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Thursday, January 28, 2016

Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea

Summit Lake, a picturesque town where nothing really bad ever happens. Until now. 

The brutal murder of Becca Eckersley has shocked the community, leaving many wondering just what really happened that terrible night. It's a question Kelsey Castle is intent on answering. 

Recovering from her own ordeal, Kelsey is given the opportunity to travel to Summit Lake on assignment for Events magazine. But her coverage of the case is immediately hampered by local authorities. It seems Becca's own father has had a hand in ensuring that certain information never becomes public. Even the local police chief has been shut out! Area gossip is filled with theory and rumor, but it will take all of Kelsey's talent as a reporter to tease out the true facts surrounding this shocking crime. 

Charlie Donlea's debut is one that is sure to keep you reading through the wee hours!

Chapters alternate between Kelsey's investigation and Becca's own story in the months leading up to her attack. In truth, the who is a little easy to figure out if you're really paying attention. And yet, following the story through to its dark conclusion is still incredible suspenseful.

Becca's story begins over a year before her murder. She's an average college student on her way to law school. She's stressed about grades, law school applications, all the usual stuff. But Becca and her friends have more than the normal stresses of college life to deal with in the coming months.

It's clear from the start that Becca's murder is built around secrets someone - someone other than the murderer, that is - is intent on keeping. Her father is heavy handed in quieting elements of the investigation, but, as mentioned above, Summit Lake is a small town with small town gossip. This gossip does help Kelsey in her own investigation quite a bit, as do local officials who don't exactly like having been left in the dark.

In truth, the way officials share information with Kelsey was just a bit too easy peasy for my own taste, but it didn't detract from the overall suspense or mystery in the end. The alternating chapters and Becca's flashbacks give the book an increased tension that builds wonderfully as the story progresses.

Rating: 3.5/5

2 comments:

Kay said...

This one looks spooky and I think it's the first I've heard of it. I'll have to check it out.

Jen | Book Den said...

That cover is so eerie. It's kind of mesmerizing!