I have read most of Kimberly Belle's books and have enjoyed all of them, including this one. Stranger In The Lake is so much more than an "is her husband a good guy or bad guy?" theme. Charlotte (Charlie) comes from the poor side of town, is swept away by Paul's charm, and married in what must have been a whirlwind romance (we meet them after they've been married over a year.)
Charlie is newly pregnant, and Paul is ecstatic. He's older, widowed, and very wealthy.
The story begins when Charlie finds a woman's dead body under their dock... eerily similar to Paul's first wive's death.
I kept changing my mind as to who I thought was behind these deaths, right up until the end. Even when the "bad guy" is revealed, there are still more twists and turns afterward which keeps the intensity of the book going right to the last page.
I loved that Charlie didn't need a man on a white horse to rush in a rescue her, and I especially loved the bond between her and her brother, Chet.
Another great psychological suspense read from this author!

Overall, STRANGER IN THE LAKE is a well-written and enjoyable suspense story. I wouldn't rank it among the best of the genre, simply because the first 40% of the novel is a bit slow. Very little happens and Charlotte's movements are drawn out in too much detail, almost like Belle was trying to stretch out the story. I also became extremely annoyed by Charlotte's hesitancy to demand answers from Paul, her husband. She lets him get away with too much. However, those quibbles aside, I thoroughly enjoyed STRANGER IN THE LAKE and eagerly kept turning the pages to see how the murder(s) would be resolved. The setting is excellent - very moody and easy to picture based on the terrific descriptions of both houses and natural scenery. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and by how Belle deftly weaves past with present. The characters are well defined and Charlotte/Charlie's growth arc is enjoyable and fun. All in all, a very strong novel perfect for fans of domestic suspense.

Stranger in the Lake is a domestic psychological suspense novel- my favorite! This was my fourth novel by Kimberly Belle. The writing is so atmospheric. I felt like I was in the little lake town for the entirety of the story watching it unfold. I love high tension situations at the end of novels & Belle does this well. I really liked the main character Charlotte. She was honest, likeable, loyal, but not naive. This would have been an easier (but less interesting) story to tell if the wife was clueless. This was not Charlotte. She had an intersting combination of character traits and Belle brought her to life perfectly.

This is the second book that I have read by Kimberly Belle. And all I can say is she is an amazing writer! It was a true page turner for me. Charlotte marries Paul a very wealthy man who happens to be widowed. Everyone thinks Charlotte has married Paul for the money, even his mother. Paul's first wife, also very wealthy, died in a drowning accident despite being a great swimmer. Bodies keep popping up in the lake right in front of their house and that's when everything starts to get a bit crazy. A very scary read that will hold your attention til the very end! 😱

Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Stranger in the Lake is a moody, unpredictable, breathtaking novel. The atmosphere—cold woods, a deep lake, a place where you can see and be seen, a setting built for secrets and animosity—enhance the many layers of this story. Each character is written with a deft hand, an understanding of their fears, their pasts, their doubts, their loyalties give each one of them so many layers for readers to unravel. I was mesmerized from the first page, caught up in a web of murders and lies, my heart-racing as I read long into the night.

I was really eager to start reading Stranger in the Lake. The plot sounded like something I would enjoy. I'm a huge fan of thrillers and creepy novels. The first few chapters were really slow. Unfortunately, I was a little bored initially and had to push through. However, the preceding chapters were very good. I ended up really enjoying the book.

3.5

Lake Crosby, North Carolina. Told between two timelines and two people – year 1999, Jax recalled the days when he, Paul and Micah were teenage boys; present day, Charlotte (Charlie), a twenty-six-year old gas station attendant, now married to Paul, thirty-seven years old a famous and successful architect, who was also a suspect of the murder of his first wife. But despite the town’s gossips, warnings and suspicions, Charlotte still fell head over heels for Paul, and married him. All was a bed of roses, until one morning when Charlotte found a woman dead, lying under their dock, the same spot where Katherine, Paul’s first wife was found. When the woman was identified, Paul took off and couldn’t be reached. This raised suspicion not only among those investigating the case, but Charlotte too. Was she living with a murderer?

I loved Belle’s ‘Dear Wife’. One of the best thrillers I read last year, when I started losing faith in that genre with The Girl in The Window, The Girl in The Train, I thought ‘Dear Wife’ couldn’t do any better and I was wrong. It was so good. So, of course I was excited when I was given the chance to read the ARC of The Stranger in The Lake.

And I wanted so so much to give this a five-star review. But truth to be told. It wasn’t as good and suspenseful as ‘Dear Wife’. I think I had high expectations after reading Dear Wife. But this was still good, just not as good.
It had a good start but somewhere in the middle I found myself skimming through, waiting for something big to happen. I tried so hard to find something that’d pull me in further into the story, but there weren’t any. Maybe because I weren’t rooting for any particular character, not even Charlotte; it’s not that I didn’t like her, I just didn’t hate her. Also Charlotte’s inner voice – I found it a little too repetitive, especially about her perfect man, Paul and their relationship, and how they were both so in love with each other. To me, I think Chet, Charlotte’s brother, stood out the most. He added color and life to the story.

Besides wanting to solve this murder mystery, what made me finish this book was also the author’s writing. She had proven herself to be a talented writer in her previous book, and she had proven once again in this. I loved how she captured Paul’s mansion that was the envious of many, (me included), and the people and little town of Lake Crosby and made them feel real. Buddy, Jamie and Diana were quite some characters! Buddy and Jamie appeared briefly but they left an impression!

Also, I wasn’t too far from wrong from guessing the suspect(s). I had two in mind, and as it turned out, those two 'played a role' in one of the deaths that occurred in the novel.

Will I still recommend this? Yes. Will I read another of Kimberly Belle’s books? You bet I will!

Thank you Harlequin Park Row for the invitation to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Meh.

Stranger in the Lake is a psychological thriller about a mysterious murder in a small town.

Charlotte, a twenty-something gas station attendant from the wrong side of the tracks, finds her prince charming in Paul, a 37-year-old wealthy architect, whose first wife happened to die in a tragic accident. Some think Paul murdered his first wife, but Charlotte ignored the rumors and fell in love with her dream man. The age difference and Charlotte's upbringing fuel the gossip mill of their small town. When another woman winds up dead in the same spot Paul’s first wife was found, questions about Paul’s role in the murder have Charlotte questioning the man she thought she loved.

Told from Charlotte’s POV, combined with flashbacks from the past, this book never grabbed me. I kept waiting to be captivated, and sadly it never happened. I hate to say this because I have loved Kimberly Belle’s other books, but I was bored. This book dragged and dragged. There was little action and a lot of waiting, which I usually don’t mind, but I wasn’t connecting with the plot or the main character. I never got a full feel for Charlotte's character; I couldn't picture her and wasn’t able to get a full sense of her childhood suffering, outside of maybe one scene. She said all the right things, but they didn’t resonate.

I also didn’t feel the tension or suspense that has played such a heavy role in Belle’s other books. The plot reminded me of a few other thrillers I have read over the past year, which might be why I was able to identify the murderer and figure out some of the plot twists early on. I had high expectations and was expecting something a little more original and intriguing.

This in no way is a bad thriller-- it just didn't reel me in.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't the page turner I was expecting, but the suspense kept me reading. I found the first half of the book slow, with little happening over the course of one day, however, reading the 50 percent mark, things quickly ramped up, and then I found it unputdownable. Loved the twist at the end and didn't see it coming!

I am a big fan of Ms. Belle and had been waiting patiently to get a copy of this book in my hands. Normally, I would have devoured it in a matter of days, which I had done with her previous books (check out my reviews below), however, it took me much longer. Not because of the storyline, suspense, writing, etc. but because of our current health crisis, which I have had a hard time focusing due to anxiety.

Charlotte, aka Charlie, McCreedy Keller grew up on the wrong side of town but a year ago married Paul Keller, a big-time architect of custom homes. For Paul, he never thought he would find love again after losing his first wife 4 years ago, which he was a suspect in her questionable death.

After celebrating, the night before, that they were expecting, Charlotte walk down to the dock to retrieve some papers that she left on his boat. Those papers are not the only thing she finds, there is a body below their dock, reminiscent of where Paul's 1st wife was found. How could this happen again? And what's worse, Paul leaves her to deal with the police while he treks and plans to be away hiking in the woods to locate his friend Jax while his other friend, Micah, son of the Police Chief and an underwater crime investigator is on the scene.

Things are not adding up for Charlotte. Could it be she really doesn't know her husband? And why are circumstances from a death from 20 years ago, coming to light now?

The suspense was gripping. The characters were believable. The writing fluid.

Even though there were not that many characters, aka suspects, I kept going back and forth between a few of them as to who I thought the killer was. By the time I was into 3/4 of the story I was sure I had this mystery figured out. WRONG!!!!!! Not even close! The ending was climatic that left me saying, WAIT!!
WHAT!!!

Another entertaining and super suspenseful read by an awesome author!!!! Now I sit and patiently wait for her next book!!

Will be posted to GR and my blog 06/11/20

I received a free E-ARC copy of this book from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review. All these thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is about a woman named Charlotte, who married the wealthy widower Paul that caused a ripple of gossip throughout the small lake town. They have a great marriage despite the whispers that follow them about her poor upbringing and the mysterious death of Paul's first wife. But everything begins to change when she discovers a young woman’s body floating in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife drowned. At first, the woman seemed to be some stranger who just met an untimely end, but as the police investigation begins to reveals lies and connections to past events, Charlotte sees her marriage start to crack. Who is the man Charlotte married and what else might Paul be hiding in the water?
This book had a great plot line. The author did a wonderful job of creating layers of mystery around the events throughout the story. The characters were not overly deep, but the book provided enough backstory, so that the reader was able to understand the decisions and actions of each character. This book stands out because the puzzle pieces of the current murder must be found in the past. That is what makes this book different because usually the author just allows the clues to be kept in the present day. I felt Charlotte was a very realistic character howbeit a little naive in her trust towards her husband. I loved how she was able to grow and begin to question the people around her and eventually come to the right answer. The use of language and writing was good. I felt the story did not drag, but had a good set pace. The ending was very satisfactory and believable. I would recommend this book to those who love a good murder mystery. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

I thought this book was fantastic! This story had a fantastic slow build that forces the reader to question everyone. First we're presented with Charlotte, who has had a recent upgrade in her life after marrying the rich Paul. Paul became rich under suspicious circumstances, his first wife was found under his dock and he was always thought to have murdered her. She at the beginning refuses to associate with who she was before she met Paul, when she was Charlie and lived in a trailer with her brother Chet.

But then another woman dies, found at their dock just like Paul's first wife, and Paul asks her to lie to protect him. Charlotte just found out she's pregnant. She lies to the police to protect him, meanwhile his old friend jax seems to be trying to scare her. Paul begins acting more and more odd, disappearing for hours at a time and lying about what he was doing, Paul's friend Micah is questioning them because he seems to know Paul had something to do with it.

It turns out that the woman was in town investigating an earlier death, that of Bobby, a drug addict that died under mysterious circumstances 15 years ago. His body was never found, and the community seems fine to forget about his death.

This is a fantastic mystery, but what makes it even better are the interpersonal relationships. Charlotte's journey through this, as she has to face up to the fact that she can't escape her past.

This was my first Kimberly Belle book but it won't be my last! Thank you to netgalley for this ARC.

Charlotte has finally beat her childhood. She has moved out of the trailer park and is now living large with her new husband Paul. Until a woman is found drowned under their dock, the same way Paul’s ex wife Katherine died. Charlotte is suddenly wondering how well she knows the man she married…could he have killed this woman? And his ex?

3.5 stars. This one had all the makings of a great thriller. A cagey new husband, best friend next door, a stranger dead in a mysterious way. All the lies, all the cover ups. I really enjoyed this one, and am also keeping in mind that throughout quarantine, thrillers have been my go-to so I have read a lot of them in the last few weeks. I think that has made me a bit harder of a rater when it comes to them. This one still kept me flipping pages well into the night and trying to figure out who had killed both Katherine and this stranger. If you have enjoyed Kimberly Belle’s previous books, I still highly recommend grabbing this one. I really enjoyed the story and trying to figure everything out.

Thank you to Park Row Books and netgalley for my gifted copy of this book!

3 Stars

I Know All of Your Secrets
I Know All of Your Lies
I Know Where You Keep ‘Em
Buried Deep Inside
Ruelle, 2017

Charlotte (fka Charlie), new wife to her husband Paul, (a former widow) feels extremely happy in her surroundings. Why wouldn’t she? Paul is EXTREMELY wealthy and the two live in a gorgeous home overlooking Lake Crosby. So what if the home is in Paul’s name and everything is technically his since Charlotte grew up in a trailer home.

Everything is absolutely perfect.. until Charlotte goes out to the lake to check the boat early one morning while Paul is out for a run. There, she discovers the body of a woman in the lake.

Then of course, all h3ll breaks loose!

Secrets and lies. So many, they were enough to make your head spin. I’m surprised the Exorcist didn’t make an appearance!

Going back and forth in time from the present to 1999, when Paul and his best friends Jax and Micah were teenagers and Charlie and her brother Chet were children, “Stranger in the Lake” started out strong and then kind of petered out. For me, there were a few items that just didn’t quite ring true and that had my eyes rolling, which disappointed me a tad. Like a few other reviewers, I too wish that some other avenues had been explored in this novel that were not, but alas, such is life.
Kimberly Belle’s writing style is however totally engaging and she had me glued to the storyline throughout. I am a true fan of hers and will be anxiously awaiting her next release.

This was another buddy read with Kaceey!

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin - Park Row, and Kimberly Belle for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 4.26.20.

First, let me say this. Nothing is more scary to me then than the idea of walking around in a brightly lit house, when it's dark outside, and to have no curtains or blinds on the huge windows of my "rich people" house. Of course, that would never happen because I'm not "rich people", so I don't have one of those fancy, glass walled house, with no curtains or blinds. I just can't imagine that though, when there has been a body or two found down at the dock that the rich people house overlooks. 

Charlotte, used to not be "rich people" either but then she married Paul, eleven years older than her, who had lost his first wife when she downed in the lake below the house. His first wife was a champion swimmer and still swam every morning and it's hard to believe she could drown in the lake. Paul is accused of killing her by folks in the town but in the end, the death is legally labeled accidental. When Charlotte and Paul fall in love after a whirlwind romance, she is warned off of Paul by her good friend Sam, a local policeman who thinks that Paul killed his wife. But Charlotte doesn't think Paul is capable of hurting anyone and she loses her friendship with Sam, when she marries Paul. 

Then Charlotte sees her husband talking to a strange woman in town and the next day that woman's body is found under the same dock where Paul's first wife's body was found. Paul begs Charlotte to lie about him talking to the woman, packs a backpack and runs out the door, leaving Charlotte to deal with all the mess that a murder investigation involves. As Charlotte tells one lie for Paul, more lies must be piled on the first lie, and Charlotte begins to doubt her husband's innocence in either women's death. 

There is also Jax, who along with Paul and their friend Micah, seem to have a strange bond...Micah and Jax don't like each other but Paul is the glue that keeps them tied to each other. Something might have happened long ago, another mystery that might involve all three men. The more Charlotte discovers about Paul, the less she trusts him but she doesn't know who to turn to..Sam is already wanting Paul's head and Micah's police chief father is a violent, loose cannon, not to be trusted treat anyone fairly, especially Jax, who Paul wants to protect at all costs. 

During all of this, Charlotte leans on her flaky younger brother, Chet, the brother she had to raise herself, from the time she was six years old. They've been through hell already, being neglected by a drug using, alcoholic mother and their bond is as strong as that of Paul, Jax, and Micah. So many lies, so many mysteries and Charlotte is scrambling to figure out what is going on. 

Thank you to HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing/Park Row and NetGalley, for this ARC.

A small town, a body found floating under a dock.

That dock just happens to be where another body was found not so long ago.

Paul and Charlotte live there, the other body was his late wife.

The town is looking suspiciously at Paul.

But wait: he is just one of the long list of suspects.

Who can you really believe?

Twists and turns right to the final page will keep the light on, the pages turning.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin Trade Publishing (US and Canada) Park Row for an entertaining read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stranger in the Lake was my first introduction to a Kimberly Belle novel and it did not disappoint! This drama in this story started off quickly and strong! Charlotte came from very humble beginnings - grew up in a trailer park with a drug-addicted mother. Paul, came from a privileged lifestyle. Paul and Charlotte meet and fall in love and get married fairly quickly. And even though they know their love is real, Paul and Charlotte know the rest of the small town they live in silently judges. Paul lost his first wife in a drowning accident - even know she was an excellent swimmer (???) red flags, anyone?? And not too long after he marries Charlotte, another mysterious woman shows up - dead in the water - under their dock...the same place Paul's first wife was found. Coincidence or not?

This book is filled with twists and turns - some I figured were coming and some I did not guess! I love when books can surprise me as I'm reading! I found myself wanting to come back to this book when I was doing other things, I just kept getting drawn back - I needed to know what happened! I definitely recommend this novel and I will, for sure, be reading more by Kimberly Belle.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My thoughts

Would I recommend it ? Yes

Would I read more by this author? yes

While this is the first time I've ever read anything by this author I can see why a lot of people like her written style because of how it draws you int the story.Its packed with everything I love about a thriller which is twists and turns , lies , murder, secrets, as well as misdirection and surprises , and it leaves you with a feeling that you can't trust anyone including the main character Charlotte. With that that said i want to thank the publisher for letting me read and review it as well as the invite and a big thank you to NetGalley as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kimberly Belle and Harlequin for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I cruised through this novel and adored the dark, broody atmosphere of the small town! I loved Charlotte and how suspicion of the murders kept going back and forth between all the characters the entire novel. It’s really hard not to be suspicious of everyone except Charlotte, but twists throughout this one were amazing! I loved how much happened in the end after you think it’s almost over; there are more twists to come! I really enjoyed Belle’s writing and I definitely recommend reading this one!

Out June 9th!

There was something really strange about the language used here. It went a smidge past what I can account for with local dialect variations.