When Detective Winston Radhauser receives a frantic call, ‘shots fired at Mountain View High School’, he and his partner are on the scene in less than four minutes. Chaos greets them. Screaming students run in every direction. Some hide behind bushes. One boy has fallen into the memorial fountain, his arm bleeding so profusely it turns the water red. Others lie on the ground, blood seeping into … into the concrete in dark pools.
Procedure demands first responders wait for SWAT to clear the building, but Radhauser enters, fearing more injuries and loss of life. In the band room, two students, one dead, the other barely breathing, lie in front of the shattered windows. In Practice Room #4, another boy and girl are dead. Sprays of blood splatter the cinderblock walls and shell casings litter the floor.
Radhauser kneels beside the girl’s body. A cell phone, with a hot pink Hello Kitty cover, peeks from the pocket of her blood-stained hoodie. In her childlike right hand, nails chewed and painted an innocent shade of glittery pink, she holds a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun, her fingers still curl around it.
It’s easy to believe fifteen-year-old Kristina Sterling is the shooter. Everyone does. Everyone except Detective Radhauser.
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Powerful story!
A mass school shooting plunges Detective Winston Radhauser into the center of a mystery and immerses him in memories of his own tragic loss. Author Susan Clayton-Goulder masterfully creates a realistic storyline with powerful emotions and believable characters.
I really like this well-written series. There is suspense, action, drama, and a trail of clues that any crime novel lover will enjoy.
I was given an ARC in return for an honest review. #8 is a must-read!
From page one, the latest in Goldner’s mystery series explodes with tension, the story compelling and timely. And it’s a heart-crushing case for Detective Radhauser whose tragic past haunts him. A young woman is assumed to be the shooter in a high school mass killing in the tight community of Ashland, Oregon. The author exposes the underbelly of social injustice when the parents of the near-perfect – and just as dead – teenager become the target of judgment, hate, and rumor. Secrets. Envy. Blame. The red herrings and twists in this story come from all directions right to the shocking end. Another winner from Goldner and her characters. This series never disappoints.
Lake of Bad Dreams opens in a nightmare. Detective Winston Radhauser receives a call about a shooting in progress at Mountain View High School. When he arrives at the school he sees students running everywhere trying to avoid the gunshots. As Detective Radhauser makes his way through the school he sees a child here another over there some dead but some are still alive but barley. He makes his way up the stairs to the room where the gunshots were coming from and sees a boy and a girl lying dead in a pool of their own blood. A beautiful young girl with a Glock in her hands.
No one believes that this young sweet innocence girl could pull the trigger much less kill anyone. Kristina had her whole life a head of her. She had just made the cheerleading squad and had just learned that she would be part of the homecoming court. Kristina worked hard at making good grades hoping to get into a good college as she wanted to be a pediatric oncologist. How could this sweet little girl kill her friends. Everyone believed the evidence but not Detective Radhauser.
Lake of Bad Dreams had my attention from the first page. It also had me in tears from beginning to end. When Radhauser pulled up to that school I felt as if I was seeing and feeling everything Radhauser saw and felt. I thought about each student that he came upon about how their families were going to feel when they received the news that their child did not make it out alive or that their child was the one who did the shooting.
I have read just about everything Susan Clayton-Goldner has written and each book just gets better and better. In each one you feel as if you have known the characters forever. The words that Susan puts down on paper creates the most vivid worlds with the most amazing characters ever. Once I pick up a book written by Susan I am drawn into its depths and I am lost in that world as if I am one of the characters myself.
Every time I pick up one of Susan’s books I think I am going to figure out who the killer is in the beginning I am like oh yeah I am going to do it this time but each time I am wrong. Once I think I have figured it out along comes another twists telling me I had it all wrong. Susan fills her books with lots of mystery, suspense, twists, turns and secrets that is revealed slowly keeping you hooked right up until the end leaving you with your month hanging open in surprise once the all the secrets are revealed. Even now I am anxiously awaiting the next Winston Radhauser book or Susan’s next book whatever the title may be.
I highly recommend Lake of Bad Dreams to anyone looking for their next read that is if you are into mystery, suspense or like a good thriller every now and then. One click your copy today to help Detective Winston Radhauser solve another mystery.
When Radhauser arrives at Mountain View High School he can’t believe what has happened there. Kristina is is a amazing girl who could she be responsible for this awful crime. Can Kristina’s mother live with all the harassment she is going through. The author will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. I had the honor to review this book for the author for a honest review. I would give this book a higher rating than a five star review if I could.
Lake of Bad Dreams (A Winston Radhauser Mystery #8), my first outstanding read from author Susan Clayton-Goldner . Enjoyable, well-written detective fiction. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! “I received a free Kindle copy of this book in July of 2020 and lost track of it with Covid and all and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.” The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. Now I need to go back to the beginning & read Redemption Lake: A Winston Radhauser Mystery: #1. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
A school shooting that appears the shooter committed suicide. Detective Winston Radhauser will not quit looking for evidence since the appearance does not quite fit. Another great story line in this series. This was a page turner. The story flowed and I kept wanting to keep reading. A unexpected ending to this investigation. A secret is also revealed.
Lake of Bad Dreams by Susan Clayton-Goldner
A Winston Radhuaser Mystery #8
High School Massacre – Teens dead
Broadcasted via police radia
Detective Radhauser first on scene and he sees
Teens in disarray with dead and dying visible
Does he go in – or does he wait?
He is a lawman, husband and father – he cares, he could die
Will Radhauser find the culprit?
Will justice be served?
Will it ever make sense and if so…how and why?
I was lucky enough to come into this author’s writing journey early on and have loved every book I have been blessed with since our journey together has progressed. I have been beta-reader and reviewer and have enjoyed every moment of the journey. I love her stories because they draw me in, make me think, make me scramble as the story unfolds…and I FEEL throughout not only as the good guy but also as the bad. I applaud this author and gladly recommend her work to any who want to dip their toes into a story that has substance, makes the reader feel and provides more than just a “who done it”
This book deals with a high school shooting but it has more threads to weave than just teens dealing with what might seem simple issues. No, this brings in so many people and facets that impact those people that then interweave and coalesce to create a story that leaves the reader…gasping…and yet…understanding while wanting to pound people and shake them and make things other than what actually happened on the pages. I really cannot get into the mind of this author because her portrayal of killer and casualty and then those on the sidelines is exquisite. And the way she crafts her stories sometimes boggles my mind BUT I applaud her for not making it and easy read – I always come away wanting to read Radhuaser’s next book though hate to think of the emotional trauma he will endure.
Was this book worth reading? Definitely
Would I read more by this author? Without a doubt
Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
When the call comes out of shots fired at the local high school, no one wants to hear it let alone see it. Winston Radhauser is one of the first on the scene and goes inside to see if he can save any lives. What is finds is a nightmare. But when he comes across a girl with a cell phone in one hand and a gun in the other, he is having a hard time believing this is the shooter. Then there is all the emotional and harassment that the girl’s family goes through. A true thought-provoking story. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.