Summit Lake is Charlie Donlea’s debut novel and a smashingly great debut it is!
From Goodreads…..
Set in a small, picturesque North Carolina town, Charlie Donlea’s suspenseful debut novel tells the haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.
“No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.” Read More
The Story
The murder victim is Becca Eckersley a first year law student and the daughter of a powerful attorney who is about to become a judge. After Becca is murdered investigator Kelsey Castle is sent by her employer Events magazine to Summit Lake to find out what happened.
Once she arrives Kelsey discovers that the murder appears to be more complex than the theory that the Feds are promoting that it was a random robbery gone bad. The story is told from dual perspectives—Becca’s in the months before her death and Kelsey’s in the present—the book is a fast-paced thriller filled with twists and intrigue.
The story also explores the connection between the living and the dead as Kelsey walks in Becca’s footsteps, uncovering dark secrets that may help solve the crime and confront her own past.
Bottom Line:
Summit Lake was a very good read. It took me a while to get into the story and I must admit that I found some aspects of the story somewhat implausible. Particularly the willingness of the county police chief to give police files to Kelsey.
But the overall story more than made up for those minor dislikes
Ke
