The plot moves clumsily, with many holes (ie, Why is Hazel hired? Why does she have lunch with the director of the orphanage as if they are instant friends? Why does she elicit confessions where many others have ostensibly failed?). The reader gets no sense of Hazel's unique intuition or intelligence or even work ethic. Instead, we are treated to a running litany of self-doubt, poor choices, and hangovers. And yet she solves the mystery, handily? This could use some additional developmental editing, especially since Hazel is charming and her character could develop over additional novels.

Hazel Cho is a Korean female private investigator whose career isn't going very well. Then Madeline Hemsley, a rich socialite, walks in and wants to hire Hazel to find her missing god-daughter. But the thing is, Mia has been missing for months, and the police aren't getting anywhere, and Hazel is the latest in a long line of private investigators that Madeline has hired. There's a caveat to Madeline's payment though...Hazel only has one week to find Mia or she won't receive the full payment promised to her, and she desperately needs the money.

This was a well-paced mystery with multiple suspects, lots of secrets, and plenty of twists. With two possible love interests for Hazel, there's an interesting romance subplot. With an uptight headmaster who doesn't want to talk to Hazel, a head mistress who is too familiar with Hazel, a creepy choir teacher, and an oddly friendly security person, suspects at the orphanage abound. But with them not talking, Hazel is running out of time to figure out what happened to Mia, and she'll have to find another way to get the information she needs.

All in all, this is a great start to the series. If you enjoy a boarding school (or orphanage) mystery, a female investigator willing to get her hands dirty, and a surprising twist, then this is definitely for you! A great crime fiction novel with slight romance, you won't want to miss this one!

Thank you to @PoisonedPenPress and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Quand le mystère se perd en route.

Il y avait de quoi se laisser tenter par The Orphanage by the Lake : un résumé accrocheur, une ambiance un peu sombre et un début qui laissait espérer un vrai bon moment de lecture. Mais, très vite, le charme est brisé. L’intrigue, plutôt prometteuse, tombe rapidement dans une facilité déconcertante et on voit venir les retournements à des kilomètres. Les personnages manquent cruellement de consistance, enfermés dans des stéréotypes qui rendent le tout assez plat. L’enquête, censée porter l’histoire, passe au second plan, presque inexistante, ce qui laisse un vide dans le récit. Les thèmes abordés auraient mérité plus de subtilité, plus de profondeur.

Une lecture frustrante, à cause d’un potentiel mal exploité. C'est dommage.

Merci à Netgalley, à l'auteur et aux éditeurs pour cette lecture.

Giant spooky orphanage? Yes please. Mysterious happenings and supernatural vibes? Absolutely. The cover on this one is stunning in itself, it was a delight to see that the plot and gothic nature of the spooky orphanage did not disappoint.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading this! As far as characters go, Madeline was terrible (but I get it), Hazel seemed to kind of be trying her best (but really needed to get her life together), and Kenny was someone I’d like to know more about.

The concept of driving from NYC to Lake George for an investigation was absolutely horrifying to me. That drive is miserable! But alas, Hazel did it and more power to her.

While the investigation was ongoing, I couldn’t put this down. I was worried about everything, and everyone was a suspect to me. In the end, I should have guessed the twist but didn’t. I would have loved an epilogue that humanized more of the victims.

Good writing, great story, and it’s always excellent to read about girls who need their stories told—even fictionally.

Hazel Cho, is a 30 year old PI trying to save her career; Madeline gives a challenging and risky case to find Mia, a 13 year old girl who went missing from Saint Agnes a care home located near a lake.
As Hazel starts her investigation she uncovers secrets which might risk her own life and reveil sinister motives. Every person is a suspect, everyone has a motive.

I loved how the story moved fast keeping me on edge of my seat,. The pinch of romance was perfectly blended with thriller making it perfect for binge reading.
Single POV makes it easier to read without confusion.

I am thankful to netgalley and publishers for giving me a copy

I LOVED this book!! The character development was so good and I was kept guessing until the very end. I did not see the plot twist coming! Would recommend this to any thriller lover!

'The Orphanage by the Lake' by Daniel G. Miller has it all, a spunky detective, an intriguing setting, and a case you care about. I enjoyed this book, I felt the mystery was fast paced and kept me guessing throughout. I do actually wish that more time could've been spent in the actual orphanage and investigating there, I just think it was a great setting that was only tangentially used.

My read on the main character is that Miller gave her many of the characteristics so applauded in male detectives, aloofness, an unwillingness to cooperate for the sake of cooperation, and it's interesting to see how that is being interpreted in other reviews as reflecting negatively on women or indicating that this character isn't a strong woman. I think it's interesting that readers would celebrate these traits in Sherlock Holmes, but view them as demeaning in a woman and may say more about the double standard for female professionals than Miller's writing.

Thank you to Daniel G. Miller and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of 'The Orphanage by the Lake' in exchange for an honest review.

An unorthodox detective is tasked with finding a young girl that goes missing from a remote orphanage in upstate New York. A tightly woven plot, a strong female main character, and an interesting cast of secondary characters keeps the reader engaged.

The Orphanage by the Lake
by Daniel G. Miller Book 1 of The Orphanage by the Lake
Publication date March 18 2025.

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress
For this gifted ARC.

A rich snob client, a shabby detective Hezel Cho, very relatable as simple naive girl who has quite weak personality than our well-known Mr Homes, or Mr Poirot or Ms Marple, now tell me do you like detective who is very shallow while talking and walking? Do you like to see detectives as relatable as this, very ordinary stupid little lady as we see in the neighbourhood?

It's a story of finding a missing girl from an orphanage, Saint Agnes―a sanctuary with a dark secret. When Manhattan PI Hazel Cho is asked to trace a girl gone missing from a revered children’s home, it looks like a straightforward case. But nothing in Daniel G. Miller’s gripping story is straightforward―not when a respected headmaster, a charming philanthropist, and the girl’s own godmother all have something to hide. Top-notch suspense in an idyllic setting creating mysterious atmosphere with a pinch of gothic vibe.

It's detective novel so there was mystery in every nook and the Lake side orphanage home brings a gothic touch in architecture that's it, otherwise the main character is very ordinary girl. But I have read ordinary personality as detective and they all have spark in their talking and thinking, no matter how much they live ordinary lives they can't hide the extraordinary intelligence from their behaviour it's not possible even in reality and that is what was missing from this plot. The detective protagonist was relatable and ordinary to the disappointing level. So it was a very un impressive read for me.

Fear is like a cancer—it starts with an actual moment but then multiplies and gains hold of you until it’s bending your experience of everything around you.

The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller

QUICK LOOK 👀
Hazel is a Private Investigator with not a whole lot of business coming in. She then meets a woman who is searching for a missing girl from an orphanage and gives her ten days to find her.

FINALLY THOUGHTS 💭
This book was …. Fine. Honestly if it wasn’t for the ending it would be forgettable for me, nothing really stuck out and drew me in as I expect for. I do enjoy a good plot twist but it seems like the author just stuck so many red herrings in the story that it made it the ending not surprising, although I did enjoy the ending.

Hazel is a young PI and is tasked with finding a missing girl from a children's home. Hazel starts uncovering more and more secrets and you can't stop reading to find out what the truth is. The ending is just wow. I can't wait to read the second book The Red Letter.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Okay, look. Is this the best thriller to have ever been written? NO. But was it fun to read? YES!

This book did a great job leading you down several twists and turns, making you think you have an idea of who did it but not piecing it together until the end. I had an idea of what was happening, and where it would be heading, but everytime I got close, they added in a new mystery. However, you don't have the rug pulled out for you in the end, you piece it together about 50% of the way through the book.

Lost a star because men cannot write women, and this book is no exception.

The mystery had potential, but it relied a little too hard on happy coincidences. Like… more than 20 years and no one figured this out? 5 private investigators, police and they are all useless? Really? Hazel practically got a cheat code from Mia’s roommate—“Here’s a key, a map, and maybe a flashlight for the vibes.” And she still nearly bumbled it. For a private investigator, her intuition is about as sharp as a spoon. Good pacing, interesting setup, but the plot logic needed a bit more... detective work.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Private Investigator Hazel Cho Has just had a nasty confrontation with one of clients, when in walks Madeline Hensley. Her life immediately changes when Madeline demands her help in finding her goddaughter Mia. Mia went missing six months ago from Saint Agnes Children's Home.
Madeline offers Hazel a car and all expenses. If she succeeds in finding Mia by the end of the following week, she will pay her one hundred thousand dollars.Motivated by this offer, Hazel says a reluctant YES!
The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller is one of the best "whodunit" psychological thrillers I have read in a long time!!!

I wanted to love this and the idea was good, but it wasn’t executed the best. I knew who it was from the beginning, and I’d rather be shocked by the twists.

The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hazel's PI business is failing and she's broke, wondering what she is going to do next. Just when hope is lost she is approached by Madeline a very wealthy woman asking for help. Hazel doesn't hesitate, she jumps at the opportunity.

Madeline's granddaughter Mia goes missing from Saint Agnes home and school for orphans. Hazel herself in deep with the mystery of the disappearing girls.

The mystery of it all will have your heart pumping out of your chest right to the end. Leaving you stunned. Will Hazel get her self out safely? Will she find the missing girl?

Pick up your copy today to get answers to these questions and many more. I'm excited to read more in this series as well as works of Daniel Miller, as this is the first book I've read from him.

Thank you Netgallery and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy.

Enjoyed it! It took a while to start going, but once I was into it it was good. There wasn't a ton that made me go WOW, but I will definitely continue reading this series

Hazel Cho is barely hanging on. She's broke and her PI business is about to go under. When a wealthy woman hires her to find her goddaughter, Hazel jumps on the case. But the more she investigates, the deeper this mystery goes. How far is Hazel willing to go?
I really enjoyed this book. Hazel is a great character and I couldn't help rooting for her. I did figure out a major plot point early on, but it in no way interfered with my enjoyment of this book. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Fast-paced mystery with great supping characters.
Hazel is a broke private investigator in NYC, trying to get by and help others.
When Mia Ross goes missing from the prestigious Saint Agnes home and school for orphans, her godmother, Madeline, is the only person looking for answers. Hazel is the latest PI hired by Madeline, and is on a tight schedule. She is also the only person seemingly committed to finding out what happened to Mia. Does Mia's disappearance have anything to do with the other missing girls over the last 25 years? Hazel is determined to solve this case for more than just the money.