Hazel is running her own PI company that's on the edge of going out of business. When Madeline hires her to investigate her goddaughter's disappearance, Hazel takes on the case. The police aren't very active in the case thinking she's just a runaway and any potential witnesses aren't talking. As Hazel digs deeper, strange things are happening at the children's home called the orphanage by the lake, and the farther she investigates, the more danger she finds.
This story was just ok for me. Hazel is upset at the lack of business but yet acts totally unprofessional so many times. I didn't really like how her character was portrayed the first half of the book. Most of the twists in the story were predictable and the ending seemed a bit rushed.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"A MISSING GIRL. AN ORPHANAGE FILLED WITH SECRETS.

Hazel wants a new life.

She's thirty years old, single, and her private investigation business is months away from folding.

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 has disappeared from a children's home - The Orphanage by the Lake, as the locals call it - and Madeline wants Hazel to find her.

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 The Orphanage by the Lake holds terrifying secrets, and even worse...

...so does Madeline.

Fans of Freida McFadden's The Housemaid, Charlie Donlea's The Girl Who Was Taken, and Karin Slaughter's Pretty Girls will love this twisty, suspenseful thill-ride."

I mean, if you have something to hide, perhaps going into a business of uncovering secrets isn't the wisest move...

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller in exchange for my honest review.***

Daniel G. Miller’s The Orphanage by the Lake is an absolutely riveting psychological thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. This book is the perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and eerie atmosphere, pulling you into a world filled with dark secrets, chilling twists, and a protagonist you can’t help but root for.

The story follows Hazel, a struggling private investigator in Manhattan who takes on the case of finding a missing girl named Mia, who vanished from the mysterious Saint Agnes orphanage in Lake George. She is giving a deadline, by Madeline, the not too friendly women who hires her for the job, that she must abide by to get paid. Every chapter builds on the suspense, making it impossible to put down.

And that ending? I did not see it coming. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the author flipped the story on its head in a way that left me speechless. It’s the kind of twist that makes you want to go back and reread the book just to catch all the hidden clues you missed the first time.
Beyond the incredible storytelling, I have to say that Poisoned Pen Press continues to impress me with their outstanding selection of books. Every title they publish is gripping, smartly written, and impossible to forget—and The Orphanage by the Lake is no exception. Miller’s writing is sharp, immersive, and full of depth, making this one of my favorite thrillers in recent memory.

If you love dark mysteries with jaw-dropping twists and richly developed characters, The Orphanage by the Lake is a must-read. Daniel G. Miller has delivered a masterpiece, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next!

This is a lovely fast paced book that draws the read in from the start. Hazel is a dynamic character that draws the reader in and sweeps them up in the case she is working on. This book is dark, mysterious, and intriguing. Twists and turns will keep the reader engaged right up until the end. This book is perfect for book clubs, or mystery lovers alike.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller
4⭐️
Genre: Thriller, Dark
Release Date: March 18, 2025
Pre-order available

Hazel Cho is a private investigator hired by socialite Madeline Hemsley to find her missing 12-year-old goddaughter, Mia. Mia was attending an elite all-girls orphanage when she went missing 6 months ago. Hazel Cho has a deadline of two weeks to find Mia. With her business weeks away from going under, she accepts the job that promises a $100,000 paycheck. Hazel runs into a myriad of suspicious and shady people during her investigation. The staff at the orphanage cannot be trusted. The sheriff’s department is anything but helpful. The situation looks hopeless until Hazel accidentally runs into the missing piece.

This book is dark and mysterious and caught my interest right away. There were some sensitive topics, but the incidents didn’t go into specifics, so I feel like most people will be able to handle them. This will be a book that I recommend to readers interested in the mystery genre.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but I was ‘disappointed’ to say it nicely.

The story has definitely potential, but it needs so much more. If you want to write and create a strong FMC, you should know women. The character development felt short. The Main character is dumb and I was for 80% of the book annoyed with her. There is nothing worse than a man is speaking through a female character and it's very obvious. If the main character would be a guy, it would have been a lot better.
The pacing was okayish, but the ‘mystery’ just didn't grab me. I found the story very predictable. The ending…..well….it could have been good as the writer would have taken his time. Now it feels rushed and what was supposed to be the big bang ended up being just a ‘plop’.
Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me.


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Storm Publishing for this copy.

I really really wanted to love this book but honestly I could not get into it. You can 100% tell the author is a man writing about the FMC, it gave me the ick sometimes. The FMC annoyed me with her life choices, relationships and almost everything. I struggled getting through this book and probably would not pick up the second when its released. The 3 stars is because the idea of the plot sounded amazing and there times where I did enjoy the book but then was kinda let down again.

Absolutely fantastic, I couldn't put it down and I didn't want too. This is my first book by this author but I will definitely be looking for more

I have been hearing about this book for months and when I was able to get an ARC of it, I dived in immediately. The book was good but not sure it was is worth the hype that is everywhere for it, however it was an easy read which I like. i am not mad I read the book and will read more in the future by Daniel G. Miller. About half way through the book, you can see the pieces coming together. it felt similar to a frieda Mcfadden book and I enjoy her books so it was a good fit for me.

This one was made for the crime junkies!! If you like True Crime then this one is for you!!

Our story follows Hazel who is a PI. Hazel is contacted by a lady whose Goddaughter went missing 6 months ago and she wants Hazel to find her.
Taking this case sends Hazel down a rabbit hole that may just end up costing her more than she bargained for though. Everyone has secrets and these secrets are deadly!!

This was a good story but I’ll be honest when I say that it was a solid 3 star until I got to about 80%, after that I was HOOKED!! The last 20% of this book had me in a chokehold and gained another star!
I think if I was a big True Crime lover then this would have been an easy 5 star though!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

2.5, largely for the main character. idk she wasn't the deepest but I really enjoy characters who WILL keep going no matter what. I really enjoyed that about her.

however, oh my god, this book had the worst case of Written By A Man that I've experienced in a long time. like, big zoinks. I also was super into the plot at first, but I think the resolution was really predictable and... not that it shouldn't have gone the way it did, but I don't think it was handled the best or treated as anything other than shock value. idk. I'm still rooting for you, Hazel!! even if the author has you like constantly drooling your food down your chin because teehee ladies are just so clumsy I guess

This book was just so hard to get into. Multiple times I had to drag myself back to it and keep going. I wanted to enjoy it- the premise of a PI looking into a missing girl is definitely a book I enjoy reading. However, the author really struggled to write, in my opinion, a realistic woman. The actual story itself was good, with the payoff being a nice shock/ending. I felt like the MC was completely unlikeable, which, since this is setting up to be a series, is not ideal.

Characters 1/5
Twist/Story 4/5
Writing 3/5

Overall, 3/5.

Hit or miss, but everyone is different, so you might like it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so graciously given an ARC of this title. I really liked the idea of the book and where it was going. But it was a painfully slow pace for me. It's a personal preference for me to like a fast paced book with big shock factors. I was just a tad underwhelmed. It eventually picked up, but then I didn't feel like it was a steady pace and I feel it dropped to a slow pace again. I just think it was not my cup of tea.

This book pulled me in and got me hooked immediately. I was, however, disappointed with the love interest and felt that the main character would have been more skeptical and guarded, in some cases that would have kept her out of trouble. It just seemed like some of the plot was forced to move to the climax of the story. It was a good read, but not great.

Liked this but didn’t I love it. I hard a hard time connecting to the main character. I think she felt a little like a caricature instead of a real person. I felt her friendships/relationships a little hard to get behind too.

But I liked the investigation itself, up until the ending which felt like a lot all at once. And pretty much what I guessed. But the steps taken to get there kept me interested and rooting for Hazel.

I’d probably give the next one a try to see if once the series gets going it feels a little bit more organic.

This book is about Hazel who is a PI and is hired to find Mia who goes missing from the orphanage. She is struggling and really needs the money from this job.

Pros:
I requested this book because the plot was interesting and I liked the cover of the book. I liked Kenny and thought he was a good friend to Hazel. I also liked the detective in the book and felt bad for him. This was an easy read but took awhile to get going. There where some go parts of the book when Hazel wasn’t worried about food and her new boyfriend and actually focused on the doing the job she was hired for.

Cons:
I do not like how unprofessional Hazel acts showing up late to the meetings and spending all night before out late. Hazel was really getting on my nerves and I think i would of enjoyed the store better if the main character was a different person. I figured out who the bad guys were going to be at the very beginning so there was no excitement at the end.

What an insane, out of left field read.. in the best way.

Let me start by saying that the first 10 or so chapters, while I was intrigued enough to keep reading, kept me saying “yep, a guy wrote this trying to portray a female” and so a few things that were said in the beginning were making me scrunch my nose and say “really?”.
However, I could look past that. It’s not a man’s fault that he can’t TRULY portray a woman.
But seriously, after the first 10 chapters or so, I absolutely flew through the book. I mean I really couldn’t put it down. The plot, the story line, the absolute TWIST that is the ending, makes this a fantastic book. You will NOT guess the ending, so if you really need a twisty, fast paced read with a kick ass female private investigator, grab this book!

Hazel, a struggling private investigator, is hired to find a missing orphan girl from a mysterious children's home. As she delves deeper into the case, she uncovers dark secrets and sinister figures lurking in the shadows. I could see her stories becoming a successful series.
This is a fast paced story and very easy to read. I did enjoy it, however, I feel like this plot had happened before with the “hot, rich guy” being the villain. You know- the one the main character falls for and oh no! He’s really the bad guy. And surprise the girl she also made a connection with - bad too.
BUT - I did really like the main character, Hazel. I enjoyed her wit and determination to not fail and that’s what saved this story for me. As I stated earlier, I could see this becoming a series and I would totally read more “Cho and Shum”.

Amazing book! I think this book is one of underrated books.. I LOVED the characters. Especially the main character. She was very relatable and likable. I also liked the Korean vibe in this book.

Hazel has her work cut out for her with only a week to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of a woman's niece from the orphanage. As someone who has lived in Lake George, I appreciated the author's attempts at authenticity. He didn't always get it right, but it was cool to have the setting somewhere familiar. The depth of what's happening at the orphanage becomes apparent when Hazel realizes that girls have been disappearing from there for years. To solve the case, she puts herself at risk and is shocked by her discoveries.