L.K. Chapman – Into The Lake

‘Into The Lake’ by L.K. Chapman is a well-paced, twisty psychological thriller. L.K. Chapman is a new author for me, so I had no expectations as I began reading this story.

Natalie doesn’t want to attend a school reunion and meet up with friends she knew before she had an accident that altered her appearance. Her sister-in-law encourages her to go, so she does. While there she finds she is enjoying herself more than she anticipated. She connects with Josh and they start dating. As the story develops we see Natalie and Josh getting closer and their relationship blooms…until the day Natalie begins to receive messages telling her that Josh is a murderer and to ask him about Mikayla and the lake from years ago. As the abusive messages keep on coming and shocking secrets are exposed, Natalie has to put herself in the path of a killer to get to the truth. Can she discover what happened, or is it her turn next?

Such a well-written book with characters who are so realistically developed. They both have a background of troubled family lives and I could feel the tension building throughout the story and added to by the characters who all play their part in this suspenseful story. We are taken back to the past with some chapters to show us what happened then and allow us to build a picture up to the present day. What we do discover is everyone is keeping secrets and telling lies and it makes for some questionable characters…who can we really trust, anyone or no one? I was second-guessing everyone’s motives as I read this book, the mystery and suspense cranked up so I couldn’t leave this book alone until I had finished it.

I must mention the themes that are brought to the story, such as bullying and suicide. They are not used gratuitously and are dealt with sensitively too. A thriller that I would recommend that’s for sure.

Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and L.K Chapman for the gifted copy of the book.