Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely loved this prequel novella. I devoured it and needed the backstory of Jess more than I imagined.

Jess Lambert is a fantastic character and I love her development.

Great story with all the twists throughout!!

The Stranger at Black Lake
by Christina McDonald
March 19, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
Secrets, murder and revenge converge in this gripping prequel to Amazon charts bestselling thriller, These Still Black Waters, about a young Jess Lambert drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Because old ghosts often have old scores to settle
I was quite eager to get this ARC. This book is the prequel to “These Still Black Waters”, which was a five star read for me last year. To say I was very excited to see and read this novella is an understatement! “The Stranger At Black Lake”, is about a younger Jess Lambert who just moves to the town of Black Lake. Did this novella deliver? It certainly did!
5 stars

A stand alone novella. Quick, easy read. I haven't read the other books in the series but there are definitely on my TBR list. This story is a great thriller, which left me guessing to the end. I liked the main character, Jess Lambert. The description of Black Lake was beautiful and chilling. I can't wait to read the next book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Intrigue Ink Publishing for this ARC.

I finished “The Stranger at Black Lake” by Christina McDonald in one sitting because I just had to know if my hunches were right. Luckily, like with book one, I was right and STILL deeply invested in the characters! I was impressed with how the storyline played out, I even got emotional at times. This prequel had a touch of the paranormal but didn't touch on it as much as book one. I enjoyed being able to go back in time and Read through Jess Lambert’s beginnings at Black Lake! 5⭐️

Thank you to Intrigue Ink Publishing, the author, and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this title. This will be cross-posted to GoodReads, I'll also post to Amazon once published.

This is my first book in the Jess Lambert series and I loved it. I read the background story on Jess and am excited to see where life takes her. I like her already from this novella!

This was a great prequel to the new Jess Lambert series! I really liked the first book in the series but felt I needed to know more about Jess and her back story. This novella fit that need! If you are going to read the series I highly recommend you read this in between book 1 and 2! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Stranger at Black Lake was my first read by Christina McDonald, and it certainly won’t be my last!

This novella tells the story of Jess Lambert, a former paramedic who has just moved to the quiet town of Blacj Lake with her husband. Jess meets a young woman named Annie who is also new to town, and then things go wild. Jess comes across a brutal crime scene and begins to investigate in her own, showing that she may have promise as a detective.

I see that there is a series starring Jess, and I immediately added book one to my TBR after flying through this novella! Jess is a great heroine who is strong and brave and has an interesting story. The novella was well written, packing a big punch in only around 80 pages. The backstory fit perfectly with the current mystery, and I loved the setting of Black Lake. If you haven’t read the other books, this does work well as a standalone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Intrigue Ink Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own,

Black Lake is more than a peaceful new start for Jess Lambert and her husband. New friend? Check. Rumors and local legends about an old house? Check. Grisly murder scene? Unfortunately, also a check. Jess soon forgets about settling in and becomes obsessed with solving a mystery.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Intrigue Ink Publishing for the ARC of The Stranger At Black Lake.
McDonald’s novel These Still Black Waters is on my TBR so when I saw this novella on NetGalley I quickly applied. The Stranger At Black Lake is the backstory for readers of Jess Lambert’s adventures. It can also be a taste test for anyone that wants to see if McDonald’s style is for them. Short, sweet, and entertaining this is an easy pick for mystery lovers.

A prequel to These Still Dark Waters, this is an intriguing novella that is filled with suspense! This book is best read after reading These Still Dark Waters, in my opinion. This is a quick read and will keep you awake at night!

The Stranger at Black Lake was short and sweet. It was a quick read. I usually don’t read novellas but I really enjoyed this one. I can’t wait to continue to follow Jess.

I read this novella not realizing it was a prequel to a popular book, so I can only review this as a stand alone (as I first thought it was).
I found this book to be a well paced thriller that kept me guessing for most of it, and it definitely made me want to check out the next (or first) Jess Lambert book.
Please find my spoiler free youtube review attached: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFMovDM6Dmk&t=232s

𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏....🔪🩸

Special thanks to @thrillerbookloverspromotions @christinamac79 and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AGAIN, if you haven't read any of the Jess Lambert thrillers by @christinamac79 , what are you even doing with your life. They are amazing! Go, run NOW!

Anyway, this is the prequel novella to These Still Black Waters. However, I think it makes most sense to read this after you read the first book. It's been a while since I read TSBW, but it brought back so many little nuggets of description, I couldn't get through it fast enough. It's a novella, so it's perfect for a 1 sitting read. AND it's gets you super amped to read What Lies In Darkness (see previous review) which is another knock out.

I honestly don't know how she packed so much story into such a short book, but it's amazing and descriptive to the fact, you forget you're reading a novella.

I loved it, I hope you love it just as much!

PUB DATE:
Mar 19,2024

QOTD❓️⁉️❓️Do you like series that have prequels? Or would you rather just continue with the story?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillerbooklovers #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #bookaddict #bookbuzz #earc #arcreview #netgalley #thestrangeratblacklake #christinamcdonald #tbr #tbrpile
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Quick little novella that will spin your head around!
In this short story we drop in on Jess when she and her husband, Mac, have just moved to Black Lake. She meets a new friend, a woman who has bought a house nearby, while getting coffee and reflects that she is enjoying the quiet life.

Hours later, she finds the woman naked and in shock. She investigates further to find a cold-blooded murder in the house. It's a crazy little story - almost a camp fire tale! #intrigueinkpublishing #jesslambert #thestrangeratblacklake #christinamcdonald

I loved this delicious little taster of insight into Jess’s life before she became a detective after moving to Black Lake. It really sets the scene for the later novels. The story itself is intriguing and fast paced. I couldn’t put it down and now can’t wait to read What Lies in Darkness. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review Christina, and here’s to many more Jess Lambert adventures!

The timing for this book is amazing as I just read the first Jess Lambert book, These Still Black Waters, Christina McDonald's prequel, The Stranger at Black Lake is the perfect start of the Jess Lambert story. She takes us through a different side of Jess that we haven't seen yet and helps the reader understand where where she is headed when we were initially introduced to her. We get to see what circumstances occur that lead her to become a detective and it all flows seamlessly!

Writing twisty and enthralling thrillers is the amazing Christina McDonald’s forte! I was thoroughly drawn into the hectic, stressful, unpredictable and sometimes dangerous world of Jess Lambert, in her latest novella THE STRANGER AT BLACK LAKE.

Jess and her husband Mac, move to Black Lake, a quiet and quaint town, to start their family. However, Jess’s encounter with a stranger at the local coffee shop has tremendously changed the course of her life, for better or worse?

I am totally blown away by the chilling suspense with some very dark secrets of THE STRANGER AT BLACK LAKE which sets path to the beginning of Jess Lambert series. I truly loved it, and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy such genres

Thank you to @netgalley and @IntrigueInkPub for this ARC. Jess Lambert just moved with her husband to Black Lake. After facing a madman as a paramedic, her and husband wanted a fresh start. She befriends a lady in the coffee shop. When she sees the same lady the next day covered in blood and completely naked, she begins to ask questions. This novella is around the character Jess Lambert. Goodreads lists this book at #1.5 so I read #1 first (prefect that I already owned it). Well, it is in fact a prequel so #0.5 instead. Still a good and quick read! Looks like I need to read book 2 now! #TheStrangerAtBlackLake #ChristinaMcDonald #IntrigueInkPub #March2024

This was a quick and interesting read. I was not aware that it was a prequel until reading other reviews, but that makes perfect sense after reading it. An intriguing mystery, if not a bit sad.

This novella is FABULOUS! I absolutely love this prequel and getting to see some of Detective Jessica Lambert’s beginning in Black Lake.
I’ve recently read both of the other books in the Jess Lambert series, so this novella was the perfect read for me.

I read this in one sitting. It’s very fast paced and the building suspense really kept me turning the pages. The atmospheric setting is one of my favorite things about this series. The way the small town is described and how the lake is black, even in the sunlight. It really sucked me right in. The dual POV was great and led me to believe I had the twist figured out. I definitely did not. Christina McDonald is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Intrigue Ink Publishing for the ARC. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

4.5 stars! A real page turner, I can’t wait to read the other two books! While slightly unrealistic at times, all of my favorite detective shows are also sometimes unrealistic. I wanted to keep reading so I would know who “him” was. I love that it wasn’t revealed right away!