I loved this book! Could not stop reading it once I picked it up. Between the mystery of Zack and the family dynamic I was hooked.

The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett was an okay read for me. Readers do need to suspend their imagination a bit to understand the story.

Overall, the story was good; it had solid writing and interesting characters. The story had a good ending.

#TheLakeHouseChildren #NetGalley @Stormbooks_co

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great book!! Such a good thriller/mystery! Perfect writing style and that plot twist!! PERFECT!!

4.25⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book
Publication date is for September 18th!!

A family reuniting in the old lake house surrounded by unspoken lies… a FBI agent called for his last case before retirement, will he find out what happened?

I went into it almost blind since I’d read just the introducing phrases written in the site and got really intrigued by it.
I was literally glued to the pages; I kept scrolling page after page until I got to the end COMPLETELY shocked.
I liked a lot the structure and the way it was written, very fast paced, maybe just too much descriptions sometimes. There were always things going on throughout it that I needed to stop and realize what I just read (in a good way obv), but little did I know the speechlessness it was going to deliver me from the epilogue.
Really looking forward to read more of Gregg Dunnett’s books!

If you want a thriller that will keep you interested, wanting to know more and more and with a little supernatural turn, this is definitely the one!!

A family's lake house becomes the center of this drama when long ago secrets are finally revealed. You thought this would be an inheritance fight over the lake house? Way more comes to light as the family must face the past in the most unexpected way.

Whether you believe this is a story about real life or magical realism, either way Dunnett will take you on a twisty ride of death, past lives and betrayal.

To start off with a positive, this was a fun one!

At the beginning of the story, I struggled with the way the author wrote. I felt the writing was short, detailed sentences that were borderline obnoxious. What I mean is every movement was noted, no fluff. At first this annoyed me, but as I continued reading I got used to the flow and found myself enjoying the writing style.

The plot line was even more of a doozy. It started out with the father's reveal, which I won't mention because I was surprised. Then it didn't go anywhere. It didn't add to the story at all. This happened one too many times in the book. Creates a bit of a distrust between author and reader. Was the author trying to sneak in a political statement (as some reviews believe?) or was it filler to distract the reader from he main story line.. I’m really not sure. Although hindsight, I don’t understand how it plays out but I'm still not annoyed reading about it.

The scenarios the author chose to put into the story, whether you consider them real or magical realism, were so far out there I was kind of blown away. It kept me fully engaged because I’ve never read anything like this before. The entire storyline was completely odd and unexpected. I absolutely loved it. I found myself unable to put the book down as I never knew what the author would throw at me next. It was a breath of fresh air for me as I've been in a rut of reading some formula style books lately.

Finally, the way the author overall structured the book with the back-and-forth between Kate talking to detectives and then going back to 'present day' of Kate's story. I found this odd way to tell the story as a lot of irrelevant stuff was taking place. It was a bit unbelievable.

Yet, it worked. It all worked into an odd little thriller that completely captured me. I couldn't put it down. Anyone who picks up this story will be equally captivated and possibly left a little confused, but captivated nonetheless. I would recommend this to my reader friends.

Amazon Link - The Lake House Children By: Gregg Dunnett

***Thank you to Storm Publishing, NetGalley and of course, the author Greg Dunnett, for a  copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publishing September 18, 2024.

Kate’s life is seem to be full of loss. She has lost her mother, her nephew & now her father. Making this even harder to deal with is the having to deal with her own son, Jack, claiming be to the reincarnate of her nephew that died from drowning years before he was even born. What will she do with this & who can she tell? Her husband doesn’t believe it. She doesn’t feel like she can tell her sister, the mother of her nephew. The knowledge that Jack has of his cousin is unreal. Jack has knowledge that will turn Kate’s family lives upside down. This story will leave you reeling…

The Lake House Children starts innocently enough - three sisters and their families meet up with their father at the beloved lake house for dinner. At the time, they think the "big news" coming is that their father is planning to marry a woman he recently met so they come to the dinner with ideas on how to halt this rushed engagement.

Boy. Did they have it all wrong!

I won't spoil it, but let me tell you - within the first 50 pages, you get your first big twist in the story. There are several good plot twists in the story, but I only predicted two of them.

After that (wow!) twist, we settle into the family dynamics - the sisters, their partners, the cousins. The author does a great job of character development and there are a lot of personalities to intertwine. Sometimes the background seems a little redundant but I think it was all necessary to set up the end of the plot.

This book is referred to as sci-fi, but don't let that scare you away if that's not your normal reading jam. The "sci-fi" part refers to a storyline about reincarnation. I'm not normally a sci-fi gal but this was actually pretty fascinating. Gregg Dunnett also includes scientist characters that both believe and debunk reincarnation which gave a good balance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.
I did like this book very much. Not so much a page turner, can’t put the book down type of like. More the uniqueness of the story and the likability of Kate and Jack.
I also enjoyed the different perspectives of the storytelling. Past and present.
A good solid 4/5 for this one.

This was a very different reading experience for me in that I don't believe in reincarnation and try to stay away from books with swearing. Once I was able to read as fiction, I really enjoyed the book.
I enjoyed the characters very much and the story line itself was intriguing and captivating. It did, however, seem to be disconnected at times when going back and forth between her conversation with the detectives and back to the life experience, but for the most part was very easy to follow.
Overall, this was a fun read for me with a lot of unexpected turns and would recommend to someone who likes the unexpected and doesn't get deterred by their belief systems.
Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity.

A story essentially about a dysfunctional family although that gradually appears as we read. Three sisters inherit their family house and, of course, there are arguments as to whether it should be sold or a lot of money invested in it for the future of the three families. One sister says no because her son was drowned there as a young child. Moving forwards the story is narrated by the third sister being interviewed following a fire at the house in which four people were killed. Was she a victim or the perpetrator? The supernatural element felt contrived rather than possible and I'm not convinced about the idea of an almost single narrator. The detective investigating the fire was not sympathetic and was also 'bugged' by the presence of the detective dealing with the original death.. An ok read but, I'm afraid, another that didn't grab the memory. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

FBI agent McGee and his partner Robbins are investigating a fire at a Lake House that took four lives. The main suspect seems to be one of the surviving siblings, Kate Marshall. Still smelling of smoke from the fire, Kate tries to prove her innocence and denies having set the fire. As she tells her story, we begin to see all was not as it seemed with this tight knit family. Family secrets surface, and McGee struggles to find the truth behind this awful crime. This is my second novel by Dunnett and it did not disappoint.

Previously my favourite was The Wave at Hanging Rock but I now believe that this is Gregg's best book yet.

When a child drowns at the Lake House all the family are victims of the ensuing waves of grief. When a fire burns down the Lake House all the family become suspects. The story flow and the differing aspects of participants are handled in a manner which reels in the reader and vividly invests one in the outcome.

THE LAKE HOUSE CHILDREN - A interesting and intriguing story with a twist or two. Well written story lines, good characters and a good pace makes this a one sitting read. Source: Netgalley. 4*

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing, I recently had the chance to read an advanced copy of “The Lake House Children” by Gregg Dunnett.

This well-written, gripping thriller with a paranormal twist will have you turning pages faster than you can say “lake house mystery!” It was my first book by the author, but it will not be my last!

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly idyllic lake house, the intricate family dynamics and long-buried secrets create a suspenseful narrative that slowly unravels with each turn of the page. A devastating fire nearly claims the lives of an entire family, but one survivor holds the key to the truth – will you believe her?

I highly recommend giving this book a read, you will not be disappointed. Please note: There are some sensitive themes of assisted suicide and child death so I would recommend being mindful before reading.

This is an excellent psychological thriller with well-drawn characters. I read it in 2 sittings (well, we had to eat!) and thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Gregg always has an "I didn't see that coming" moment in his books and The Lake House Children doesn't disappoint. Recommended.

Nearly all of Kates family have been killed and she is in a police interview room giving her side of the story. Hard to review without spoilers but i felt that it was a slow burner and wanted Kate to get to the point quicker. However it was definitely worth the wait. I’m giving it 4 stars as I didn’t enjoy it as much as his previous Little Ghosts novel but he certainly did knock it out of the park with his tale perfectly intertwining.
Thank you NetGalley & Gregg Dunnet for an advanced copy of a very interesting concept.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

This book will hook you from the start! The whole family dynamic was defiantly intriguing and I felt so invested with all of their fates. This is my first book by Gregg Dunnett but it defiantly wont be my last one.

A great read. The characters were believable and the storyline kept me reading. I wanted to find out what had happened. It kept me guessing.

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Gregg Dunnett, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for September 18, 2024.

The Lake House Children is the twelfth published novel for author Gregg Dunnett, and this reader’s first read by the author.

When FBI Agents Jim McGee and his partner, Billy Robbins interview Kate Marshall after a fire at her family’s lake house - a fire that leaves four family members dead, they never expected the turn of events her story would take. McGee who’s on the verge of retirement, starts the book interviewing Kate about what has just occurred at the lake house - a horrific fire, but finds that some elements of her explanation just don’t make sense. As he tries to put her story straight in his head, McGee considered this might just be the strangest case he’s ever encountered.

"Now the story had begun, she was already becoming lost within it."

This book is a proving a difficult book to review. Not because it was badly written (it wasn’t) or that it didn’t have an engrossing plot (it did), but because, I feel that if I start to tell you all about the story, it would be like I’ve told you what’s in the box before you’ve even had a chance to open it and look for yourself.

What I will say is this.

👉 This book “flirts” with the idea of the supernatural. You don’t have to be a “believer” per se, but you will need to have an open mind and be receptive to new ideas.

👉 The story (which is centred around one main tragedy), focusses on the relationship between three grown-up sisters, their lives and the lives of their children, in-and-around a lake house in a fictional town near the east coast of the United States.

👉 Middle sister, Kate, is our narrator, and she recounts her story with past and present timelines.

👉There is a crime (or two), and the FBI are investigating.

In terms of the psychological/thriller genre I’m a hard person to please. What I crave in this genre is originality - a refreshingly new take on a theme that hasn’t been done before, and that’s what we have here.

Dunnett set up his story perfectly and really enjoyed the “interview” type narrative between McGee and Kate. Although I would have ‘liked’ to have had a more conclusive result for the fire, I nonetheless came away feeling satisfied with the ending.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Storm Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.