Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: March 19, 2024
“The Stranger at Black Lake” is the prequel to Christina McDonald’s Jess Lambert series, which includes “These Still Black Waters” and “What Lies in Darkness”.
After an at work incident that left her partner paralyzed, Jess Lambert and her husband, Mac, have relocated to Black Lake, looking for a fresh start. Things are beginning to look up when Jess meets a woman named Annie, who claims to live in a neighbouring house. While out on a run, Jess finds Annie covered in blood and completely mute from shock, with a dead man lying in Annie’s house. When the police investigate and Jess finds out that Annie is not who she claims to be, she begins to investigate the house down the street. As an EMT, Jess’ instinct is to help people and she wants to find Annie and try and help her if she can, but Jess soon finds herself at the centre of a tense standoff, and not everyone will survive.
I was one of the lucky ones to read McDonald’s first Lambert novel, “These Still Black Waters”. I haven’t yet read her second one but I had enough of an introduction to Lambert that I wanted more, and was really excited to be blessed with an ARC of “The Stranger at Black Lake”. I don’t think it’s necessary to read every novel in the series in order to keep up with the plot, but I always encourage it, especially since McDonald’s novels are always such a treat!
“Lake” is told from two perspectives, Jess’ and an individual labeled initially as “Him”, a male stranger who is seeking a female from his past for undisclosed purposes. McDonald offers many possibilities as to who “Him” is, and of course, when it’s revealed, the twist is unexpected but completely believable. I loved the dark and twisted “memento mori” plot line in this novel, and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
As “Lake” is a novella, it was short and easy to read, and it’s gripping plot made it easily a story that could be read in a day. “Lake” made me want more of Lambert, and I am now enthusiastically bumping “Darkness” up my TBR list. I love McDonald’s suspenseful and entertaining writing, and I hope she delivers more Lambert (and more novels in general!), as I eagerly anticipate her next one!

The stranger at black lake by Christina McDonald

Jess and her husband Mac have just moved to a tiny little town called black lake with a history of spooky secrets and mysterious happenings.

After she sees a woman naked down by the lake her life takes a crazy turn and the chaos commences!

This book was a fast read and a haunting precursor to the books to come. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, what a great read! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity! Only thing I would say that it’s lacking is….. more pages…. I want more of this story! Wow

I read my first Christina McDonald book this week, and I am hooked! She has easily become a new favorite author. This novella was absolutely perfect. A quick, bingeworthy read! I really hope she carries on the Jess Lambert series, because I cannot get enough! Her character. The development has been so interesting, and one that I've become really invested in. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

I love a detailed, slow paced book that takes its time with the story and character development while also holding a bit of reality. On the other hand, when it is a short story, it still has to have a certain aspect to really grab me. For this, I had to suspend belief to the max. The characters just seemed so far-fetched to me. The protagonist met someone briefly, then later devoted her life to solving a murder related that she believes her new "friend" is involved in, putting herself in danger. Her husband so willingly agreed to it after less than five minutes of conversation. A detective openly shares information with a civilian. If you are able to look past all of that, you may be able to enjoy this. The plot and atmosphere were good, and I seem to be in the minority here, so give this one a chance, and you may just find yourself loving it. Three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Intrigue Ink Publishing for this ARC.

Christina McDonald never fails to entertain. Her writing is beatiful, her characters become like family. As a rule to myself, I do not read novellas, but no way could you have kept me away from this one. Learning a little background about characters is awesome. On to the next book!
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and Christina for the advanced copy.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


This was a great thriller novella.
I love thrillers where we can’t trust anyone. Everyone is a suspect and everything is a mystery.
I loved it!

A great fast paced thriller novella that keeps you guessing! Thw twist at the end I really did not see coming at all. I really enjoyed this "extra" look at Jess and how she became who she is - a fun read that definitely sucks you in quick!

In this prequel novella to These Still Black Waters, we are introduced to Jess Lambert's character and become apprised of her backstory. It was interesting to learn more about her and how she became a detective. I feel like this story was necessary since there really wasn't much character development for her in the first novel. I will definitely be seeing her with new eyes and be able to connect with her more when I begin reading the 2nd book. For a short story, it was very well written and felt complete. Not an easy task for only being 125 pages, but it ticked all my boxes for a good thriller. I will definitely recommend!

Thank you to the author, Intrigue Ink Publishing, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

4.5

A great prequel to an amazing series . Although this is a novella it definitely reads like a “full size” novel .

To get a chance to know the back story of Jess and what shaped her into the person she is. You can be sure from reading this novella that Jess has grown into a caring individual who wants to help others find understanding and also get justice by putting away those that do harm. So much is packed into this that it will keep you turning the pages. Thank you Christina McDonald and NetGalley for a chance to read this fantastic story..

This is a short story prequel, that didn’t move fast enough for me. I felt it dragged on in the beginning and by the time it piqued my interest it was quickly over. The cast of characters was a bit confusing. Jess, who has just moved into a new community, finds the woman she just befriended walking naked and alone. After leading her back home, Jess finds a deathly scene. The town residents know all about this house, as its secrets have been gossiped about for years. The detectives running the case seem to be ok with sharing information with civilian Jess.

The perfect dark twisted thriller that I could not put down. I was instantly hooked from the first chapter and was in for a roller coaster of questions and left with wanting more after the final page. The perfect novella with strong character development.

I did learn that this is a prequel to a series and I cannot wait to read the other books. I do feel that this was able to stand alone without having read the other books.

I am a new fan of Christina McDonald and cannot wait to see what else she has to offer with her twisty and dark writing style.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The Stranger At Black Lake is a novella that keeps the reader engaged and is well-written. The story is written from a multiple POV, which I found to enjoy. I have not read the other books that featured the character, so I did find that there was no connection to character development for me.

A FANTASTIC prequel of These Still Black Waters!

I just finished in a few hours, this novella is extremely intense, wild, disturbing, tense, the lies and secrets from a small town that will keep you invested until you finish, I couldn’t put it down.

I can’t wait for book #2 in the series that is coming in July/2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Intrigue Ink Publishing/Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is coming out on March 19, 2024.

This was a quick, easy read. The overall story was intriguing but I would've liked some more details behind some of the characters just to add a little more context. It was a good introduction to Jess and it made me eager for the 2nd book in the Jess Lambert series.

Thank you NetGalley. Another great read by Christina McDonald. I just love everything she rights. Christina pulls you in from the first sentence and you just can't put it down.
Jess Lambert and her husband, Mac, have just moved to Black Lake, looking for a quieter, more peaceful life. Until one morning Jess befriends a stranger—beautiful and glamorous Annie Parker—who’s also just moved to town. Shortly after meeting Annie, Jess sees her walking around the lake and she is naked and seems like she is in shock. Jess takes Annie back to her house where they find that someone has been murdered. When Jess goes to find clothes for Annie, she goes back downstairs to find Annie has disappeared. Jess hears stories about the house being haunted and the background of what took place several years prior. This will keep you on the edge of your seat. Can't wait for the next book in the series. A must read.

*4 stars based on the fact that i didn't realize that this was a prequel to a book that's already been published called "These Still Black Waters", so it was a lil confusing during the end for a bit* so i'm def gunna wanna read that now

dives head first into the mystery, and i love that. it's everything you want a novella thriller to be.
-it was fun, slightly gory, and had a house of horrors element to it that i'm into.
-one man gets what he deserves
-sadly, another man does not

not a ton to say, but thanks netgalley for the ARC copy

4.5 🌟

This prequel novella is written so well that it reads like a full-length novel. It serves as an excellent introduction to our heroine, Jess. Although I initially struggled to recall the events of book 1, a quick reread of the ending provided the perfect refresher. You can definitely enjoy the novella as a standalone or as a first read—I just needed a quick reminder.

A quick read it the new Jessica Lambert series . This book is about Jess moving to Black Lake and already finding some bad luck when she finds a women who just murdered her husband or was there really so much more to the story?? You will have to read to find out! Looking forward to the 2nd book in this series and getting to know Jess and Mac.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!