I was very excited to read this thriller and had high hopes for it, but unfortunately, it was a huge letdown. The entire book is very predictable. It's pretty much your stereotypical missing girls' story. A lot of the writing is very cliche and unbelievable for the MC to be a private investigator. I did not enjoy the ending either. It just felt very prompt and predictable. I had this book on my TBR list for a while, and sadly, I'm a bit disappointed by it.
Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Daniel G. Miller for this read.

The book started out strong, and I really like the main character and the story line. I do feel like the ending could have been done differently. I believe the ending was rushed, and there could have been more detail involved with a different outcome.

A Vanished Child. A Home That Hides Too Much.

Hazel Grant is done waiting for life to get better.

At thirty, her days are a cocktail of unpaid bills, caffeine-fueled stakeouts, and a PI agency teetering on collapse. But everything changes the moment Madeline Hemsley steps into her office—elegant, unreadable, and holding a case with more shadows than details.

A girl has disappeared from an eerie lakeside orphanage buried in the fog of local whispers. It’s supposed to be simple: find the child, collect the check. But Hazel quickly realizes nothing about this job is ordinary.

There are no witnesses, only silence. No leads, only symbols etched into locked doors. Blood that shouldn’t be there. Eyes watching from the trees. And the deeper Hazel goes, the more the orphanage claws at her past—and Madeline's icy composure begins to crack.

This isn’t just about a missing girl. It’s about what’s been buried. What should’ve stayed forgotten.

And Hazel might not leave the lake the same person who arrived.

Very good read that I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Love this book! Hazel is not your typical P.I. She’s layered, quirky, and relatable. I love Kenny too. The story kept me hooked and got better the more I read. I really hope to see Hazel and Kenny (and maybe Bobby?) in more books. A series would be great!

I enjoyed this book although I did feel the “villain” was easily figured out as soon as introduced. The main character is a fun and determined private investigator on the case of a missing girl from an orphanage. There were a few twists but, like I said, many very easily figured out. Still a decent book.

When you keep telling yourself "It's already 1:00 AM, but I'll just read one more chapter," you know you really are enjoying the book. Such was the case with me with "The Orphanage by the Lake." It's the story of thirty-year old Hazel Cho, a struggling private investigator living and working in New York City. One day, socialite Madeline Hemsley visits Hazel's office and offers her one hundred thousand dollars if she can find her missing goddaughter, Mia, who has disappeared from St. Agnes Children's Home in upstate Lake George, NY. There are two complications, however--Mia disappeared six months ago, and Hazel has only ten days to solve the case, or she will be fired. Hazel, in great need of money, agrees to work for Madeline.
Hazel drives to Lake George, and finds the staff at St. Agnes not very forthcoming. Touring the grounds, evidence leads Hazel to conclude that Mia left voluntarily. The local police are not helpful, except for detective Bobby Riether, who privately confides to Hazel what he knows about Mia's disappearance and the fact that a number of girls have gone missing from St. Agnes over the years.
Hazel is convinced that someone from St. Agnes was involved in the girls' disappearances, but will she be able to find out who before the ten day deadline is up? Is Mia even still alive? You'll have to find out yourself by reading this book.

This is the first book I've read by Daniel Miller (looks like his first book, I'm not sure) and I'm absolutely looking forward to his next book which I just requested. This book was so suspenseful I couldn't put it down and I loved his characters Hazel and Kenny! Kudos for a story well written. Thanks for the ARC.

I love a good mystery with an engage cast of characters. I was not disappointed in that regard with this book. I enjoyed the plot about a private investigator being hired to find a missing girl from an orphanage in a limited amount of time, after which she would be paid a nice amount. Hazel, the private investigator, digging into the disappearance of Mia from the orphanage had a few plot twists and characters that kept me guessing. I would recommend this book for those that want a quick read with lots of interesting characters and interactions along the way to solving the mystery.

There needs to be a SA Trigger Warning on this book. New York City PI Hazel Cho is struggling with finances and terrible clients when a wealthy woman shows up in her office offering her a life-improving amount of money to find her missing goddaughter. The catch: she only has a few days to locate Mia. If she doesn't, the client will move on to another PI, and so will the money. Hazel accepts (along with a Tesla since she has no car) and begins investigating the orphanage Mia vanished from upstate. Suspecting almost everyone, it becomes apparent this case is about more than just one missing girl. I liked Hazel as a character. I didn't mind that she is a bit of a mess, and I would read this if it were a series. That said, there is a lot of room for improvement in how Hazel interacts with food, men, personal safety, sexual assault, etc. When an author writes a main character of the opposite sex, it's important to at least have strong editorial guidance from, in this case, women. Unfortunately, it reads how a man thinks a woman thinks and acts, instead of coming from a place of true understanding.

I received this book through NetGalley, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to discover new authors and share my thoughts.

The Orphanage by the Lake was a beautifully written and emotional story that drew me in from the start. The historical setting was vividly described, and the characters were deeply compelling. Daniel G. Miller crafted a poignant narrative filled with heartache, resilience, and hope, making this a truly memorable read. The storytelling was immersive, and I found myself invested in the fate of the characters.

Thank you again to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to another great author. Hazel is a 30 year old private investigator. She loves her job but it doesn't always pay the bills. She is approached by a wealthy socialite by the name of Madeline who is searching for her god daughter. Madeline states that she was at the St. Agnes Orphanage or the Orphanage by the Lake as its known by the locals. Madeline gives Hazel a week to solve the case and lets her know that she is fourth or fifth private investigator that she has hired and all of them have failed her to date. Hazel starts investigating and finds more questions then answers as it appears that the young girl just vanished. Great book, fast read - I couldn't put it down.

Hazel Cho is a 30 something year old private investigator who just doesn't have her life figured out. She is one job away from not being able to pay her bills and having to admit defeat. She is approached by a woman named Madeline and is given a challenge to find Madeline's missing Goddaughter within a specified period of time for an exorbitant amount of money, with money up front for expenses.

Hazel throws herself into her usual missing persons routine, but keeps coming up short due to the fact that Mia, the missing girl, is an orphan whose world is very small. This makes it hard for Hazel to find information and get any leads without immersing herself into that world full of people who don't want her there...

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't mind blowing. It was conversationally written and I enjoyed reading about a young, female private investigator. The story was interesting, but it didn't draw me in. I wasn't invested in what was going on and there were no real twists or shocks in the book as there usually are in thrillers. I think it would be a better movie than book.

Good book! Keep me wanting to keep reading! My first by this author and i will read more !! Highly recommend this author !!

Not my favorite. I found the pacing slow and drawn out at times, which made it feel predictable. The main character didn’t resonate with me—she felt one-dimensional and a bit frustrating. Overall, it wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped.

A thrilling story about a missing girl and the seedy underbelly of NYC: Private Investigator Hazel is struggling to make ends meet. Being a PI is not as exciting as she imagined that it would be. However, Hazel is intrigued when Madeline Hemsley arrives in her office, desperate to find her missing goddaughter, who is offering an unseemly amount of money but only a week's deadline. She is quickly drawn into a web of lies, deceit, and deception and soon discovers several girls have gone missing from The Orphanage by the Lake.

This novel is an easy read that will keep you guessing. With questionable roommates, new boyfriends, and a sexy cop, you don't know where to look or who to place the blame on. If you are looking for a good mystery read that isn't to difficult to follow this is the book for you.

I really liked the premise of this book but just not the delivery. The main character felt very surface level and very irresponsible for being a private investigator. She also seemed to miss a lot of things she should have looked into or investigated more given her line of work. The ending felt very rushed and just added to my frustration with this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

5 Stars – Gripping, Fast-Paced, and Unputdownable!
The Orphanage By The Lake pulled me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go. It’s a fast-paced psychological crime thriller filled with twists, emotion, and just the right amount of suspense. Hazel is a fantastic main character—sharp, determined, and full of heart. Her friendship with Kenny Chun, her loyal and supportive roommate added so much to the story. Their dynamic brought warmth and strength, especially as they worked together to uncover the disturbing truth behind the disappearances. The eerie setting of the orphanage and the way secrets slowly unraveled kept me turning the pages late into the night. If you love thrillers with strong characters and shocking twists, this one’s a must-read!

I would say that this one was 3,5⭐️

The storyline was entertaining and dark at the same time. I would like a little bit more if the investigating explained, but i really liked the climax and ending of the story.

I would recommend this to those who have just started to read thrillers cause although the secrets are very gruesome it isn't written very graphic and wont make a beginner thriller reader too traumatised.

Some characters seemed to become opposite to the way they were at the beginning (and not olny the villains), and i would like to read more about Bobby, but overall this was a good and fast paced read.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This had potential to be a great psychological thriller but it lacked twists that weren’t predictable. Bad cops, rich people, girls gone missing. There is some dark topics that I wasn’t expecting going into the book. But for some readers this would be very triggering with how it was dealt with. I felt like it wasn’t executed well and the ending was kind of rushed.

Hazel was so chaotic and her life was a shamble. She was likeable but sometimes a little too silly. She was unprofessional on multiple occasions and was annoying.
Her job as a Private Investigator, putting her self into a position where her life could be in danger was a little too unrealistic to me. Why not speak to the cop who she was trusting, Bobby.? She just willy nilly went along with perfect Andrew. Like how could that be believable? A handsome, rich man just so happens to bump into you.

The cover was good, the blurb was intriguing and it had a good concept.

My thoughts on this read are so ambivalent. Hazel, a private investigator struggling to make ends meet , has a mysterious client challenge her to solve the case of her teenaged goddaughter missing from an orphanage in a very short amount of time. Hazel takes the challenge given the money promised and visits the orphanage meeting only one person who seems to care about Mia’s disappearance. Several of the others seem like prime suspects. Hazel seems somewhat chaotic in her approach to her investigation. Her instincts seem on target but she frequently does not seem to take it seriously, drinking more than she should and showing up late to meetings. Andrew’s appearance was very predictable.
Some of the revelations towards the end were not a surprise. I did enjoy Kenny and his unwavering devotion to Hazel. There was so much potential with this premise making it easy to read.
Many many thanks to Daniel G. Miller, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of The Orphanage by the Lake, published on March 18th.