Hazel is an incredible character, so much depth. An offer too good to be true? Edge of your seat suspense. What is really happening at the orphanage? Very well paced, lots of build up and great delivery.  Cant wait for book 2.

NEW ARC READ!!!
COMING TO YOU 18TH MARCH 2025!!!


Book : The Orphanage By The Lake
Author : Daniel G. Miller
Genre : Psychological Crime Thriller

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨


This is the story of Hazel Cho, an Asian American private investigator struggling to make ends meet who was hired by a high class socialite woman one day named Madeline to look for a girl, Mia a talented orphan who went missing from the orphanage.

Unfortunately this girl has been missing for 6 months now which makes things abit more complicating to unravel. As Hazel is investigating the case, she realizes that there’s alot of dishonesty and doubts that comes her way with the people she is interrogating. To the point she starts not trusting her own closest friend.

I enjoyed this book most definitely but I did feel like it was sort of predictable. It was a fun read for sure just as I would still recommend it as I would recommend any of Freida McFadden’s books. I did love the writing very much as it draws you in from the start!

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress and the author for letting me read this fun psychological thriller and allowing me to give my honest feedback on this ARC.


#psychologicalthriller #theorphanagebythelake #danielgmiller #books #bookstagram #bookworm #bookreview #review #netgalley #arc #bookrecommendation #fypシ゚viral #fyp

3.5 Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller. This novel offers an intriguing premise of missing orphans set against the backdrop of a mysterious boarding school, but ultimately, it left me wanting more. One of the book's primary shortcomings for me was the predictability of the main villain. Their role was from the start, which detracted from the suspense and intrigue that a thriller should ideally maintain. I was trying to convince myself that there was NO WAY they was the top dog because it was literally spelled out from the start. A more complex and unexpected villain could have added an exciting layer to the plot and maybe would have detracted from the glaring truth that this book was centered around a woman, but was clearly written by a man. I didn't hate this book but I thought it has so much more potential.

Great book!!!! I certainly did not expect that ending. Thanks for keeping me guessing until the very last page. Will definitely recommend!

I really appreciated the atmosphere in this novel along with the well developed characters and the twists, even though I had a strong suspicion about them. I particularly enjoyed the main character and her tenacity. Recommend for fans of Freida McFadden and John Marrs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!!

This book follows Hazel, a private investigator, as she takes on her latest case: the mysterious disappearance of a teenage orphan named Mia at St. Agnes. With just eight days to crack the case, Hazel must work swiftly to uncover the truth.

The narrative flows easily, making it a quick read for those in search of one. However, this is the second book I've encountered where the female protagonist comes across as naive and overly focused on romance. I appreciate a compelling female character, especially one in a position as challenging as a private investigator, but I found Hazel's portrayal somewhat disappointing. Despite a few strong moments, I expected her character to embody more resilience, given the urgent timeline and her evident financial struggles.

On the bright side, the story includes several intriguing twists—some predictable and others truly surprising. You'll likely find yourself engrossed in the search for Mia, the missing orphan. Overall, I would still recommend it for anyone looking for a fast-paced read.

This was a lighter, enjoyable and quick read! Coming off of several pretty dark thrillers, this was much needed. I loved Hazel so much! Hazel is a Manhattan-based Korean American private eye hired by a wealthy socialite to find her missing goddaughter. Oh, and she has 10 days to find her or no money. The girl has supposedly disappeared from a mysterious children's home by the lake. hence the title. Nothing creepy so far, right? There are a lot of strange goings-on at this place and plenty of suspects, but also plenty of clues to follow. Learning about Asian-American culture is just a bonus! I understand this will be a series and I look forward to more from Hazel.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Daniel G. Miller and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of March 18, 2025.

I appreciated the thought but it seemed predictable. Too over complicated for a story. But I liked the writing.

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

First time reading this author and loved the book. It kept me reading it and not wanting to put it down. I would recommend to family and friends.

A quick and easy read, easily could be finished in a sitting or two.
I was intrigued from the get-go, and was surprised with how dark it got once you got past the first half of the story.
Hazel drove me crazy sometimes though, as she acted without thinking and would do wreckless things.
But overall I enjoyed it!

Struggled to get into the basic but confusing plot. It didn’t hold my interested to the point I can remember the plot fully.

The characters themselves were chaotic and unorganised. They lacked a structure.

I appreciated the premise of the story, but it felt a bit predictable. That said, I did enjoy the writing style and the brevity. Often, these types of stories overcomplicate things in an attempt to deliver a big twist, but this one kept it short and sweet

3.5* I’ll start with the bad. Initially, I didn’t understand the negative comments about the book ie. “obviously written by a man,” “stereotypical,” and “sexual fetish.” That is, until I hit the 90% mark of the book. And I thought, ‘ah yes, I get it now’.

Moving on to what I enjoyed:
As someone who has lived through and is still living in an extremely, e x t r e m e l y conservative Asian society where everything feels very sheltered and often put off by foreign culture, I can attest that grown women (and men) can sometimes be similar to the half-Asian FMC in this book. Her portrayal feels pretty accurate to me.

Personally, I don’t think Hazel is far off from many people I’ve encountered in my day-to-day life in the Asian society I live in. Was she an immature 30-year-old? Did she act like a naive child? Did she annoyingly and severely lack professionalism and urgency? Was she (and some of the other characters) a massive cliché? Were her priorities completely off? All big yes-es. However, given the lightness of this book, these traits didn’t bother me too much.

I also didn’t think the writing was bad, as some others implied. I found the transitions in the prose to be very fluid and enjoyable to read! While the plot and conclusion might not be groundbreaking and it most definitely won’t win any awards, it was still mindlessly entertaining for me.

This book is definitely on the lighter side of thrillers (even lighter than Freida McFadden); it’s basically Nancy Drew for adults if you’re wondering. Coming off the heels of reading Daisy Haites, which is EXTREMELY emotion-inducing, this book was an absolutely welcoming palate cleanser for me.

***

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

This book had me suspecting EVERYBODY! There was not one character I could trust & I was trying to channel my inner Hazel the whole time. This was a fast paced, easy read with a whole lot of mystery & even a sprinkle of romance in it.

What secrets lurk behind the walls of an old orphanage? We find out in Miller's gripping debut thriller—and trust me, you might wish you hadn't.

The story follows Hazel, a Korean-American PI whose struggling business lands its biggest case yet: a missing girl from the ominously named Orphanage by the Lake. What starts as a routine investigation quickly spirals into something far darker. Think you've read every detective story out there? This one's different.

Miller turns readers into amateur sleuths, dropping just enough breadcrumbs to keep us three steps behind Hazel but desperate to catch up. The orphanage itself broods over every page like a malevolent presence, hiding secrets that go deeper than anyone imagined. And Hazel? She's the kind of protagonist who feels real—smart but flawed, determined but sometimes in over her head.

The story isn't perfect. Some middle chapters drag where they should sprint, and a few plot threads feel a bit loose. But when Miller hits his stride—which is often—the pages practically turn themselves. James Patterson called it "irresistible," and for once, the praise fits.

This is the first book in a series (the sequel, The Red Letter, TBR July 2025), and it's clear Miller's just warming up. If you like your mysteries with a side of psychological horror and characters who stick with you long after the last page, this one's for you.

Verdict: A fresh take on the psychological thriller that proves Miller's a name to watch. Despite some pacing hiccups, it's a strong debut that'll keep you up way too late.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Hazel is a young private detective, but isn’t getting great jobs and is having trouble making ends meet. Then, a woman comes in to her office one day and offers her a few thousand dollars to start, then will pay her $100,000 if she can find her missing goddaughter in only eight days. Mia is the girl who went missing from the orphanage she was living at. Outwardly, it appears the orphanage is a great place for these girls, but there seem to be some odd things going on… And the further Hazel digs into things, the more dangerous it becomes.

I really liked this. There were a lot of suspects whom it could have been, so I kept going between them, thinking it might be each of them. Or at least that each might be involved in some way. I really liked Hazel; as scary as this job got, she was tough and determined. This was a Netgalley book to be published this month, and I’m really hoping this might morph into a series, because I’d love to read more and see where this all goes for Hazel.

I loved, loved, loved this book! Starting with Hazel, loved her from page one!!!! She was spunky and quirky. Determined!!!

I loved reading this thriller with the added bonus of watching Hazel navigate through life and overcoming the bad with the good! I couldn't stop reading and was shocked at the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC for my honest review!

#NetGalley #TheOrphanageByTheLake #DanielMiller

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC. Unfortunately, this book was a bit slow for me, especially in regard to the first half of the book.
Because the MC didn’t take herself seriously, I wasn’t sure if I should either.
Due to the pacing of this book, it just wasn’t my favorite.

The Orphanage By The Lake
By: Daniel G Miller
3/5 ⭐️

This book follows Hazel, a Private Investigator, on her newest case - solving the disappearance of a teenage orphan at St Agnes. The case is given a deadline of just 8 days to solve, so Hazel will have to act quickly to find Mia.

This book is felt like was a quick and easy read if you’re looking for one. It’s my second book where the main character, a woman, acts naive and extremely lusting throughout the book. I love a good strong female character and was hoping for it in this book especially since her career is a PI, but was let down. She has some good moments, but as a female PI I felt like she wasn’t written as strong as she should’ve been, especially given the tight deadline of his case assignment and the dire need for money she seems to be in.

The book did however have some good twists, some more predictable and some that catch you off guard, but nonetheless you will be sucked into this on the hunt for Mia, this missing orphan. I would still recommend it for a quick read for those looking for one.

Thank you @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review - #orphanagebythelake

Very twisty and nail-biting with great characters and a very well developed story line. A really good read!