Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the second thriller by the best friends writing duo known as Katherine Greene, with the audio fabulously narrated by the cast of Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor, and David Bendena. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

It's 1998 and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina. Jessica Fadley, a promising student who began struggling, is the latest to disappear. Twenty-four years later, Jessica's sister, Lindsey, uses the interest in a new true crime podcast focusing on the case, Ten Seconds to Vanish, to help her own investigations into what happened to her sister. Then bodies of the long-missing women start turning up at a local lake.

Wow - this book was fantastic! I both read the digital version and listened to the wonderful audio, which is my favorite way to get totally immersed into a story. Having a whole cast made the audio production top notch and I couldn't put it down. The story alternates between both timelines as we follow Jessica on the lead up to her disappearance, and in the present as Lindsey tries to put all the pieces together of her sister's life. In between, we get snippets of the podcast to amp up the tension and suspense. There were plenty of suspects and creepy behavior that will keep you guessing, and the ending just totally blew my mind in the best possible way! If you like thrillers, this is an absolute must read!

My one sentence summary - this one falls short in the end. My lengthier review - I really wanted to like this one, and there were elements I did enjoy. I enjoyed the dual timelines, but they weren't always well executed (in that information was revealed in a disjointed manner). I thought the character development was weak across the board, and I really disliked the direction that Greene took with some of the characters, particularly dad. The podcast episodes were unnecessary (and I generally have enjoyed books that have included them). And the ending was......unsatisfying, unrealistic, kind of lame. I think I will wait for solid reviews before checking out more of Greene's work.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were perfect!! I loved the podcast element as well as the dual timelines. There were some twists that I saw coming but others were seemingly out of nowhere! Loved the author’s writing style and I look forward to reading more in the future.

This is my first book by this author and it was middle of the road for me. I quite enjoyed the first half, but then the second half went downhill and the author wasn’t able to pull me back in.

I liked the dual narrators, and am on the fence about the additional narrators at the end. I’m still sitting with whether they were necessary or not … I liked how the author presented Lindsay as never quite having her own life experiences, living instead in the shadow of her missing sister; Lindsay definitely made some questionable choices. Her parents were unlikeable (the mom was a piece of work), Ryan was terrible, and the only character I even remotely liked was the roommate (but only in her younger days).

As many other reviewers have noted, the podcast entries really don’t add anything to the story (except to make me reflect on how victims of crime and their families must feel knowing their experiences have provided fodder for entertainment).

I didn’t mind the pool of suspects, but I didn’t love the reveal. could get on board with who the killer was, but the reasons for the murders didn’t make sense. I don’t care for coincidences in my books, and this story had too many (all four girls being involved with all the suspects seemed a bit much. I also didn’t care for the portrayal of all men as bad / creepy / predatory / incompetent and one female character getting a pass on her bad choices because … girl power, I guess?

Much like the book itself, I enjoyed Jess’ narration the best.

"The Lake of Lost Girls" by Katherine Greene started off strong but quickly lost my interest, unfortunately. The writing and narration were very dramatic and a bit cheesy for me. The characters were hard to root for. They were all pretty obnoxious. I did enjoy the podcast element. I would have loved for more of the book to be the podcast. I think if you like cheesy network drama TV shows, then you'll enjoy this book. There's definitely an audience out there for it, I'm just not it.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC.

4.5 Stars

I read a gripping book about who did it in just one sitting. It kept me guessing the whole way through. Even when I thought I had figured out who did it, I'd change my mind minutes later.

There is excellent narration on the audiobook, however, the pause between chapters is excessively long.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Doll's Eye Lake would have been a great title for this book.
I was defiantly hooked from the very beginning! I had 6 suspects till the very end!
I had to keep pausing to tell my coworker what was going on all day!

Publisher's summary
It’s 1998, and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina, but freshman Jessica Fadley, once a bright and responsible student, is going through her own struggles. Just as her life seems to be careening dangerously out of control, she suddenly disappears.
Twenty-four years later, Jessica’s sister Lindsey is desperately searching for answers and uses the momentum of a new chart-topping true crime podcast that focuses on cold cases to guide her own investigation. Soon, interest reaches fever pitch when the bodies of the long-missing women begin turning up at a local lake, which leads Lindsey down a disturbing road of discovery.
In the present, one sister searches to untangle a complicated web of lies.
In the past, the other descends ever deeper into a darkness that will lead to her ultimate fate.
This propulsive and chilling suspense is a sharp examination of sisterhood and the culture of true crime.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book!

The Lake of Lost Girls
By: Katherine Greene
Narrated by: Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor, David Bendena
Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
Release date: 11-05-24
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

✨This was an edge of your seat rollercoaster ride of a thriller from start to finish.

✨I really enjoyed the unique format of this novel with its mixed media elements that were masterfully woven into the narrative including podcast transcripts, social media and blog posts, newspaper articles and interview notes. This really kept me engaged with the story throughout.

✨I loved the alternating timelines, dual points of view and was blown away by that ending that I did not see coming.

🎧I listened to this book on audio and was completely transfixed. The full cast narration was incredible, and this is one of those books that really lends itself to audio. I highly recommend you listen to this one if possible.

🌿Read if you like:
✨True crime culture
✨Audiobooks with full cast narration
✨Family drama
✨Mixed media elements
✨90s nostalgia
✨alternating timelines
✨dual points of view
✨a mystery to solve

Don’t miss this one, friends.

A twisty dark cold case/true crime thriller involving four missing girls from a college campus whose story gets renewed interest thanks to a popular podcast. Lindsey is the younger sister of one of the missing girls and her life has never been the same since the birthday when her sister disappeared. Shocked when she gets caught up in the new investigation, Lindsey can't help trying to figure out what happened.

Full of a number of suspicious male suspects, this book touches on the important topic of how common violence against women is and the way that police investigations often don't do enough to seek justice. Great on audio with a full cast and an end I did NOT see coming, this was my first book by author duo Katherine Greene and I really loved it! Highly recommended for fans of authors like Ashley Winstead.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Thank you to the publisher and author for this arc! This was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me. I found the characters to be interesting, and the plot developed at a good pace.
This is definitely a domestic suspense verging on dark academia thriller that readers will not want to miss!
4.5 stars rounded to 4

HOLY FREAKIN CRAP!!!!
An ARC that is a FIVE STAR!!?!?!?!?

Major, major thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Crooked Lane Books for the ALC and ARC copies of this incredibly brilliant read.

I LOVED this book. It is SO rare for me to give a 5⭐️ Truthfully, I was at a 4.5 with this - but then it gave me literal chills during the end and I just knew it deserved the full 5.

I would not say that this is very fast paced, however it's not super slow either. I think it was paced just right, gave the perfect amount of details and honestly was just a fantastic story.

Dreamscape did an amazing job on this audio as well. Really brought these characters to life and made the story that much better.

HIGHLY recommend!!! OUT 11/5!!!!

Thank you to NetGally for letting me get a sneak peak into this book. I got to listen to the audio version

The lake of lost girls. Such a good read! What is supposed to be a fun college experience turns into missing girls.

More then 20 years later becoming the subject of a podcast.

Younger sister looking for answers of her missing sister only to find out more than what she was looking for.

I definitely did not see the ending coming. Just when I thought I had it all figured out I did not. The ending will shock you.

This book had some of my favorite elements; dual timelines and multiple POVs. I was luck to have both an e-arc and advance listening copy. The narrator kept me intrigued throughout. Some of the twists were predictable but still kept me reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
4/5

This was a good thriller in the sense that I kept thinking I knew the twist at the end and I was wrong. i've never read a katherine Green book before but that will definitely change because I liked her writing and how it kept me entertained the whole time.

⭐️⭐️Review⭐️⭐️
📖: The Lake of Lost Girls
🧍‍♀️Author: Katherine Greene

About? Two sisters. One went missing in college, and as the younger sister approaches her mid 20’s, she begins a persistent search for the truth. She is accompanied by two women who have a true crime podcast following a cold case of the disappearance of the older sister, Jessica Fadley. And, a journalist that won’t give up-who just so happens to be handsome and seems to like Lindsay.

How it’s told? Dual-timelines. Plot device: podcast

Characters: Jessica Fadley: the sister that went missing. Lindsay Fadley: the younger sister desperately searching to find Jessica. Ryan - a persevering journalist Lindsay meets 24 years after her sister goes missing who is just as motivated as she to find Jessica. (For reasons that will be revealed)!

Makes you feel? Like a twisty, clever, well-done whodunnit. Chock-full of psychological toxic family dynamics !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for providing me with an advanced audible copy in exchange for an honest review!

If you like:
🐌 Slower Burn Thrillers
⏳ Past and Present Timelines
#️⃣ Couple POV
🎙️ True Crime Podcasts
⛓️‍💥 Interconnected Missing Persons Cases
🏫 Freshman College Experiences
🍻Lots of Partying

This book is told in two timelines, one in the past when responsible Jessica turns party girl during her freshman year of college in 1998 and then present day from her sister’s POV, Lindsay who is now in her 30’s, who was only 6 when Jessica mysteriously disappeared from their family home and was never seen again and her famous words about her sister’s disappearance is now the title of a brand new true crime podcast that is trying to figure out what happened to Jessica all those years ago and several of her classmates who also went missing around the same time.

And in comes a boyfriend Lindsay never knew Jessica had, who also is trying to get to the bottom of what happened to his lost girlfriend.

Between the podcast excerpts, the past from Jessica, present from Lindsay and a few other one off POV’s this book truly was so immersive especially on audio and I just had to know what was happening!

If you like thrillers with podcast aspects and lots of pointing fingers and misdirection you will definitely enjoy this one!

Thank you so much to the Dreamscape for my ALC and ARC in exchange for my review! I will definitely be reading more from the writing duo that is Katherine Greene!

The first 65% or so of this book had me hooked! We bounce between timelines, with Jessica in 1998, and her younger sister Lindsey in the present day. Lindsey, along with several of her other female classmates, had disappeared from her college campus in the 90s. Now, Lindsay is more determined than ever to find out what happened. Both sisters’ personality shone through in their chapters, and the momentum and tension was incredibly paced through each swap.
Unfortunately, the ending did not live up to the beginning for me. Between the podcast elements that were crammed into each of Lindsay’s chapters, Jessica’s oddly close relationship with her father mentioned every 10 minutes, and the five suspects that were all an equal possibility, I began to feel like my brain was melting.
And as with all murder mysteries, the killer’s reveal is a big part of the storyline. Without spoilers, I think so much time was spent on making everyone a suspect that the killer’s development was lackluster and thrown together. Sure, I had assumed who it was pretty quickly, but the ending didn’t make the choice believable or give a satisfying resolution.
However, this is a classic “podcast about an unsolved murder” mystery, and it definitely held my attention. Without the podcast’s recap every few chapters, I definitely would’ve gotten the minor characters and short timelines confused. The multiple narrators in the audiobook also really helped keep things interesting!
Thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Blackstone Publishing for the free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Title: The Lake of Lost Girls
Author: Katherine Greene
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narrators: Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor, and David Bendena
Publisher: Dreamscape Media /Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: November 5, 2024
My Rating: 4 + rounded up
Pages: 320

Story is told via flashback chapters from primarily the POV of Jessica Fadley and her sister Lindsey – in dual then and now time periods.

Then ~ 1998 - Four female students attending Southern State University in Mt. Randall, North Carolina, all vanished without a trace.
Jessica Fadley Although Jess started out not being a typical first time away from home freshmen. However she soon turned into a party girl.
She went home to celebrate her little sister Lindsey’s sixth birthday. Jess tells Lindsey that she has to go to her car to get something ((a surprise special cake) but in 10 seconds she is gone- and the trunk is still open.


Present day- A new popular true crime podcast, ‘Ten Seconds to Vanish’, that focuses on the cold cases, and leads the podcasters to do their own investigation.

Lindsey is now thirty and one evening while working the front desk at a up-scale hotel she ia helping a handsome man named Ryan. He tells her she looks familiar –which she tells him is ‘an old pick-up line. Turns out he is journalist who has been investigating this case for years and actually knows a lot about Jessica as well as the other three girls. Lindsey finally weakens and joins him in seeking the truth behind Jess' disappearance,

As they investigate – things get more and more involved.

I read a lot of psychological thrillers so know to suspect everyone. Do I know that authors like to lead us down the wrong path but in this case Ms. Greene gives clues that are true and everyone draws their own conclusions! I was sure I knew who didn’t do it but ---Whodunit was a surprise!
In addition to a great story, the audiobook performers were ALL great as well!!

About the Author ~ Katherine Greene is the pen name of authors, A. Meredith Walters and Claire C. Riley. They love true crime and create stories that are dark and twisted with a strong female voice that will leave you guessing. .
This is the author’s second story and my second as well. I read " The Woods are Waiting" which was their first.
I now call myself a fan! Anxious for their next thriller!!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media LLC for granting me this early audio Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 5, 2024.

A fascinating dual-timeline thriller about 4 college students who go missing in 1998/99, and the attempts to solve the mystery of their disappearances decades later. I liked the podcast episodes and social media comments that flanked the stories of sisters Jessica (in the months leading up to her disappearance) and Lindsay (as an adult, in the present). This provided a variety of viewpoints and conflicts, and a chance to see all of the different theories unfold. The lives of the main characters are filled with secrets and lies, and some of the twists are quite unexpected. I really enjoyed this on audiobook—thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review it!

I find the combination of books with podcasts absolutely captivating, especially when they're diving into unsolved mysteries and chilling old murders.

Take "The Lake of Lost Girls," for instance—it's a thriller that checks all the boxes for me! I was beyond thrilled to get my hands on both the ebook and the audiobook. Following along with the audio really adds a rich layer to the story. It unfolds through dual timelines and multiple perspectives, which is my jam! And with multiple narrators bringing the characters to life, this audiobook truly hit the mark for me.

The plot centers on a cold case involving several missing college girls, which gets reignited when one of their bodies turns up near Doll's Eye Lake—the place initially suspected to be the dumping ground. Intrigued by the lake's eerie name, I couldn't resist looking up the Doll's Eye plant, and wow, it's real! Its strange appearance would make a perfect spooky decoration for Halloween!

What I loved most about this story were the red herrings that kept my mind racing, weaving an intricate web of suspense. The characters are richly developed and interlinked, and I was completely hooked from the first moments of listening. While I managed to piece together some clues, the final twist left me utterly stunned—it was like a punch to the gut! Seriously, it's one of the best plot twists I've encountered.

Katherine Greene, the collaborative genius behind this delightful pen name, has truly knocked it out of the park with this latest novel! Having thoroughly enjoyed their first collaboration, I was absolutely blown away by how they raised the bar this time. I'm eagerly counting the days until their next spectacular story hits the shelves! The two dazzling women hosting the podcast in the book are absolutely captivating—I'd love to hear more from them and dive deeper into their world!

Thanks to the author, Dreamscape Media, and Crooked Lane Books for these gifted ARCs! All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.