I have been reading Greg Dunnett’s books since the Rockpools series.
With The Lake House Children this author has hit another one out of the park.
Rarely has a male author captured a female characters feelings quite so accurately that I continue reading.
The storyline was eerie and interesting and having several situations happening at once, I did not get bored with this book at all!
This one ended far too soon! Great book.

Almost the entire story of The Lake House Children takes place in an FBI interview room, through the eyes – and memories – of Kate Marshall. She survived the terrible house fire that killed four members of her family, and she is the primary, maybe only, suspect. She readily agrees to be interviewed, but the story she tells is far-fetched at best, and completely impossible to believe to Agent Billy Robbins. Jim McGee, the senior agent who is ready to retire in a few weeks, doesn’t want to become entangled in a long, drawn-out case but he at least listens with a more open mind. Kate’s story, however, really is pretty hard to imagine.

Kate, the middle Marshall sister, begins with a special, mysterious, dinner with their father at the lake house of their childhoods. The sisters - Amber, Kate and Bea – are worried about a woman they don’t know who is going to be there; they suspect she is after their father’s money and the lake house. That turns out not to be the case, but their father dies that night and from that point Kate’s story goes back and forth in time, sometimes describing mundane events and sometimes straying into woo-woo land.

There is so much going on in the past and the present that it’s almost hard to keep track, and it all makes The Lake House Children eerie, compelling, unsettling, and impossible to put down. The three sisters being so worried about someone stealing their father’s money and their family’s house at that dinner makes them seem grasping, greedy, materialistic, overly dramatic, and that all they care about is money and their inheritance. Amber, the eldest sister, assumes responsibility for renovating the house, and it begins to seem like “hers” and the work she has done goes well beyond a simple renovation to something grand.

The family dynamics are probably typical of most families and don’t always go smoothly. There are a lot of old and new grievances and jealousy; the sisters get along – mostly. Amber puts on airs, is bossy, she and husband Brock want to live an elegant life with a big presence. Her children are twins: Eva is quiet, almost too quiet, and Aaron is a creepy dude, sneaky, violent, arrogant. Bea’s son Zack drowned at the lake house when he was eight years old, causing she and her partner Tris to split up, although remain in each other’s lives, and understandably she’s never been the same. Kate’s husband Neil is a brainiac professor who doesn’t always have a lot to say, and their son Jack is a difficult child, deathly afraid of water, even baths, and speaking in what seems to be gibberish – until Kate starts to uneasily understand what he’s saying.

The Lake House Children keeps you off balance the entire time, believing Kate one minute, thinking she’s making otherworldly stuff up to turn suspicion away from her the next. So many feelings compete for your attention and you have the sense there is some big secret you haven’t found out yet, and you don’t even know who did and who did not survive the fire right up until the absolutely stunning ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it without hesitation. It kept me on edge, guessing, feeling both sympathy and anger, with strong writing, oh so compelling characters and a plot that tied (almost) everything up. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

The way a small trickle of water gathers at a summit running downhill gathering momentum with twigs leaves stones collecting along the way until its a stream then a river forever collecting moving growing expanding that was this story to me astonishing i really loved it 5 stars

The lake house is a wonderful place of memories for sisters Amber, Bea and Kate as they were growing up and they want the same for their children. But through the years tragedy has struck and the book opens with Kate being interviewed by the FBI after a horrific tragedy. Agent Jim McGee can’t believe all Kate is telling him and his partner is sure she is lying. If you like a read that is thrilling, twisted, characters that don’t always play nice, a murder and a touch of the paranormal, then this is a must read. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an early copy of this enjoyable read. This review is my personal opinion.

Captivating story that made me want to keep reading. The storyline contained some parts that I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards, but the story still pulled me in. Family drama and thriller with a sprinkle of supernatural.

Thank you to Gregg Dunnett, NetGalley, and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The lake house children by Gregg Dunnett are once again an exceptionally written book that you will find once you start reading you cannot put this book down. The story is of Kate, and her son Jack who insists that he used to be somebody else in a previous life. The story takes place in a beautiful lake house setting with Kate's sisters Amber and Bea and Kate's father. This book is the story of Love, loss, and grief within the family. It focuses on the three sisters their families and the tragedies and dark secrets that will unfold. It is a great read which has plenty of mixed emotions as you are drawn into the family's lives from Beas sons' death after a drowning to Amber's children whose son is a nasty piece of work and seems to get away with every dreadful thing, he does with no consequences. You will certainly be engrossed with a delightful story, and amazing characters. Once again, an enjoyable book from Gregg Dunnett. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

From the author of 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, comes another gripping novel that you won't be able to put down.

Against the backdrop of a secluded Lake House, Gregg Dunnett weaves a complex police drama with a hint of supernatural.

I absolutely loved the writing style and was completely engaged with the storyline, as I had never read anything like it.

It was odd, but it worked. Gregg's character development is phenomenal, and I really enjoyed the "interview type" narrative between Kate and the Detective. As Kate answers questions, we are taken back to before the fire and learn what led up to it.

The pacing is excellent with phenomenal characters, and the hint of supernatural gives the story a little edge or a creep factor. I loved it.

Many thanks to Netgally, Storm Publishing, and the author for my copy. My review was voluntary.

My review on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/sheilasenchantedbookshelf

I think I liked everything about this book. I could not put it down and ended up reading way into the small hours to finish it. I think for me this says it all. I found the book to be unusual, a little weird in places. The characters were good, very well drawn and the story and plot excellent.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I was intrigued by the the blurb and quickly found myself immersed in this supernatural thriller.

The lake house is a picture perfect get away perfect for making memories but as we quickly uncover there is a much darker side lurking there.

I liked the character development throughout and the main subject matter for this book was great and something that has always fascinated me throughout the years. This story is well written and definitely gets you thinking, I'd definitely recommend it if you enjoy supernatural/psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was a really quick read that I finished in one sitting. There was one big twist at around 80% that I didn't see coming, other than that, it wasn't very suspenseful. The reincarnation aspect was really interesting. It's not badly written, I simply didn't care about a single character. Most of them were fairly horrible people. I will say the ending was satisfying. I wish we had seen more from Agent McGee's perspective.

(I know this is not the final proof but I do hope the use of pronouns will be fixed before publication. "Her/him and I" instead of "she/he and I" throughout the entire book was like nails on a chalkboard.)

This was my first Gregg Dunnett book but it certainly won't be my last. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading but I was immediately hooked by the use of the interview technique as a way to tell the story. I'm not a lover of the supernatural genre but I loved the slightly creepy reincarnation thread throughout this story. It was dealt with so well. I was convinced, then not, then convinced again! Brilliant! The relationships between the main characters were very believable. The squabbling sisters, the slightly superior uninvolved husbands. The rivalry between the couples. It could have been any family hit by a major trauma. A brilliant read I devoured in one sitting. What else are Sunday afternoons created for?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The investigation into a fire at the lake house leads to difficult family dynamics, to past secrets, revealing truths that were meant to stay hidden.
And while the past that led to the fire is investigated, the question whether it is possible to remember a past life is becoming increasingly important.

Excellent read.. The Lake House Children is both an intense family drama and a gripping thriller with supernatural overtones. The twists and turns also feel highly believable and not gimmicky. The character development is satisfying and the story is very well paced.

I have read all of Gregg Dunnett’s books and this is up there with the best of them. If I’d known it had a theme of reincarnation I probably wouldn’t have picked it. However, it is dealt with really well and, along with the characters, you don’t really know what to believe. I liked the way Dunnett used the device of an FBI interview to tease out the story. Highly recommended.

The Lake House Children

I am guilty of selecting a book by the genre, book title, and book cover illustration combined. Other than that, I skip the summaries and reviews entirely and go into it completely blind!

My first time reading a book by Gregg Dunnett, I had no idea what to expect and literally experienced my jaw dropping with an audible gasp, not once but twice! Seriously, to the point my own Husband asked me what was wrong and whether or not it was something real-life or something in my book!

A page turner, alternating between the present and the past, I found myself invested in this family from the beginning to the end! Needless to say, the author had to unravel the twist I didn’t see coming!

Do NOT read beyond this point if you don’t want to know more about the specific genre…

.

.

.

.

“Paranormal|Supernatural” isn’t my typical jam but this is, by far, the best one I have unknowingly encountered!

This book had me gripped from the beginning! And I loved how it was organized as an interview from FBI agents! But the ending felt lackluster. The whole book we were trying to figure out who started the fire that killed four people but while I was stunned by other findings that one left me wanting more. Unique and intriguing nonetheless!

I found this to be a haunting story and not only because of the reincarnation theme throughout the book. The actual children of the lake house can be either the 3 adult sisters who return often with their families or the offspring of these characters. Tragedy befalls this family throughout and it is hard to read without feeling the pain of these mothers and their troubled children. The story begins in the aftermath of a tragic fire and winds its way back through the past delving into assisted suicide, a suspicious drowning and a child with an uncanny ability to remember a past before he was born. I was up late into the night to reach the startling conclusion and the ending has stayed with me all day.

The description of the book really had me intrigued.. it is told in multiple POVs with many twists and creepy moments.. However, the paranormal aspect in this particular story just didn’t hit me good enough..

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance reader copy!

I have read most, if not all, of Gregg Dunnett's published books and have always enjoyed his interesting storylines and interesting character development. This book was no exception. The story was compelling with a supernatural twist. For those complaining about the nod to the supernatural, this isn't Dunnett's first literary dabbling in that arena. And Dunnett does a good job of walking a fine line between science and the supernatural. Some of the interrogation passages did seem a little wordy but the story didn't stall out. Although, I can usually anticipate how a story is going to end this one had twists and turns that kept me riveted to the end of the book. The story takes place in the US and, as I have noted in some of Dunnett's other stories, their is a tendency to use some British vernacular that you wouldn't normally hear an American use but that was few and far between. Also, one of the characters is British if I remember correctly. Overall, a very enjoyable read. Would absolutely recommend!

When I requested this one I was highly intrigued, but I did not know this was a supernatural/paranormal type thriller and unfortunately those are not my style and I had to DNF this one.