"The Vanishing at Echo Lake" by Joseph Falank

 

"The Vanishing at Echo Lake" by Joseph Falank is a horror tale following three couples on a weekend getaway at a secluded lake house. I love the vacation-gone-wrong trope, so the blurb caught my eye.

Six friends go on vacation after not seeing each other for months due to COVID. Each deals with their own issues. The marriage of Ben and Kelsey is on the rocks; Teddy and Denna are childless and fighting over job prospects and having kids; Pete and Carrie need a break from daily life. Arriving at the lake, they find troubles have followed them. Something odd is going on at Echo Lake, and their weekend getaway takes a dark turn.

I liked the premise of the book and the setting. It was a quick read with an interesting premise. Unfortunately, its execution fell short. The book is written from a third-person point of view, and the focus shifts from one character to another. The characters are mostly likable, and I enjoyed the dynamics between them. I also appreciated the insertion of real-world issues such as COVID, livelihood problems, and vaccination in the tale.

The book has potential but needs some serious editing. The “bones” of the story are good; however, the execution needs improvement. The pacing is uneven, with moments of high tension followed by slower, less engaging passages. The suspense occasionally fizzles due to overwritten internal monologues and repetitive descriptions, such as the rehashing of marriage problems or the toppings on pizza in dialogues. It could have been scaled down and tightened up a bit.

In addition, I found the writing style a bit clunky and repetitive. There were some run-on sentences, repetitive thoughts, and redundant descriptions. It felt repetitive to be told about the couples' issues multiple times or to read similar descriptions of situations from different perspectives.

While there are some horror vibes, it never actually feels tense enough to be scary. Also, some questions remain open, and the explanations given were not sufficient. While I liked the exploration of the characters' emotions, I think the story would benefit from culling the repetitive descriptions and inner reflections.

Overall, it’s a decent read with plenty of potential. It definitely had moments that kept me engaged, and I appreciated the real-world issues interwoven into the narrative. With some more refinement, it could really shine. I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it to fans of light horror.


* Thank you Edelweiss and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "The Vanishing at Echo Lake" by Joseph Falank