Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea ★★★★

Kelsey Castle, a renowned crime writer for a prominent magazine, is assigned to develop a story about the murder of Becca Eckersley, a law student from a prominent family, who was savagely killed two weeks prior in Summit Lake. Becca was alone at her family’s vacation home near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kelsey first thought this was a light assignment given to her by her editor as she recovers from her own situation. However, as she probes for answers, Kelsey finds an even larger effort by law enforcement to stifle the investigation.

There’s a lot to like about this story, the first being the method used to present it. Becca and Kelsey deliver the narratives, the former’s beginning 14 months prior to the murder and the latter in the present. It was a great way to develop the characters for the reader and we soon see startling parallels between the two women as the details of Becca’s life take shape. Beware of some serious red herrings that are cleverly crafted.

This story has a slow burn that moves to an exciting and tense resolution. I really enjoyed it, even though there were some dangling plot issues I felt needed more explanation. However, that provided for some interesting discussions in my Traveling Friends group. It’s my second book by this author and he’s becoming a favorite.

Goodreads   Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo

(I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review)