** “Some things couldn’t be captured but through the experience of pain. It was a wicked but essential way to understand the depths of perfection, the depths of God, more intensely. Pain either magnified faith or disabled it. For Patty, it only confirmed her belief that this world was broken, and her Lord was the One who brought beautiful redemption.” **

Jaime Jo Wright offers a deliciously creepy dual-timeline novel with “The Souls of Lost Lake,” a story filled with ghosts, scary folklore, missing children, murders and decades-long mysteries.

Almost 100 years ago, young Ava Coons was found stumbling out of the forest, covered in blood and carrying an ax. When her entire family cannot be found, everyone believes Ava must have killed her family. Now, six years later, Ava falls under blame again when tragedy befalls the town once again.

Arwen “Wren” Blythe lives and works at the present day Deer Lake Bible Camp. Growing up knowing the story of Ava Coons, when a young girl goes missing, everyone believes Ava is responsible for young Jasmine’s disappearance. As Wren joins the search for the girl, she begins to uncover her own past mysteries as well as learning to deal with losses in her own life.

As the stories of Ava, Wren and Jasmine start to be woven together, “The Souls of Lost Lake” quickly pulls in its readers to reveal its secrets.

Wright does an incredible job of putting together several stories that will all equally chill the spine of readers. She develops great characters filled with flaws and intrigue, including a doll named Redneck Harriet. And Ava is an especially great character, filled with pluck and courage.

She also fills her novel with several great themes, like redemption through pain; the power of suspicion when fed by a crowd; everyone needs someone to believe in them; lies have a way of creating deeper predicaments; sometimes a ghost story is easier to believe than the truth; the power of grace and mercy; and having a sense of home.

Fans of dual-timeline stories and gothic novels will love “The Souls of Lost Lake,” which is due out April 5.

Five stars out of five.

Bethany House Publishers provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Two women living 90 years apart are searching for their past. They both reside in Tempter’s Creek, a rural community located near Lost Lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Both are victims of serious crimes and almost become victims of a more serious crime except for the grace of God.

This faith-based novel intertwines two mysteries, two romances, and two complex lives, into a interest-holding story that was difficult to put down. We see God working in the lives of broken people and the results when those people rely on God and they reject that grace and mercy offered to them during the dark times of their lives. The reader also sees the cost that people will pay for making difficult choices.

The result is a book that is perfect summer reading around the campfire or in the days leading up to Halloween. Though Ava Coons may still be roaming the woods around Lost Lake (as the rumors say), the book receives 5-stars from this reader.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

So, typically I wait until the end of my review to give the book a "star" rating. However, I can not contain myself....

FIVE STARS!!!!!!!

We have all read books by Jaime Jo Wright, before but this one is like nothing I have ever read before. Get ready my book loving pals, this book releases April 5, 2022 and you do not want to hit "snooze" on this one.

My mind is completely blown, everything about this book was perfection.

Part of this book takes place in the 1930's, cue the spooky vibe, because this book is jam packed with terror!

I will never stop recommending this book, I still have goosebumps. I have pre-ordered a set of books for my book club, this is a book that needs to be on everyone's MUST READ NOW list.

Again, Five Stars!!!

Jaime Jo Wright has been a favourite since reading her first book, The House on Foster Hill.
This her new book The Souls of Lost Lake releases next week.

I have yet to be disappointed with any of her books and this book is no exception. Told in my favourite format - dual time period between Ava and Wren. One can’t help feeling sorry for young Ava, losing her whole family and still having suspicion thrown at her.

Ava is only 8 years old when she walks out of the forest covered in blood and her family is no where to be found. What follows 10 years later forces her to face that night over again and deal with the consequences, even when she can’t remember it.

Something isn’t quite right in the various relationships Wren has, she is searching but not sure for what. I loved being there to watch her journey, whether following her gut instinct regarding the lost girl or her search for belonging.

This book seamlessly wove back and forth in time with that mysterious, suspenseful vibe I love. A nice variety of characters , the scenery has me not venturing into the woods by myself anytime soon.
The plot was intriguing and kept me on my toes, lots of twists and turns and with an ending I loved.

This is another example why Jaime Jo Wright is one of my favourite authors. Plus let’s just pause to look at that cover! The perfect invitation to be read.

My thanks to Bethany House (via Netgalley) for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Jaime Jo Wright knocks it out of the park again with her split time murder mystery! Gather round the campfire as the story of Ava Coons, a young woman in the 1930s, is said to have killed her entire family with an ax. But maybe nothing is as it seems? Will her neighbors finally come to understand Ava and not what other people say about her past?
In the current day of the story Wren Blyth is in search for a little girl gone missing at her family's bible camp. In her search pieces of Ava's story comes to her time and again. Is Ava still out there? Time is ticking and Wren is racing the clock to find the missing girl, discover her true heritage, and her feelings for a long time friend.

I was guessing up the the end and guessed wrong on both story lines. Jaime is able to weave a spooky crime story with historical detail, emotion, and faith. I don't want to give a spoiler but there was a scene between Wren and a mother figure in her life Patricia that had my eyes fill with tears and felt God's love so strong while reading it. No wonder Jaime Jo Wright is one of my favorite authors. Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up. This novel was a creepy, campfire mystery that delivered. It follows alternating timelines of Ava Coons, an orphan that stumbles out of the woods bearing an ax after her family disappears and years later, Arwen Blythe as she works at a church camp, haunted by campfire stories and a newly missing child. When Arwen stumbles upon a doll at the old Coons cabin that has her name on the foot, she is thrown in to solving the mystery of Ava along with the newly missing girl. Along the way, more mysteries surface and she learns more about herself as well.

I really enjoyed this story overall. It had the right amount of spook, satisfying twists and interesting characters. I did find the writing to be a little disorganized and at times I was easily distracted. However, this is an ARC and there is room for some edits so it didn’t find it fair to dock off much for that. I think the mystery is strong and there is just enough lore to satisfy paranormal lovers like me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany Publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

How did Jaime Jo Wright outdo herself yet again? She upped the mystery and creepiness in this book and a few lines even made me shiver from their creep factor.

Jamie Jo Wright is in a class of her own. I've never read another author who can weave epic levels of creepiness into a story with equal amounts of faith. Somehow she is able to create fully fleshed-out characters within both timelines that keep you sucked into both stories.

I also felt the romance in this book was more than in others, but not overdone either. It was sweet and pure, even amidst sorrows and terrors.

The Souls of Lost Lake is now my favorite Wright book (and I've read them all).

Ava Coons became a legend the minute she walked into Tempter’s Creek as a waifish 13-year-old dragging a bloody logger’s ax and covered with blood. Ava had no memory of what happened, but her family had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Some said she murdered them. Others claimed no small girl could wield a heavy ax and dispose of the bodies.

Six years later, two more brutal murders in Tempter’s Creek shove Ava back into the spotlight—a place she has no desire to occupy. Speculation, gossip, and vigilantes put Ava’s life at risk, and the new preacher promises protection. If only Ava could remember what happened. But in the 1930s in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, no one offers hope for healing. Except maybe Jesus, but Ava doesn’t hold him in high esteem.

Wren Blythe grew up hearing chilling tales around the campfire of how Ava Coons haunts the woods and nearby Lost Lake. Intellectually, she knows ghosts don’t exist. But when six-year-old Jasmine disappears near the Bible camp where Wren works with her father, her nightmares return. And when her search party team finds the remains of the Coons Cabin on the shores of Lost Lake, an antique porcelain doll has Wren’s name written on the foot.

Her best friend, Eddie keeps reminding her she’s not crazy, but the vivid dreams, feelings of lostness, and inexplicable appearance of the doll have her questioning her sanity. As the search for the missing girl moves into the second week, Wren reaches out to Jasmine’s mother, hoping to offer comfort.

Instead, Wren becomes convinced Ava Coons has something to do with the mystery. If she can only put the pieces of the puzzle together before time runs out for Jasmine.

Why I Loved This Book

Wright is the master at spooky suspense filled with faith and healing. I know, it sounds like an impossible combination. But Wright pulls it off with tenderness, compassion, and affirmation. The author explores our universal need to belong and how it might conflict with our need for truth. Readers will relate to Ava’s struggle to believe in a God who cares. I couldn’t set this one down.

Thanks to Bethany House for the free book.
I am always so excited when a new Jaime Jo Wright book is released because I know that I'm in for a good, spooky read. She always has a darker aspect in her books and that's a big reason why I love them. They are original, and I'm usually left guessing about what exactly is going on until the very end. It was the same with this book. I was absorbed in Ava's part of the story. Her family disappearing, her coming out of the woods dragging an ax covered in blood - definitely drew me in right away. I also liked the tension created in the town during these parts. There was such much mistrust coupled with a mob mentality, that I was anxious to know exactly what happened. I also liked Wren's story, but I found the plot side of it to be a bit busy. I understand why, but it left me feeling unsatisfied with how her story ended up in the end. However, it was a book I binged in a day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really liked the concept of this book but it just ended up really not being my cup of tea. I just couldn't connect to the characters and writing so it lead to the rest of the story falling flat.

Soul lake

I always look forward to Jaime jo Wright's particular brand of spooky.
Her books are so unique in the way that it feels like you get two mysteries in one book, two different lives and how the past can be connected to the present.
This book has all of that.
With quite possibly the spookiest of all her openings, she sets the stage for twists, turns and suprises.
My favorite time period in this one was her historical.
I loved how we got to see how things played out in history and how the modern telling of the legend came to be.
This book was a more whodunit, where as her other books tend to tease you to wondering if there is supernatural involvement.
I love how this author incorporates the twists!
Always gripping, always unique, always a page turner!
If you crave the spooky side of suspense, but don't want to get bogged down with heavy supernatural elements check this one out!
.I recieved a complementary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgally. All opinions are my own and honest in this review.

This book started with a bang – ghost stories around a campfire. Does it get better than that?

This is a creepy and spooky read, and I devoured it in one sitting. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery.

I will read anything this author writes. She never disappoints.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Oh my goodness, I like romantic tension better than thriller vibes, but this story has both! Author Jaime Jo Wright combines excellent her writing skills, profound spiritual truths, plenty, but not too much creepiness, and in The Souls of Lost Lake, she upped her romantic tension.
Wren Blythe and Ava Coons, separated by almost one hundred years are confronted with evil happenings that they have no idea how to solve. And attempting to solve them puts each of them in danger. This was SO good. I highly recommend The Souls of Lost Lake, , I love that I was kept guessing until the very end.

So many good quotes:

"But that ax had been heavy. A logger's ax. Too heavy for a slip of a girl to wield over her head and incite that much inferred carnage. Still, she was the only survivor. Assuming anyone was actually dead. Without bodies, there was no case, no broken laws, no gastly crime scene. There was just Ava Coons, the Wood Nymph, and her empty memories."

Arwen (Wren) Blyth worked at a bible camp in the woods of Wisconsin and grew up hearing the enthralling and terrifying campfire tale of Ava Coons. "Campfire stories made Lost Lake seem like a vortex of evil." "Wren shuddered, remembering ghost stories from campfires and tales of lurking monsters in the woods."

"For Pete's sake, she was sure as shootin' going to hell in a handbasket now." And my favorite: "Seeing a reverend without his shirt on had to be the missing thirteenth "Thou shalt not" commandment." "A preacher should have muscles should he? Not like those."

"In grief, a person was never fine, they were just there. Standing there. Alone. In the memory of the one who had taken their heart and flown away."

Themes of grief, loss, being lost, belonging, mental illness, the crimes of murder and kidnapping.

Besides Wren and Ava, there were many others in the story, I really enjoyed the characters of Reverend Noah Pritchard, Hanny, Eddie Markham, and Patty & Gary Markham.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own. I pre-ordered my own copy from Baker Book House and I can't wait to put it on my keeper shelf.

What a lovely story.i fonished this days ago and i cant stop thinking about it. This was one of my favorites. This plot line was amazing and what great characters. I wish there was more i nevwr wanted it to stop.

The Souls of Lost Lake gave me major book hangover! If you're a reader of great books, you know what I mean. Like you can't do anything or think about anything else when you've reached "the end". And you can't handle the fact that the book is over and you have to do real life again. Jamie Jo Wright's books almost always give me a book hangover, but this one was massive. Be prepared, people!

And be prepared to be scared out of your wits while reading the "ghost story" at the beginning of the book! I always buy paperback versions of Wright's books, so I can share them with my 76 year old mom. I had to tell her that I'm going to have to read the scary beginning to her, so I can tame it down! She told me to just tell her where the not so scary part stops and she'd read from there. Nope. That won't work. You have to know that part! If you can't handle ghost stories, you'd better have someone read it and water it down for you too! Yes, I say all of this -sort of- jokingly, but it IS extremely scary. The scariest part is that, like some ghost stories, it's based on events that did happen (in the story, not in real life...don't worry). That story thread weaves throughout the book and has a major impact on its characters.

Speaking of the characters, they are amazing. They're so real. They're far from perfect and have fears and flaws, strengths and weaknesses. As with Wright's other books, The Souls of Lost Lake switches from past to present and both stories are completely amazing. The past and present are entwined in ways you may not expect. I usually think I have things figured out in her books only to find that I was completely wrong. Oh well.

I think that of all Wright's books, this one was the most emotional for me. I was sobbing....ugly crying...during parts of this story. It is just so real. And that makes it so hard to detach from. Yes, you know you're reading fiction, but you are right there in the story. If you're like I am, you're not going to be able to put this down. You'll read way past your bedtime.

One thing I really appreciate about Jamie Jo Wright is that she doesn't make the fact that this is an inspirational (suspense, thriller) book with Christian themes. Salvation and redemption are never hidden. You know you're reading a book that is totally scary yet totally Christian.

I 100% recommend this book to everyone. I can't say enough good things about it, but I obviously can't say everything I want to say without spoiling things for you. This would be a great book for a book club because then you can talk about everything with people who've read it. And if they haven't and they're at book club, they'll just have to deal with spoilers! Really. Read this book. You'll love it.

No one tells a haunting tale like Jaime Jo Wright and The Souls of Lost Lake is no exception! Gruesome and mysterious, this book weaves a layered plot that offers twists and turns with each new chapter. The characters are unique and unpredictable and the setting is eerie and frightening. Each chapter is like putting together a new piece of a puzzle and the conclusion was shocking, chilling, and well worth the wait. This book however is not for the faint of heart! It is fairly graphic in its descriptions of Ava’s family’s death and several other crimes that might be unsettling. The author highlight’s themes of grief, acceptance, and showing Christ’s love while not making the faith elements too overt or not genuine. Admittedly this book was a lot for me to handle, a lot to process, and at times it was hard for me to read based on the evil and gruesome content of the crimes. However, the plot was expertly crafted and everything came together in a conclusion that was intense!

This story will grasp reader's attention from the beginning. Spooky campfire stories are usually a welcomed addition to any camp setting but this tale takes it to the extreme. How anyone could believe such a story about Ava is beyond me. Noah's efforts were commendable even though reckless for his reputation. Wren's family situation was just plain weird! I like that author always makes readers think but this book was not one of my favorites.

Usually if I see a book has a dual timeline, I'll pass over it....except if it's written by Jaime Jo Wright. She's the one author I've found that writes two equally compelling stories and unites them in an incredible way. In the past, 8 year old Ava comes out of the forest dragging a bloody axe. In the present day, Ava Coons is a campfire legend. When a child disappears, stories of Ava revive. Wren is troubled by dreams of the missing girl and feels there must be something that ties the disappearances together. Little does she know how intimately she'll be involved.

I enjoyed the Lord of the Ring's references. Wren's father is a Tolkein fanatic who names each room in their home a place from the book (i.e., his bathroom is named Mordor). The mystery in both timelines was very interesting and creepy. There were some HUGE twists that I didn't see coming. I like to be surprised. Romance is very incidental in this book which was fine with me. I wish there had been a little more closure to both stories. It felt like they ended pretty abruptly and I'd like to have seen the next scene in an epilogue or something.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I'd highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.

Duel timelines that end up connected. It's a common theme in many, many books and it's not always done well. The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright does it well.

The opening of this book starts with a campfire ghost story. A young girl, coming into town, covered in blood, dragging in ax. Her whole family is dead, never to be found.

In the modern day timeline, Arwen, is also a women who is lost, but more in the "lost in life" sort of way.

The book is scary - BUT I read horror books on the regular so I'm used to much more violent and true horror novels. I think that part of my resistance to really enjoying this book is that this was a "Christian" writer and there were some "Christian" themes that I wasn't expecting and didn't really enjoy.

Aside from that, it's still a good story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Jaime Jo Wright has done it again! I loved the setting of Lost Lake and the characters that we met. Ava was so authentic with her life experiences and struggles. Wren was also fantastic with the events that she had to go through while searching for a missing child. I especially appreciate her character arc with the knowledge of what happened in the author’s personal life recently.

I loved the fact that the mystery wasn’t at the front of the story but was present if you payed attention. The clues were planted subtlety and the observation were there if you were looking closely but I missed them as always. I loved how different it felt from her other books but it still felt like a Jaime Jo Wright book at the end. I would highly, highly recommend reading this one! It might be my favourite of her books so far.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.