This book was really well written and it was a brilliant crime thriller! I absolutely loved the ending of this book and the suspense was built through out the book!

The chapters were short and punchy which is a massive plus for me, I don't like it when chapters are too long so I enjoyed the fact they weren't long chapters.

This was a pretty straightforward thriller without a ton of crazy plot twists. I will say that the only negative part of this book was everything felt expected and there really wasn’t a shock factor which was slightly annoying. This of course could be totally different for someone else so it’s the worst thing a book has done.

The characters were surprisingly well rounded for a thriller. I appreciated their uniqueness as it helped add depth to the overall plot. Some of the writing felt basic which I felt neutral about. For thrillers I don’t expect a literary masterpiece, but I wish there was some indication of a higher vocabulary and overarching literary themes.

4.5/5⭐️
I devoured this book in no time; I simply couldn't put it down. It was incredibly enjoyable! While the villains and their involvement were fairly predictable, the story remained thoroughly captivating.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed The Orphanage on the Lake. It was a quick PI read. Hazel hung out her PI shingle after a horrible personal experience which caused the once strong woman into self doubt. She is struggling making ends meet as well as questioning her abilities. Along comes a wealthy woman looking for find her goddaughter who disappeared from an orphanage. She engaged the services of other PI’s who never made headway. They either quit or did not meet the time constraints. Hazel takes on the challenge lured by the big financial carrot as well as her drive to find the girl.
This book held my interest throughout. My impression is the author plans to make this into a series. If so, I will definitely look for the next book.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was an average read about a Private Investigator who is hired to find a missing girl in a set amount of time for a large sum of money. It was a little slow at the beginning, but improved a bit. I'm not a huge mystery reader so this wasn't quite for me, but I feel like there are others that would really enjoy it!!

A plot twist I didn’t see coming. Characters I could easily connect with. And, the perfect ending to a crime ring that’s been impossible to solve. A perfect read.

Given the age group mentioned and where this book was set i knew this book might touch heart plunging subjects. And it did.
Hazel.is a Pi and not having the best of look with getting enough clients. She's almost ready to give up when a beacon comes through the door. The task. To find her clients god daughter. Only thing is she went missing from an orphanage. You can already get a sense that this is going to get dark. This isn't going to be pleasant. And so begins a twisted Web of secrets lies and danger. Possibly for all involved. Hazel has just days to solve this case and more is at threat than just the money.

Unfortunately not for me. There was potential but everything fell flat. The writing was not engaging, the FMC and actually all the characters were terrible. The bad guy was so predictable. The ending was so rushed and just not great.

The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel Miller is a fast paced mystery that follows PI Hazel Cho who is in a race against the clock to find a missing 13-year old girl. While I guessed some of the twists in the book, I still very much enjoyed the book! I’m excited to read more from this author in the future.

I will begin with possible trigger warnings. This book will mention and discuss: pedophilia, medication abuse.

Hazel is a PI who cannot wait to get high profile cases. She is tired of the little cases that barely pay the bills. To her surprise, one morning she gets the opportunity she has been waiting for.

Madeline walks through her door with a case for her solve. Madeline's goddaughter Mia went missing six months ago from an orphanage. She wants her found. Hazel is offered a large amount of money, and use of a vehicle to find Mia.
This is the break Hazel has been waiting for. Only it comes with a catch. Hazel only has eight days to find Mia or she loses it all.
Will she be able to do this assignment.

This book has so many twists and turns. I could not put it down. Be careful who you trust. You never know who is with you or against you.

The Orphanage by the Lake is a relentless, heart-pounding thriller that plunges you into a shadowy world of buried secrets. I was intrigued by the ins and outs of Hazel (the PI) tenacious investigation, watching her unravel a web of deceit, even when faced with stonewalling officials and menacing threats.

Hazel's determination, coupled with the endearing support of her roommate Kenny, made her a compelling protagonist. I love that this book is a dark mystery and thoroughly enjoyed Hazel’s journey!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you for the ARC!!!!

The writing was overall good.
I actually love to read a lot of thrillers.
And this was a pretty good one. I kind of half guessed the ending- Some of the parts really made me feel disgusted.

I loved Hazel's character. A woman in a male-dominated field where she was trying her best to survive & make a name for herself (AND SHE DID). I was so suspicious of the headmaster and Bobby too but I never really thought that Sonia would be the mastermind of this omg- That was the plot twist for me!!!!

The FMC was likable . Her relationship with her room mate was entertaining . The suspense was good , but the storyline in general was just ok.

I enjoyed his writing style , but felt this was slightly predictable .

This story kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end and had me suspicious of everyone. The main character Hazel is strong and unrelenting. Her own past experiences drive her motivation to help others which only makes her that much stronger. The storyline moves quickly and highly entertaining, making this a quick read.

There were multiple twists throughout, some that I saw coming, and several that still took my by surprise. I was left with some lingering questions at the end of the book, which I don’t love. But I still really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Houndstooth Books for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Somewhat predictable as i was reading it but when I went to mark it on my Goodreads it said I had read it June of 2024? Fell in love with the characters. Excited for the red envelope sequel and hope the ARC will be offered on here as well.

The Orphanage by the Lake
by Daniel G. Miller
Pub Date: Mar 18 2025

This is my first Daniel Miller book and definitely won’t be my last! The Orphanage by the Lake follows Hazel Cho, a private investigator living in NYC who needs cash to keep her business open and pay her personal bills. Along comes Madeline who wants to hire her services to find her god daughter who went missing from an orphanage six months ago. The thing is Hazel only has so many days to find her or Madeline moves on to another PI.

The story had great potential, interesting characters, it kept me on the edge of my seat as I was suspecting everyone as being the culprit and when I finally found out who the real culprit was I was totally surprised! This is a story I would recommend and I hear there is a second book coming out which I'm looking forward to reading!

Many thanks to #orphanagebythelake #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for providing me with an E-ARC of this fantastic book!

This was actually pretty good. The author did a great job writing from the perspective of a woman, and I enjoyed the aspects of Korean culture (the main character is Korean) he threw in. And let's just say that the ending wasn't what I expected, so I enjoyed that surprise.

Every PI I read about or watched on tv was nothing like Hazel. I think we need to take her license because she led herself right into every trap possible! I wanted to jump through this book and duck tape her mouth. She literally told everyone and their momma about every lead she came across. As for the other characters... EVERYONE WAS A SUSPECT! I don't care if it was a cat walking across the street, it was on the list too! Everyone in this book played a role in the disappearances and I love how the author incorporated so many elements of suspense.
This is what l'm looking for in a whodunnit type of thriller.
I will be reading book two.

I enjoyed this one. I’d give it a 3.5 stars. The story line kept my interest from start to finish. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I was able to figure out a couple of the big twists, but I still liked following Hazel on her case to find and get justice for Mia. I also thought that you could really tell female characters were written by a man. It wasn’t terrible, but I felt like some of Hazels character flaws or thoughts were more so stereotypes of women and not how women would actually act or be like in those situations. Over all this was a quick and twisty thriller and I see another one is set to release this year and I’ll give that one a try too!

BOOK: THE ORPHANAGE BY THE LAKE
AUTHOR: DANIEL G. MILLER
PUB DATE: 18 MARCH 2025
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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It's been a while since I read a contemporary book about a private investigator, and this one was very good with a female investigator, Hazel Cho. When I started this book, it was kinda boring, but it picked up when I reached 30% of the book. I'm so glad I continued it!
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The book started off with a 'simple' kidnapping case that turned out to be a serial one. I thought I suspected everyone, but I didn't because the culprit turned out to be someone totally unexpected, i was shaken! I can't say much about the case because I don't want to give spoilers, but it's kinda cliché with a plot twist of its own.
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Our FMC might have a troubled personal life, but there's nothing troubled about her investigating skills. She worked really hard, even harder than the police and other private investigators, and in such a short period, too. I admired her tenacity and her skills in solving the case. She did an amazing job, and I hope this is a series because I want to see more of Hazel Cho.
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This book had an amazing storyline, characters (not the perpetrators). I liked the ending and the epilogue I got, it gave me closure. I would definitely recommend this.
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