasn't a huge issue to still follow along with everything, but it was a bit harder to feel relatable or personable with Gemma because I feel like I've missed a lot of her story. The plot was a bit slow for me but the writing was fine. Not a bad read overall.

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Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's review Nov 23, 2018 · edit
liked it
bookshelves: 2018, netgalley-arc, new-to-me-author, 3-star, contemporary-fiction, crime, detective-fiction, police-procedural

EXCERPT: If they'd been alone at the lake, and if Sari's death was ruled a homicide, then one of them was a killer.

Ally. Mac. Jake.

Best friend. Boyfriend. Third wheel.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: On a bright Saturday in early spring, Detective Gemma Monroe responds to a missing person call at Lost Lake, near the small town of Cedar Valley, Colorado. With its sapphire waters and abundance of wildflowers, the lake is a popular camping destination in the summer. But for now, ice still grips the lake and snow buries the flowers.

When Gemma arrives at the shore, she meets three friends who have been camping there: the fourth of their group, Sari Chesney, has disappeared in the night without a trace. Sari is an assistant curator at the local museum, which is set to host a gala that night--a project she's worked on for months and would never intentionally miss. As Gemma begins to understand the complex dynamics of the supposedly close-knit friendship group, she realizes that more than one person is lying to her--and that the beautiful, still waters of Lost Lake may hide more terrible secrets . . .

MY THOUGHTS: I started this read with high hopes. The prologue is deliciously sinister. Early on, and sporadically scattered throughout the book, are passages of beautifully lyrical writing. e. g. 'It should have felt peaceful, but there was a roughness to the pastoral scene, like a pencil sketch that has been handled by greasy fingers, the edges smudged.' The cover describes Littlejohn's writing as lyrical and gripping, and there are brief glimpses of this, but largely it is all very ordinary. There was a certain roughness to the ending also, which left me feeling dissatisfied.

I had not read the first two books in this series, but don't feel like I have missed much by not having done so, and I probably won't read any more of the series to come either. I didn't feel connected to the characters. I didn't feel involved in the plot. I felt like a mostly disinterested bystander, watching some disturbance because I happened to be there, with nothing better to do and no other place to be. If you were to ask me about this book in a week or twos time, I think I would struggle to recall it.

My favorite characters are Gemma's grandparents, Julia and Bull. Julia is suffering from dementia, and Bull, who clearly adores his wife, is determined to keep her at home where he can care for her, rather than placing her in a facility. This side-plot was the highlight of the book for me, and earned the book an extra .5 of a star.

😐😐😐

THE AUTHOR: I was born and raised in Southern California but have called Colorado home for over a decade now. The beautiful mountains and open space continue to inspire me on a daily basis.

I wrote Inherit the Bones over the course of two years. I've always had a fascination with all things mystery, horror, and the macabre. Bones was inspired by a vision I had of a clown, found dead, in full costume. I wondered who was the man behind the make-up?

And just like that, a story was born.

​Inherit the Bones received critical acclaim and was a 2017 Colorado Book Award finalist.

I hope you enjoy spending time in Cedar Valley with Detective Gemma Monroe, her partner Finn Nowlin and the rest of the people that bring the town to life. The second book in the series, A Season to Lie, is now available, with a third and fourth book to come in 2018 and 2019.

​I currently serve as the Program Director for the Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America and am a winner in the 2017 ThrillerFest Best First Sentence contest. (Author's website)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to St Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Lost Lake by Emily Littlejohn for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

I enjoyed this book for the most part and probably would have given it 4 stars but then I got to the end it felt so anticlimactic, such a let down that I was pretty disappointed. I’m going to refrain from specifics so I don’t spoil the book for anyone but if you’ve read it let me know so we can discuss! I liked Gemma and thought she was a great character that I wanted to know more about. I also liked the supporting characters and the pool of suspects was a diverse enough one to keep me guessing. One thing that bugged me though was that Gemma’s daughter felt like an afterthought that the author used to move the plot along. In the first chapter we learn that she is 6 months old and keeping her mom up because she’s teething but for the rest of the book the baby just goes to sleep whenever its convenient for Gemma and doesn’t make a peep. That little detailed just felt so unreal to me, probably because I have a teething one year old right now. Other than the end I liked the plot except that little side notes into weird theories about the murders. That felt out of place, as did the bits about a treasure map. I felt like the author wanted to explore those ideas but they didn’t really fit well in the book.

AMAZING!!!!! I seriously cannot say enough good things about this book. Wow, I want to read it again. The characters were phenomenal... especially Gemma. Emily Littlejohn completely outdid herself on this novel. The story line was perfection and it kept you guessing until the very end. I honestly did not see it coming! What a fantastic read, HIGHLY recommend.

Detective Gemma is back! This is the 3rd book in the series and still going strong! Loved it! Look forward to reading book#4!

Detective Gemma Monroe takes a report of a missing woman, when that woman is found it opens a series of events that has Monroe questioning everyone and everything.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed reading this. The main character was interesting, and I found it easy to like her. There are also some good minor characters. But, on the whole, this book was good, but not great. The characters were well drawn, the overall mystery was pretty good, and it was a good read.

And, just a note for those who worry about reading a book without reading the earlier books in the series – there’s nothing here that fails to make sense because of this. I’m sure that the earlier books would give more info about the main character’s personal life, but there was nothing in the actual plot that relies upon anything in the earlier books, at least as far as I can see. It works quite well as a standalone.

Unfortunately, there were some problems that annoyed me with the book.

First, the attempt to add some magical realism to the plot – the supposed malevolence of the lake, every 60 years – fell flat. It wasn’t particularly convincing, and it seemed really unnecessary. As far as I can tell, it was only there to provide some sort of reason for her to spend the night camping at the lake with her partner Finn, and that struck me as really unrealistic – is this really what a mother of a 6 month old would do, when her fiancé is away, leaving the baby with a college aged babysitter all night? I assume that this is to introduce more uncertainty into whether or not she will actually go through with marriage to Brody, but it seemed odd and unconvincing.

Second, it is difficult to talk about this problem without adding a spoiler, but the detectives appeared oddly blind to problems with some potential killers, while digging relentlessly into the background, alibis, etc. of others.

On the whole, these problems didn’t ruin the book by any means. It was still a 3 star book – good, not great, but an enjoyable read on the whole.

Lost Lake is book 3 in the series. I have not read the first two but I am definitely going to get them. I enjoyed this book very much. It held my interest from the beginning to the end. I look forward to reading more by this author

Excellent!

What a wonderful feeling it is when I have just finished reading a book with a new author and I only want the story to continue into another mystery starring the magnetic characters who captured my interest in this tasty, suspense filled thriller.

The story revolves around a small-town detective (Gemma Monroe) who is engaged to be married and has a new 6 month old baby. Gemma wears many hats yet she gives 100 percent to every duty she takes upon herself.
This book has a missing beautiful young woman who was camping with three others at "Lost Lake", which has a long history of mysterious deaths and some people feel an eerie cloud of darkness when visiting the lake.
There is museum where a rare historical diary ( some say carries a curse ) is reported missing around the same time as the missing woman who happens to work at this museum, and then a murder follows behind the disappearances.

I truly enjoyed this book with so many twists and sub-plots that easily flowed and connected which made each chapter more and more interesting and I found it difficult when I had to put the book down.
This story was a real " Who Done It ". I was back and forth with trying to figure out who the killer was, and that is a fun-filled reading experience when you really don't know who the real villain (villains?)
is. I think Emily Littlejohn is a very talented writer who knows how to reel the reader in and keeps them happily on the hook. This is book #3 in a series, which I did not know beforehand, yet it was a great stand-alone book which was a complete story in itself.

I highly recommend this suspenseful story to any reader who enjoys a good mystery and have given a rating of 5 Wonderful 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!!

I want to thank Emily Littlejohn, the author, and the publishers St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange in for a fair review.



Disclaimer this is the 3rd book in the Gemma Monroe series. However, there won't be any spoilers. You can pick this up and read and not be lost, other than personal knowledge about some of the main characters.



Gemma has been called in about a missing person, but she really doesn't think there is too much reason for worry, more than likely Sari will turn up. However, before the day ends things get weirder when a diary turns up missing for the big gala that Sari just happened to be working on before going missing from Lost Lake. Suspicion falls on Sari almost from the start, just because it she had access to the safe and disappeared just before the theft was discovered.



Then Betty turns up dead and this case just keeps getting stranger especially as Gemma uncovers the dark history of Lost Lake. As the body count rises can Gemma figure out what is going on before it gets worse?



I really like this series, Gemma is a great character. I am still not sure how I feel about her and Brody but it is like a weird side note so I am sure that we are supposed to be invested in that. Sam pops in all the books so far, and I think we need more of him in this series. I was wondering if this was leaning to the supernatural in this one, but alas it was perfectly normal for the most part!



I can't wait to see what else Gemma brings I am slightly heartbroken that I have to wait so long for the next one! You can read this series in order or out of order. Each book is a standalone case only the main characters and side characters carry over.

I had no idea that this was the third in a series when I received a copy of this book. However, Lost Lake worked as a stand alone and had me intrigued enough to add the other two books to my TBR. In Lost Lake, Colorado police officer Gemma is called to an isolated lake on a chilly spring day. Four friends went camping but one of the girls has gone missing. By the end of the book you will suspect everyone and there will be a surprising murder. I was completely caught up in the mystery and was left mystified as to what happened at that lake and who it’s tied to. While I found the ending to be lackluster, this is an easy read that keeps you guessing. I love Detective stories with a strong female lead, and this book did not disappoint in that regard. For me, Lost Lake was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars (rounded up from 3.5). Thank you @stmartinspress for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.