Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to another great author. Hazel is a 30 year old private investigator. She loves her job but it doesn't always pay the bills. She is approached by a wealthy socialite by the name of Madeline who is searching for her god daughter. Madeline states that she was at the St. Agnes Orphanage or the Orphanage by the Lake as its known by the locals. Madeline gives Hazel a week to solve the case and lets her know that she is fourth or fifth private investigator that she has hired and all of them have failed her to date. Hazel starts investigating and finds more questions then answers as it appears that the young girl just vanished. Great book, fast read - I couldn't put it down.

Hazel Cho is a 30 something year old private investigator who just doesn't have her life figured out. She is one job away from not being able to pay her bills and having to admit defeat. She is approached by a woman named Madeline and is given a challenge to find Madeline's missing Goddaughter within a specified period of time for an exorbitant amount of money, with money up front for expenses.

Hazel throws herself into her usual missing persons routine, but keeps coming up short due to the fact that Mia, the missing girl, is an orphan whose world is very small. This makes it hard for Hazel to find information and get any leads without immersing herself into that world full of people who don't want her there...

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't mind blowing. It was conversationally written and I enjoyed reading about a young, female private investigator. The story was interesting, but it didn't draw me in. I wasn't invested in what was going on and there were no real twists or shocks in the book as there usually are in thrillers. I think it would be a better movie than book.

Good book! Keep me wanting to keep reading! My first by this author and i will read more !! Highly recommend this author !!

Not my favorite. I found the pacing slow and drawn out at times, which made it feel predictable. The main character didn’t resonate with me—she felt one-dimensional and a bit frustrating. Overall, it wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped.

A thrilling story about a missing girl and the seedy underbelly of NYC: Private Investigator Hazel is struggling to make ends meet. Being a PI is not as exciting as she imagined that it would be. However, Hazel is intrigued when Madeline Hemsley arrives in her office, desperate to find her missing goddaughter, who is offering an unseemly amount of money but only a week's deadline. She is quickly drawn into a web of lies, deceit, and deception and soon discovers several girls have gone missing from The Orphanage by the Lake.

This novel is an easy read that will keep you guessing. With questionable roommates, new boyfriends, and a sexy cop, you don't know where to look or who to place the blame on. If you are looking for a good mystery read that isn't to difficult to follow this is the book for you.

I really liked the premise of this book but just not the delivery. The main character felt very surface level and very irresponsible for being a private investigator. She also seemed to miss a lot of things she should have looked into or investigated more given her line of work. The ending felt very rushed and just added to my frustration with this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

5 Stars – Gripping, Fast-Paced, and Unputdownable!
The Orphanage By The Lake pulled me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go. It’s a fast-paced psychological crime thriller filled with twists, emotion, and just the right amount of suspense. Hazel is a fantastic main character—sharp, determined, and full of heart. Her friendship with Kenny Chun, her loyal and supportive roommate added so much to the story. Their dynamic brought warmth and strength, especially as they worked together to uncover the disturbing truth behind the disappearances. The eerie setting of the orphanage and the way secrets slowly unraveled kept me turning the pages late into the night. If you love thrillers with strong characters and shocking twists, this one’s a must-read!

I would say that this one was 3,5⭐️

The storyline was entertaining and dark at the same time. I would like a little bit more if the investigating explained, but i really liked the climax and ending of the story.

I would recommend this to those who have just started to read thrillers cause although the secrets are very gruesome it isn't written very graphic and wont make a beginner thriller reader too traumatised.

Some characters seemed to become opposite to the way they were at the beginning (and not olny the villains), and i would like to read more about Bobby, but overall this was a good and fast paced read.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This had potential to be a great psychological thriller but it lacked twists that weren’t predictable. Bad cops, rich people, girls gone missing. There is some dark topics that I wasn’t expecting going into the book. But for some readers this would be very triggering with how it was dealt with. I felt like it wasn’t executed well and the ending was kind of rushed.

Hazel was so chaotic and her life was a shamble. She was likeable but sometimes a little too silly. She was unprofessional on multiple occasions and was annoying.
Her job as a Private Investigator, putting her self into a position where her life could be in danger was a little too unrealistic to me. Why not speak to the cop who she was trusting, Bobby.? She just willy nilly went along with perfect Andrew. Like how could that be believable? A handsome, rich man just so happens to bump into you.

The cover was good, the blurb was intriguing and it had a good concept.

My thoughts on this read are so ambivalent. Hazel, a private investigator struggling to make ends meet , has a mysterious client challenge her to solve the case of her teenaged goddaughter missing from an orphanage in a very short amount of time. Hazel takes the challenge given the money promised and visits the orphanage meeting only one person who seems to care about Mia’s disappearance. Several of the others seem like prime suspects. Hazel seems somewhat chaotic in her approach to her investigation. Her instincts seem on target but she frequently does not seem to take it seriously, drinking more than she should and showing up late to meetings. Andrew’s appearance was very predictable.
Some of the revelations towards the end were not a surprise. I did enjoy Kenny and his unwavering devotion to Hazel. There was so much potential with this premise making it easy to read.
Many many thanks to Daniel G. Miller, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of The Orphanage by the Lake, published on March 18th.

There has been so much hype around this book and I had such high hopes. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I thought the overall premise of the story was good but it was a super slow start and it felt like all the action took place in the last 20-25% of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley, Houndstooth Books, and the author for this ebook to read. All opinions are my own

Im a fan of investigation books and this is exactly what this book had! Was great to see a woman being a PI and they make her very relatable. While Hazel being the main character was depicted as not strong and weak i think she handled herself well for it being her first big case. While reading I did have a hunch on who was behind it all but didn't come unraveled until the end.

In 'The Orphanage by the Lake,' we are introduced to Hazel Cho, a struggling private investigator in Manhattan. Hazel’s fortunes seem to change when Madeline Hemsley hires her to locate Mia Ross, a young girl who vanished from Saint Agnes, an orphanage in upstate New York. As Hazel delves into the case, she uncovers unsettling clues—bloodstains, cryptic symbols, and shadowy figures—that suggest a more sinister reality beneath the surface.

Miller crafts a suspenseful narrative that explores deception with the contrast between appearances and reality. Hazel’s character is portrayed with depth, highlighting her resilience and determination while undergoing personal and professional challenges. The novel’s atmosphere and intricate plot twists kept me engaged, which made it a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Not for me. I love a female PI lead, but this one was not it. Too much discussion about food, too many unrealistic scenarios, weak characters, Good Good idea for a story but it fell flat to me.

While the story was a little predictable I still definitely enjoyed it. We followed Hazel Cho, female PI whose given a missing persons case surrounding an orphanage on the Lake. There are so many twists and shady characters that I was hooked.

I am impressed with Hazel. Despite the extreme time crunch that Madeline gives her in which to find the missing Mia, she works fast, finds leads and despite some scary threats from scarred men, keeps at it and with this fast reading thriller, solves the case in the nick of time. It does get pretty dark and there are a few dead bodies but is a good mystery thriller that flows well. Hazel is quite the interesting character and I think her private detective agency will go far, especially when Kenny is added to the team. I cannot wait to see what their next case will be and though I do not see the charm of living in the big city, I wish Hazel the best luck in finding a parking space and solving her next case and maybe finding a guy that is right for her (even if her parents don't approve).

I enjoyed this intriguing story because it had several twists that popped up throughout the story. The author wrapped things nicely without rushing to do so. The main character is very likable, and I found myself rooting for her to be successful in saving her PI business. I was gifted the digital version by the author with no expectation of a positive review. These thoughts are my own.

This was a fun mystery to read. The main character, Hazel Cho, brings humor and spirit to the book while working on a case of a missing teen. Hazel and her roommate Kenny are a fun couple of good friends, I enjoyed ready the food references that Kenny likes to cook and Hazel loves to eat.

She seemed like a realistic person whose life has a chaotic vibe. Private detective story usually interest me and I got caught up in this one . Her client was a true pain in the ass with a rushed deadline. Hazel buckles down and is able to get further than any of the previously hired detectives to find the missing teen.

Plenty of bad guy action and a great ending ! Rated it 5 stars . Thanks for the opportunity to read

The Orphanage by the Lake is a gripping, atmospheric mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. Hazel, a private investigator on the verge of losing her business, is thrust into a case that seems simple at first—a missing girl from a local orphanage. However, as she digs deeper, the case unravels into something far darker, filled with secrets, eerie symbols, and a web of intrigue that kept me on edge.

The setting of the orphanage by the lake adds an unsettling, gothic feel to the story. The remote, almost haunted atmosphere of the location is perfectly suited for the growing sense of dread that pervades Hazel's investigation. Hazel herself is an engaging and relatable protagonist, struggling with the pressures of her failing career while still trying to maintain her professional integrity. Her determination to find the missing girl, despite the mounting dangers, made her a character I genuinely rooted for.

The pacing of the book is well done. It starts off slow, with Hazel uncovering seemingly small clues, but gradually ramps up as the mystery deepens. The cryptic symbols, strange figures following Hazel, and the hidden truths of the orphanage all create a sense of mounting tension. I also really enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot, particularly as Hazel begins to question who she can trust, including the enigmatic Madeline Hemsley, who initially seems like a straightforward client but turns out to have her own dark secrets.

The only reason I didn't give this a full 5 stars is that I felt some aspects of the mystery were a bit predictable. There were moments when I guessed the direction of the story before it fully unfolded, which slightly dulled the impact of some of the reveals. However, the overall suspense and the way the story builds toward its chilling conclusion more than made up for it.

If you’re a fan of dark, atmospheric mysteries with plenty of twists and a strong, determined lead, The Orphanage by the Lake is definitely worth the read. It’s a compelling page-turner with a mix of suspense, mystery, and eerie intrigue that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this one. It was fast- paced and kept me intrigued. I did not see the twist coming at the end.
Thank you Houndstooth Books for the arc.