A cold case “resurfaces” when a body appears near the local lake. Sister Lindsey desperately wants to know what happened to her sister and three other girls that shaped her life.

A popular podcast and media put pressure on the new wave of detectives to solve the 20 year old crime, bringing the truth right around the corner.

The question is, would it have been better to stay buried?

It might be slightly unfair reading The Lake of Lost Girls right after reading Listen for the Lie. Both thrillers weave along a true crime podcast to give additional details as the characters work through their own discovery.

Yet as they say, life is unfair so let’s dive in to a quick comparison. In Listen for the Lie, the podcast is weaved into the story line and adds to the storyline. The podcaster is part of the story, what he says and reveals matters to the MC. In The Lake of Lost Girls, the podcasters are useless, gossiping girls. Who are drinking more wine then they are breaking any news. I have some personal annoyances about how one is from US, one from UK … yet they both seem from the UK. It’s not adding anything to the story other than noise. They also are only revealing to the readers what has already been revealed in the main plot line.

Speaking of the plot line, it’s a mess. How badly the plot is weaved, loose ends not tied up and overall messiness is the large factor of my low rating. The execution of this ‘who dun it’ needs massaging, a lot of massaging. All the other annoyances I can look past, but open ended plot arcs I cannot.

Katherine Greene is a pen name of 2 ‘best selling’ authors. Sadly, this seems rougher than other’s debut novels. I expected more. A miss for me. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

_{***Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a  copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publishing on Nov 05, 2024.}

Amazon Link The Lake of Lost Girls By: Katherine Greene