This is one of those stories that almost could have been ripped from the headlines. Charlotte doesn't come from much and she thinks her life is perfect when she marries the rich widower Paul. But was his wife's death really an accident? And what about that dead woman in the lake? A classic tale of be careful what you wish for and quite the page-turner.

Stranger in the Lake is yet another example of Belle's ability to weave mystery and suspense into a page-turning tale of love, friendship, marriage, and betrayal. From the deep waters of Lake Crosby, a body turns up -- casting suspicion, doubt, and mistrust throughout the community, from the richest of rich to the poorest of poor. Charlie, her husband and his childhood friends, her brother, and their families all seem connected in some way to this case. Belle once again keeps the reader guessing almost to the very end. Just like all her other novels, I couldn't put this one down! Highly recommend!!

Charlotte (Charlie) finally found her way out of the trailer park and into the best house on the other side of the mountain by marrying local millionaire, Paul. Unfortunately, Charlie found that the grass was not greener on the other side, but actually red with the blood of murders that somehow entangle her new, loving husband. Stranger in the Lake will have you guessing at the murder of today by looking into those of the past and has twists and turns to the very end.

I never in a million years thought I'd say this about a Kimberly Belle novel, but I was underwhelmed. In fact, I'll dare say I was legit bored through the entirety of the story.

Unlike her two previous works, Dear Wife and The Marriage Lie, both of which I absolutely LOVED, Stranger in the Lake felt slow and humdrum. Even worse, I figured out WAY, WAY early on how the book was going to end...every.single.twist.

The bulk of the book takes place in a lakeside mansion inhabited by Charlotte and her brother, Chet. (Am I the only one who thinks of the movie 'Weird Science,' and a big pile of poo, when I hear that name?) Charlotte's husband, Paul, is never around, as he's avoiding her. Chet cooks, Charlotte eats and brags about his cooking, after which she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Paul, his friends, Jax and Micah, and three suspicious deaths. Despite the murders, it all seemed very mundane.

The timeline jumps from the present to the year 1999, when Paul, Jax, and Micah are partying their summer away before college.

This isn't a bad book by any means...it just doesn't stand up to the awesomeness of Ms. Belle's previous works. Not even close.

This book will be available for purchase June 9, 2020.

**My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

Marry a man for love. A man whose rich. Who's older. Whose first wife died in a tragic drowning. Have the entire town thinks it's for money. But Charlotte will ignore the town's whispers and enjoy her good fortune and new, loving marriage..........until another woman washes up under their pier. Then her husband suddenly disappears for days, leaving her alone and trying desperately to figure out what's going on.

A suspenseful tale with just enough twists and turns to keep you fully engaged all the way through.

This was an interesting read by one of my favorite suspense authors. The story moves along with a twisted plot that keeps you guessing. Charlie, the wife from the poor side of town married to Paul, the millionaire. There are definitely some dark secrets the husband is keeping from his wife and they are slowly unraveled as the story moves along. #StrangerInTheLake #KimberlyBelle #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte and Paul are newly married. He is older and super rich. She is from the wrong side of the tracks. There is some suspicion about him around town because his first wife, a competitive swimmer, drowned and washed up at his dock. Now a second woman that he claims not to know has washed up, but Charlotte saw him talking to the woman the day before. Why is he lying and what is he hiding?

I thought this was a good and entertaining read. I wanted to know what Paul was hiding and the answer was unexpected, I did not piece this one together. Overall another solid effort from this author, though The Marriage Lie is still my favorite. Looking forward to her next one.

4 town secret stars

Charlie grew up on the “wrong” side of the tracks in town with a terrible home life. As an adult, Charlotte meets and marries the wealthy widow and architect Paul. You can guess what her childhood friends thought of that! Not only that there are mysterious circumstances surrounding the drowning death of his first wife.

Charlotte and Paul live in a gorgeous lake house that Paul designed, and Charlotte is living a dream life. All that is shattered when another body is found in the lake and the questions and doubts creep in. Throw in Paul’s mysterious childhood friend Jax who now lives in the woods and you’ve got a delicious creepy recipe!

Who can Charlotte trust and just who is the mysterious stranger who has washed up under their dock? This Kimberly Belle tale is full of secrets and lies and I never quite knew who to trust.

There are flashbacks to Paul’s high school days with Jax and neighbor Micah, but I preferred the modern-day story much better. My favorite part of the book was Charlotte’s relationship with her brother Chet. With their terrible childhood, the two are quite close and I always felt that Chet had her back. We need more strong brother-sister relationships in books!

This one was a quick read and Kimberly Belle crafted another good thriller here!

Kimberly Belle is an auto-buy for me. The setting for this story--the mountains above a town that has been flooded and lost to a lake--is what drew me in particularly. It just added that extra eerie element and then it turned out to be significant to the plot. (I won't say more for fear of spoilers.) I also found the main character extremely relatable in the description of her upbringing and the belated recognition of how that may have affected her choices later in life for security, safety, and even things like food hoarding.

Recommend for patrons who enjoy Mary Kubica, Wendy Wax, etc.

I enjoyed this insightful and thrilling novel very much. The storyline flows at a great pace, and the characters are well fleshed out. Highly recommended!

This book was a little slow to start but i continued and enjoyed reading it. Not one of my favorite mysteries/who done it but it kept me interested. Totally did not see the ending coming; a family mystery with hidden secrets. Would recommend to my friends.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of Stranger in A Lake by Kimberly Belle.

So I thought I had this one figured out but was completely surprised at the end!

Told from the point of view of Charlotte who marries a wealthy widower and tries to learn more about the body in the lake!

Major page turner. A little dip in the speed about halfway through but I couldn’t put it down otherwise. If you are into psychological thrillers pick this up ASAP!

Another fabulous book by Kimberly Belle. She hasn't written a book I didn't totally like. I devoured this one. So many lies and secrets and I was afraid for Charlotte. I almost fell off my chair at the ending. Not even on my radar as a possibility. I highly recommend this book and everything written by this Author. Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin and Kimberly Belle for allowing me to read and review this book.

3.5 stars - I have always been a huge fan of Belle's but this one was lacking a bit for me - I found the characters hard to connect with and the mystery felt too obvious. I'm sure this will be a one off for me as I've loved all her other books and can't wait to keep reading them in the future.

EXCELLENT! Kimberly Belle has written a tense thriller here and I couldn't put the book down! If there is any book that should be in your beach bag this summer it's this one! I honestly cannot recommend it more if I tried!

Gripping, suspenseful, and intriguing! A total must read!

** Full review to be posted on release day!

Charley, aka Charlotte, has lived at Lake Crosby all her life, albeit not where she lives now.
Growing up, she lived in a trailer park with her mother and younger brother Chet. She was often the one car for her brother while her mother was doing drugs or drinking; life was not easy for young Charlotte.

Charlotte, now an adult, is married to Paul, a widower, and successful architect. One morning when Charlotte goes to the boat, she discovers the body of a young woman in the lake. The police are called, and an investigation ensues.

The story is told through Charlotte's point of view as she tries to learn more about who the dead woman was and her connection to Lake Crosby and each character.




The past and present combine through dated scenes from the past.
The scenes provide insight into the characters and why the woman was in the lake.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. Every character was suspect. I could not put this book down. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin and Kimberly Belle for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well Kimberly Belle does it again! Another great twists and turns psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages faster and faster. A great book for me when I thought I had it figured out but it surprised me. A must read!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of Stranger in A Lake by Kimberly Belle.

Jax, Micah and Paul have known each other since they were kids. They hold a deep dark secret amongst the three of them. Paul's wife mysteriously dies in the lake. Now there is a second drowning. How and why have these people showed up in the lake?

This author has kept us on the edge of our seats again. She has delivered another must read book!!

This was the first book I had read by this author. I’ll definitely be reading more! I absolutely love “winter weather reads.” The winter weather played well into the plot of this book. Although, I had the ending figured out by the time I got to it, I still really enjoyed the book. The development of the characters was great!

Kimberly Belle is one of my absolute favorite authors but this book left me feeling a bit meh...While it kept me interested enough to keep reading, it just didn't leave me with any strong emotions when it was over or during reading. I didn't really love any of the characters and never felt attached like I normally do.