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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This was a fun and interesting fast paced mystery book! I enjoyed how quick of a read it was, and how easy it was to get into. The twist and turns in the plot were unexpected and exciting, making the slow parts of the book not so bad. The ending is what made this book completely worth it. It was a little predictable but not in a bad way for me. I was able to put the pieces together before the reveal, but it did not take away from the ending. I was left with a few lingering questions at the end, but I still enjoyed the read!

What an intriguing mystery at the Saint Agnes Orphanage, full of secrets, bad cops, and an unraveling of innocent people for over 25 years. 50 orphan girls have gone missing from this castle-like estate under the scrutiny of Dr Thomas Mackenzie. Madeline, a wealthy socialite with an arrogant persona has a lot of pain behind her tough attitude that she does not want anyone to know. She, as well as her family, have a financial interest in the orphanage... her Goddaughter, Mia, is a resident there and has gone missing...MIA. She is a beautiful girl and can sing as softly as an angel. Her choir director Goolsby took her under his wing with promises she will be a star one day.
Madeline has hired numerous private investigators to find out what happened to Mia, but to no avail, except the obvious.
Hazel Cho went to law school with her parents pleading for her success as a lawyer. When she experienced a traumatizing nightmare. Her knight in shining armor was a private investigator, not a lawyer. This encouraged her to follow in his footsteps to help others, much to her parents' dismay.
Madeline approaches Hazel with an astounding $100,000 offer, as well as a Tesla, to help find Mia. She accepts, but the catch has a one week deadline.
The orphanage houses children that have no other family or have been abused and pulled from their homes. Their only hope is Saint Agnes. When she investigates the place, the people inside appear to have something to hide, as well as the disappearance of 50 girls.
Hazel meets the suave, wealthy and handsome Andrew Dupont, which helps her with the case or leads her into a dark web of lies and society. Kenny, her roommate, stalker and best friend, besides crushing on her, is an incredible addition to her case, helping behind the scenes.
All the characters play a huge role in the substance of the book and soon it becomes a questionable battle who Hazel can trust and work with. An outstanding book and an impressive talent of words from the author. The ending has a surprising twist with a horrifying glimpse into today's society. About halfway through the book, I thought I could see where it was going, but it did not deter me from enjoying it nonstop. The eye-catching cover had me begging for this one and I was not disappointed.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this incredible ARC in exchange for my review!

This is an engaging story. Although it is in the mystery genre, it is just as much about the life of the protagonist, a Korean-American woman. The mystery itself centers around the disappearance of a young girl from an orphanage.

The characters are well developed. Their personalities are detailed and varied. The dialogue pulls the reader into the story and keeps the pacing of the book fast and interesting.

Interested to see other work be this author. I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

this one is not for me unfortunately, the writing style stopped me from enjoying it, i also had trouble following along at times but that could just be me

thank you netgalley and poisoned pen press for the arc

**Analysis:**
*The Orphanage by the Lake* by Daniel G Miller is an atmospheric, suspenseful thriller set in a secluded orphanage near a misty lake. The novel weaves together dark secrets, eerie settings, and complex characters, slowly unraveling a mystery that blurs the lines between past traumas and present dangers. Miller's evocative prose builds a sense of dread and intrigue, making this a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers and gothic mysteries.

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**Review: *The Orphanage by the Lake* by Daniel G Miller**

Step into a world shrouded in mist and mystery with *The Orphanage by the Lake*. Daniel G Miller crafts a chilling tale set in a secluded orphanage, where the quiet lapping of the lake hides dark secrets and forgotten sorrows. The story follows a cast of deeply complex characters whose lives are intertwined with the haunted legacy of the orphanage—a place where the past never truly dies, and every echo hints at a hidden truth.

Miller's prose is both atmospheric and immersive, drawing you into a narrative that is as much about uncovering buried secrets as it is about confronting the demons of memory. The slow-burning suspense, combined with moments of unexpected terror, creates a tension that never lets up. As the layers of mystery peel away, you’ll find yourself questioning the boundary between reality and the supernatural.

If you’re a fan of gothic mysteries and psychological thrillers that linger with you long after the final page, *The Orphanage by the Lake* is a must-read. It’s a story that will have you looking over your shoulder and questioning every shadow in the dark.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity 💕**

Hazel Cho, a PI who could use a cash infusion, agrees to look for Mia, who has gone missing from the, well orphanage by the lake. That orphanage is a creepy place with deep secrets. It's a good,. albeit familiar, set up and I had high hopes. Regrettably, the execution didn't work for me. As some others have noted, Hazel spends a lot of time worrying about her romantic life and seems clueless at times. And I agree, the fact that she's written by a man is clear. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I know others will enjoy this.

“She extends her hand and I shake it, feeling like I’ve just done a deal with the devil herself.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Hazel Cho wants a new life. She’s thirty years old, single, and her private investigation business is on the brink of crashing.

Her luck takes a turn when Madeline Hemsley, a mysterious socialite, pays Hazel a visit with an offer too enticing to resist. An orphan girl named Mia has disappeared from a children’s home,The Orphanage By The Lake, as the locals call it, and Madeline wants Hazel to find her, as Mia is Madeline’s goddaughter.

At first glance, it appears to be a standard runaway case, but as Hazel plunges into the investigation, she finds signs of something more: unexplained blood stains, cryptic symbols, sinister figures shadowing her every move. The more she digs, the more she realizes that something sinister is going on, and she may also be in danger. She begins working with a local cop, the headmaster, other orphanage personnel, and even a socialite, but can she trust them?

The book was told by Hazel’s POV in chronological order. I haven’t read a book like that in awhile so it was a nice change of pace. The investigation into finding Mia is one dead end after another and while all the characters had the set up to be the culprit, there were less red herrings and more pointless dead ends that for me felt kinda meh.

I will say that the truth of the crime itself was well hidden and I failed to 100% correctly guess what was going to be revealed in the climax. I had worked some bits and pieces out but the mechanics of it had alluded me.

It was definitely darker than I expected but still kept me on my toes. I didn’t really connect with any characters either which is why the book was just okay for me. I never felt shocked or had any jaw dropping moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just WOW! I was sucked into the plot immediately and I was obsessed with it until the last moment. It was thrilling and shocking, I never knew what was coming next and I loved it! It was such a great read, I can’t wait for the sequel. (There HAS to be a sequel.) Great story from a very promising author!

This was a compelling read centred around the disappearance of Mia, a young girl living at an orphanage. The story follows PI, Hazel, as she attempts to uncover the truth behind Mia’s disappearance. With many twists and turns, the book keeps you hooked and you can’t help reading on.
Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately felt like a familiar story that we've seen before. While it was a quick read with some suspenseful moments, I found it to be fairly predictable. The writing style came across as somewhat juvenile, almost as though it could have been classified as YA—except for the darker themes introduced toward the end. Overall, it was an enjoyable enough read, but it didn’t quite live up to its full potential. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

3.5 stars for me on this one …. This story follows a struggling private investigator Hazel Cho, who is hired by Madeline Hemsley to find her missing goddaughter, 12-year-old Mia Thomas. Mia disappeared 3 months ago from St. Agnes Home for Girls. The police believe Mia ran away, other investigators have been no help, and Hazel has just two weeks to uncover the truth. The mystery itself is gripping. As Hazel delves deeper into Mia's disappearance, the stakes rise, and the tension builds. There’s an atmospheric quality to the setting, with the “orphanage by the lake” holding more secrets than anyone realizes. The author does a wonderful job weaving in twists and red herrings, keeping the reader guessing until the very end.

I found myself frustrated by some of Hazel’s decisions. There were moments when she took unnecessary risks or acted impulsively, which detracted from the plot. These missteps were part of her character, at times they felt like they took away from the overall tension of the mystery. While Hazel’s decisions can be annoying, they don’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. Mystery fans who like flawed detectives will enjoy this book.

I enjoyed this book, it is an excellent read! I did not take me long to read, it is a definite page turner! If you love a good thriller this is the book for you!

This book had so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. It was my first really good thriller/mystery book of the year. I can't say enough good things about this book!

The premise was great and I was so excited for this book, but I was unfortunately very let down. It was obvious that the book was written by a man who is not fully aware/didn't consult someone on how most women act. Our main character, Hazel was typecast as a stereotyplical old timer not intelligent woman with an unhealthy obsession with sugar free. Also, no investigator acts like she did in this book. It was very frustrating and showed, maybe, a lack of research or research being done in the wrong places.

I started The Orphanage By The Lake with high hopes, because I love a good private eye mystery case! Hazel Cho, 30 year old private investigator from Manhattan, is hired by a mysterious WASPy woman from upstate whose goddaughter has gone missing from an all girls orphanage. Hazel has 8 days to do what 6 private detectives before her failed to do and find the missing Mia.

Yeah, so I got about half a page into this book and immediately hated the writing style. I should have known better, but I decided to power through! Sometimes books that aren't to my usual taste still end up being great, ya know?

...Not this one. It became painfully clear within a chapter or two that there is absolutely no way a grown woman wrote this. I looked, expecting this was a teen's writing, and instead found another perfectly good explanation: a middle aged man is the author. Don't get me wrong, I fully don't think that automatically is a bad thing! Writing outside of your own perspective is great... if it's done in a way that isn't painfully clear that it was written by someone with absolutely zero concept of the point of view of the person they write.

Everything Hazel does in this story is the antithesis of what an adult woman would do. She has no survival instincts at all. She's supposed to be a private detective, but she doesn't even have the natural fear of men that any woman over the age of like 20 has, nonetheless one that's intimately aware how dangerous bad men can be to a woman. She has a tazer that she never has her hands on except when it's not needed, she constantly follows strange men into solitary situations where nobody would know if something happened to her, and she isn't suspicious of any women even though she as a detective should know damn well that there's almost always a woman involved in trafficking little girls.

Every single detail ended up being predictable. I don't try to guess the endings, I hate guessing the endings, but this one telegraphed every single 'twist' along the way. The only reason I'm giving this a 2* instead of 1* is because it wasn't absolutely terrible. I think that a teen girl would probably really like this. It's not marketed to teens, but I think it would work well. This is not disparaging teen girls' reading habits, this is speaking as a former teen girl who knows I would have totally been fine with this book when I was about 14.

I was instantly drawn to the main character, Hazel Cho. She’s smart and fierce, insecure and vulnerable all at once. I enjoyed slowly learning more about this 30 year old Korean American PI living in a ramshackle NYC apartment in Chinatown with her childhood friend who cooks her mouthwatering Korean comfort food when he’s not gaming.
The character development was well done, as were the descriptions of various locations, from the austere orphanage in a stunning location and Hazel’s own office that’s seen better days, to the haunts of the cities wealthy. Hazel’s need for cash forces her to take on a case from a wealthy socialite she neither likes nor trusts, but it’s her heart that keeps her searching for the woman’s missing godchild when others have failed.
The plot has interesting twists that kept me hooked, and the end has left me looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy, I enjoyed it. It hit a sweet spot between the grittier police procedurals I often read and cozy mysteries for me.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Gave me the chills with some spooky vibes. Could not put it down. MUST READ.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller. This book was a brilliant concept and had so much potential, but unfortunately, it was very slow and lackluster and fell short for me. The main character, Hazel, was very dense and seemed overly fixated on her dating life and personal image rather than her struggling PI business, and I found myself rolling my eyes when she complained about not having enough time to solve the case, yet there was no sense of urgency. I had a hard time trying to get fully immersed in the book because Hazel was not a character I could get emotionally attached to and her character seemed like a representation of an ignorant early 20s woman venturing out into the working world instead of being a fully functional, competent, or mature 30 year old with her own PI business. I found the ending to be predictable, as I suspected the "bad guy" as soon as they were introduced. Overall, the storyline had potential and the concept was interesting, but the writing and development of the story could have used a bit of help.