Wow! I was hooked from the very beginning! This thrilling novella was short but kept me wanting more & more. I love books with different story lines that come together in the end.
Thank you NetGalley & Intrigue Ink Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The stranger at Black Lake by Christina McDonald @christinamac79
Pub Date: March 19th, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5

In this book we get to know Jess Lambert. She recently moved with her husband Mac from NY to the area of Black Lake, searching for peace after being threatened in her previous job as a paramedic. She accidentally gets involved in a gruesome murder investigation after meeting a strange woman in town and discovers her detective skills.

The stranger at Black Lake is a prequel to These still black waters from the Jess Lambert series. Let me tell you this one is a real pageturner! Fast paced from the beginning and never letting down suspense throughout the book, I read this in a few hours. I was very surprised to get so much background information in this novella. It just feels like a full lenght novel. The setting felt both cosy for this small town and their residents, as extremely disturbing regarding the gingerbread house and the Black Lake surroundings. This character Jess is really lovable and I’m very excited to pick up These still black waters. A must-read for seekers of suspense!

I’m posting this review on my instagrampage Monday, the 11th of March.

Thanks so much NetGalley and IntrigueInkPublishing for this e-ARC in Exchange for an honest review!

This thriller is short but it had me hooked from the first chapter!

Jess meets a new friend in a coffee shop and finds her after her run naked and running around the neighborhood. Her tennis shoes are red, or is that's blood? She walks into her home and there is blood EVERYWHERE.

What has happened here? Is Annie okay? Who is the dead man on the floor?

The twists and turns keep coming in this novel. It ties old murders and new in this short and fast paced thriller that you need to read! It was exactly what I was looking for to reset after my last ho hum read.

Thank you to NetGalley and intrigue ink publishing for this arc.

While only 150 pages long, this novella packs a lot of punch! The air is thick with tension, fear, and pain, in this taut thriller. The author has woven together a story of horrific abuse, revenge, and murder that will have readers quickly turning pages!

This was a sensational read. Finished it in one day. This book was very fast and very good! It ke PT me guessing all the time.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Quite a page turner!

Great job.Now can't wait for the next one!

A riveting, suspenseful psychological thriller. Unputdownable and I read in two days. The author had all the key ingredients of a phenomenal story. The plotting had great build up, well developed characters. The ending was brilliany

I enjoyed reading this prequel. It was short but not dull, very intriguing and a one sitting read. I do think that making Leah part of the story is a little bit too coincidental for my liking. But the story had a perfect wrap up. I liked the eerie ghost element I think it gave book a more mysterious touch on top of the murder and all the questions surrounding Annie, JJ and Jess’s attacker.

Master storyteller Christina McDonald (favorite author) returns following THESE STILL BLACK WATERS (Top books of 2023) and her popular Jess Lambert series (which wowed readers worldwide) with a dazzling novella, THE STRANGER AT BLACK LAKE. —a gripping, twisty prequel that packs a punch.

Engrossing, Atmospheric, Addictive, Riveting! From murder, revenge, and shocking dark secrets. Jess arrives in Black Lake and gets more than she bargained for when the past collides with the present in this thrills-by-the-minute suspense. Readers will eagerly await the release of the next book in the series, What Lies in Darkness—coming 16 July 2024.

FEATURED MARCH BOOK, SERIES, AND AUTHOR

THE STRANGER AT BLACK LAKE has it ALL and the suspense of a full-length, riveting thriller with a winning main character you care about. Perfect pacing, intense, action-packed, and edge-of-your-seat suspense and twists—one of my favorite novellas!

REWINDING: We go back to the time before Jess became a detective to her arrival years earlier to Black Lake from Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Mac (who grew up here), an attorney who is joining his dad's firm. Jess experienced a traumatic event as a paramedic from an attack and is unsure about her career choices at the moment.

There are several threads:

HIM: A mysterious voice. Someone has been released from prison who swore he would find her. Appears he thinks of himself as a monster and hiding out.

JESS: She is trying to overcome a traumatic past and is excited about their new home in Black Lake. However, she stumbles upon a murder and strange events, leading her to significant sleuthing. She is also nervous about someone out of prison.

ANNIE: One morning after her arrival, Jess meets a lovely young woman named Annie at the local coffee shop. Annie says she and her husband moved to The Gingerbread House, which locals say is haunted.

The ongoing old tale is about a woman who drowned herself years ago after an unhappy marriage. Afterward, she apparently haunted her husband, a vengeful ghost who went insane and killed himself. People say they see the woman's ghost walking near the lake.

Annie says she is an elementary school teacher, and her husband, Olly, is a doctor. However, later in the day, Jess sees Annie walking naked near the lake in only bloody shoes. It is as though this woman was hypnotized and under some evil spell.

She seemed disoriented, and Jess assisted her back to her home. What she finds is blood everywhere and a dead body. When Jess goes to retrieve the woman's clothes for her, she finds a photo, a newspaper clipping (1996) about two missing boys, in her drawer, and a gun. However, when she returns the woman named Annie has disappeared.

However, the one strange notice before she disappeared was the words Memento Mori and a snake tattoo across the top half of her back.

After meeting the detective in charge, Jess cannot stop thinking about this woman and the strange events. She begins sleuthing and researching the two missing boys and the girl in the photo. What does the past have to do with Annie? Is this her real name, and who is the dead man brutally murdered in the kitchen? Who is the mysterious HIM?

Alternating between POVs: Jess and Him, readers will be glued to the pages to try and solve this mystery—the woman, the dead man, its connection with Memento Mori, which she saw on the wall and a necklace, and the mystery man, HIM.

You MUST read to discover all the answers to this puzzle and how Jess became a detective.

I LOVED this short book and am obsessed with this Jess Lambert series. It has mystery, trauma, emotion, suspense, intrigue, women sleuths, a cop procedural, psychological thriller, crime thriller, and a flawed and highly relatable protagonist. I could have read an entire book from this novella, and now I hope for a prequel to the prequel and cannot wait for #3, What Lies in Darkness.

I highly recommend reading #1, THESE STILL BLACK WATERS (view Interview), the novella #.5, THE STRANGER IN BLACK LAKE, and all of Christina's books.

I have been a massive fan of the author since her debut, and with each subsequent book, she keeps getting better and better. A master of suspense, The Detective Jess Lambert series is first-class and a favorite.

Get these three books on your TBR list now!

UPCOMING: Stay tuned for #LitLift (Mini Elevator Chat) with Christina (thanks for helping me with the name) — THE STRANGER IN BLACK LAKE (19 Mar) and #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A (16 July) with WHAT LIES IN DARKNESS.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Mar 19, 2024
March 2024 Must-Read Books
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I received an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
An engaging novella which is a prequel to These Still Black Waters. I found it a bit far-fetched but captivating enough to read the next book. The main character, Jessica and the detective, Rivera are great characters. I eagerly await the next in the series: What Lies in the Darkness. Would recommend to others.

I love a good prequel and this was definitely that! A little glimpse into Detective Jess Lambert’s life before she was a detective. The story was great and gripping enough that it could have been a full length book! Jess moves to Black Lake and quickly learns that there is a house in town with a twisted and horrible history, The Gingerbread House. Is it just an old, creepy story or does it have some truth to it? Quick read and easy 5 stars!
Thank you to Christina McDonald, NetGalley and Intrigue Ink Publishing for the ARC edition of this book to review. Loved it!

"The Stranger at Black Lake" is a haunting and atmospheric novella that grips readers from the very first page and doesn't let go until the final, chilling conclusion. Set against the backdrop of the tranquil yet ominous Black Lake, this story follows protagonist Jess Lambert as she delves into the mysterious disappearance of her enigmatic new friend, Annie Parker.

What makes this novella truly captivating is its exploration of secrets and deception lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic small town. As Jess unravels the truth about Annie's past and the dark history of her new home, she finds herself drawn deeper into a web of lies and betrayal. With each twist and turn, the tension mounts, leaving readers on the edge of their seats and eager to uncover the truth.

When I saw there was a novella out for Jess Lambert, and it was a prequel at that, I HAD to read it! I absolutely loved reading about Jess using amateur sleuthing skills to help local police solve a murder case, thus becoming a detective herself because it what was she was good at!
Multiple POV's is always one of my favorites in books, and this was no exception, going back and forth between Jess and a mystery man, who's past and background tied in nicely with the story line! This was an amazing novella, BUT I did wish it was longer. Christina does an amazing job drawing
you into her stories and wishing that they would never end!

I love the Jess Lambert Series and it was a real treat to get the opportunity to go back in time and learn more about her backstory. Seeing her as an amateur sleuth drawn into detective work was so much fun as a fan. As per usual with this amazing author, the setting was vivid and the characters jumped off the page. I highly recommend picking up this mysterious and well-penned novella.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 is my first thriller novella, and I think it was really successful. The story is part of a series, the first being These Still Black Waters, which I’m definitely going to go back and read because I liked this one. Jess is a likable character and there was a lot going for it being a novella but it wasn’t overwhelming either. I really enjoyed this and look forward to the first as well as the next installment in the series, which is abnormal for me because I typically avoid series. Thanks to Intrigue Ink Publishing for my eARC. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 will be published 3/19.

The Stranger at Black Lake is a prequel novella to These Still Black Waters by Christina McDonald.

This story is such a great introduction to the Jess Lambert series. The story introduces Jess Lambert as she moves to Black Lake.

Jess is a paramedic in this book and I love her backstory. I

I loved the character development and the mystery and finding out how Jess came to Black Lake.

This book can be read before or after Book 1.

Cannot wait for Book 2 in the series!

I know this was a novella, but I would have liked for it to be a little longer to help develop the characters a little more. It was a quick read and it kept my attention. The storyline was great and had some great twists.

Although just a novella, this one read as a novel. This could either be enjoyed as a standalone as well as part of the “series”. The plot along with the Erie setting was just enough to keep me hooked and wanting to know what was next. A great quick and suspenseful read! Would definitely recommend! 4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a short read that will make you not want to put it down. The book is told in dual POV by “Jess” and “Him”. Jess and Mac move to a new area where things are going well until an odd encounter with Annie occurs. This book is full of different twists and turns and makes me want to see what else could come from the story. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Jess Lambert and her husband Mac moved to Black Lake. Jess befriends Annie Parker who moved to town and lives in a house that’s called the gingerbread house that has a chilling past. Few hours later Jess finds Annie wandering naked and in shock along the lake. She covers Annie with her coat and takes her in the house where she encounters a gruesome scene that shows a violent attack. Jess goes upstairs to find clothes for Annie and when she comes down Annie disappeared.
The book is a prequel novella to These Still Black Waters. The story is told from different points of view, one including someone known as Him. In this novella we learn about Jess’s background and how she got interested being a detective investigating crimes. I enjoyed the mystery of who Annie was along with the haunting past of the house and the mysteriousness of the characters. The story had a creepy feel. There was character development. It also had paranormal incorporated and was descriptive

4.5 STARS - This is how a novella is done.

I am the first to admit that I am not an ardent lover of short stories. I find I finish short stories always wanting more, but I was enticed by the blurb of this upcoming Christina McDonald novella which is the prequel to her Jess Lambert series. A series I'm now eager to pick up.

The Gist: Jess Lambert has just moved to Black Lake, her husband's hometown, after living in New York City and working as a paramedic. One morning, Jess witnesses a concerning situation and the paramedic in her jumps in to help and she soon becomes embroiled in a murder that occurs at the notorious old house that has a dark history.

Told with a dual narrative, Jess and a mysterious 'Him', this novella has delightful creepiness that blends past and present within a story that is filled with lies, deception and building tension.

Sinister and haunting, this is a well-paced short story that provides insight into the character of Jess Lambert and a compelling and twisty mystery that will have many readers finishing this book in one sitting.

Disclaimer: My thanks to the author and publisher for the advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.