Murder at Sunrise Lake by Christine Feehan is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that is sure to keep you up at night and send chills down your spine. Murder at Sunrise Lake reaches new heights of passion and suspense in this thrilling novel. The story takes readers deep into the California backcountry, where a woman is tormented by visions of a killer. A well-written story with intriguing characters that is sure to stay with you long after reading.

As a long time Feehan Fan, I was skeptical about this book. To my delight, I really enjoyed reading this one! I loved the suspense, trying to guess who the killer was, and what their motive was. I had to force myself to put the book down at 1am so I could function the next day. I hope that this becomes a series as there were many characters that I wanted to know more about.

Finding out the Christine Feehan was writing a standalone novel was so exciting!!!
I am happy to say, that this is what I was hoping it would be. Being a fan of some romantic suspense, but can't really handle a thriller, this was the perfect balance for me. I got enough mystery and suspense to satisfy my romantic suspense loving heart, without heading into a thriller feel.
I know that won't be for everyone, but it worked well for me personally.
You can see Feehan spreading her wings with this novel, tackling some thing that feels the most contemporary of what I have read from her. It was beautiful to see, and I can't wait to see what other stand alone she comes out with in the future.
Now, I did find our hero and heroine great, solid characters that you want to root for as soon as you meet them. I love that the drama between them was minimal, and they came together in a lovely way.
The mystery was fairly obvious, and that was ok to me. I don't need to be wowed with that reveal. That is never why I pick up a Feehan book. It's always about the couple, and how they come together, and that didn't disappoint.
I hope you give this one a try and enjoy it.

The intensity of MURDER AT SUNRISE LAKE will grab you from the first page to the surprising ending.

If you like slow moving (until it explodes off the pages) romance, a cast of characters that will intrigue and entertain you, secrets, tension, danger and surprises then you have to get your hands on MURDER AT SUNRISE LAKE.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

The complete review may be found at: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=74165

Christine Feehan has been a long time favourite of mine. Most readers will be familiar with her long running paranormal series, and Murder at Sunrise Lake is a bit of a departure. Stella is the daughter of a serial killer who has been having visions on and off of murders once she comes into contact, or is (unknowingly) nearby a murderer. Stella has reinvented herself, and hasn't had her nightmare-ish visions in a while. Once they have suddenly returned, Stella, and her friend turned lover Sam try to thwart the killer while staying out of his crosshairs. The pacing of Feehan's latest release didn't quite work for me. The middle seemed a little repetitious, and the action didn't quite land. I like the idea of standalone works from Feehan which are especially accessible for new readers, but Murder at Sunrise Lake just didn't quite land for me.

Murder at Sunrise Lake proves again why I love Feehan's writing. She creates amazing suspense, some seriously spine chilling moments, and romance. There is something here for everyone!

I love police procedurals, true crime, and thrillers, so when I found out Christine Feehan was writing a super suspenseful romance with heroine who could "see" a killer I was titivated for sure. Feehan weaves in some supernatural elements into all of her stories and that is another aspect that makes me love her writing. Murder at Sunrise Lake is spooky and I was creeped out many times. Because the heroine, Stella, dreams of the killers actions, you have a really unique glimpse that is gripping and creepy. I loved it! Stella doesn't want these visions, and while she wants to help put this murderer away, she doesn't want people thinking she is crazy.

Now, I will be honest and say I figured out the identity of the killer fairly quickly. Truly, I do in most books I read. I watch WAY too much crime tv. However, that didn't dull my enjoyment of the story overall! It was an interesting game of "how to catch a killer" once I figured out the who.

The romance is rock solid and I loved that. Sam and Stella are a great pair, but Sam has secrets of his own. He was a steady hero for her and I appreciated that it was minimal drama between these two.

If you like your books with touches of thriller, paranormal, romance, and suspense, Murder at Sunrise Lake is a satisfying pick that will hit all your buttons!

I really wanted to love this one, but it just felt too long and the build-up was too much for me. That being said, I'm still planning to read more from this author!

"Mommy, Daddy's doing the bad things again" First sentence of Murder At Sunrise. Reaches out and grabs you. Makes you take a breath and wonder what's to come. Stella is intriguing, gutsy, intelligent, caring and beautiful.. Sam reminded me a tad of the men we met in her Torpedo Ink Series, but more well rounded, They both keep secrets. Mystery, suspense , romance. It's all there. This is a stand alone, and I a guessing it will become book 1 in a series ( I can be way off base here) because it was so detailed, so heavy with people and backgrounds, Like laying the ground work for future books.. We meet Stellas' "posse" so to speak, and each one has secrets, each one is beautiful, intelligent and talented. I believe the only creeps, or rude, obnoxious people were men. I loved some of the secrets that came out from the whole group and how they were handled, I was disappointed that most of them were shared here, maybe ruining my theory of this starting a series. When the background of the killer comes out is heart wrenching, When the final twist comes out, my jaw dropped and I thought whatttttt, missed that. I also loved the epilogue, the very, ending, and I wanted to see more . Thank you for the arc, I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Christine Feehan writing straight rom-com suspense. Set in the Sierra Nevada mountains, our protagonist, Stella Harrison, is a reclusive resort owner with a traumatic past. That traumatic past comes back to haunt her when she begins to dream about a serial killer and relives his killers through a series of "snapshots." When one snapshot reveals the death of someone very close to her, Stella decides to come out of hiding and use her gift to find the killer before the killer finds her.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Feehans' latest adventure. Brimming with strong characters and strong relationships, Feehan dances to an intricate tune with her skill at building a plausible front for her protagonist's life in the form of a simmering romantic attachment and her friendships. The mystery is tricky, made so by some red herrings thrown about. A hint of the paranormal is to be expected but it's nothing overly dramatic. A surprisingly anti-climatic finish solves the mystery and gives Stella the final push towards her own happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

In a little town around Sunrise Lake there's a woman who owns a high end resort and hosts pro fishing tournaments. She also has the ability to sense a serial killer.

No one wants to think there's a killer on the loose in their little town. Stella doesn't want her friends to think her crazy either. But the evidence is irrefutable. There is one and she can tell where/when the killing/s will take place.

Though I figured out who the killer was way before the halfway point it was still an interesting story. Weaving the webs of the story just so and each person playing their part. I enjoyed the book and if you like stories that include friendship, love, and even murder I think you'll like this one too.

Don't worry - it's not and intense read and the details are not such that you'll have nightmares about the murders.

This was an interesting beginning to what feels like a new series. Overall, it was a little too slow for me and lacked the action I expected from a Christine Feehan suspense, but I enjoyed the characters. This group of women all carry deep secrets and I'm curious to discover more about them.

Review: This is a standalone romance by Christine Feehan that I consider more suspense than thriller.

Stella Harrison, our female star, is having nightmares again, which usually foretell a murder. And not just any murder, but the work of a serial killer. As a small child, Stella had similar dreams showing details of murders that occurred just a few days after the dreams started, but those were linked to her own father and his terrible crimes. Then again, as a teenager in foster care. Now she’s an adult, trying to create her own piece of normalcy in the Sierra Nevada mountains by owning a resort.

Her handyman, and love interest, Sam Rossi has a secret past of his own, not unlike every other person in her small town. Stella has to admit who she it to her friends in order to stop these “accidental” murders. Her goal is to find out who the killer is before he kills her or one of her close friends. Some great character development for this close group of friends, but the pacing of the story may seem slow at first.

Note: I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own. #MurderAtSunriseLake #NetGalley #ChristineFeehan

Murder at Sunrise Lake by Christine Feehan is a different kind of story that we are not used to from her, being a mystery thriller, with some paranormal element. Stella Harrison, our heroine, runs a successful resort at Sunrise Lake in the small cozy Sierra Nevada mountains. Stella suffered nightmares as a child, giving her visions of a murder about to happen, which turned out to be her father being a serial killer. After a couple times, the visions stopped until she was a teenager, and it started again, until the murderer was found. Moving to the mountains brought her peace and quiet, as well as happiness for years; she became a loyal mainstay to the locals. Stella also had a great group of female friends, who came to love their small town and each other.

After so many years, Stella begins to have the nightmares again, which she keeps a secret from everyone. Sam, who works for Stella, discovers about her nightmares, and not only is he a handyman, but he also becomes her protector; as he has over the two-year period of working at the resort, and is slowly falling for her. Stella has become very comfortable and safe with Sam, and she also finds herself strongly attracted to him. Sam is an ex-military, whose background is working for the government when needed, and uses his expertise to help Stella try to decipher the clues in her nightmares. One thing they both realize, is her nightmares are based on someone she knows or has touched; like her father. Sam was a wonderful hero, though he was quiet and stayed mostly in the background among other people, his devotion and protector to Stella was amazing. I also loved Stella’s dog, Bailey, who was not only wonderful, but also very protective.

What follows an exciting suspenseful mystery, with both Sam and Stella working together to try to find the killer before they kill again, knowing that they are getting closer and the murderer may just be targeting Stella. What I loved about this story was the amazing wonderful friends that all came to this small town at various times, and bonded together. Stella surrounded herself with women who were equally smart, savvy, and strong; Raine, Zahra, Harlow, Vienna, Shabina. It was great to spend time with them all whether at the bar, or at each other’s homes; with each having their own past issues, giving their own perspective, and also trying to help Stella.

Murder at Sunrise Lake was a very good murder mystery, filled with action & suspense, as well as a slight paranormal element. I will say that there were times the story slowed down, maybe eliminating some of the extra non-essential details. Overall, this was a great story, with a terrific couple, fantastic friends and other secondary characters. I wholly suggest you read Christine Feehan’s foray into the murder mystery genre.

"It's just that no one can really be friends with a ghost, Stella, and that's what he is."

Wow. What a ride the author took me on. I'm a big fan of her Torpedo Ink series so I already knew she had a gift for writing suspense. I went in expecting it. Knowing...but not knowing. You know what I mean? It's like watching a horror movie with your hand over your eyes, peeking through two fingers. You're afraid to look but you can't not look.

It was so exciting to experience the events from the safety of my Kindle. I got the benefits of the action and suspense without the risk the characters were facing. I enjoyed the thrill of trying to figure out whodunit while at the same time afraid I was right about who I suspected. Sometimes we want to be wrong, right?

And while this story is what I'd call a psychological thriller, it also falls into the romantic suspense category. Cuz, you know, Sam. Yeah, he's all that. #SexySam,#ProtectiveSam, #SweetSam, #BadassSam, #GhostSam. But...is he? All I can tell you is you want to read this book to find out. I really enjoyed this new direction the author is going in and I'm totally down for more of the same. The line forms here...

Murder at Sunrise Lake is a spectacular evolution in Feehan's writing journey. She is a brilliant author who has honed and perfected her skills to a razor's edge. Now, she is gifting us a new perspective in her writing all the while keeping her uniqueness and vibrance very much intact and alive. I am honestly thrilled to see another side of this marvelous author's heart and soul. She never fails to delight and entertain all the while showing you just how great and full of possibilities life is. Above all, you will never fail to find the warmth and intensity of deep devotion and friendship that develop and highlight the beauty and resilience of her magnificent characters.

Stella has found her paradise in the small town of Knightly. She can breath deep and easy knowing she has friends she can lean on and good people who surround her with affection and loyalty. Even still, she has found a deep and rich peace that infuses her soul with life and renewal. This is her home. When danger and her past come roaring back at her, she must decide if she will stand up to it, or walk away to keep her friends safe. When her long time friend Sam turns out to be the safe haven she needs, will she accept him with arms open wide, or push him away for his own safety?

I was left in awe at how Stella and Sam navigated such a gentle yet steadfast friendship that offered something more when they were both ready. The stillness, patience, long suffering, and quiet devotion was an incredible sight to behold. It made my heart sing and rejoice that such beautiful people might actually exist in our world. Also, I was left picking my jaw up as I met each of Stella's friends and discovered just how extraordinary they are in their own way. They too found the same town and peace that Stella recognized, and they created a life that they love and cherish. Nothing is as precious or as life-changing as finding friends worth their weight in gold.

Christine Feehan has turned my world upside down and ravished my heart with this intoxicating and edge of your seat thriller. It is unlike anything I have read, and I am still reeling from its beauty, savagery, and majesty. This book is an absolute joy and uncontested masterpiece! Do not miss on this absolutely stunning work of art!

Christine Feehan has written a thriller but not totally abandoned her paranormal roots. Stella Harrison is building her life anew in the Sierra Nevada mountains as the owner of a resort when she starts having nightmares about a serial killer who is staging his murders to look like accidents.

Unfortunately, this is not a new thing for Stella. When she was four, five and six she had the same kind of dreams showing that her father was a serial killer. Her mother denied it and forced Stella to go along with her. When he was caught, her mother committed suicide and threw Stella into the foster care system where a good placement gave her a new mother-figure and therapy.

When she was fourteen or fifteen she began having nightmares of serial killings again. Only this time her foster mother believed her even when the police did not. When this killer was caught, Stella was glad to be able to go to college and run to the Sierras to build a new life.

But now the nightmares are back...,

She believes that no one knows about her past. She has formed a new group of friends who all want a new start in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains. She even has the beginnings of a romantic relationship with Sam Rossi who is her quiet, but extremely competent, handyman at the resort. Sam is also a man with a hidden past.

In fact, all of her circle of friends have hidden pasts in addition to being extremely competent, wealthy, and physically attractive. From Raine who does some secret work for the government to Zehra who fled an arranged marriage in Azerbaijan, Vienna who is a surgical nurse and world class poker player to Harlow who is a Senator's daughter who has nothing to do with her father and Shabina who runs the Sunrise Café and is the daughter of a man who's called in to fight oil well fires all over the world.

Along with Sam and her circle of friends, she determines to find and stop the serial killer who seems to be obsessed with her. I liked the way her nightmares gave her more and more clues about the crimes. I liked the way her relationship with Sam developed. I liked gradually learning more about Sam's secret past. I liked that most of the characters had dogs including Stella's Airedale Bailey.

The story did have some problem for me. First of all, the story seemed bogged down by repetition and over-abundant description. The story would be moving along and then it would come to a dead halt by paragraph long descriptions of each of Stella's posse. Then it would get going again and stop for very detailed descriptions of the scenery and how much Stella loves the security of her new home. There would be descriptions and repetitions of the descriptions of some of the problems Stella had with the people who came to her resort. At least three times, she muses on how alcohol and water don't go together when she is thinking about the dangers around her.

It was a readable and exciting story. I would have liked it a little better if the characters would have been more realistic. It seems like everyone in town was beautiful, brilliant, and rich - and had secret pasts.

Do you enjoy reading JAK or Karen Rose? If so, you’re going to love Murder at Sunrise Lake.

Murder has come to their little piece of the Sierras. Stella has been gifted or cursed with nightmares of a serial killer, she thought she was past this but out of nowhere she gets the beginning view, With the help of her handyman Sam, a man with his own skill set and her friends they hope to stop the murders from happening before one of their own becomes the target!

I was so excited to read a Christine Feehan novel but this was so disappointing.

I had wanted to read a Christine Feehan novel for some time but I didn’t have the time to invest in her series which were all well into the story line and character development. I did try and read one of the ARC’s I had received but I could tell right away that I didn’t have enough background in the world building to completely enjoy it. So this story being a stand along mystery was a perfect choice.

The mystery itself was very creative since we had a serial killer so clever as to plan his killings to look like accidents. This story takes place in a small town located in the wilderness of the Sierras surrounded by mountains, woods and national parks, and in the peak season, it is filled with inexperienced tourists and even experienced climbers have accidents. This killer could have succeeded for decades unchecked. Our heroine, instead of being part of the investigation and working out something that would normally be overlooked and therefore, proving that the accidents were in fact attacks by a serial killer, our heroine had a gift of dreaming of the killer’s planned murders. As you know, I’m a fan of anything paranormal, but this wasn’t well presented at all nor did it offer much in solving the murders. Stella never really got enough information in time to stop the murders. Stella dreamed little snippets each night, growing with more detail or as she put it, it was like looking through a camera lens and the view getting wider each nigh– and longer too which doesn’t bode with her camera analogy.

Stella’s father was a famous serial killer and Stella was partially responsible for putting him away but it took a long time. She was only four when started dreaming of her father’s murders and although her mother tried to convince her that she was wrong, Stella finally admitted to her father that she knew, leading to his downfall. Years later, Stella once again dreamed of a serial killer and was witness to his killings before they happened, and once again Stella was responsible for bringing the killer to the attention of the police but it also brought her unwanted notoriety.

Stella changed her name to Harrison and moved the remote town in the wilderness, and kept everyone at arms length, well, except for her tight group of BFFs, who were all hiding major secrets of their own. Just as an aside, if you want to become my BFF, you will have to accept that I have no deep, dark hidden secrets, I had a boring middle-class childhood and haven’t murdered anyone. So how the hell did Stella, the women who keeps everyone at arms length, find seven BFFs who are all hiding major secrets, in fact not one but two of whom are hiding major mob connections? REALLY?

I had major issues with the writing style of this book but since I haven’t read Christine Feehan before I don’t know if this was her usual presentation or an anomaly. I thought I knew who the killer was and wanted to find out if I was right so I kept going but reading this book was like reading an assigned book in school. There was a lot of sighing on my part, checking my progress, walking away to do chores (never a good sign for any novel) and forcing myself to pick it up again. The last ten percent of the book I started flipping through until I finally got to unveiling the killer.

This does not appear to be part of a series, and it really doesn’t work as part of a series unless this small town is the most dangerous place where serial killers converge, yet as I mentioned all of Stella’s friends are hiding deep, dark secrets. Stella never mentioned her past or that her father is a serial killer until she needs something from one of her friends to help her interpret her dream, then Stella is confessing and then her friend confesses their hidden secret. This kind of detail snippet is something you give if you are trying to entice your audience to want more from a character (read: next book) but pretty much was a waste of time and pages since it didn’t move this story along. And if I wanted to excite my readers about a series, I would drop one long background story in each book, not five long background stories for all my heroine’s girls, as well as multiple descriptions about the gorgeousness of each woman.

As I mentioned many times in my reviews, I don’t like a unnecessary glut of repetitive information. Tell me the hero of the story is quiet/ Tell me that t he is good at fixing things around Stella’s campground. Tell me that he has the dangerous feel of a predator. This is all important information. Tell me he is great at fixing things, that he is quiet and keeps to himself, and that he is deadly once a chapter is a bit much. I got it. Yeah, yeah. Sam’s a one man army!

I was supposed to like Stella and Sam as they were the main characters, but I simply couldn’t. Sam was supposed to be the usual romance hero who is both Alpha, since he is ultra protective (remember, he’s dangerous) and Beta, in that he takes care of her every need even before she knows what she needs. She’s having a bad day and comes home to find him with a glass of win for her, and making her dinner. He doesn’t live there, yet he is often in her house making her dinner! THAT’S A STALKER!!!! Additional stalker notes: Whenever Stella wakes up from her nightmares, Sam is sitting in a chair across the room watching her. Even after they start their relationship and are having sex, she wakes up to find him in the chair…watching…her. Are you F’ing kidding me? I was creeped out by the third time this happened. Don’t F’ing watch me sleep, Dude! That’s F’ing creepy!!

And how both Stella and Sam could feel whenever the killer was watching them is unknown but apparently the killer spend all their time killing or watching Stella. Get blinds on your bedroom window! What are you exhibitionists?

I simply cannot recommend slogging through this story to mine the few moments of interest. P.S. I was right about the killer. Problem is, the only backstory of interest as to why the killer was killing felt glossed over especially after everyone else told their sad tale of woe..

I wanted to love this book, but I really struggled to connect with the main character. She clearly has secrets, but not enough is revealed early enough for me to really connect with her and care about her journey. I'm sure that Feehan fans will love this book!

Christine Feehan takes a step away from her normal paranormal romance in Murder at Sunrise Lake. I felt it started a bit slow but once it got going I couldn't put it down! Fast paced mystery with a touch of romance. .