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bethsbookshelf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I started this knowing nothing about it, and within the first few chapters, I wanted to DNF because it was so gory and gruesome. But the characters and the need to know the answers reeled me in, and I am so glad I read this. Yes, it's gruesome. Yes, it's brutal. Yes, it's triggering. But it was worth going on this journey with Kay. What a thrill!
This is the cat-and-mouse story of Detective Kay and a suspected serial killer – known as the "unsub" – who is kidnapping women (and sometimes with their children), keeping them for a few months before murdering them (but not their children) and burying them near Silent Lake. Kay quickly figures out his motive and methods and does everything in her power to stop him before he kills another woman, but when her own troubling past threatens to resurface, she has to decide whether going after the unsub is worth it.
I truly enjoyed every minute of this. The pacing was absolutely brilliant, and I loved that we had an omniscient narrator so we could get into the head of the killer, too. With a detective novel like this, it enriches the story when we get to see the killer, his life, his motives, his twisted thoughts.
This book is perfect for fans of detective novels and weird mysteries like "You" or "Gone Girl". 5 stars.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
purplenoodlepie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Stalking
bookishchaos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence and Blood
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.5
"All that time, there were two things very difficult to endure for him. Not driving a Cadillac, and not killing anyone."
I needed a palate cleanser after a recent DNF, and I decided to turn to one of my kindle freebies. I do always seem to love a Bookouture detective thriller, and I've been meaning to give this author a second chance after a recent miss with her stand-alone psychological thriller... And I have to say that it turned out to be an effective rebound indeed. The Girl From Silent Lake makes for a great start of a new series, although I'm not sure if that series name is exactly fitting considering the fact that the main character is most definitely NOT a detective during this first book. Instead, Dr. Kay Sharp is a former FBI profiler and a civilian for the duration of this story... While I did love the FBI profiler angle, the fact that she had no official power and somehow still seemed to be in control of the whole investigation was a bit farfetched. It also made the local police force seem incompetent; I get why Kay would be a valuable asset to the investigation, but a bit more balance would have been nice. The whole mystery around why she quit her job could get a bit annoying as well... That said, the case itself is intriguing though, and I always love a POV focusing on the serial killer. Despite those few niggles, The Girl From Silent Lake was still an entertaining (and quite dark!) first book of a detective thriller series I'm sure I will be continuing at some point in the future.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury