STRANGER IN THE LAKE by Kimberly Belle

OMG this is the best Kimberly Belle book ever. That ending brought me to my knees. This book has raw emotions. Be warned, it’s a must to have tissues while reading this great thriller. Kimberly Belle really outdid herself with this book. You can literally feel the emotion she put into this book. The heart and soul of this novel. Great job Ms Belle.

A few of my very favorite quotes from this book: And really, when you think about it, isn’t security just another word for love?
But for once, for however long the moment lasted, Jax didn’t feel so alone.
She didn’t look sad or disappointed. She just looked... accustomed.
Every person has a single defining moment. A moment that veer their life in a new direction, that changes them at a cellular level and makes them question everything they thought they knew, that colors every thought and decision afterward.
Then I will say, listen: no one ever taught my mother to love her babies, but somehow you taught me. You are the reason I am not like her, just like you will never be me. Every generation is a new life. A new chance to get things right.

Charlotte/Charlie married into wealth. She came from the poor side of the lake and was not truly welcome on the rich side. She loved Paul. She would do almost anything for him. He was her life and she wanted to make sure he knew she did not marry him for his money, home, wealth, but for love and love alone. Charlotte was a good wife and will be a great mother too. She does all she can to help Paul when things go crazy in their world. When a body shows up under his dock four years after his own wife was found in the same place. She vows to stick by him. Can anything change her mind? What will she do when things come to light about a years old death. When things start going south very quickly. When she catches Paul in lies and her mind starts to question whether she knows him at all. Is Paul capable of the things the police say he is? Would he truly be capable of murder?

Paul loves Charlotte. He wants to give her the kind of life she deserves. I believe he loves her with all his heart. I believe he loved his first wife just as much and maybe even more. But will he risk it all to keep things quiet. To keep certain things from coming to the surface? What will he do? Who will he choose? His wife or best friend? The truth or lies? And just who is the stranger in the lake really? Was she there to cause upheaval in people’s lives or was it just to get to the truth of what happened all those years ago?

This book takes you on many twists and turns. It has many highs and lows. Many curves. It’s beautiful written and the characters are so well and richly developed. The scenery is gorgeous and so realistic. You will feel the cold of the snow falling. Of the freezing water. You will feel the pull between a conscience and a heart. When you start out with a lie, a lie is all you will have left in the end. You will find yourself asking what would you have done in these friends places. Could you have made these choices. As a son, daughter, mother, wife, husband and child, all need protection but at what cost? This book takes you on a ride you will not soon forget. I felt like I was riding in the vehicles with these people on these icy roads. Down the steep hills and even going through the water. In the woods dark and alone. The emotion of this book pulled me in and would not let go. And that ending. It truly made me cry so hard. I felt such emotion for Charlotte. She’s one of the good ones. She really does deserve the best.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KimberlyBelle, #ParkRowPublishers for the ARC of this wonderful book. These are my own feelings about this book.

A big fat 5 stars and the highest possible recommendation for everyone.