Grab your favorite blanket and lock your doors because I just finished The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene, and I am thoroughly creeped out (in the best possible way). This was The Creepy Book Club’s pick for January, and let me tell you, the girls picked well.
The Lake Of Lost Girls Summary
The Lake of Lost Girls has a dual timeline that will have you frantically flipping pages until 3 AM.
In 1998, female students were vanishing from Southern State University in North Carolina. Among them is freshman Jessica Fadley, who starts out as a bright and responsible student but begins spiraling through her own struggles before she mysteriously disappears.
Fast forward twenty-four years, and Jessica’s sister Lindsey is still searching for answers. When a new chart-topping true-crime podcast starts covering cold cases, including Jessica’s, Lindsey uses the momentum to fuel her own investigation.
The interest reaches a fever pitch when the bodies of the long-missing women begin turning up at a local lake, sending Lindsey down a disturbing road of discovery.
We see how Jessica’s disappearance has shaped Lindsey’s entire life, how the absence of answers has left this gaping wound that never quite heals.
The small-town setting in North Carolina provides the perfect backdrop for this mystery. You know how these small communities are — everybody knows everybody, but nobody knows everything.
As a millennial, I also loved the ’90s college timeline with no cell phones, cameras, or location trackers.
What makes this book so addictive is how it alternates between timelines. In the present day, Lindsey tries to untangle a complicated web of lies, while in the past, we watch Jessica descend into a darkness that leads to her ultimate fate. It’s like getting two thrillers for the price of one!
The Podcast Element
Can we talk about how brilliantly the suspenseful podcast clips are woven throughout this story? As a podcast host, I love a podcast element.
The way the podcast episodes help frame the investigation while also exploring the culture of true crime itself is masterful. It raises all these questions about our fascination with missing girls and how we consume these tragic stories as entertainment.
The Lake Of Lost Girls Review
Just when I thought I had things figured out, Katherine Greene would pull the rug out from under me again. The twisty tale of a missing student becomes increasingly complex as layers of deception are peeled back.
By the final page, I was like, “How did I not see that coming?”
If you’re a fan of All Good People Here or Listen for the Lie, you’ll enjoy this. It’s perfect for readers who appreciate:
- Cold cases that suddenly heat up
- Protagonists who take matters into their own hands
- Mysteries where the past and present collide
- Books that examine our fascination with true crime
- Stories about sisterhood, friendships, and family secrets
I don’t give out five stars easily, but The Lake of Lost Girls earned every single one.
The pacing is perfect and the characters are complex. I finished this book in two days because I could not stop listening and reading — yes, I did both.
By the time you reach the final revelations about what happened at that local lake all those years ago, you’ll be completely invested in these sisters’ stories.
Have you read The Lake of Lost Girls yet? Drop your thoughts on my Bookstagram at @ChristinaAllDay.
Katherine Greene is TWO women
Here’s a fun fact: Katherine Greene is actually the pen name of bestselling authors A. Meredith Walters and Claire C. Riley. These two clearly know their way around a thriller. You’d never guess this debut collaboration was written by two people.
