A notebook full of secrets, two untimely deaths – something sinister is stirring in the perfect seaside town of Morranez…
It’s summer and holidaymakers are flocking to the idyllic Brittany coast. But when first an old traveller woman dies in suspicious circumstances, and then a campaign of hate seemingly drives another victim to take his own life, events take a very dark turn.
Mila Shepherd has come to France to look after her niece, Ani, following the accident in which both Ani’s parents were lost at sea. Mila has moved into their family holiday home, as well as taken her sister Sophie’s place in an agency which specialises in tracking down missing people, until new recruit Carter Jackson starts.
It’s clear that malevolent forces are at work in Morranez, but the local police are choosing to look the other way. Only Mila and Carter can uncover the truth about what’s really going on in this beautiful, but mysterious place before anyone else suffers. But someone is desperate to protect a terrible truth, at any cost…
Praise for Louise Douglas:
'I loved The Lost Notebook so much! From the opening lines, I was drawn in to a gripping story, beautifully written and so cleverly orchestrated. I rooted for the main character, I held my breath at the denouement and as for the climax of the book - just wow. Highly recommended.' Judy Leigh
'Louise Douglas achieves the impossible and gets better with every book.' Milly Johnson
'A brilliantly written, gripping, clever, compelling story, that I struggled to put down. The vivid descriptions, the evocative plot and the intrigue that Louise created, which had me constantly asking questions, made it a highly enjoyable, absolute treasure of a read.' Kim Nash on The Scarlet Dress
'Another stunning read from the exceptionally talented Louise Douglas! I love the way in which Louise creates such an atmospheric mystery, building the intrigue and suspense brick by brick. Her writing is always beautiful and multi-layered, her characters warm and relatable and the intriguing nature of the mystery makes this unputdownable.’ Nicola Cornick on The Scarlet Dress
'A tender, heart-breaking, page-turning read'Rachel Hore on The House by the Sea
'The perfect combination of page-turning thriller and deeply emotional family story. Superb’ Nicola Cornick on The House by the Sea
‘Kept me guessing until the last few pages and the explosive ending took my breath away.' C.L. Taylor, author of The Accident on Your Beautiful Lies
‘Beautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her brilliant best’ Tammy Cohen, author of The Broken
‘A master of her craft, Louise Douglas ratchets up the tension in this haunting and exquisitely written tale of buried secrets and past tragedy.’ Amanda Jennings, author of Sworn Secret
‘A clammy, atmospheric and suspenseful novel, it builds in tension all the way through to the startling final pages.’ Sunday Express, S Magazine
'A chilling, unputdownable new novel from the bestselling author of The House By The Sea.
'A brilliantly written, gripping, clever, compelling story, that I struggled to put down.'
My Thoughts
This book started out a bit slow for me, but as it went on I was brought into the story and eagerly turned the pages. A compelling family drama involving Mila Shepherd who is in France, on the Brittany coast. She is there to help with her niece, Ani, whose parents, Sophie, and her husband, Charlie had an accident and were lost at sea.
She is also helping her mother by taking Sophie's place at the agency that they had. They handle missing person's cases. Carter Jackson, a new recruit starts at the agency. Mila is not a fan because they knew each other when they were younger and Carter was a good friend of Sophie's.
Mila goes looking for Ani one day and finds her with an old woman traveler, Gosia, and when she finds the old woman dead, she is compelled to find the woman's son Tomaz. The police think that Gosia just died but Mila is not happy with that, she intends to investigate when she finds out that Ani tells her of a book that the old woman had, it cannot be found. Inside that book are the clues as to who Gosia was and what she has written in the book may be enough to have had her murdered.
There is an archaeological dig and Professor Perry, a respected man from Cambridge. Someone is trying to ruin his reputation and Mila thinks that there is a connection between Gosia and the professor. Mila along with Carter's help decides that they need to investigate. They need to be careful or they could be the next victims.
Like I said before, it was slow going, just setting up the back story, and I soon became hooked. The descriptions of France, the scenery, and the food were enough to have me wanting more. The mystery of Gosia and who she was was very interesting. The characters were very likable and the plot was also interesting. A murder mystery, not a cozy mystery though.
I love a good mystery and this one fit right in, I even liked Ani who was surly most of the time and missed her parents tremendously. If you like a good story this is one I would recommend.
I give it 4 stars!
I received a copy for review purposes only!
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