A wild mystery/thriller with supernatural elements. I devoured this in a day, I couldn't put it down! The story starts with Kate Marshall being interviewed by FBI agents about a fire at a family's lake house, and features alternating chapters of this interview and the past, where quite a few crazy (and devastating) things have happened to this family over the years. I would have preferred if there were scientific rationales to hang alongside the supernatural elements, but it was still a fun read and if you liked The House Across the Lake by Riley Sanger, this book's for you!

**Thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review**

This was a very good book. I was sucked in and glued to the pages to find out what happens! It definitely had a creepy/ghostly vibe too and I loved that! It’s crazy what all family can go through and how family secrets can kill you. You should definitely read this!

A compelling suspense thriller story that draws you in as the plot thickens and twists, the death of a child cuts deep into a families life and as the story unfolds you really start to believe that perhaps reincarnation might be true. Will the truth be uncovered, who is to be believed and who is covering up, you won’t know until the very end. Would make an excellent TV drama.

This was a fun story, but I do think it should have been noted that it has some supernatural elements. If that’s not your thing, you’ll be disappointed, especially because key elements of the mystery and how it’s solved are not grounded in reality. Essentially, the story is about Kate Marshall answering questions from an FBI agent about a fire at her family’s lake house. The chapters alternate between the present with these two characters and the past as Kate recounts her story that begins back a few years ago and eventually catches up to current events.

She and her sisters inherited the lake house after their father passed away. That in itself is an interesting beginning to the tale. They then must decide to keep it or sell it which they and their partners argue about for quite a bit. Tensions between the family members run high, and there are past events alluded to that affect why they feel the way they do about ownership of the house. Those events lead to future even stranger events that impact everyone and ultimately lead to the fire. Kate is about the only likeable character in her dysfunctional extended family and the villains of the tale were pretty easy to spot.

But it was still enjoyable to see how everything played out, who ended up injured in the fire, and who was responsible for all the tragedy the family suffered. And if you have an open mind you’ll be fine with the resolution, but I believe readers who were struck unaware by the otherworldly bits will be left feeling cheated. That’s not the author’s fault so I hope reviewers keep that in mind. It was great for the type of story it is and I’m definitely going to check out his other work based on this book.

This is an engrossing, well-written, well-plotted story about a dysfunctional family and the lengths they will go to cover up secrets, no matter who they are hurting.

The story is told through Kate while she is being interviewed for a witness impact statement. Her story is so bizarre that even Kate herself wonders what to believe.

Fantastic story with the perfect ending. I haven’t stopped thinking about it for days. Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC.

I absolutely loved the last two books I read by this author, particularly The Cove. So when I saw this on offer, selecting it was a no brainer.

And the book is actually very entertaining. There is multiple POV on offer here, and although that sometimes makes it a little hard to follow, the story is well crafted.

The premise did not really work for me, but that is because I don't like stories with a possible supernatural element. And I feel that this story should not be classified as simply a thriller.

For people who like spooky stories with a mystery element, the book will work well. I recommended highly to those readers.

On starting The Lake House Children I really wanted to love this book from the summary given I thought it would be right up my street. However it came up short for me,

There were multiple pov's in this book and for me personally with this plot I felt it didn't work as well as it could of, I read a lot of multiple pov's and enjoy books with them I just feel.here it did not work.

I unfortunately did not feel connected to the characters in this book, I just could not feel any empathy for any of them. I very much felt like an outsider looking in rather than to be absorbed into a character.

Was it an enjoyable read? Yes was it a book I will recommend? Possibly depending on what the person is looking for. Is it a book I ll pick up again? Unfortunately not.

The Lake House Children
By: Gregg Dunnett

5 Stars

Agent Mcgee is on a case that is as much a mystery as it is a tragedy. A house fire with four people dead. His job is to find out the who? When Kate is being interviewed he has to look at the case with open eyes. The story she tells is one that will shock even the most hardened of agents.

This book was so very intriguing. The characters are shrouded in mystery from start to finish. The storyline carries a very serious and elusive tale of the possibility of the Paranormal. This book was hard to put down with all it twists throughout. The characters are real and provide chilling and emotional aspects to the overall story. In terms of a good book, this book hit all the marks. It was thought provoking while providing a major spook factor. It was one of the best books I have read in a long time.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This story has a different take on it than most stories.

I liked the main characters except for Kate’s husband.
Bea, Teis, Kate and Jack were created well and very likable.
The rest you will love to hate.

I gave it three stars because the main part of this story is not something believe in so it made it hard for me to accept it.

I wish I could have given it four stars but just couldn’t get there.

Name of Book: The Lake House Children
Author: Gregg Dunnett
Genre: True Crime (However, I believe listing it in that genre is misleading!)
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Pub Date: September 18, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 363

FBI Agent Jim McGee is weeks away from retirement when he’s handed one last assignment- a devastating fire at an isolated lake house that’s killed almost a whole family. One of the survivors, Kate Marshall, knows exactly what happened, but from the moment the young mother starts to speak, something feels wrong.

Agent McGee finally says - "Just tell me what really happened,"
She whispers. "I'll tell you the truth Agent McGee, but you won’t believe me. Even my family thought I was imagining what my son said. And now... they’re all gone."

This is my first Gregg Dunnett. I love thrillers and okay with true crime however this is unlike my typical thriller or true crime story. True there is a supernatural twist.
I actually enjoy supernatural and/or paranormal but that wasn’t mentioned as a genre nor was reincarnation.

I did enjoy reading Dennett’s - “How This Book Came to Be”.
He said researching reincarnation was challenging- (Which was no surprise to me.)

After reading his notes, I thought – I need to reread this now that I am in a different mindset!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 18, 2024

What happened the night 4 members of a family are killed in a fire? So many twists in this book with a bit of paranormal to it! I really liked this book. It was a fast page turner!

OMG, finally a fabulous book about reincarnation. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. It was evident that the author did his homework about the topic and he wove it in seamlessly into the story. Buy this book!

A young boy drowns at a family's lake house, and then a decade later, arson kills four family members. A survivor of the fire, Kate Marshall, seems to be telling the truth about the family's history and recent interactions, but the story she relates about what her small son remembers seems too fantastic to be believed. FBI agent Jim McGee is assigned this last case before his retirement, and though he and his partner would like to tie it up neatly, there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone. But Agent McGee is convinced that Kate knows the truth.

This thriller is largely based around the memories that Jack, a small boy, claims to have of his cousin who died a few years before Jack was born. Though I don't personally believe in the premise, it did make for a compelling and enjoyable story.

This could have been a 5-star review except for a couple of things. The book opens with the story of Kate's father's death. I felt that the means and sensationalism of his death were irrelevant to the main story line, and seemed to be more of a political statement. Secondly, as Jack's parents seek to understand what he tells them of his memories, they are hindered by Jack's speech impediment, common in young children. Then, it's as if a light switch is thrown at his fifth birthday, and all of a sudden his speech is perfectly fine, with no mention of any professional intervention. That doesn't usually happen, so I found it a bit too convenient.

Those things aside, I enjoyed the book and had a hard time putting it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A family saga set over two timelines, told from the POV of Kate, wife of Neil and mother of Jack, a child who believes he has been here before.

After the death of their father, his daughters, Amber, Bea and Kate inherit the lake house, where they have spent many happy holidays, but also the scene of a terrible tragedy. Forceful Amber takes control of improving the lake house, making the residence almost unrecognisable. Bea escapes into her art, nursing her broken heart, whilst Kate has more than her hands full being a full time mother to Jack, and trying her best to cope with Jack’s assertions.

I really like this author, always a 5* read, and any new book is eagerly anticipated. Placed in America, this is a different aspect to his usual settings, and although the story was entertaining it was not quite so compelling as expected and perhaps slightly over long. Not the thriller that the blurb promised and the twists were few and far between. The ending was a bit of a damp squib, though not entirely unexpected.

Not a favourite, but appreciate the skill in writing this book. I do think it needs a bit of an edit to make it more pacey, and the ending could do with a rethink, there were better options!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.


This was an interesting tale of murder, and how one family just fell apart. It is told almost entirely from the point of view of the FMC who is giving her witness statement to police after a fire claimed her childhood home and four of her family members. It seemed as if half of the cast in this book were just terrible human beings, and had some of the worst traits humanity has to offer. It was a well written book, but it was not overly suspenseful. It's marked as a thriller, but it really isn't all that twisty. Just a surprise or two along the way. There are a couple tough topics within the pages, such as assisted suicide and death of a child, so please be aware before reading.

The Lake House Children was a real mind bender. Three sisters Amber,Beatrice and Kate and their respected families gather at the lake house of their father for a big announcement. Can he be remarrying since their mothers passing their dad has been lonely. What else can it possible be? Well once they are all gathered together their dad asks each person around the table how are their lives going. Everyone seems to think this is a very strange question. After everyone has answered he then tells them he wants them all together tomorrow for his big announcement. Everyone is truly confused with what is going on. When the next evening arrives dad is nowhere to be found. Each daughter is given a letter explaining what was happening.with the big announcement. Their father has told them he is ill and that right now he is upstairs probably dead. He has taken his life with the help of the women everyone thought was going to be their step mother. When all is said and done the police arrive and all the sisters are left with are letters from their dad and memories of their beloved lake house.
Rather than sell it Amber and Brock who are a successful couple decide to redo the lake house so everyone can enjoy it. Amber who has some sad memories from the lake house doesn't care what she does with it. She just needs money to get on with her life. Kate also feels the same she doesn't really care. She just wants to be with her husband and son Jack. Jack who hasn't been the easiest child to raise. You see Jack is hiding something. A real secret that can tear this family apart. In actuality there many secrets that everyone is hiding and they all come out at the unveiling of the new lake house.

I am not a lover of the paranormal, so reading this novel was really out of my comfort zone. One complaint I have is that it took a real long time to get to the meat of the story. We find Kate taking Jack to speak to a special doctor because he tells his mom that their was a bigger him before. Amber lost her only son Zack who drowned while visiting the lake house. Amber's twins Aaron and Eva are two selfish brats. Aaron you can call a bully. All of the cousins somehow turn in to the center of the book. Once we find out what really happened to Zack and how Jack fits in with Zack the book becomes amazing and I couldn't put it down. Throw in some infidelity from someones husband and sister then I really had to finish it.

The ending really tied the book together. Questions were answered, but it did take a long time to get to the point. Especially when the agents were questioning Kate. It dragged. Other than that I did enjoy the story. Not to many characters and each one had a back story. That made it interesting. Especially Jacks character because he tied it all together..

thank you NetGalley and Storm for the ARC. Also thank you Gregg Dunnett for an interesting read for me.. I would recommend it to my reading friends.

This was a great read. We meet Kate Marshall in a police interrogation room being interviewed about the loss of life in a fire at her familiarial home. From the conversations with the investigating detectives and flashbacks to past times we are slowly drip fed the situation. But when I say slowly I don't mean the book is slow, its fast paced and keeps the reader in suspense throughout. Its an interesting concept in a novel and one I haven't read before. The tension mounts as the book progresses leading to a massive fallout and tragedy.

Overall I enjoyed the story. There were parts of it that I did feel dragged a bit, and wish were shorter. I also don’t feel fully satisfied with the ending. I didn’t predict who it would be, which I appreciated. I would recommend this.

Wow! The Lake House Children was a thrilling family drama that I couldn’t put down! A captivating story that had me hooked from the first page. The author wrote in such detail that I felt I was right along side the characters. I look forward to more from the author.

Told in both present day and past, Kate tells the police her family backstory leading up to the night her childhood home burned down. 4 people died that night and this is the last case for FBI Agent Jim McGee, before his retirement. Will he get to solve the crime or is Kates story beyond belief?

Brilliant! This story is full of twists and turns and, at times, it actually gets rather chilling. There's a house fire in which 4 people die. The whole story takes place in the interview room where FBI agent Jim McGee and his partner are interviewing Kate, one of the survivors of the fire. As Kate answers the questions, we're taken back in time to the circumstances she's describing. Jim is finding it hard to believe everything Kate tells them but he also knows she believes what she's saying. This is a good look at family dynamics, the secrets they keep, and the explosive results when those secrets come to light. A fantastic, fast paced, can't-put-it-down read!
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Gregg Dunnett for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review