On Christmas Eve, the Harper family’s car crashed on a deserted road by Black Lake. Sixteen-year-old Alice is the only one found; it’s as if her parents and younger sister just vanished. A year later, Alice still can’t remember what happened that night and is struggling in the aftermath. When her younger sister’s backpack is found in an abandoned house, past and present collide. Detective Jess Lambert is fresh out of rehab and ready to get back to work. Still haunted by her past, she has found a way to fight through the darkness without relying on alcohol. Now, Jess finds her only witness is haunted by the same ghosts Jess herself may be connected to. And she will stop at nothing to find out why.

I have loved this Jess Lambert series so much! Christina McDonald created such a multifaceted, raw character in Jess and I was rooting for her from the beginning. I felt like I was cheering on a friend in a way, having read her backstory in “The Stranger at Black Lake '' recently too. But when I say that this book blew me away, I mean it literally had my jaw dropping multiple times. I could not believe how Jess and Alice’s paths connected and ultimately brought them together for a reason. Told from dual perspectives, once again we have Jess’ perspective working the case and Alice’s perspective as the only victim who has been found.

The ending left me screaming for more - I hope this series goes on for a long, long time! It was thrilling, heartbreaking and had a bit of hope too. It’s only February but this is definitely going to be a top book of the year for me.

Thank you to Christina McDonald, Thriller Book Lovers for the ARC! “What Lies in Darkness” releases July 16, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS!!!

Thank you thank you thank you! My first 5 star read this year! Christina McDonald has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. I loved her previous books, but I hadn’t read the previous book before this one. WHAT LIES IN DARKNESS was so good that I am now going to go back and read her previous book “These Still Black Waters”.

From the beginning this book had a hold on me. Every word was written with such beautiful prose that I had to stop reading to mention this to a fellow book lover. I mean her writing and the way she describes a scene is absolutely flawless.

At no point while reading this book did I know how things would end so of course it kept fully invested because I wanted to know what happened to Alice’s family.

There were a lot of players in this book but the only ones I really liked were Alice, Jess, Jinx, and Mrs. McCormack.

There was a huge grief theme in this book and the author does a phenomenal job talking about grief and everything grief is and what those grieving are actually going through and I appreciated that.

The suspense, the tension, and the family turmoil coupled with the emotional aspect of this book could not have been done better.

I am a tough critic and I honestly could not have loved his book more.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Thriller Book Lover Promotions for this ARC!

Thank you Thriller Book Lovers, Thomas & Mercer, and Christina McDonald for the advanced copy of What Lies in Darkness in exchange for my honest review.

First, this is technically book 2 in a series but as someone who has not read book one I can tell you it can be read as a standalone with no problem.

The mystery in this book was super intriguing and the slight paranormal aspect made it really unique and I'm kind of surprised that it really worked for me! (Paranormal can be very tricky to pull off in my opinion)

I probably should have seen the big twist coming, but I didn't and kudos to McDonald for totally pulling the wool over my eyes.

Having read this I may backtrack and read book one, it definitely goes in the category of unputdownable!

What Lies in Darkness will be published July 16!

What Lies in Darkness
By: Christina McDonald
5🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

A devastating crash outside Black Lake has a young girl as the only survivor. Her parents and younger sister Ella were never found.

The rumors were rampant that it was a murder-suicide but why would Alice have survived? Does she know more than she is telling?

A backpack of Ella’s is found abandon in a home that has been vacant for years.

Detective Jess Lambert is in the case and she is also fighting her own demons as she lost her daughter in an accident.

Both Jess and Alice are see ghosts of their past. As the investigation continues they both find out how they are connected.

I love this series by McDonald. Her first one These Still Black Waters is not to be missed as well. I hope there is a 3rd because this detective is an interesting and complex character.

The book is engaging, captivating, atmospheric, dark and unputdownable. It is emotionally gripping and touching. Twists and Turns were unpredictable and ending was jaw dropping.

Alice Harper’s family died and disappeared the night of the late Christmas eve in the Killer’s grave. The car crashed, blood was dripping and sixteen year old Alice found herself injured and alone. The tragic death of her family sent her in trauma and grief consumed her with hallucinations, nightmares, secrets, desolation and unanswered questions. She is trying to get a closure. But the truth is tangled and twisted. The truth and dark secrets will open the knot of the dreadful past. Detective Jess is investigating the case but will she be able to get to the bottom of it? Will Alice move forward or forever stay in trauma and shock of the loss of her loved ones?

Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of What Lies in Darkness!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🕵🏻‍♀️ love a good mystery
👻 have ever seen a ghost
🚘 enjoy missing persons stories
🌲 live near a haunted forest

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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.

One year later, Alice is still dealing with nightmares and unanswered questions when she and her friends find Ella’s bloodstained backpack in the basement of an abandoned home. As Detective Jess Lambert investigates, she uncovers dark secrets that put her on a collision course with her past. Jess’s only witness is haunted by her own ghosts―ghosts that might ultimately be connected to Jess.

Jess will do anything to find out what happened to the Harpers―no matter how deep she has to dig. Because neither the living nor the dead are giving up their secrets easily.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a good follow up to the first Jess Lambert mystery! I really enjoyed seeing Alice’s POV during this story, as she has been through a lot. Her family is missing and she doesn’t know if they are dead or alive. She was a bit of an unreliable narrator during the story because she admitted to lying about a lot of things. Overall, I was really shocked by the last chapter’s twist! If you want a good detective story with several different POVs, check out the Jess Lambert series!

A terrible car accident on Christmas Eve has totally shattered Alice’s world. Her mother, father, and sister are gone, presumed dead, but no one knows, since they just disappeared. Yep, Alice was with her family, but after the crash, she was all alone.
Detective Jess Lambert is still recovering from the devastating car accident that changed her life. She was not on the original team that searched for the Harper family, but she is determined now that she is back at work to uncover the truth.
Told from Jess and Alice’s POV’s, with some chapters from Laura (Alice’s mother), I did not even come close to seeing how this would end. I did guess the “bad guy” but even after that reveal, there was still more to this story. Lots of twist and turns, a ton of potential suspects and the ending had me screaming “What”. Such a heartbreaking read, but there are two characters (I won’t name because of spoilers) who I hope are able to move forward with their lives.

Wow! I wondered what track this story would take after I enjoyed the first book in the series so much, and this book was everything I was hoping for in a sequel and more. Detective Jess Lambert is such a wonderful character, and I was thrilled to see her backstory and current case so well-explored in this story. The other main POV character, Alice, was such a fantastic counterpoint with her grief so poignant and paralleling Jess Lambert's along with that desperate need we all have as humans to know the truth. What I love most about Christina McDonald's books is the way she delves into real emotions we all share and understand.

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇...𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒎𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒚𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆.

I am in love with this series and Detective Jess Lambert. She is, hands-down, one of the most realistic, deeply flawed yet relatable characters to grace the pages of current thrillers. I implore you to read the first book, THESE STILL BLACK WATERS, so that you will know her tragic history, as it's that grief that drives her in this book.

The Harpers always spend Christmas Eve with family; both girls, teenage Alice and younger sister Ella, have their bags packed in anticipation. But a snap decision to go home means the end of a happy family. The car crashes on a desolate stretch of road, and only Alice is found, injured by the side of the road. Her family? They're gone, vanished as though they never existed.

Detective Jess Lambert is still reeling from her loss, and is still estranged from husband Mac. When the Harper case is presented, she throws herself into it but finds nothing. A year later, Alice and a friend find Ella's backpack in an abandoned house, and the case heats up again. But Alice is too traumatized to be of much help, and it doesn't help that she's being haunted by her father's ghost.

Jess knows only too well what it's like to be haunted, and when a familiar presence from her past visits her once again, she knows she has to follow the lead, regardless of where it may take her.

The author captures grief and its lasting effects so eloquently; the primal desire to give up and give in is intertwined with the need to go on so beautifully. The suffering that both Jess and Alice are experiencing is not quietly tucked away; it's laid bare so starkly, so vividly, that it makes the reader pause and take a breath. The ending was a gut punch of both pain and hope, but most of all, it was clear that Jess's work is far from over.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, Thomas & Mercer Publishing, and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for this stunning early read. This title will publish July 16, 2024.

This was book two in the series but works as a stand alone. This was a police procedural with a paranormal twist that deals with grief, loss, belonging, healing and moving forward.

Alice Harper was in a car accident on Christmas eve with her family. She was hospitalized but her family just vanished that night never to be seen or heard from again. Alice is left traumatized and with so many unanswered questions. Now, Jess Lambert is investigating and trying to figure out how this is linked to her tragedy.

So many lies, secrets and cover ups make this a great fast paced read that kept me guessing until the end how it all fit together. I really liked Isla and how her presence added a nice twist to the story.

owwwww! Okay let me pick my jaw up off the floor.
What Lies In Darkness is an absolute gem that will keep you on end edge of your seat.
I love Christina McDonald’s writing style- it kept me immersed into the story. I kept trying to guess what happened and who was involved but McDonald cleverly had me wrong multiple times. That ending???? I literally gasped out loud.
This is a must read for thriller fans!! Prepare yourself for a wild ride.

“There was nobody there. Besides me, the car was empty. My family was gone.”

I can say without hesitation that this will be a five star read for most.

Alice Harper is the only survivor of a horrible car crash she was in with her family. A year later, now 17 years old, she’s still struggling with trauma and grief. It’s hard to put it behind her when she doesn’t know what happened to her parents and sister; they were gone when she woke from the crash.

When Alice’s sister’s backpack is found, Detective Jess Lambert, who has her own traumatic past, is brought on the case to investigate. What happened to the Harper family? If they’re dead, where are their bodies? Why is Alice the sole survivor?

Alice and Jess are both dealing with loss and still processing their grief. Each haunted by memories, they have more in common than they realize. Christina McDonald’s writing is rich and nuanced with fully fleshed out characters. These are real people with complex inner worlds and emotions. I instantly related to both Alice and Jess. If you’ve ever experienced loss or a traumatic event you can’t help but be sucked in to the story by the real emotions and thought processes.

There’s a supernatural aspect which I didn’t realize because I had not read book one of the Jess Lambert series, These Still Black Waters. I don’t do supernatural stories at all so ultimately What Lies in Darkness was not for me. Without the paranormal element, I’m sure this dark and gritty crime fiction would’ve been a four or five star read for me, so I’ve rated it five despite not finishing it. I would recommend to those who have no objection to the paranormal.

Thank you Christina McDonald, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the gifted copy.