I have been a fan of Helen's work for quite a while now. I devour each and every book that she releases and then I impatiently wait for the next book. I especially love the series featuring Beth Adams, who is a pathologist. 'The Girls In The Lake' is the latest book to feature Beth and it was released on 9th December 2019. Having just finished reading 'The Girls In The Lakes' I can definitely say that it is one hell of a fantastic read, which I thoroughly enjoyed but more about that in a bit.
Beth Adams is a dedicated forensic pathologist, who has worked closely with the police for a while. She is thorough, determined, courageous, tenacious and she is occasionally stubborn. Beth has been through some extremely traumatic life experiences at the hands of a former partner and it's not surprising that she lives in fear of him. Beth is currently in a relationship and she has moved in with a police officer, although they are trying to keep the news of their relationship under wraps. Their secrecy hasn't worked altogether because some people have guessed but those that have guessed respect Beth's right to privacy and they are saying nothing. Having read about Beth's traumatic experiences, I was just keeping everything crossed that things between her and her current boyfriend were going to work out and that she would get the happy ever after ending that she so deserves.
'The Girls In The Lake' really is the perfect example of an unputdownable and gripping book. . As soon as I started to read, I just knew that I would have to binge read this over the course of a single day and that's exactly what happened. I became addicted to this book and I just couldn't put it down. The book wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. The synopsis of the book intrigued me and I just had to keep reading to see how the investigation concluded. The pages seemed to turn at a furious rate and then all too quickly I reached the end of the story, which I was disappointed about. I had been enjoying the characters and the storylines so much that I just wanted the book to continue on and on.
'The Girls In The Lake' is brilliantly written but then so are all of Helen's books. For me, the story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. Helen has a knack of drawing you into the story and keeping your interest by keeping the characters interesting and the crimes shocking in nature. Helen writes so realistically that I really did feel as though I was a character in the book myself and as though I was part of the investigation. I even found that I was beginning to interact with the book. By that I mean that I was trying to talk to the characters as if they could hear me. Yes, I know this book is fictional but I find that if I enjoy a story to the extent that I enjoyed this one then I tend to 'live' the story as if it were real.
Reading 'The Girls In The Lake' felt like being on one hell of an unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. On more than one occasion I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next. If you want a book that will get your adrenaline flowing, send your heart rate soaring and will take your breath away then 'The Girls In The Lake' is the perfect book for you.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Girls In The Lake' and I would definitely recommend the book to other readers. I was gripped by the story and on the edge of my seat throughout. I will definitely be reading more of Helen's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The Girls in the Lake by Helen Phifer is the 2nd book in the Beth Adams series, and my first book by this author. Wow this book was a real roller coaster ride. Beth Adams is a Forensic Pathologist and when the first body of a young girl is found in the freezing lake naked, she is determined to find the truth. This story was fast paced, which kept me reading and guessing until the end. I was surprised by the ending. I look forward to reading more books by this author, and I plan on going back and reading The Girl in the Grave, the first book in this series. I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

This is the second book in the Beth Adams series and can be read as a stand-alone. Helen Phifer provides the ideal amount of contextual information to round out Beth Adam’s character. The narrative is intriguing and Phifer provides an element of atmospheric temperance with the irony of the lake being a serene setting. While the plot does move at a bit of a slower pace and offers an abundance of foreshadowing, readers who appreciate a systematic approach in a novel will applaud Phifer’s efforts. Those looking for a faster pace with more cryptic insinuations will be disappointed. 4 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheGirlsInTheLake. It was read and reviewed voluntarily.

A young girl is dragged from Lake Windemere. What would possess someone to dive into the freezing water- apart from being drunk. The investigation seems to focus on a party boat. A rich young man & his friends host parties on the boat where champagne seems to flow like water. Another girl is found in the water, but this time she is still clinging to life. Forensic pathologist Beth Adams discovers paint scraping under the nails of both girls. She is determined to help investigate before another body appears on her mortuary table.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series so I was delighted to get my hands on the next in the series. This wasn't a disappointment. It kept me guessing & changing my mind! The characters are likeable & believable & I look forward to meeting them again. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book

Young women, all beautiful, all blond, all found floating face down in Lake Windermare. Accidents? Murder?

They were all guests to what locals call the Party Boat ... a large boat owned and run by a young man with extremely wealthy parents. He offers tours... along with champagne and sometimes a few pills of one sort or another. He and his two close friends also enjoy all the benefits of beautiful women.

Pathologist Beth Adams, after investigating the first two women found in the lake, has a gut feeling that these were more than suicides. She's determined to find some kind of evidence, even if it really isn't her job.

But her live-in relationship with her boyfriend, Josh, also a law enforcement officer seems to be failing and the death of a man who tried to kill her a few years ago is killed while in prison. With so much going on, she finds she'd rather seek out a serial killer than sit at home and do nothing.

How many more girls will find Beth find at the bottom of the lake?

This is well written, a few twists and turns along the way ... and a very surprising finale. Although second in the series, this is easily a stand alone. However, I highly recommend reading the first one in order to see what Beth has endured for years and how she and Josh connected. The story premise is a good one, evenly paced from the very first page.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this police procedural. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Two dead young women and one girl rescued from the same fate, DS Josh Walker has a tough nut to crack. It’s not easy to find evidence of a crime, so maybe all this drowning women are just unfortunate accidents? Beth can’t believe that, there's is something telling her to get out and search for more clues.
I like Beth and Josh, and for a short time, I nearly fainted with the situation between Beth and Josh and Jodie. Beth needs this relationship so much after her past was a living hell. At times I wasn’t sure if the things Beth did helped or put her in danger for nothing. Highly recommended series.

The second featuring Beth Adams. She is a forensic psychologist She is called to a crime scene about a woman found in the.water. The body was close.to a boat that the previous night had been partying.
Suspenseful, a good romantic suspense.

I was delighted to get book two in this series, having read book one earlier this year, I wasn’t disappointed. This book can be read as a stand-alone novel, although there are mentions of a couple of things that happened in book one, which actually helps understand the characters.

This time we have women turning up dead in Lake Windermere, the first woman is naked and is caught by her hair on the moorings to the boat and Ethan who had been on the boat the night before could hear something hitting the side of it, on coming out to inspect he sees the girl and jumps in in the hope of rescuing her, but of course she is already dead, Beth Adams Forensic Pathologist is called out as is her boyfriend DS Josh Walker, the relationship is currently being kept quiet.

Ethan is shook up explaining the boat is owned by his friend James Marshall and he helps out when they have functions on the boat, he had seen the girl on the boat the night before, but he didn’t know her name. Another body turns up another female with blonde hair similar to victim number one but she has been in the water a little longer so it is difficult to identify her from how she looks because of the water.

Beth thinks it’s too much of a coincidence that two girls have turned up in the lake in a short space of time both hame some sort of blue flecks of pain under a fingernail. Beth goes to check out the boat to see if the pain came from that, but the boat is not wooden so not been painted. But that doesn’t stop her when she sees a rowing boat tied to the party boat The Tequila Sunrise, the boat the first had been found tangled to. Beth decides to try and get some paint from the rowing boat but to do that she has to climb the party boat and go across to the other side and reach over. Except things don’t go quite as planned!.

Josh doesn’t come home for a couple of nights, which initially Beth assumes he is working, but then she speaks to him on the phone and hears a woman’s voice in the background, is Josh cheating on her? She drives by his ex wife’s house and sees Josh’s car there is he back with his ex? Beth is devastated after what she has been through, she finally thought she had found the one for her.

What do James Marshall owner of the party boat, and from a wealthy family, Marcus also ,from a wealthy family, and Ethan not from a monied family have in common? Besides just being friends.

The characters in this book are great I am loving seeing Beth grow, she is relatable, Josh will do anything to help anyone, we are also getting to know other members of the team, Abe who assists Beth, D.C. Sam Thomas, DC John Paton. I am looking forward to book 3 and getting to see even more of these characters they are all so well rounded, This is a really enjoyable new police procedural series and the writing just flows perfectly, every small thing leads straight to another clue.

Very well written plot line.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #bookouture for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased opinion.

I love this series as it has Detectives and a forensic pathologist trying to solve the crimes.
This one is a nail biting crime thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages.
Beth and Josh are called to a crime scene where a woman’s body has been found in the lake. Beth does the post mortem and doesn’t find anything suspicious, so let’s Josh and the team know.
Soon another woman’s body is found on the shore and she has also drowned.
Beth and Josh both suspect something is not right as there are now two people dead within a week.
The investigation leads them towards three men who own a boat which seems to be linked to both deaths but can they get to the bottom of their involvement?
This book has a fantastic ending and I was on the edge of my seat hoping it would all work out.
I love the relationship between Beth and Josh and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Beth Adams is a forensic pathologist and she has a disturbing case in front of her. The body of a young girl is found in a lake, and it appears that it is a suicide. Beth refuses to believe that this is the case, so she begins to dig deep, looking for any clues as to why the girl would do this.

When another girl is found in the lake, however, barely alive, Beth knows her instinct was right regarding her suspicions. Beth is drawn to a particular boat, and to a couple of men that she finds suspicious. Why would a girl apparently jump naked into icy waters? She can't shake it. She finds the smallest clue and this makes it possible for her to connect both cases.

Now she feels it is up to her to find the murderer. Furthermore, Beth is reminded about a similar accident many years ago. Can she stop another girl from the same plight? Meanwhile, with her personal life spiraling out of control, Beth struggles to maintain her focus.

As I mentioned in my review of the first book in this series, The Girl in the Grave, Beth reminds me of the TV show and character Quincy. He was always going deeper and often acted as a detective of sorts and always got to the truth of the matter. Beth is just like that. It is very rewarding to read these fantastic and well-written books by Helen Phifer. I cannot wait to see what she has in store next for Beth.

Note: Although part of a series, this book could be read as a standalone.

Many tanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Girls in the Lake’ by Helen Phifer in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in her police procedural series set in the Lake District featuring forensic pathologist, Beth Adams. I had read the first in the series, ‘The Girl in the Grave’ earlier in the year and enjoyed it very much. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to read and review this in advance.

The body of a young woman is found floating face down in Lake Windermere. She had been partying on a luxury boat the night before and appears to have accidentally drowned while taking a late night swim. The only anomaly is that Beth discovers some paint fragments under a fingernail.

Then another body of a young blonde woman is discovered though she appears to have been in the water for a while. Again, similar paint is found. Then during a party on the same boat a teenager falls into the lake and claims someone pushed her.

Meanwhile, Beth and boyfriend Detective Sergeant Josh Walke are having relationship issues alongside their investigations into these deaths.

Again this was a fast-paced, solidly plotted police procedural that engaged me from its start. I was amused when Beth asked herself ‘what would Scarpetta do?’, referencing the fictional character that shares a profession with Beth. Kay Scarpetta is well known for placing herself in danger when she goes off-piste seeking her own answers. Likewise, Beth tends to place herself in dangerous situations in a similar manner.

This was a strong second outing for Beth Adams and friends and I look forward to reading more of Helen Phifer’s work.

I really liked this book! While it’s #2 in a series, it reads well as a stand-alone. The discovery of a body in Lake Windermere, appears to be another suicide but given that the victim is naked makes Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams take a deeper look. And with all the other things going on in her life the plot gets complicated. In a good way. This is a well crafted mystery with an interesting main character and location and it kept me hanging on all the way to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This second book in the Beth Adams series finds Dr. Adams, a Forensic Pathologist in the Lake District, living with her boyfriend, DS Josh Walker. Beth is still fixated on her abusive ex, a man who tried to kill her -- twice -- but he's safely locked in prison and now, after 7 long years, she's feeling like she can come out of her self-imposed shell thanks to Josh. This happy little world is upset, however, when the bodies of two females are pulled from Lake Windermere in the space of 24 hours. Then, at a drinks party on a fancy boat, another girl is pushed into the same lake. These events have the same 3 people in common. Is this a serial killer at work or were the drownings accidental? NO SPOILERS.

This is me -- I love science and, as a nurse, I devour all details medical. I've long had a fascination with the work of the forensic pathologist and have read extensively in the sub genre as well as watched all the tv shows. So, I am super picky. And that's where my problem began. Beth Adams is no Kay Scarpetta nor is she a pale comparison to Dr. Quincy (just to name two) and since I know a little bit about the actual JOB duties for this position, I found myself scoffing in disbelief at the things that Beth does in this book. Even so, I continued to read and discovered that I simply don't really like any of the characters. And don't get me started on the stupid issues that Beth and Josh had during the course of their investigation! The plot was a little thin and the perpetrator obvious so there were no surprises except maybe that Beth manages to live despite needing yet another rescue or two!

I guess I might be done with this series despite my eagerness to read about a pathologist and cop who are romantically involved as well as work partners assuming each would stick to his/her strength. Maybe it's different in the Lake District to how this could possibly be done in the USA, but even when taking liberties with it for the sake of the story, it should not be quite so unbelievable? I hate being disappointed but this was a very quick read with lots of emotional angst filler so I can move on. I had such high hopes but accurate scientific detail alone can't carry a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Book 2 in the Beth Adams series and it's every bit as good as the first.

Beth is a feisty character and i love her strength.

I read this book in one sitting as I was hooked from the very first page. The twists and turns keep you guessing right to the end.

The description of the lake and especially the storm makes it very easy to visualise the scenes.

Love this series and can't wait for book 3!

First, I want to thank Helen Phifer, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Helen Phifer writes crime like no other in The Girls on the Lake. For someone like me who loves true crime and the medical field this book will be right up your alley! She takes you behind the scenes of the investigation into the mortuary and gives you detailed descriptions of what happens. If you are like me an love the medical industry and true crime books that read like fiction you will love this book. It was incredibly interesting and fascinating!

This is the second book in the series. Helen Phifer is a new author to me and this book I read as a standalone. It was an easy to follow along book. However, there are some storylines that happened to Beth that I really wish I read the first book for as they seemed intense.

Many characters like Joel, Josie and Beth you could tell Helen was very passionate about telling their story. My heart ached for Josie and Beth but for different reasons. However, Joel in my eyes was a step-up man in every way. He had a heart of gold. For the record I didn’t read the first book so I am just going on this book and what I know about the three..

In the book she writes that this book is for all the writers who paved the way and taught her that anything is possible if you work hard enough and never give up. She thanks you for the endless hours of entertainment and chances to lead so many different lives.

I was very touched that she recognized her book bloggers who take time out of our busy lives to read her books and support her. It meant the world to me to read how appreciative she is of us a how truly wonderful she thinks we are. Words can’t express how much that meant to me reading that! Thank you, Helen..

Forensic pathologist Dr. Beth Adams was back with the girls drowned in the lake. A girl found drowned was ruled as accidental until another was found. Two seemed to be too much of a coincidence, and when the third death occurred, the investigation sped up.

My second book by author Helen Phifer, the book was entertaining and easy to read. The pages turned faster as the suspects clammed up. This was completely different from the rest of the police procedural. It was a thriller too as it showed me a complete story not only from the cops' POV but also from the suspects.

The doc in me was fascinated with the explanation of internal drowning and pulmonary edema. Not many write about alveoli and surfactant. Kudos to the author's research. Being a perfectionist and expecting more from the story, I wished Beth didn't drink so much especially when emergencies could occur any time. But she was bold to travel a path which should have been left to the investigators.

I wanted a bit more cohesiveness from the story. Maybe I imagined myself in Beth's shoes and thought there would be more of a teamwork. What Google could discover, the cops didn't...

Overall, a fun read. A different sorta police procedural. I hoped book 3 would have the nitty gritty of forensics linking well to the main story. Bring on the CSI...

I enjoyed this 2nd book in the series, Such great characters, like a TV Show where a pathologist does the detective work, a real murder mystery. A great read.

Part 2 in this splendid series and I still love Beth Adams. She is strong, believes in what she does, is not the most patient and maybe a tad (ahum) headstrong but always for a good cause.

If you have read part 1 a while ago, it's not always easy to remember exactly what the book was about. No panic, the author will fill you in so you get that ping-oh-yes-I-remember-moment. For those you have not had the time to read the previous story, no worries. The information the author gives is just enough to make you run to the bookstore and buy it because your interest will be piqued.

The short chapters give the story the same speed as a TGV. Even if, for some reason, you have to stop reading, you still manage to squeeze in one more chapter, and maybe even one more, ...

The writing stylie is fluent. I was under the story's spell from the first chapter and of course I was, once again, betting on the wrong horse. 5 stars

Thank you, Helen Phifer and Bookouture.

Our very own 'Scarpetta' of the Lake District is back for another instalment.
Dr Beth Adams is starting to move on with her life following past trauma's. She also in a new relationship with the local Dectective Josh Walker.
Two bodies found in lake Windermere set Beth and Josh racing to discover whether they are more than tragic accidents. The cases also lead to Beth taking risks.
Another brilliant book by Helen Phifer. Really well written and likeable characters set in a beautiful backdrop of the Lake District. Loved the book!

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Girls In The Lake’ by Helen Phifer in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The body of a young blonde woman is discovered floating in Lake Windermere and not long after the submerged body of another woman is found. DS Josh Walker and his team learn that the two women were partying on the boat ‘The Tequila Sunrise’ and Josh believes they were accidental deaths due to the women being intoxicated. But then another young woman is found in the lake still alive and says she was pushed. Forensic Pathologist Dr Beth Adams finds traces of boat paint beneath the women’s finger nails and is determined to find the truth as she owes it to the victims who aren’t alive to tell their own story.

‘The Girls In The Lake’ is the second in the Dr Beth Adams series and is a great improvement on the first. It has an interesting plot set in the Lake District, a beautiful part of the country which adds to the attraction of the story. There are several believable suspects, twists and turns, suspense and drama and, as I’d hoped, there’s more about Beth’s relationship with Josh Walker and his ex-wife Jodie. The final twist which reveals the identity of the killer came as a great surprise and wasn’t who I’d expected. I like the character of Beth who I find realistic and interesting so I hope there’s going to be more in the series.