The Girls in the Lake is the second outing for forensic pathologist Beth Adams and another thrilling, tightly plotted addition to this already fabulous series.

When the body of a young girl is discovered in Lake Windermere, Beth and DS Josh Adams are called to the scene. Could this be a tragic accident, suicide or something far more sinister.

I loved this book- fast paced, realistic story line and characters and plenty of action, mystery and suspects.
Definitely comes highly recommended and deserves all of 5 stars.

Can't wait to meet Beth again in the future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for my honest review.

The Girls in the Lake is the second book in the Beth Adams series and it picks up a few weeks after the first one. Life has been really good recently for Beth and Josh. They just moved in together and everything is perfect. But then a girl is found drowned in the lake and from there the investigation starts. Was it an accident or was it murder? As time goes on,even more victims are found and it looks like a work of a serial killer.
I have to say,I liked the second book slightly less than the first. The case itself wasn't as interesting. While I was reading it I kept thinking that it was blindingly obvious who did it and why. But that's not my main gripe with this book.
The major problem I had was all the miscommunications between Beth and Josh. The secrets,the stupid lies,it's like there had to be some type of problem and that's what we got.
Also,Beth did some extremely stupid stuff in this book. She works closely with the police, I'm sure she has to testify in court frequently. And yet she just decided it was a great idea for the investigation to go to the marina during the rain to get some paint samples from the boat in question. Without a warrant I might add. I mean,what good would it do for the case exactly? I doubt it would be acceptable as evidence in court, so... And in the rain,like really? *facepalm *
On a positive note, the chapters were short and the I read the book very quickly, so there's that at least. I didn't hate it by any means,I was just facepalming a lot throughout reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant and atmospheric psychological thriller! A very well written story with good characterization.

A body of a dead girl is found floating in Lake Windermere. It seems like an accidental drowning but why would she take off all her clothes to go for a swim in the freezing water?
Forensic psychologist Beth Adams is on call to do the autopsy. She had to fight a lot of demons but is finally moving on and in a relationship with DS Josh Walker.
Another body is found in eerily similar circumstances. Can these all be just unfortunate events or is there something more sinister behind it all?

This is the second book in the series and although I haven't read the 1st one it didn't feel like I missed anything. I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to #bookouture and #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Girls in the Lake, the second Lake District novel to feature forensic pathologist Dr Beth Adams.

When the body of a young student is found floating face down in Windermere everything points to a tragic drowning accident. There is nothing to say otherwise but Beth is uneasy and when she finds links to a second drowning she convinces her boyfriend DS Josh Walker to keep investigating.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Girls in the Lake which is an engrossing tale of dead bodies and suspicion. I don’t know where the time went, one minute I started to read and a few hours later I was finishing. It isn’t the most sophisticated plot you will ever read and it doesn’t have a twist in every chapter but it is a solidly built novel with every step making sense and following on from previous developments. It is told from various points of view, mostly Beth and Josh, but that doesn’t seem distracting, rather it is informative and gives the reader a wider perspective on events. I was so caught up in these events that I didn’t even try to identify the perpetrator. I just let the author tell me what to think.

It’s not all investigation, however as there is a subplot about Beth and Josh’s relationship. It’s not a big thing, just a niggle running through the novel and I think Ms Phifer got the balance exactly right, enough to show that her characters have a life outside work but not enough to distract from the investigation. I like it. I’m not so sure that I like Beth Adams. I understand that trauma in her past (see the previous novel, The Girl in the Grave) has given her some problems but I don’t see her as a team player, taking too much on herself. Oh well, it’s early days in the series and there’s plenty of time for her to grow on me, not that a mild uncertainty about her would stop me reading more.

The Girls in the Lake is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Second book in the Beth Adams series which I read as a standalone. I found the storyline good and exciting. Fast paced, with quality writing. Plot and characters were believable. A good story that had me gripped till the end. Though I did guess the killer before the end it was because the clues are on the page and you either pick them up or not. This in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Thanks to the author, Bookoture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Girls in the Lake by Helen Phifer is the second book of a series centred on forensic pathologist Beth Adams. As with the first offering, Ms Phifer has delivered a compelling procedural, while simultaneously fleshing out the complex personal life of her brilliant, yet relatable, protagonist.

When the drowned body of a young woman is found at a nearby lake, Beth is called to the scene to provide forensic analysis. When a second body materializes, bearing stikingly similar characteristics to the first, Beth and DS Josh Walker begin to suspect that this might go beyond coincidence, and wonder if the 'accidents' are, in fact, linked.

I particularly enjoyed following, once again, the still fledgling relationship of Beth and DS Walker, and very much look forward to discovering what is next in store for them, both on the job and at home.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

The Girls in the Lake is the second book in the Beth Adams series by Helen Phifer and a few procedural issues aside it is an enjoyable page tuning crime novel that keeps you entertained from the beginning to the end

A definite recommendation

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC of the latest Beth Adams book by Helen Phifer. If you thought the first was enjoyable then you are in for a treat again. This time the team are investigating deaths of young women in and around Lake Windermere. Helen has a knack of literally bringing the places and the people alive with her style of writing. This book is fast paced and so prepare to strap yourself in and go on a journey at "warp speed!!". I have no hesitation in recommending this series of books. and I look forward to the next in the series. It has been a pleasure to read and review this book.

The Girls in the Lake is the second book in Helen Phifer’s Beth Adams series. I hadn’t read the first ones from you don’t really need to in order to enjoy this book.

I have to say I loved this book and devoured it in just over a day. It’s brilliantly written with totally relatable characters. It’s gritty and moves along at a good pace keeping you entertained throughout. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series and would rate this 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

I am so enjoying this series pathologist Beth Adams is called to a drowning of a young girl and her boyfriend josh is the detective on this case .but did she drown or was she murdered how this story comes together . and what is happening in josh and Beth s lives is just brilliant I so recommend all this authors books she brilliant

This is the second in the series and having really enjoyed the first one, I was looking forward to this. It didn't disappoint. I love a good serial killer book and this really hit the spot. Looking forward to reading more.

Book 2 in the series and I am loving it. Beth Adams is a Forensic pathologist with a past that still haunts her. An easy read which kept me guessing and constantly changing my mind and I actually learned something too. This is turning into a another addictive and gripping series. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Lake Windermere is big, deep and very cold. It rarely welcomes visitors to its murky depths and anyone who disappears beneath the surface is unlikely to survive. When Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams has two bodies despatched to her within 24 hours who have drowned in a similar manner she knows she has to look more closely at what could, initially, have been classed as accidental.

This is the second in the Dr Beth Adams series and, once again, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a couple of things which, for me, made it a four rather than a five star review but neither had anything to do with the excellent characterisation or the descriptions of the beautiful landscape. Beth and Detective Sergeant Josh Walker are still the main protagonists; their private lives also under the spotlight as they were in their first outing but gradually other members of the team are becoming an increasingly important part of the storyline and I have no doubt book three will continue this welcome trend.

The descriptions of the Lake District as one of the UK's main tourist destinations add a realism to the story and it is obviously a place known to and enjoyed by the author. The research is obviously detailed and extensive but there is never a feeling of being blinded by science. I also love the mention of real people and places which have shaped the characters as it adds another realistic layer to all of them.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who, like me, is a fan of Helen Phifer or good British crime writing, you won't be disappointed in this excellent book.

Another enjoyable read in the Beth Adams series. Number two and although a perfectly good standalone read this is an excellent follow on to the first book The Girl In The Grave. Great main plot, and I genuinely didn’t spot the villain. The subplot and characters continue to develop nicely and I’m looking forward to seeing where their stories take them in number 3

When the body of a girl is found in lake Windermere Pathologist Beth Adams and detective Josh Walker are called in to find out if this was a tragic accident or murder? Later that same day another body is discovered in the lake and although all the evidence is pointing towards both of them being accidental drownings Beth can’t fight the feeling it is something far more sinister. It is a quick enjoyable read with everything you love about crime thrillers.

This is a quick, enjoyable read for crime thriller lovers. There’s a great mix of action, intrigue and mystery. Beth Adams is a forensic pathologist in the Lake District. It’s her unfortunate task to perform postmortems on the bodies of girls who have recently drowned in Lake Windermere. But Beth cannot stop at simply examining the bodies – she becomes more involved as she suspects the drownings are not accidental.
While Beth is a conscientious doctor, she really messes up the other areas of her life.
Lack of communication and sheer stupidity lead to her relationship with policeman Josh becoming more than a little bumpy as this case goes on. I wanted to give them both a good shaking as all they needed to do was to talk to each other. And Beth isn’t only silly when it comes to jumping to conclusions about Josh. She also risks her life trying to procure evidence to prove that the girls’ deaths are not accidental. She really should leave the sleuthing to her boyfriend
I enjoyed the mix of police procedural, bumpy romantic relationship and although I did guess the culprit I nevertheless found the read fast-paced and gripping.
This is the second in the Beth Adams series. I hadn’t read the first, and it didn’t matter at all.

This is the second book in the series featuring forensic pathologist Beth Adams and I'm happy to say I enjoyed it much more than the previous one. This case starts with the murder of a young girl who had been on a party on a fancy boat the night before. There are plenty of arrogant, entitled characters but does that mean one of them is a killer? Then another body is found and the tension starts to build. At the same time we see Beth struggle with her home life and the need to protect her own teenage daughter without breaking confidentiality rules. I thought this made the book seem more real and current as well as adding suspense. The ending and identity of the killer really came as a shock to me which is always the sign of a really good story. I look forward to the next one.

This was the second book I have read by this author, and also the second book in the series of Beth Adams.
I enjoyed the book , it was a fast and easy read. I had high expectations, loving the first book I had read. Beth Adams is a strong female character, working to learn to live again, while working her intense job as a forensic pathologist. The book makes for interesting reading, and a new found fear of finding things in the water.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
#NETGALLEY
#thegirlsinthelake

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Beth has a lot on her plate. When she is called upon to investigate what looks like another tragic suicide after a young man finds a girl body floating in the water. Beth seems to think it's more to this when another girl body is found and shock to learn she still alive and she tells them she was push.

There are a lot of twist and turns that leave with someone with revenge in mind on top of it all Beth has to come to turn with finally able to put her ex to rest and the emotions that comes with it all the while dating DS Josh and learning to trust him.

This second book in the Beth Adams series does not disappoint. Having vanquished the threat of her imprisoned ex-husband's attempts to kill her, Beth has a fresh outlook on her life. She has allowed herself to trust another person enough to share life with DS Josh Walker, who has saved her in more ways than one. The two of them work together to solve a strange series of murders -- girls who have drowned in the lake. The suspect list includes a trio of young men who like to have parties full of alcohol on a boat owned by the wealthy one among them. There are twists and turns that include not only the murder cases but also the relationship among Beth, Josh, and his ex-wife. I eagerly await the next book to see what lies ahead for Beth.