"Secrets at Meadow Lake" by Wendy Owens is an exciting psychological thriller that follows a group of seven people who are invited to spend a weekend at a cabin on Meadow Lake. The cover and blurb grabbed my attention (The cover is beautiful!), and from the moment I started reading, I was sucked into the story.
It all begins with Riley and her former college friends receiving a mysterious invitation. Actually, it started ten years ago when a traumatic event derailed their lives, and now the past came back to haunt them. Someone is determined to unearth the past and expose their secret, and his motives are unclear. The invitation is for the exact anniversary of that event, and they all accept, fearing the consequences if they don't.
Old tensions, grievances, and frictions rise to the surface as they try to figure out who's against whom. The plot thickens as one death follows another, and they don't know whom to trust. To make matters worse, a snowstorm traps them in the cabin, there is no cell connection, and they have no means of escape. They have to recalculate their route and figure out who's responsible for their dire situation to stay alive.
I love locked-room mystery and enjoyed this tale. The story is told in the first person and present tense by Riley, and the pace is fast and furious. Wendy Owens' writing is taut and suspenseful, and she expertly builds the tension and the desolate atmosphere (just like the weather) throughout the book. This style of writing allows you to feel part of the story, witnessing what takes place together with the protagonists as the story unfolds. The interjection of the characters' flashbacks into the present scenes enriches the plot. As the story progress, the reader is left wondering who will make it out alive.
The only issue I had with the book was with some of the characters' interactions. There was too much bickering and shouting going on - and overuse of words such as "growl, boom, roar, bark, snarl" - which was tiring at times. Nonetheless, it didn't impact my enjoyment of the story. I recommend this emotionally-charged book to anyone who enjoys locked room mysteries and looks for a good tale.
It all begins with Riley and her former college friends receiving a mysterious invitation. Actually, it started ten years ago when a traumatic event derailed their lives, and now the past came back to haunt them. Someone is determined to unearth the past and expose their secret, and his motives are unclear. The invitation is for the exact anniversary of that event, and they all accept, fearing the consequences if they don't.
Old tensions, grievances, and frictions rise to the surface as they try to figure out who's against whom. The plot thickens as one death follows another, and they don't know whom to trust. To make matters worse, a snowstorm traps them in the cabin, there is no cell connection, and they have no means of escape. They have to recalculate their route and figure out who's responsible for their dire situation to stay alive.
I love locked-room mystery and enjoyed this tale. The story is told in the first person and present tense by Riley, and the pace is fast and furious. Wendy Owens' writing is taut and suspenseful, and she expertly builds the tension and the desolate atmosphere (just like the weather) throughout the book. This style of writing allows you to feel part of the story, witnessing what takes place together with the protagonists as the story unfolds. The interjection of the characters' flashbacks into the present scenes enriches the plot. As the story progress, the reader is left wondering who will make it out alive.
The only issue I had with the book was with some of the characters' interactions. There was too much bickering and shouting going on - and overuse of words such as "growl, boom, roar, bark, snarl" - which was tiring at times. Nonetheless, it didn't impact my enjoyment of the story. I recommend this emotionally-charged book to anyone who enjoys locked room mysteries and looks for a good tale.
* For more info about the book: Secrets at Meadow Lake Wendy Owens
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
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