“A gem of a mystery, fast-paced and suspenseful.” –Catherine Coulter, # 1 New York Times bestselling authorNo suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.Some places seem too beautiful to be touched by horror. Summit Lake, nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is that kind of place. But two weeks ago, Becca Eckersley, a first-year law … ago, Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student and daughter of a powerful attorney, was brutally murdered there. Now the town is reeling with grief, and the police are baffled.
“An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last.” –Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
At first, investigative reporter Kelsey Castle thinks of the assignment as a fluff piece. But the savagery of the crime, and the efforts to keep it quiet, hint at something far more sinister than a random attack by a stranger. As Kelsey digs deeper, despite danger and warnings, she feels a growing connection to the dead girl. And the more she learns about Becca’s friendships, her love life—and her secrets—the more convinced she becomes that walking in Becca’s footsteps could lead her out of her own dark past…
“A swift, outstanding debut.” –Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author
“Fans of contemporary suspense will enjoy this brisk read.” –Booklist
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This book was perfect for me. It had just the right amount of mystery and suspense, and a more subtle thriller factor which I personally prefer. I really appreciate it when an author can create an amazing story without having to resort to needless shock value content in the way of excessive foul language, gratuitous violence or explicit sex scenes. Charlie Donlea accomplished this in a skillful way.
When Becca, a law student at GWU, seeks a brief respite from school at her family’s vacation home in Summit Lake things go horribly wrong. Becca is brutally murdered. Some of the local townspeople believe it to be a senseless, random act while others are convinced that Becca was keeping a secret that may have led to her demise. Kelsey Castle, a magazine journalist, is slowly recovering from her own harrowing ordeal. Her boss, in an attempt to give Kelsey time and space to heal, sends her to Summit Lake to investigate the death of Becca. Little does he know, local officials are trying to keep the investigation under wraps and he may actually be putting Kelsey in harms way.
This book was really good. The characters are well developed and quite likable. The death of Becca happens immediately but Donlea develops her story over time throughout the book and it’s impossible not to feel a connection to her and want her murder to be solved so she can have justice. Kelsey is the perfect character to fight for Becca and bring her murderer to justice.
This book was a page turner for me. I read it in a day. I was truly baffled about the identity of the murderer and there was one twist I didn’t (quite) see coming. I had a slight problem with some of the coincidences that occurred and by the fact that I thought Kelsey may not have done some of the things she did in regards to her own RECENT terrifying experience. Beyond that, the book was engaging. I would definitely recommend it to others.
Donlea delivers one heck of a debut with great pacing, plenty of twists and turns, and enough suspense to keep me coming back for more. If he delivers more of the same in his next book, then he’s snagged a new fan. I highly recommend Summit Lake.
Full review at the blog.
Kelsey Castle is sent to Summit Lake in North Carolina to investigate a murder. Becca Eckersley is a first-year law student who has been brutally murdered by an alleged stranger. But as Kelsey Castle begins to investigate she finds people are going a lot of effort to keep the murder under wraps. While dealing with an attack from her own past, Kelsey is determined to retrace Becca’s footsteps and find who killed her. A great suspense read!
I was first introduced to Charlie Donlea’s writing when I read Some Choose Darkness and The Suicide House which were outstanding! I went searching for his backlist and wanted to give his debut novel, Summit Lake a try and I am so glad I did!
Kelsey Castle is a best selling journalist that has is still recovering from a terrible assault. Its been a little over a month and her boss sends her to Summit Lake to look into a murder of a young law student, Becca.
The story is told in two points of views and timelines, which dropped the clues at a perfect pace. Current timeline with Kelsey investigating the murder and the other POV is Becca in the past leading up to her murder.
The author has written a perfectly paced thriller with complex characters.
Lets not forget the red herrings and twist that were perfectly revealed.
A fast paced read….it’s the perfect who-done-it that keeps you turning the pages.
As a mystery writer myself, I’m very choosy about my mysteries. I loved the idea that the main character was a journalist, and I was curious about her situation – she’s coming off a leave of absence following a traumatic event that shook her. The story is told in two parallel narratives, one that chronicles the mystery, told from the murdered girl (the book opens with the brutal scene…wow) and her three best friends, and Kelsey, the journalist assigned to cover the story.
I loved the mystery and watching Kelsey beat the odds to uncover the clues. There’s a tantalizing clue that remains out of reach until the very end, which was wonderful to follow, and the twist at the end came out as a total shock. Maybe a little too much, in fact, as when it was revealed I felt a little manipulated.
I had a little mistrust of the author though, because of how quickly Kelsey overcame her trauma. I loved her attitude and the work she did to regain her confidence, but I just didn’t buy that a month was long enough. A male writer might just not understand what a violation like this feels like.
Some of the cozy details like the quaint cafe and some charming characters, including a divorced surgeon who helps our heroine, felt a little forced to me, but that’s because I like my mysteries dark and twisted. Overall a great read, a shocking mystery that grips you right to the last page. I read it in a few days, which for me is a feat!
Summit Lake is the beautiful setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains where this story takes place. Becca Eckersley, a law student and daughter of a very prominent attorney, goes to her parents summer house to study for finals. When she is found murdered the town is shocked. Who could have done such a thing? And why? Investigative reporter Kelsey Castle takes the assignment to try and figure out the who and why but finds herself in danger. Twists and turns will keep you reading and guessing. Nothing is as it seems. Highly recommend!
3.5 stars, I did enjoy this book but it was just a wee bit predictable…. Though I’d still recommend it to mystery/suspense/thriller readers.
a well written story ! and I simply had to read his others books as well !
Once started, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next and it had several good unpredictable outcomes. It really hooked me into the town and I felt like I knew the town and characters personally.
I want to read more books by this author.
Kelsey Castle, a renowned crime writer for a prominent magazine, is assigned to develop a story about the murder of Becca Eckersley, a law student from a prominent family, who was savagely killed two weeks prior in Summit Lake. Becca was alone at her family’s vacation home near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kelsey first thought this was a light assignment given to her by her editor as she recovers from her own situation. However, as she probes for answers, Kelsey finds an even larger effort by law enforcement to stifle the investigation.
There’s a lot to like about this story, the first being the method used to present it. Becca and Kelsey deliver the narratives, the former’s beginning 14 months prior to the murder and the latter in the present. It was a great way to develop the characters for the reader and we soon see startling parallels between the two women as the details of Becca’s life take shape. Beware of some serious red herrings that are cleverly crafted.
This story has a slow burn that moves to an exciting and tense resolution. I really enjoyed it, even though there were some dangling plot issues I felt needed more explanation. However, that provided for some interesting discussions in my Traveling Friends group. It’s my second book by this author and he’s becoming a favorite.
This author keeps you guessing to the last page. Could not put down.
One of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while. I will definitely read Donlea again.
SUMMIT LAKE by Charlie Donlea is a debut mystery that keeps you turning the pages.
The setting is a small town in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The story is told by two narrators; Kelsey Castle, a true crime journalist, in the present investigating the savage murder and rape of Becca Eckersley, with Becca, a first year law student, telling her own story before her death threaded in between. Both women have secrets that become revealed in bits and pieces throughout the story in tantalizing increments and there are plenty of twists and turns that surprise.
I found all of the characters to be interesting and well fleshed out. The pace of the story is fast and has several twists and surprises. I did have a small problem with the lack of law enforcement involvement and the way Kelsey obtained some of her information just would not realistically happen. The reveal of the killer was truly unexpected and made for a big surprise. Well worth the read and I will be looking for more from this author.
Charles Donlea keeps you guessing till the very end. I can’t get enough!
*5 Stars*
Copy kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Whoa. This one had me guessing the entire time. Once I got involved in the story, I started forming my own ideas pretty quickly about who the culprit was. As the book goes back and forth between Becca and Kelsey, these theories kept changing.
The story unravels and pieces together in a really clever way, and by the end I was totally shocked when it was revealed what had actually happened. Secret after secret gets revealed until you’re so close to the truth you think you know whats about to happen, and then BAM totally different outcome to what you had been expecting.
The characters are all written really well in this book as well, and I was definitely getting involved in what was happening and immersed in the story.
This one will keep you guessing, I highly recommend.
The book was okay
Well written , suspenseful with an absolutely stunning twist.
Good