Nice, atmospheric mystery. Plenty of suspense, with occasional warmth thrown in so it doesn't seem hopeless or unbearably dark.

This thriller opens with the murder of Becca Eckersley, a first year law student, in a small mountain town in North Carolina. Kelsey Castle, a journalist who recently suffered her own trauma, has been sent to Summit Lake to investigate and report on the case.

I love a good thriller and this didn't disappoint. I also love alternating POV narration and loved how this was done - flashing between the before, with Becca, and after, with Kelsey. It allowed me to learn little bits of what happened in the past while completing the blanks in the present as Kelsey was learning everything.

I've never read anything by this author before but am looking forward to adding more of his books to my TBR.

Kelsey Castle, a renowned crime writer for a prominent magazine, is assigned to develop a story about the murder of Becca Eckersley, a law student from a prominent family, who was savagely killed two weeks prior in Summit Lake. Becca was alone at her family’s vacation home near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kelsey first thought this was a light assignment given to her by her editor as she recovers from her own situation. However, as she probes for answers, Kelsey finds an even larger effort by law enforcement to stifle the investigation.

There’s a lot to like about this story, the first being the method used to present it. Becca and Kelsey deliver the narratives, the former’s beginning 14 months prior to the murder and the latter in the present. It was a great way to develop the characters for the reader and we soon see startling parallels between the two women as the details of Becca’s life take shape. Beware of some serious red herrings that are cleverly crafted.

This story has a slow burn that moves to an exciting and tense resolution. I really enjoyed it, even though there were some dangling plot issues I felt needed more explanation. However, that provided for some interesting discussions in my Traveling Friends group. It’s my second book by this author and he’s becoming a favorite.

Review posted on Goodreads

Gotta say I was mighty impressed with this little book. I was a bit nervous going in that it would be dime a dozen and it gave me a nice surprise. Characters were well developed, storyline was fleshed out nicely and nice twists accompanied the storyline that threw me off. I know a book is good when it ends and I find myself wanting more of the main character and believing it would make a good "first in series". That was this book.

Reviewed for publisher via Netgalley.

Journalist Kelsey Castle and Becca Eckersly's lives become entangled in this story, stemming from a brutal rape and murder. Kelly is sent to a beautiful backwater lakeside village as recuperation, however it becomes something quite different. A young girl has been murdered yet the police seem to be keeping very quiet about the crime. Kelsey wonders why and is drawn into a story starting some time before. A good story, well told. I couldn't put it down.

The story was great, the characters intriguing, very enjoyable murder/mystery well worth reading.

*5 Stars*

Whoa. This one had me guessing the entire time. Once I got involved in the story, I started forming my own ideas pretty quickly about who the culprit was. As the book goes back and forth between Becca and Kelsey, these theories kept changing.

The story unravels and pieces together in a really clever way, and by the end I was totally shocked when it was revealed what had actually happened. Secret after secret gets revealed until you're so close to the truth you think you know whats about to happen, and then BAM totally different outcome to what you had been expecting.

The characters are all written really well in this book as well, and I was definitely getting involved in what was happening and immersed in the story.

This one will keep you guessing, I highly recommend.

Summit Lake is a good easy read & debut book written by Charlie Donlea.
I found it easy to follow the plot & the main characters were very descriptive thaI felt I could see them. Some of the police procedures were a little whacky but this is fiction and it helped the book evolve.
As a repoter, Kelsey was recently victimized and sent to Summit Lake to investigate the murder 0f a pregnant law student at thier summer home in Summit Lakeand unravels a lot more than she had bargained for with the help of some new friends from the area.

This is a great debut by a promising author. It's written in a fairly simple, easy to follow manner. It's nothing to devour this whole book in one or two sittings. I had a hard time putting it down and only did so to go to sleep and finish it when I woke up! Some parts are unrealistic, but it's such an interesting read. I don't like to put spoilers in my review, especially for books that are best enjoyed going in relatively blind. The best way to read this book is without knowing any of the twists and turns it takes. It's written in alternating perspectives, a journalist and the victim. The chapters written from the perspective of Becca are heartbreaking as we watch the date of her death approach, hoping things could have turned out differently.

The very first murder in the quaint town of Summit Lake shakes it to its core. A beautiful, accomplished, privileged law student has been brutally murdered in her parent's home. No one understands. No one has anything bad to say about this young lady who had such a bright future. The town gossips and comes up with theories, but the case is going nowhere.

That's when investigative reporter Kelsey Castle comes to town. She's been sent there by her boss at the magazine she works for following a break she took for several weeks. She's just survived a traumatic experience of her own, and it only feeds her drive to find out what happened to Becca Eckersley. She's met with some resistance from the police and those who knew Becca, and can't help but to think they're covering up something having to do with the murder. Kelsey has some healing to do herself, and seems to think the best way to do it is to get justice for her and tell her story.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Kensington Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Very interesting novel of suspense where a reporter must do what the police will not and solve a murder. Both of the main characters are compelling, with strong supporting characters. The college age issues are realistic and the twists are unexpected.