I loved this arc!!!!

Only problem I ran into was that it wasn’t a book that had me completely hooked and not want to put the book down.

BUT it had me thinking all throughout the book! What happened.
Who could’ve done it.

AND THEN YOU GET BODY SLAMMED AT THE END! LIKE EXCUSE ME!

My jaw completely DROPPED!

Definitely can see myself reading this again! I regret waiting as long as I did to read this book!

Thanks NetGally for the ARC.

I have not read the first book in the series so I am not sure if this one could be read as a stand alone... Anyhow I will grab book #1 sometime soon.

I mentioned it before but I really want to dive into thrillers more this year. So far I enjoyed each book I read and this one was no exception he blurb was interesting ! Like whole family goes missing without a trace leaving only 16 yrs old Alice. I mean you want to know what happened right? It was fast read and it kept me guessing who did it?!

Ill give it a 4 Stars. There are few question I have but I don't want to ask and spoil for people who did not read it.

What Lies in Darkness was the perfect mix of mystery and thriller! The book intertwines the past and present of Alice and Jess' lives in order to find answers to what happened to the Harper's. I would recommend this to any mystery/ thriller lover!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

This was a great followup to the first Jess novel. I love the Black Lake scenery, and McDonald's writing just keeps getting better. I hope to see lots more Jess Lambert novels!

Once again, Christina McDonald has written a great book!

Loss, deadly secrets, and betrayal follow Alice like a second skin.

Someone eliminated her entire family, will see be next? Is there anyone that she can trust?

The characters really grab you in Christina’s latest book. I enjoyed watching the characters looking for the answers to all the questions they have about that awful night.

I liked how you can see Alice and Jess begin to heal and grow through each others mutual tragedies.

This was the second book in the Jess Lambert series but it was quite easy to pick up, even if you've not read the first one. 
A missing family. A traumatized detective. The past and present colliding. 

Late Christmas Eve, the Harper family’s car crashed on a desolate stretch outside Black Lake. Sixteen-year-old Alice was found injured by the side of the road—alone. It was as if her parents and younger sister, Ella, had simply disappeared. A year on and Alice is still dealing with the trauma and then they find her sister's backpack. Detective Lambert investigates and unravels new leads and secrets in the case, ones that may be connected to her own past.  I have to admit, I did guess a part of the twist in this one but still absolutely loved this novel! I was riveted and honestly could not put it down. The tension was high throughout and it was just so cleverly written. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this gifted review copy.

A family has gone missing on Christmas Eve after a car accident. There is one survivor, and she doesn't remember much at all. A beeping noise, a child in a Hello Kitty headband speaking to her, a glimpse of her father - nothing that can explain why she was left behind.



I do not like supernatural novels, but this one is an exception. The 'ghosts' are not scary, threatening, or malevolvent. That is fine with me.

I read the first Jess Lambert book, and felt I had to read this one as well. I wanted to know if she found closure from the death of her daughter, Isla. Not that it would end her grief, I don't believe a parent ever gets over the death of their child, but Jess was carrying so much guilt, as she was driving the car and blamed herself.

This book really gripped me, the whole disappearing of Alice's family had me turning pages like a mad woman, I really needed to know what had really happened to them.
With solid police work, the puzzle pieces fell into place, albeit slowly. Alice's utter grief was heartbreaking, and was extremely emotional.


The final chapter floored me. Pulled the whole story together, and the reader realises that a Mother's love is powerful and the purest form of love.

I recommend this book, and cannot wait for the next in the series.

There is a trigger, though. School bullying. Name calling. Exclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you #ThomasAndMercer and #Netgalley for letting me read this early.What Lies In Darkness is the second book in the Jess Lambert series by Christina McDonald.I love this series by McDonald.Make sure you read the first one These Still Black Waters it is not to be missed as well.

#WhatLiesInDarkness by @Christinamac79 was an absolute delight. I loved the intertwined characters and POVs and how that brought every possibility to the surface. A truly wild thriller with breakneck speed that picks up and never quits. The core mystery left me dumbfounded for longer than I expected -- and there were even more twists ahead.

So, this is the second book in the Jess Lambert series and I will say that I am already wanting more!! I’m not typically a big fan of series (it’s just too big of a commitment to get started on), but I love Jess Lambert’s detective character. I’m also starting to love author Christina McDonald more and more with each book that she writes. This book kept me glued to the pages from the first chapter, and made my head spin a little at the last chapter (I totally did not see that coming)!

In this story we have the main character of Alice Harper. Alice lost her parents and younger sister, Ella nearly a year ago late Christmas Eve during a terrible car crash. It was a snowy night, and the family vehicle slid on some ice, flipped over and all family members were presumed dead except Alice. Alice awoke from the crash bloodied, bruised up, and with a broken arm. However, her parents and sister were nowhere to be found. How could her other family members have just disappeared into thin air? They obviously must be dead, or they would have come for her. Right?

Now enter Jess Lambert, my favorite book detective (yes, I can totally relate to her bad leg). Jess is in search of the missing Harper’s. Jess becomes close to Alice, as she knows they can both see and feel things that others cannot. Can Jess protect Alice and help her find her family? Also, can Jess heal from her own personal trauma and problems while trying to solve this case and move forward with her life?

This book was easy to read as it was told in alternating chapters of Alice, Jess, and Laura’s (Harper), POV’s. This book can easily be read as a standalone, although I do recommend reading “These Still Black Waters” beforehand- just to get a clearer understanding of Jess Lambert’s life (Oh, and there’s also a prequel too 😁).

I highly recommend reading this book (and this series), as there were many twists and turns along the way and the ending gave me a surprise that I did not see coming!! I cannot wait for the next book!! Hurry up Jess Lambert #3!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: July 16, 2024.
Genre~ General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers

📚 Book Review 📚

This is my first experience of reading anything by Christina MacDonald and I was impressed.

Alice Harper lost her entire family in a horrific car accident almost one year ago. She is haunted by her grief and as the first anniversary approaches, she is decidedly affected by events around her.

One day, a backpack is found in an empty house in her neighbourhood. The backpack is covered in blood. Her sister’s blood. There is a suitcase next to the backpack containing something that will blow everyone’s world apart. Where is her family? Are they alive or dead? Who is the young child that Alice sees?

Jess Lambert has a hell of a job on her hands, whilst in the depths of her own grief and loss.

I was a bit worried at first that this is the second book in a series and I hadn’t read the first, but it really didn’t matter. It was easy to make links with the detective Jess and despite her flaws and demons as a character, I really liked her. She drew me in.

The other characters were intriguing and the events which unfolded, were exciting and gripping. People are not what they seem! I also loved the supernatural elements within the book; the shadows of the victims which still envelope the characters were compelling.

I loved it and I am am very interested in reading more from this author. I can’t wait to read another!

I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Christina MacDonald for this fantastic opportunity 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What Lies inI Darkness is Christina McDonald’s second in the suspenseful Jess Lambert’s series. Having not read the first in the series, I can definitely say you can read this as a standalone.
On Christmas Eve, sixteen year old Alice is in a car accident with her parents and younger sister Ella. When Alice is rescued, the rest of her family is no where to be found.
Forward to a year later, Jess a grief stricken, disabled police detective becomes active in the case of Alice’s missing family when Ella’s bloody backpack and a body stuffed in a suitcase are found.
Both Alice and Jess in their grief are seeing ghosts, helping them in the investigation.
This novel keeps your attention in hoping to find out what happened to the family. What an unexpected ending! Definitely a book to enjoy!

I read book one in the Jess Lambert series (These Still Black Waters) last year and loved it so much that I could not wait for book two! It did not disappoint, and I would venture to say that it is just as good, if not better, than the first one!

I love Jess, and it was great to see how she's working through her personal issues while at the same time trying to solve the case of Alice's missing family. The storyline was so good, and it kept me guessing as to what really happened the night of the accident. I was suspicious of so many of the characters and loved all the twists and turns! I did not see that shocking ending coming from a mile away!

This is now one of my favorite series, and I can't wait for more!! @christinamac79, please don't make me wait too long! 🤞😃

Thank you, @netgalley, for the #gifted e-book!

holy smokes!!!!! great thriller! if you like freida mcfadden type books, this is def one for you!!!! lots of twists

Jess Lambert Book #2

This one has it all. A family missing, a grieving detective, and a twisted, heart-pounding thrill ride!

AFter The Night Olivia Fell, I have been waiting for another CM book!
She is brilliant at the build up to a shocking end. And we love it!

On Christmas Eve the Harper family’s car crashed on the way home from the family Christmas party. Only Alice survives. We think. Since there are no bodies, it’s hard to say.

Alice seems to not remember a lot about the accident and is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. But she needs to find out what happened in that haunted stretch of road in the woods.

A year later, they find her sister’s backpack stained with blood in an abandoned house her uncle owns.

Detective Jess Lambert begins her investigation and wow, do these guys have secrets. All of them. Who do you trust?

The investigation uncovers a shocking connection between Jess and Alice. They see dead people. And they both see her daughter!

So many red herrings in this one! And I fell for all of them before that most excellent end!


NetGalley/ Thomas and Mercer July 16, 2024

I greatly enjoyed this book. I was not expecting a supernatural element to be so appealing to me, but I think that it worked well in this story.

I liked how the story switched back and forth from the viewpoints of Jess and Alice. I was not expecting there to be a connection between the two stories in the end, and was quite surprised at how they converged.

One thing about this book that I was not a fan of was the constant reiteration about Jess' cane and motorcycle. We did not need to hear about Jess grabbing her cane or getting on her motorcycle every time she made a move. I understand we were meant to connect Jess' need for the cane to her accident last year, which was obviously a crucial part of the story, but it just became annoying to read about over and over.

All in all, I thought this book was well done. The combination of mystery and supernatural worked well together. I look forward to more books in the Detective Jess Lambert series.

Before reading particular ARC, I read/listened to the first book in the series, which I did not enjoy. However, I did find this book to be better than the first. That being said, I do think it is important to read the first book so you have some idea of the main character, Jess, and her abilities (aside from that, this could almost be a stand-alone).

Overall, I enjoyed the characters, the story was interesting and the story held my interest for most of the book. The last third of the book, however, really dragged. There were so many characters, it was also hard to keep track of who was what. Lots of chapters were just filler, with character introspection and no real contribution to the story (or if there was, it could have been condensed in some chapters).

I would consider reading other books by this author, but likely would not be continuing this series (if it continues).

I read The Night Olivia Fell a few years ago and I loved it and have read some McDonald books since then. I did not read the first book featuring Jess Lambert, and I feel like it would have been a little helpful if I had just for some background information but it did not take away from the story.

This was such an interesting story that kept me wanting to know more. It is coming on the year anniversary of when Jess lost her daughter and also the year anniversary of when Alice's entire family went missing. It seemed the two incidents were separate yet they still somewhat intertwined. The end was so satisfying and that's all I'll say to not give anything away.

I think I will go back and read Jess Lambert #1 and will continue to read Christina McDonald books. Be sure to pick this one up when it comes out later this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Lambert fights with her own hurt from losing a child, but knows in her heat that she must be the person to help other find out about their family’s tragedy. Can she ever forgive herself for the accident? Can she open her heart and love again? Can she be the partner and work with fellow detective Shane without plowing ahead alone? This story will have you turning the pages to try and figure out all these questions and the turn mystery that happened on Christmas night.