Blackwater Lake

A near-perfect novella – just the right length to spend some time with this story and these characters.

Matthew left his childhood home as soon as he could and never returned. There was a sickness in the home, one that grew in scope and strength, one that left him suffocated and isolated. He got no answers during his parents’ lives as to how it came to infect them all. But upon their deaths, he learns more than he could have imagined about the origins of the illness that gripped them for 35 years.

Maggie James gives sinister life to an ailment that is usually not closely examined, in literature or in life. I won’t spoil what one finds behind the front door of his parents’ house. But not even Matt had an idea what lay buried show more inside, within his own reach for so many years. He’s able to set in motion the solving of a cold case, bringing justice to some and peace to others, and to understand the framework of his life so much better.

On top of all the sub-text is the story of a 35-year-old crime. The author moves the plot forward effortlessly, leaving the reader wondering, “what happens next?” at every turn.

There’s one or two misses in this story that keep it from being perfect. First, the motive for the crime seems a bit threadbare, and over-used in this era. Second, after doing mostly showing instead of telling for the first 90% of the book – and to great success – it’s all tied up a bit too much, too quickly, with too much telling, not enough showing.

Still, that’s no reason not to pick this up when you can. At around 100 pages, this is a quick read and a good introduction to this author. I’m looking forward to reading more by her. show less

What secrets are hidden at Blackwater Lake? I was very impressed with this novella. Though short in length, the book’s characters and plot were well developed. Great mystery/suspense, and a freebie from B&N too. Would love to read more from Maggie James.

Matthew Stanyer left his family home as soon as he could: His mother Evie was a hoarder. But when she came down with rapidly progressing early-onset Alzheimer’s, son Matthew returns home to help his father Joe. But, even with Matthew’s help, Joe decides to take action: He strangles his wife at Blackwater Lake before drowning himself.

Grief-stricken, Matthew begins clearing out decades of detritus, he begins to discover letters, photos — and secrets — that date back 35 years. Readers will enjoy finding out the secrets and the many twists and turns in author Maggie James’ suspenseful novella.

Special thanks to Lisa, my Great Escape Sister, for leading me to this unique novella.

My first thought when opening this ebook was that it seemed a very short book to tell a full story, only some 93 pages, but I can only assure you that the story was complete without being rushed or anything. From the first pages I was completely drawn into the story. It already starts off with a bit of intrigue about Matthew’s parents, they disappeared and he’s at the police station. It seems he had reasons to want to escape from home, his parents had secrets and the police will understand when they’ll go to their home. There are a lot of mysterious comments at first and we fall from one surprise into another, especially when Matthew stumbles upon some secret family history when he’s looking through his parents affairs. We are show more with him all along to the big finale. The story is well developed and has good pacing, I really liked the main character and I recognized it was good writing from the very first pages. I’m glad I discovered this little gem of an author and look forward to reading another one of her books.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review* show less

I was surprised by this short piece of work, I didn't think it would end the way would, and I enjoyed the various twist's and turns.

Maggie James had me feeling for the characters, Matt the son who was embarrassed by his mothers hoarding, Evie who had a problem throwing things away, soft spoken Joe who just wanted to care for his wife and son. People joke around and say they are hoarders but Evie was truly a hoarder. She kept all kinds of things in her house for the last 30 something years. I liked how Matt was able to see a different side of his parents while going through boxes of books, papers, and other things he discovered.

This was a quick read that I read during my lunch break, the pace was fast, and the plot kept me turning the page.

Matthew Stanyer hasn't been the perfect son, although he's tried. He came home from Greece when his mother fell ill, but he can't bring himself to embrace his childhood home with comfort since it's miserable existence has been taken over with strange hoarding and shame. When he finds out his parents are missing and what's happened them, the hoarding takes on a whole new level of meaning.

It's not often I've read about hoarding, and I dug how the author tied this into a psychological secret the characters try to cover up with physical stuff. Interesting concept. I thought it was interesting how the author focuses so much on the character's embarrassment of his parent's condition. Digging through the hoard reveals secrets that turns this show more thriller type into a full blown mystery.

The pool of suspects isn't huge, so it's possible to guess the culprit, although I didn't guess the motive. Characters are likable but the dialogue interchanges between Matthew and his girlfriend were rather annoying, especially the overuse of "babe."

A short novella, it's worth a read when in the mood for a small town with an aged crime story that has now been uncovered and brought to light. show less

Psychological Suspense Novella, James’ Blackwater Lake is as haunting as it is mysterious. Matthew Stanyer’s parents are missing. Worse yet, they come up dead. And that is just the beginning of this beautifully crafted novella. Secrets, reveals—better left buried?—the plot weaves to a surprising end.
Review can also be read on Le Coeur de l'Artiste: http://www.djadamson.com/le-coeur-de-lartiste