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Charlie Donlea

Summit Lake Kindle Edition

by Charlie Donlea (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 7,622 ratings

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“A gem of a mystery, fast-paced and suspenseful.”--Catherine Coulter, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

Set in a small, picturesque North Carolina town, Charlie Donlea’s suspenseful debut novel tells the haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.

“No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.”

Some places seem too beautiful to be touched by horror. Summit Lake, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is that kind of place, with charming stilt houses dotted along the pristine water. But two weeks ago, Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student, was brutally murdered in one of those houses. The daughter of a powerful attorney, Becca was hard-working, accomplished, and ambitious. Now, while the town reels with grief and shocked residents gather to share their theories, the police are baffled.

At first, investigative reporter Kelsey Castle thinks of the assignment as a fluff piece. But the savagery of the crime, and the determined efforts to keep the case quiet, all hint at something far more than a random attack by a stranger. As Kelsey digs deeper, pushing on despite danger and warnings, she feels a growing connection to the dead girl. And the more she learns about Becca’s friendships, her love life—and the secrets she was keeping—the more convinced she becomes that learning the truth about Becca could be the key to overcoming her own dark past…

Advance Praise for Summit Lake

“An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last. There’s a bright future ahead for this newcomer to the thriller genre — definitely a talent to watch.”--Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“Gripping! This one kept me up late into the night.”--Nancy Bush, New York Times bestselling author

“A swift, outstanding debut. Summit Lake engrossed me then knocked me cold. Charlie Donlea is a superb storyteller sure to damage the best seller lists.”--Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

“Summit Lake makes a small town come alive through the lens of madness, misunderstandings, betrayal, and a pile of the kind of secrets that makes a mystery of a life so hard to untangle from its death. The pages fly by, zinging through the twists and revelations, all the way to the shattering conclusion.”--Jamie Mason

“A brilliant, haunting thriller in which The Lovely Bones meets The Silence of the Lambs—with a bit of Twin Peaks thrown in for good measure! Charlie Donlea weaves a unique, spellbinding tale about a bond between two fascinating women—one living, one dead. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Summit Lake is an irresistible page-turner.”--Kevin O’Brien, New York Times bestselling author

“Grabs you from the very start and doesn’t let go! This gripping thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat and gasping in all the right places. Donlea spins a perfectly crafted story of two women, both victims of violent crime, searching for justice, redemption and ultimately—peace. You won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve uncovered all the secrets hidden inside the picturesque town of Summit Lake.”--Emily Bleeker

Print length

337 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Pinnacle Books
Publication date

March 28, 2017
File size

5743 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Summit Lake

"A brilliant, haunting thriller in which The Lovely Bones meets The Silence of the Lambs-with a bit of Twin Peaks thrown in for good measure! Charlie Donlea weaves a unique, spellbinding tale about a bond between two fascinating women-one living, one dead. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Summit Lake is an irresistible page-turner." --Kevin O'Brien, New York Times bestselling author

"Gripping! This one kept me up late into the night." --Nancy Bush, New York Times bestselling author

"A riveting novel, layered with secrets and intrigue...gripping and tense." --Allen Eskens, bestselling author of The Life We Bury.

"The whodunit plot is so clever and compelling . . . For fans of nonstop mysteries with a twist." --Library Journal

"With a soaring pace and teasing plot twists, Charlie Donlea's debut mystery is like a cool drink of water with a twist of lemon. It's refreshing to find a book that has such a well-developed plot and excellent writing to back it up." --Bookpage

"Debut author Donlea keeps readers racing through the chapters.Fans of contemporary suspense will enjoy this brisk read." --Booklist

"This exceptional debut will challenge the most ardent reader to discover the culprit. The buildup to the startling climax is handled with kid gloves, giving away only as much as Donlea wishes to reveal, The ending is a stunner." --RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars Top Pick"

About the Author

Charlie Donlea was born and raised in Chicago. He now lives in the suburbs with his wife and two young children. Summit Lake is his first novel. Readers can find him online at charliedonlea.com. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XVTKZRS
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pinnacle Books; Reprint edition (March 28, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 28, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5743 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,157 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #10 in Cozy Animal Mysteries
- #10 in Crime Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #13 in Mystery (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 7,622 ratings

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Charlie Donlea

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Charlie Donlea is the #1 internationally bestselling author of Summit Lake, The Girl Who Was Taken, Don't Believe It, Some Choose Darkness, The Suicide House, Twenty Years Later, and Those Empty Eyes. Praised for his "soaring pace, teasing plot twists" (BookPage) and talent for writing an ending that "makes your jaw drop" (The New York Times Book Review), Donlea has been called a "bold new writer...on his way to becoming a major figure in the world of suspense" (Publishers Weekly). A late bloomer, he was twenty years old when he read his first novel––THE FIRM by John Grisham––and knew he would someday write thrillers. His books have now been translated into twenty languages across nearly forty countries.

He was born and raised in Chicago, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. Visit him online at CharlieDonlea.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

7,622 global ratings

5 star		60%
4 star		30%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Rae Conte

Intriguing plot/idea, some issues with editing and holes

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

I read a few of this authors other books before this one and loved them all, he is obviously a talented writer and I will absolutely read more of his work.

That, said there were some editing issues that stood out and took you out of the story. Details about DC were easily incorrect, there was talk about take a drive down to the the Caribbean coast from Greensboro NC while visiting family there? and some other things that have already been mentioned in other reviews.

Some spoilers below:

There were some holes/inconsistencies in the story as well: How visibly celebrity level recognizable a writer is by everyone in a small town. How easily she gets official records/files, from people having to act in ways that could end their careers and break laws, after a conversation that lasts a few minutes. More insight/conclusion into the coverup and the (realistic) outcome of a pregnancy where the character is emphasized thinking about the baby surviving and breadcrumbs left with regards to her being alive when at the hospital, medical records being redacted, and a letter to the baby being discovered and given to the parents. There being no truck/car of the person in the reveal scene outside. A relatively unrealistic portrayal of a woman in the aftermath of a purportedly brutal, unsolved rape and her choices to go alone with strange men places and return to the activity she was doing when it happened with no changes. The entire wrap up after the reveal and the last confusing scene with the parents. To name a few.

Some reviews mentioned feeling tricked at who the killer was, but I felt there was a good clue midway through that avoided that and was cleverly done if you caught it.

Overall still enjoyable to read and knowing that some of these writing faux pas aren’t as obvious in subsequent novels, I’m excited to read more from the author.

2 people found this helpful

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Becky

Solid suspense novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 6, 2023

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Tight writing, and very well-crafted plot. I was pleasantly surprised that the ending kept me guessing until the last bits. The few obligatory red herrings were enough to keep the suspense going and were supported in a clever way. All around a good read. Will definitely follow this author.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 20, 2023

Verified Purchase

I read a lot of books & I love the “ whodunnits”
I couldn’t put this book down. I’ve read almost all of Charlie Donlea’s books and I think this one is his best one so far. I hope he writes many more like this one .

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 12, 2023

Verified Purchase

I have been on a Charlie Donlea reading spree. The first books I have read of his was Some Choose Darkness and The Suicide House which I enjoyed very much. This is my least favorite of the three books. I have ordered Twenty Years Later so hopefully I will like it better. I do like the way Charlie writes and it is easy to follow.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Unanswered questions.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

It was OK. Many questions left unanswered. There was obviously a cover up which was never addressed. She was near full term in her pregnancy and didn't die til she got to the hospital, so what about the baby?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

Good characters and plot and perspective development. Surprises just when you think you've figured it out, a new twist surprises you.

Helpful

Great plot!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 12, 2022

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Whew. There are twists and turns all over this book. The book starts off with the big crime, then Summit Lake is told in two timelines, one detailing what happened in Becca’s life leading up to what happened, and the other about a reporter covering the story about investigating what happened. So there is a lot of flipping back and forth, so be ready to change viewpoints and what is going on and when.

Becca is a law student who has 3 friends that she regularly hangs out with: Brad, Jack, and Gail. The quartet studied together, celebrated together, and relaxed together. They are in their last year of pre law and the pressure is on. Tempers are high, and secrets start being discovered. Things start spiraling out of control quickly. What will happen to these friendships?

This book started off a little slow and took me a minute to get into it. I think it was probably just getting used to the writing style and the flipping back and forth between viewpoints and timelines. Overall, it was a good book, and once the secrets start being spilled, the action and investigation start rolling.

8 people found this helpful

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N K Mendez

Draws you in

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 27, 2023

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I liked the juxtaposition of Becca’s and Kelsey’s stories since you get a feel for both characters’ lives. The ending had a nice little twist and the story kept me engaged. I’ll have to check out other books by this author.

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Top reviews from other countries

Karine D.

A bit immature

Reviewed in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 on May 24, 2021

Verified Purchase

After I enjoyed reading the two Rory and Lane books by Charlie Donlea, I decided to jump head first in his debut. A lot of goods things here, but also some serious flaws.

Lets get the irking things out of the way: the protagonist are a bunch of students, which immediately gives it a very young feeling. But then the adults, like reporter Kelsey, are behaving just as immaturely. Her interactions with others reminds me of a 20 year old and that love story made my eyes roll. Also many other characters are immature and made the whole book feel a bit YA rather than serious novel.

The mystery remains a mystery for me as the conclusions didn't make much sense : the whole police deployment at the end for example, coincidental deaths, police and witnesses that start to divulge their secrets to the first reporting passing by. I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, but nope, not much sense indeed.

Another thing that irked me are the mature themes (rape, unplanned pregnancy) that are dealt with in the same way a conservative school would with young students: delicately explain the problem and the appropriate response and solutions and then miraculously, the problem disappears. Seriously?

Why did I keep on reading? Well, the start was promising and the mystery intriguing. The writing style is swift and concise. Addictive short chapters that read quickly and want you to read the next one to know more. Because this is a debut, I'm prepared to overlook the flaws and I will probably read this author again.

AngieDW

Summit Lake starts with a terrible crime, and ends with a twist

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 21, 2017

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Summit Lake starts with a terrible crime, and ends with a twist.

Becca, a young law student, is murdered in the very first chapter. Kelsey, a reporter recovering from her own painful past, is determined to discover who killed her. The chapters alternate between Becca’s life leading up to the day of the murder, and Kelsey’s investigation in the days immediately following her death.

Kelsey’s investigation is met with resistance from the state police who have taken over the case (sorry to say but I never really did figure this part out - maybe to make finding the answers more difficult??). As we learn more details from Becca in the lead up to her death, many suspects present themselves as options. But who was the guilty party??

I liked the friendship between Kelsey and Rae. I also liked the relationship between Becca and her mystery boyfriend.

Pretty good...this one has been on my list for a while so I am glad I got to read it and I really liked the twist at the end.

4 people found this helpful

ANNA

Good read.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Its a good read. The revelation of the secret/mystery is near the end, which caused me to keep my interest till there. I don't like when we find the main mystery part of the novel in middle or way earlier, so I like this one. I like the reporter/journalist in the novel who is searching for the truth, but she upsets me so much near the end when her friend wants them to go while she was more interested in the case and ignoring her friend's distress. Also, I don't like how it ended. I don't want to spoil, but something really bad happened to the reporter before she was invested in the case and she was trying to heal from it. In the end, she did heal, but what I am annoyed is at the fact that she went back to her past hobby without any protective measures. Ofcourse, just because something bad happened in the past doesn't mean it can happen again, but shouldn't we all learn from the tragic incidents from our past?

One person found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Excellent

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 23, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book kept me interested from beginning to end. My rating is a 5 star plus.I recommend this book. Great job to author.

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