Harrow Lake

By: Kat Ellis

Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Alex McKenna, Jason Culp

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A must-have thriller that will keep you gripped, keep you guessing, and keep you up all night.

"A captivating and creeping mystery full of brilliantly twisting turns and dark secrets. You will race through this chilling, thrilling book." --Holly Jackson, bestselling author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker—she thinks nothing can scare her.

But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she's quickly packed off to live with a grandmother she's never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father's most iconic horror movie was shot. The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map—and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.

And there's someone—or something—stalking her every move.

The more Lola discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola's got secrets of her own. And if she can't find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her.

"Atmospheric and chilling." --Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species

"You're going to want to read this one with all the lights on." --Cat Winters, author of In the Shadow of Blackbirds

"A thrilling mindbender." --BCCB

"A sinister story that slowly builds to a heart-pounding climax." --Kirkus Reviews

"Bound to give you jittery nightmares--when you can finally fall asleep." --Emma Berquist, author of Devils Unto Dust

©2020 Kat Ellis (P)2020 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Harrow Lake is a captivating and creeping mystery full of brilliantly twisting turns and dark secrets. You'll hear Mister Jitters in the deadly whisper of the pages as you race through this chilling, thrilling book." —Holly Jackson, best-selling author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

"Harrow Lake is a book that's hard to put down. Scary, suspenseful and deliciously twisty, it hits that 'Netflix binge' sweetspot. It's also a hugely entertaining riff on '80s and '90s horror, echoing everything from Stephen King to Scream, with some neat twists on familiar tropes." —Fiona Noble

"This dark and twisty book will keep you gripped to the very last page and give you sleepless nights. Atmospheric and beautifully written, Harrow Lake is a five-star must-read." —Sarah J. Harris, author of The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder

Fist ever real book I’ve read

My first time ever listening and reading a book completely that’s actually considered a book.I started this book because of a school project but I actually enjoyed the story and just the book overall 9/10 😙👌December Wednesday 15,2022.🌵

100% recommend! Did not disappoint!

I didn't have any expectations going in to this book, I'd just been looking for a book about ghosts to start off the Halloween season and this did not disappoint! I was hooked from chapter one. It kept my on the edge of my seat as events unfolded and had some fantastic moments that sent chills down my spine! I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a something to keep them up at night! the performance was fantastic and the interview aspect in the beginning was such a great attention grabber and a fantastic ending that left me wanting so much more!!!

Really enjoyed this one!!

Just a little bit YA, but without the teenage stupidity. Super creepy to me. The narration was done really well. The story kept me listening. No gore really. The “optimal” wasn’t that bad and was just to make a point, I think.


Potential trigger - abuse
.........................................


If you can’t do discussion of family abuse (physical or sexual) you may want to reconsider. It does delve into these... not graphically, but it is pertinent to the story. I am not a fan of these topics, but I was able to enjoy the story despite the discussion.

Decent Horror

Non spoiler:
This is a decent horror novel. It won’t surprise you if you read many horror novels or are familiar with the horror genre. The characters are slightly weak and could have benefited with more close and lighthearted conversations about common interests or past experiences. I also had trouble connecting with the main character because more focus was placed on the mystery.
Spoiler alert:
Look
Away
Now
This book is about trauma. It deals with some heavy stuff such as sexual assault and emotional abuse. There is some terrifying imagery that might be upsetting to those who do not enjoy gore or bugs. . . I don’t enjoy bugs, I’m with ya.
I hope hope this helps and whoever you are, have an amazing day/night!

Well worth the time and credit

I liked most everything about this book just feel it ended a little flat. While most books I feel go on too long this one could have had a few more chapters just so we could have had SOME closure...

Poor reviews miss a lot

Although this book has a lot of common horror tropes, they are curated in a refreshing way.

The negative reviews here criticize the literary devices like repetition that are critical to the characters and plot (Stephen King does this ALL the time btw). Or these reviews want the novel to be something it's not.

Though I'm not the biggest fan of unreliable narrators or dream sequences, this book uses both tastefully. The result is a well organized narrative with a satisfying ending.

Not exactly “optimal”

This book is YA AF, so if you’re looking for a mature horror story - seek elsewhere. It’s fine for what it is, though. The only thing I couldn’t stand was the narrator’s constant use of the word “optimal”.

Meh story; great performance

The reading of the story is better than the story itself. A bit predictable and anti-climactic.

YA Book Warning

I downloaded this book without realizing that it was a YA book. The first hour or two are ok but it takes a nosedive after that. There were elements of incest and mental illness that were never addressed and is it normal for teenagers to hallucinate imaginary friends? It’s about a 17 year old girl with a lot of trauma and mental illness and reads like it was written by a 17 year old trying to write a scary story. If you are a teen or tween that does not read much, you might like this - everyone else might not want to waste their time. I really don’t understand the good reviews that this book received.

Unreliable narrator that fails on every level

This book is a waste of listening time. The protagonist is a sociopath that somehow makes leaps in logic to somehow solve an ongoing mystery. Nothing can be confirmed by the conclusion of this book, except that Lola is psychotic and has bulletproof plot armor.