Told through multiple point of views, this is the story of Jessica Fadley, a young college student that vanished in the late 1990s. A true crime podcast has picked up on Jessica 's story. As clues are revealed there are actually four students missing from the same small college. Jessica's sister, Lindsey, still living in the same town is approached by a reporter who turns out to be involved in the case. They are both desperate for answers. The dual timeline narrative is expertly crafted to keep the reader on the edge of their seats. When you think you have it figured out, boom, a huge twist.

4.5 stars

Katherine Greene's The Lake of Lost Girls tells the chilling story of four missing college girls whose disappearances have been left unsolved for years. When the sister of one of the girls is approached by a journalist to dive into the secrets left behind, she is hesitant but Ryan is persistent... and charming. Lindsey ultimately agrees to help Ryan and together they make one shocking discovery after another. Was the creepy professor who developed inappropriate relationships with his students responsible? Was the boy who dated all four of the girls at different times innocent? Or was there another terrifying explanation?

The narration of The Lake of Lost Girls was extraordinary and definitely contributed to making this a five star read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this unpredictable and unforgettable thriller.

Whoa! This was a great audio! I was instantly attracted by the cover, and I always love to listen to audiobooks narrated by Helen Laser.

Jess is a daddy's girl, all grown-up, and heading to college. She finds it hard to juggle her new freedom and the responsibility of being on her own. After joining a sorority, and making new friends, she finds herself partying more than studying. The she and 3 other girls go missing. The police botch the investigation, and now, 24 years later, the case is re-opened.

I liked the story a lot. It had components of Podcast, social media, and jumped back and forth to before and now for the characters to tell their experiences. The characters are well developed. I did feel like parts of the story were predictable, but I still found the whole thing enjoyable.--Definitely recommend!

This for was for sure a twisty turning journey. The audio was really well done with a cast of narrators that made it sound so authentic. I love when audiobooks do it this well. I think you’ll be guessing til very end.

Told in alternating time frames by sisters Jess and Lindsay Fadley, this is the story of the disappearance of a few girls, Jess included, who go missing from a small college in North Carolina.

In 2014, a body is found in the lake. It’s quickly identified as one of the girls who disappeared. But it’s not Jess, Lindsay is disappointed to find out.

Approached by a reporter, Ryan McCay, looking for information, Lindsay finally allows herself to dig into the botched police case that not only led to no answers but ended with more questions.

In 1998, Jess is a college freshman, ready to break out of the confines of the complications of her family. But the freedom proves too much for Jess as she becomes involved with sorority sisters, stops going to class and turning in work, and starts seeing a guy with a difficult past.

It’s a complicated puzzle of deceit, and as Jess’ story falls deeper and deeper into darkness, Lindsay continues to try to put the pieces together in real time.

The multi-narrator audio works fantastically; from the different voices of the sisters, to the pair of true crime podcasters who separate the chapters, moving the plot forward with their real time answers they find as the case unravels, these voices propel the narrative. The rapid fire back and forth between the sisters as everything comes to a head was a terrific choice.

I loved the red herrings and the fact that I was never sure until the end who the culprit was - I had ideas but was surprised and happy that it kept me guessing as long as it did. Highly recommend!

Jessica disappeared while in her college Freshman year. Now, 24 years later, Lindsey has never really stopped looked for Jessica. There is a podcast investigating cold cases, and Lindsey hope they cover her sister’s disappearance.

Ah, but then the truth all comes tumbling out and I was like “Aack!”. So good and I could not put this down. Finished in one stitting.

Good pace, it’s a slow burn at first that turns into an inferno. I really liked Lindsey and I was cheering for her happiness. The narrators really pulled me in to the story.

Thank you #NetGalley for the complimentary copy of #TheLakeOfLostGirls in exchange for an honest review.

Almost 25 years after her sister, Jessica, disappeared from the University of North Carolina, Lindsey is still searching for clues that will help her find her missing sister. Jessica was not the first student to disappear from the college in the late nineties, and Lindsey begins a podcast, determined to uncover the truth. Yes, this is a familiar plot line, but it’s handled with aplomb by Greene and is a sold thriller

4.5 Great narration. I really loved that I was second guessing myself on who the killer was throughout! Very intriguing, listened to this in one day. I don’t do that often, but I just had to know what was going to happen next! I don’t like giving anything away nor repeating the synopsis that you can already read, but I think anyone who likes a good whodunnit, will really enjoy this one. Bravo! And thank you for the chance to preview the ALC!

Well this was a highly addicting audiobook! I love listening to true crime podcasts and with the added podcast feature the audiobook was so engaging. Setting in Mt. Randall, North Carolina at Southern State University around 1998- 1999 when 4 college students disappear. Told in dual timeline and dual pov.. it’s set up where anyone can be the suspect in this who dun it plot. Love how the story unfolded. I did not see the ending at all and was completely shocked.

The audiobook had a full cast which made the story telling all that more engaging. Narration by Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor and David Bendena.

The lake of lost girls by Katherine Green

This story dives into the deep depth of cold case mysteries regarding missing girls from a local college. It’s told on dueling time lines to find the final missing girl Jessica Fadley who went missing from Southern State University.

This was a head spin story that was interesting and paced well. It was a back and forth story and somewhat drawn out for the rushed ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape books.

Engaging but a little predictable and unfortunately comes towards the end of a large slate of cold case thrillers that use true crime podcasts and multiple timelines to tell the story. Definitely engaging and Lindsey is a very engaging lead character in the present time section.

I listened to the audiobook and was initially skeptical because of the podcast storyline. How this book blew my mind. It has very small blurbs throughout it from a podcast standpoint, and they ended up flowing with the story and giving an outside point of view. This book is packed with twists you would never see coming. If you like books with an ending you’d never guess, this one is for you!

Quick and Twisty! A must listen.
I love when audiobooks incorporate podcast segments making it feel like you're immersed in a true crime documentary.

I think I read too many thrillers, because I was able to figure everything out very quickly. Although it was easy to predict, it was still a fun listen that I recommend!!

Overall, the book was enjoyable. The pacing is great and the narration of the audio version was also very good.

We learn of the disappearance of Jessica Farley from outside her parents house. She goes missing without a trace, as do three other girls from Southern State University. We're presented with several viable suspects, with clues stacked up against each of them. Near the end, the suspect became obvious to me, which I didn't mind. However, there were things that just didn't really sit right with me.

Once the suspect was made clear, the behavior seemed strange and not very believable. The story unravels further and is even more unbelievable, though perhaps, inline with the rest of the characters behavior?

The book was entertaining but there were enough parts that didn't sit right with me.

Advance reader copy provided by Dreamscape Media and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and crooked lane books for the arc of this murder mystery. I figured this one out around 70% in. The red herrings were not subtle, haha. I struggled with some of the character connections. Lindsey liking Ryan was not believable from the jump, although some of the flaws in the journalists information was at least explained away later. Regardless, I liked the overall storyline. The podcast snippets were fun. Ultimately, if you read a bunch of thrillers, add this one to your list bc it’s a little different. But if you only read a few books, this is a solid 3 star read and there are better options where you can invest your time.

This might just be my favorite thriller of 2024. I flew through it faster than any other thriller I’ve read—it’s truly gripping, to the point where I couldn’t stop listening.

The podcast element and multiple POVs were brilliantly done & I felt like I really got to know both Jessica + Lindsey. At one point, I was suspicious of nearly every character! Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, that final twist?
DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!

I was lucky enough to receive an audio ARC & the narrators were fantastic. They kept me on edge of my seat the entire time. This was my first Katherine Greene book & I’ve never added an author’s other books to my TBR so quickly!

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. When Lindsey was a little girl, her older sister who was in college disappeared never to return. Now a podcast is looking over the case to find out what happened more than 2 decades ago. A reporter starts snooping around asking questions prompting Lindsay to find out what really happened to Jessica. This story kept me intrigued the whole way through and had a plot twist I didn't see coming. Interesting read.

wowowowow
that ending completely blindsided me! I did not see that coming whatsoever, my mind was going in a completely different direction!!!

What a heart breaking end to the story of Jessica. Years after her disappearance her sister pairs up with a journalist to look back into the case and see what they could find that the police may have overlooked the first time.

Except Jessica wasn’t the only missing girl at that time, in fact several others went missing too. Their cases connect in disturbing ways but the truth always comes out in the end.

I will definitely be thinking about this one for a long time to come, it is gut wrenching!

There’s so many people I feel sorry for but I don’t want to name names without potentially giving you some clues.

Definitely read this one!!

Thank you to Katherine Greene and Dreamscape media for the ALC!

Publish date: November 5th 2024

I really liked this book. I wanted to keep reading until the end was revealed. I really liked the pacing and the female narrators. The narrator for Ryan had a nice voice but he sounded way to old to be Ryan. The only thing that I didn't love about this book was the ending. It was twisty but kind of fell flat. I was not satisfied when the book wrapped up.

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene (pen name for A. Meredith Walters and Claire C. Riley) has one of the most chilling covers I've ever seen... and it was this cover that initially drew me in.

This book starts off with a podcast episode, and from that initial instant, I was absolutely hooked! As the book progressed, these podcast vignettes helped balance the grittiness of what was happening and added a bit of lightness to the book.

This was one wild ride as I was pointing my finger at each and every suspect presented! Although the outcome wasn't surprising, that end twist certainly was! My jaw dropped open, I paused, and took a second to soak it all in. It was a doozy, managing to be incomprehensible while making complete sense for the characters and this book! I was happy that one of my suspicions didn't ring true, but I enjoyed the possibility of it hanging in the air.

This audiobook is expertly narrated by Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor, and David Bendena. This is a multi-perspective thriller, and the full cast of narrators added to the suspense and my connection to the characters. While listening, I often relied on the narrator, rather than chapter heading, to tell me which characters perspective I was reading. When one of the narrators initially spoke, I had a huge smile on my face, as they added an extra layer to this already amazing audiobook! The interspersed podcasts are so impeccably seamless that it sounds like listening to a real true crime podcast; the splicing between hosts is perfectly done! All this adds up to another amazing audiobook!

The more I sit with my thoughts after finishing, the more I love this book! It will leave you guessing and wondering what exactly a healthy relationship looks like... questioning what is acceptable and what isn't. It twisted the narrative, making everyone a suspect and everyone innocent. This execution really reminded me a lot of my feelings towards The Quiet Tenant!

Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Review published to Instagram (@book.ishjulie) October 10, 2024