I became really caught up with this storyline as I wasn’t sure which direction. It was going to take. Some of the characters could have been the victim and every character could have been the murderer. There are several subplots and you don’t know if they are connected to the main plot. A definite couldn’t put it down book.

Daughter of Mine, A Novel by Megan Miranda. Dark mystery, FMC returns home, and North Carolina town.

I rate this 4.25 stars.

Twenty-Seven year old Hazel Sharp unexpectedly inherits her childhood home after her father passes. Leaving nothing for her two brothers. A 71 day drought has hit the region and as the water levels drop in this small North Carolina town, long kept secrets begin to emerge.

The story begins slow but the tension gradually builds. The mystery and evidence found keeps you turning the page. Megan Miranda did a great job creating a spooky vibe with details that make you feel like you are there with Hazel.

The story is told in 4 parts- father, mother, sons and daughter. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to others who like a good mystery/thriller.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Mirror Lake, North Carolina
62 days without rain…

This was a slow burn that sent chills down your spine.
Hazel has returned to her hometown Mirror Lake after hearing that her stepfather Perry has died. Perry Holt was well known and respected who also happened to be detective in the small police force. Hazel had been quite young when her mother married Perry who was the father of two sons Caden and Gage, together they had become a family. At the age of fourteen her mother abandoned the family and left Hazel with Perry, the town looked down on her for her mothers actions. Her mother left only a note behind addressed to “Daughter of Mine”….
When Hazel is named the sole beneficiary of Perry’s home, her two brothers are less than thrilled. Why did he leave the home to her? As the drought begins to drop the water levels to Mirror Lake secrets begin to emerge, two cars are recovered from the lake… and it may all be linked to a dark past that surrounds mirror lake. Many secrets start to surface and someone is determined to make Hazel leave and if she doesn’t she may be the next victim. The characters were so well developed and the mystery had my head spinning I loved everything about this book.

Wow, this was kind of a wild ride. Daughter of Mine is a mystery suspense novel that follows Hazel. She returns to her hometown after her father dies, just as a mysterious discovery occurs in the town's lake. This book gives eery small-town vibes, where everyone knows everyone and everyone has secrets. Hazel quickly realizes that things are not as they seem as tensions rise between her and her brothers over the will their father left. As Hazel tries to figure out what is happening and what her brothers are hiding, other strange events begin to unfold in the house and the family.

This book was definitely a slooooow burn but worth it, in my opinion. I loved the atmospheric vibes, the writing was excellent, and I was invested in the main character and getting to the bottom of the mystery. I did not see the twist coming and was trying to figure it all out until the very last chapter! This book also left me thoroughly creeped out at times and had my heart racing a little. It's been a while since a book did that! Overall, I enjoyed it and was very satisfied with the conclusion.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley! I keep chasing the love I felt for Miranda’s “All the Missing Girls” but haven’t yet found it. I liked this more than “The Last House Guest” and “The Only Survivors” but not as much as “The Last to Vanish.” But I’ll keep on reading everything she writes!

Hazel Sharp is back in her hometown of Mirror Lake even though she doesn’t want to be. She’s had her own theories in the past decade of where her mother disappeared to, but no concrete evidence. A drought has caused the lake to be a lower level than ever - and the townspeople find a car at the bottom of it. And it turns out to be Hazel’s mother’s. She can’t help but ask questions of with this new discovery.

Miranda writes places SO WELL. The atmosphere of Mirror Lake was fantastic, I could really picture it all. But this one was more of a mystery than a thriller - very slow paced. I love a slow burn but this one was almost too slow for me? I couldn’t get myself excited for my digital copy from Netgalley so I listened to the last half on Spotify. I liked but didn’t love the narration, but it did get me more invested. I was finally into it when the ending came, which was very rushed IMO and a bit predictable. All in all, a fine but unmemorable thriller.

✨Trigger Warnings: Death of a Parent, Murder, Suicide, Drug Use

I enjoyed this thriller from Megan Miranda - she visited my library system on her book tour and I hosted her conversation portion of the evening, so this was also read for work purposes but it's nice to enjoy the title you are reading for work! The tension between the lack of rain and the discoveries in the lake was a standout part of the writing style for me. I do like "All the Missing Girls" better but this is a solid mystery.

Megan Miranda was in fine form in her latest adult thriller, Daughter of Mine. I have read each one since All The Missing Girls. That is a total of 8 books by the author. I have now given 5 of them 4-stars and 3 of them 3-stars. Daughter of Mine was easily a 4-star. It was one of Ms. Miranda's best. The characters were all very realistic, though, the naivete of some of them was a little hard to believe at times. Hazel Sharp was the stepdaughter of the detective of a small North Carolina town called Mirror Lake. He died and has left her his house in his will. One significant problem is that he had two biological sons who are understandably shocked and upset by this development. Hazel's mom had married the detective when Hazel was fairly young, his boys were a bit older than she. The mom had up and left him and all three kids when Hazel was around 11 when her mom abandoned the family and was subsequently raised by her stepfather as his own. Early in the novel, we learn that Hazel's mom had some shady men in her past, and she had a history of running away from men she was in relationship with. Basically, Hazel's mom, has a bad reputation in the Mirror Lake community, but she has only been heard from once since she left so no one has been able to question why she did it. In addition to that storyline, we learn that there have been some disappearances/murders in and around Mirror Lake. Hazel's mom might be tied to at least one of them.

I was captivated from the first chapter and loved every second of reading the book. I also really loved the ending. The resolution to the mysteries in the novel were also believable and realistic. Even though the book falls slightly short of a 5-star rating for me, I would definitely say this is one of my absolute favorites by Megan Miranda and anyone who has enjoyed any of her other novels will likely love this one as much or better.

What a page-turner! I love a dark, twisty mystery. Hazel returns to her hometown to deal with the death of her father. Strange occurrences keep happening- people disappear or end up dead. Who's behind these events? Who can she trust? Are the answers to the secrets buried in the lake or locked in old memories and photos? This one will make you keep the light on as you read until the wee hours! Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Hazel, the daughter of Mirror Lake’s detective, inherits her childhood home when her father dies. She finds herself drawn back to the town she left behind almost a decade earlier.

A drought provides rich atmosphere as Hazel uncovers long-hidden secrets, namely the traumatic events of her childhood, including evidence that may explain her mother’s disappearance many years ago.

The author has said in interviews that she enjoys exploring how the past impacts the present, and how a place is tied to memory. The author delivers these themes expertly in this highly atmospheric, character-driven mystery where the setting is as much of a character as the characters themselves.

I found this a tense compelling character-driven novel that I couldn’t put down. It has everything I love in the genre.

What an outstanding mystery thriller this was?! I have to say it was probably one of my favorite reads this year so far.

When Hazel Sharp returns home, she thinks it's only to say goodbye to her father but while she's there, chaos unleashes that no-one expected. When an old car is pulled from the area lake with no plates and an ominous air around it, things are only starting to get strange. Then Hazel suspects someone has been in the house and she begins to feel less and less safe there. As the book progresses, Hazel isn't sure who she can truly trust in her hometown - - if anyone. Her brothers both seem to be hostile to her over the will. And no one else in the town seems trustworthy either. Or is she being paranoid? At this point, Hazel just isn't sure.

Go into this book as blind as you can and enjoy the ride. It's a wonderfully crafted mystery thriller with well developed characters. Even the lake serves as an inanimate character and lends itself to the eeriness in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I was a little surprised, that it took a while to get into this one. While this one did not instantly grab me, it did keep me guessing until the end. The author creates these believable, relatable characters with layers of history and emotion, weaving together unexpected stories and mysteries.

Wonderful characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This author is becoming a must read for me. That being said I found this book to be a little hard to follow and the writing not as polished. Was I still wanting to turn each page? Yes I was! Hazel Sharp is a hard working business woman adept at remodeling old properties with her two friends and making them livable again. She's astute and capable but when she heads back to her small lake hometown for her law enforcement father's funeral she quickly feels out of place. She seems even more in the outs when she is told that her father left his lake house to her not her two brothers. As questions arise about her father's motives answers start slowly floating up from Mirror lake as drought is forcing it to reveal its secrets. A quick paced thriller about complex family dynamics and secrets this book is hard to put down and worth the read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e copy for a honest review.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda is a psychological thriller that takes readers on a twisted journey through family secrets and buried truths. While it offers moments of suspense and intrigue, it ultimately falls short when compared to Miranda's earlier works.

One aspect that stands out in Daughter of Mine is Miranda's skillful ability to create a chilling atmosphere. The tension is palpable, and the pacing keeps you turning the pages, eager to uncover the next revelation. The premise, revolving around a mother's search for her missing daughter, is inherently gripping and sets the stage for a captivating read.

However, where Daughter of Mine falters is in its execution of the plot and character development. Unlike Miranda's earlier thrillers, which expertly weaved intricate webs of deception and kept readers guessing until the very end, this novel's twists and turns feel somewhat predictable. The characters lack the depth and complexity that Miranda has previously mastered, making it difficult to fully invest in their journey.

Overall, Daughter of Mine is a decent thriller that offers moments of suspense but fails to reach the heights of Miranda's earlier works. Fans of the author may find it worth a read, but those expecting the same level of brilliance may come away feeling underwhelmed.
3.5 stars.

Absolutely loved it!!

Wow! This was a great read. Hazel has just gotten word that her dad has died and she returns home to her small hometown for a memorial service. This is where the story begins and decades of secrets start to rise to the surface (literally from the depths of the lake just outside Hazel's childhood home!)

This was the first book I've read by Megan Miranda and I will definitely be diving into her back list - I already have The Only Survivors.

Highly recommended for thriller fans. There was a solid creep factor for me and I was changing my predictions every chapter.

This was a win! The home invasion portions were so creepy and I found myself really enjoying our main character Hazel and all her turmoil.

3.5 rounded up to 4. I did really enjoy this book but the beginning was slow for me and took a bit to get into. A couple of things were left unanswered for me as well. There were a couple of times I genuinely felt creeped out though and had my heart racing!

Daughter of Mine is unputdownable. The eerie undercurrent throughout the book was incredibly well done, making for a tense feeling and a desire to find out why from page one. The layering of information as the story progressed is so compelling, making the reader wonder what will be revealed next. And on top of it, there are twists upon twists. I love to be surprised by a book, and this book surprised me several times.

This is a must read for the mystery/thriller readers and those who love a domestic suspense.

I also listened to the audiobook version of this story which was well done. I listened at 1.75x speed (which is my normal audiobook listening speed).

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Element for this advanced readers copy. (And sorry for my delay in returning the review.)

3.5 ⭐️’s
Miranda’s newest book is a slow burn of a story. When Hazel is called back to her childhood home after the death of her stepfather, she had no idea that she was inheriting the lakeside home. Her brothers are not happy and there’s quite a bit of tension. With no rain for far too long, a drought ensues and as the water level drops, old secrets are brought to life. Secrets that might just answer some questions about the long ago disappearance of Hazel’s mother. Secrets that might just put the whole family in danger. Will they be able to put their animosity aside long enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together OR is it already too late? This was a good read, but not my favorite from Miranda. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Whew! This one had me on the edge of my seat! I was going one way and this story was going another. Definitely a page-turner and I really enjoyed it.