Reviews

Black Lake Manor by Guy Morpuss

tanya_6's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️ CW: murder, cannibalism, gun violence and animal death ⚠️ If you're looking for a mind boggling murder mystery with a techy sci-fi twist then you need to read this book. Part time constable Ella Manning never thought she'd have to investigate her ex-fiance's murder, but that's exactly what happens when tech entrepreneur Lincoln Shan is found dead in his study the morning after a controversial product launch. Trapped inside Lincoln's mansion above the remote town of Black Lake, it's up to Ella to catch the killer. But Black Lake is no ordinary place and its strange history will make this the most baffling murder case of her career, because some of the town's inhabitants have the power to rewind time and someone is using it to protect a murderer. And just as Ella is sure she has identified the culprit, the last six hours are undone. With no memory of what she discovered before, her investigation begins again with very different results. But which conclusion was true? The race is on to find the killer before they strike again, and time is not on her side. This book had me absolutely baffled until the very end but I was so hooked that I would have happily read it in one sitting. Just when you think you know what is going on something else happens and makes you question everything you thought you knew about all of the characters. This story has a few different timelines ranging from 1804 to the books present day in 2045 that all have their own stories but they equally help feed you small breadcrumbs of information that help you piece together the puzzle of this murder mystery and it is done so well. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Cannibalism, and Gun violence

Minor: Animal death

the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition

DNF @25%

Not a terrible book, just not my jam.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

lindseypeapod's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

mpr2000's review against another edition

4.0

I think this is the perfect read for a rainy autumn weekend, isolated in a remote house and a big storm outside… Nowhere to run, only having a hot coffee as a company and the “Black Lake Manor” book. I don’t think anyone would ask for anything more, believe me! This is the story of three friends, how they changed during the years but they will be involved in a mysterious crime where not everything you see is real… I know, I am being a little poetic with the plot, but revealing too much will be fatal for the next reader! This story is told between different timelines; a story from the past (1800) that will connect all the characters of the present, the childhood of the three friends (how everything started) and the present, how everything will end…
I have to say that I loved how the author made this delicious plot mixing history, fantasy and crime; this had been a really good surprise. I was expecting a good crime but instead I had a twisted and well-plotted story that kept me awake for days.
This is not a book to love characters, but to try to sympathize with them and their problems; sometimes it is a little bit difficult to say the truth, but I don’t think this affects the story, it only makes it more real. You don’t need to love everyone, you just have to coexist with them, but try to not kill them!

sunitam's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

4.5

ajcorn's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

millebookie94's review against another edition

I couldn’t get into, I normally love thrillers but it wasn’t for me. It was extremely boring and the dialogue was not good in my opinion

leslie_ann_thornton's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

wilwarinde's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The writing style flows very well, feeling descriptive without being clunky.

I’m not in a position to comment on how authentic the tribal aspects are, but they felt respectful. It was certainly an interesting concept, but the first third felt too long, with the action only picking up much later.

Some similarities to evenlyn hardcastle but not strictly copying. 

I struggled to connect with the main character, or like any of the characters actually, but the plot (once it got going) moved on well and the twists of the whodunnit were decent, tying together the various threads and linking back to the beginning.