This was the first Kimberly Belle novel I’ve read and wow! She knocked it out of the park!! I couldn’t put it down! I love when I’m reading a murder mystery and I can’t figure it out. Highly recommend this book!

Kimberly Belle does it again! The twists and turns in this novel keep getting better and better. This rivals The Marriage Lie and Dear Wife as her best work yet!

This is the first book I've read by Kimberly Belle and I enjoyed it very much. Stranger in the Lake has a brilliant story line with exciting twists and turns that lead to a wonderful ending. I am very interested in reading more from this author.

Told from the point of view of the main character, this book has so many twists and turns, lies and deceptions, it’s hard to turn the pages fast enough! Charlie, AKA Charlene, was raised by a mostly absent alcoholic and drug addict. She falls In love with a wealthy widower, and they are married despite everyone’s speculation that he killed his first wife. She is not prepared for all the dishonesty her husband and his friends are involved in to cover up their actions. This remarkable book should not be missed by fans of mysteries and especially books by Kimberly Belle. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin. All opinions expressed are my own.

Yesssssss! Great one, Kimberly Belle! I think my favorite aspect of this book was the dark and eerie lakeshore setting, surrounded by those glass-walled luxe modern homes. I had a really strong picture in my mind throughout the whole story, felt my feet walking through the forested crags, felt the harsh, swirling storms; this was a richly atmospheric tale. And, oh the deceptions, There were so many deceptions lying at the bottom of that cold, deep place. Readers will get lots of chills and thrills from this one!

I have a trend going lately for books about lakes and missing or dead women, so it should come as no surprise that Stranger in the Lake is about just that.

Charlotte (Charlie) has married the wealthy man of her dreams, swearing to leave her trailer park upbringing behind her and focusing on her future, especially since she's just found out she's pregnant. However, when she finds a dead woman floating beneath her dock, the second such woman who's met the tragic end in the same spot, Charlotte questions her relationship, her identity, and her safety. With her brother Chet and longtime friend Micah, she's determined to solve the mystery, find the killer, and give her child the life that her own mother wasn't able to provide for her.

On the surface, this book is a pretty standard thriller. Dead women, decades-old local rumors about a similar case, a cast of unreliable narrators. This played out well, and Belle executed her pacing and structure. I would argue, though, the most endearing part of Stranger in the Lake was the underlying commentary on maternal relationships, an area I'm particularly interested in in my own writing. So many times, we see mother/daughter relationships as wholesome and transcendent. Mothers love their children. Mothers care for their children. Mothers want to be mothers. It's rare you see a gritty picture in a thriller, where the MC embraces her poor upbringing and showcases the drug addiction, the shortcomings, and the neglect. I found Charlie's struggle with her newfound wealthy status incredibly interesting. Her identity is wrapped up in a community where BBQ joints have no menus and only locals know how to order. Where hunger is a mainstay and rich means a full fridge. I found this relatable and heartbreaking. A few months back, before the world went into pandemic mode, there was a meme circulating about how to tell your friends were rich when you were a kid, and doubled-door fridges with ice makers topped the list. There's a reason for this, and Belle did an excellent job highlighting the pitfalls of "making something of yourself."

While the plot was a tad on the predictable side, Charlie's character arc itself was enough to carry the themes and narrative voices, and for that, I really liked this book. Stranger in the Lake is a solid read, with plenty of twists and social commentary, and you'll want to add this to your TBRs ASAP.

I didn’t hate this book nor did I love it. I just feel in different towards it. I wasn’t really excited or captivated by anything nor was I bored to tears. I thought the pacing was good. I was surprised by the ending and didn’t see it coming. This was middle of the road for me.

This is the second book I have read by Kimberly Belle and I thought both were just OK. This story centers on Charlotte, a young woman who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and has recently married a rich widower named Paul. Early in the book, Charlotte finds a body of a woman under their dock, which is scary enough, but turns out that is the exact same place that Paul's first wife's body was found a few years ago. She becomes suspicious of Paul, as do others, as happens in a small town where everyone gossips.

There are a number of primary characters in this book beyond Charlotte and Paul, including Charlotte's brother Chet, Paul's mother Diana and childhood friend Jax (some chapters are told from his POV 20 years earlier), and the chief of police and his son, Sam and Micah. You learn that Paul, Jax, and Micah were friends in high school but it takes much of the book to tie that story into the current happenings.

The end of this book did surprise me, which is hard to do, but my primary issue with the story is that I didn't feel like I really knew any of the characters- maybe it's because there were so many, but I just never connected with them. I also felt that Charlotte was awfully righteous for someone of her age and in her current situation. By the end of the book, I wasn't concerned about what happened to these characters.

Overall, it was a decent mystery but just didn't pull me in.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte’s world is turned upside down when she discovers a the body of a woman in the lake by her home. What makes it even stranger is that the body of another woman, the wife of Charlotte’s husband Paul, was found in the same spot 4 years earlier. Suspicion falls on Paul and as Charlotte searches to find answers, she quickly finds that those closest to her are not necessarily trustworthy and her life is in danger.

I am a huge Kimberly Belle fan and have devoured all of her books with relish. This was incredibly fast-paced with a lot of heart pounding action. The plot alternates between past and present as long hidden secrets are revealed. The ending was one that I did not see coming. Another winner from Belle.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Park Row and Kimberly Belle for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kimberly Belle never fails to blow me away! Stranger in the Lake grabbed me at hello and had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page! The storyline was brilliantly crafted to create twists and turns you don’t see coming and outcomes that will leave your jaw hanging open! If you are looking for a must read thriller Stranger in the Lake is the book for you! I highly recommend you put this 5 star novel at the top of your summer TBR list!

The poor girl from the trailer park meets rich guy with privileged upbringing is a theme that has been done before, but Kimberly Belle does it again, and does it well. I think it was important for Charlie/Charlotte to remain true to herself, and I was glad to see she did just that. The book was as twisty as the mountain road described in it, and it sucked me in from the beginning. Belle is EXCELLENT at character development, which is something I tend to be hyper critical about. I really enjoyed this book, and as a woman who grew up in Swain County, NC (and currently lives in the North GA mountains), the scenery and descriptions about a small NC mountain town were right on point... I'll absolutely look for books by Kimberly Belle in the future.

Wow! This was a really twisty murder mystery that had me wondering the whole time who I could trust. When Charlie, The girl who grew up on the wrong side of town, finds herself married to a wealthy builder she questions who she really is after his first wife dies swimming in their lake and another body turns up under the dock. I really enjoyed this!

Kimberly Belle once again displays why she's one of the best mystery authors of our time! "Stranger in the Lake" is a spellbinding mystery'/thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end. Follow along with Charlotte (Charlie) as she tries to figure out if her husband is a serial murderer. I stayed up late to finish this book and I was not disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Good read but not as awesome as her other books. Still enjoyed it. Thank you very much to the publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Kimberly Belle has become an “automatic read” author for me. Her books keep you guessing, on the edge of your seat, until the last page and her newest is no different. I read this book in a day because I couldn’t wait to find out how all of the pieces would come together. The story is told from the point of view of Charlotte (Charlie) and that choice works so well because the reader is just as confused by each passing event as her. As she figures everything out, we are right there with her. I will be highly recommending this book to everyone, just as I do with all of Kimberly Belle’s works! Thank you to Kimberly Belle, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Another enthralling read from Kimberly Belle! Characters that suck you in, twists that keep you guessing. I loved this book from the first page to the last.

Poor girl meets rich guy and lives happily ever after ... maybe.
This book had of all
Murder, secrets. Page turning suspense.
As a huge fan of this author this is one to not be missed

Charlotte had a difficult trailer park lifestyle and upbringing but finds love when she marries millionaire architect Paul Keller and moves into his remote lakeside home. Charlotte ignores people telling her about the problems with being married Paul. His first wife, Katherine, drown over four years ago even though she was known to be a strong swimmer. It was ruled an accident. When a second woman drowns in the same place under Paul's dock, the secrets and story starts to unfold which started back in 1999. The story now jumps to that time when Paul, Micah and Jax are partying all summer before they take off for college.

Who is the woman that drown in the lake this time? Who can Charlotte trust and believe? Who lied and who cheated? Whoever killed her lives in the town of Lake Crosby. The entire town thinks that Charlotte married Paul for his money even though she married him for love. Charlotte puts her life on hold and at risk as she puts together some tough clues to figure it all out.

Kimberly Belle unloaded a psychological thriller with an intriguing twist that can draw you in with gossip, lies, secrets and many rumors about what really happened. Definitely a slow burn and surprise ending that Kimberly Belle does so well. Not her best work, but definitely an entertaining read.

Charlie is a poor but strong young woman who fell in love with the rich Paul. When she marries him the small lake town whispers it was only for his money. Regardless of the talk in town about Paul’s first wife and Charlie’s very poor financial state, they have a pretty happy life together.
But things start to change when Charlie finds a young woman floating under the dock, which is the same location of Paul’s first wife’s body was found when she died.
At first it seems like it is an unfortunately coincidence, but when Paul lies to the police about never seeing her before, Charlie has a mystery on her hands. Why is Paul not tell the police he was talking to victim just the day before? What is Paul not telling her? Can you trust your heart when your gut tells you something is wrong?

I really enjoyed this story of love, mystery and struggle to know if you should trust your heart or your gut. This is very thought provoking and you want to keep reading to learn the truth.
Thank you to Netgalley for complimentary copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a tangled web we weave. I loved this book from beginning to end! I found the story captivating with good, strong characters and lots of suspense. This is definitely a thriller worth reading. I look forward to more books by this author.