Lakeview House

By: Helen Phifer

Narrated by: Katy Sobey

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Icy water laps against the wooden jetty. But the girl doesn’t notice the cold as she slips slowly under the freezing surface....

Running from a devastating relationship that almost cost her everything, Maddy Hart impulsively accepts a job as a live-in caretaker at imposing Lakeview House. She has no memories of having visited the crumbling mansion on the banks of Lake Thirlmere before, but when she arrives, something about the house feels familiar....

The more time Maddy spends in the house, the more unsettled she feels. Why does the local story about the last woman who lived here, who drowned on her wedding day, chill Maddy to the bone? By day, she clears out the dusty rooms, but in the dead of night, it’s hard to explain away the eerie noises or crackly radio she hears hours after she turned it off. Slowly, Maddy begins to fear that her worst nightmare is coming true. Has her past caught up with her?

When a soaking wet wedding dress is left on Maddy’s doorstep, she feels completely trapped. It is her exact measurements. Is her ex trying to send her a message? Or has Maddy’s digging uncovered an even deadlier secret? Will this perfect escape become the perfect trap?

Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Lisa Gardner, and Ruth Ware.

Lakeview House was previously published as What Lies Below.

©2022 Helen Phifer (P)2022 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

I fell for the red herring!

I liked this story of a serial killer and a writer attempting to get her creative juices flowing in an abandoned mansion in the fells. I did have a few issues: if my best friend was in danger of being attacked or murdered, I probably wouldn't stop to canoodle a deli employee, and I probably would have tried to contact someone who could get the word to said friend that the psycho was in route. The main character was a little off, too. You just get out of an abusive relationship and you're ready to canoodle a total stranger? Just seems unlikely. The narration was great, and I will re-read this one.

Just ok

So I thought this would be a predictable book but it ended up not being in one way and then totally being predictable in another way. I stopped it a few times because I thought I wouldn’t finish it but I did. No wrong, I’m glad I read the whole thing, but really not so great.

Entertaining

The story kept my interest for the most part. It was well narrated. The ending was sort of abrupt and open ended I suspected who the killer was a little past half way through, for whatever that's worth. I enjoyed the characters. Overall it was an enjoyable audiobook.

I should have seen that twist at the end....

As another reviewer said, description of the house was oddly lacking in a story named for a house. There was much opportunity in this story, and it's worth reading, but I hoped for something scarier with more haunted house vibes. Although it was about adult characters, it felt YA especially in the romance area. In the world of show-don't-tell, I don't feel that I was shown that this would or could be the culprit so it was definitely a surprise and I did not see it coming. HUGE PRAISE for the writing of the side characters, though - they were so real and so much fun and part of that was the narration.

The subtitle is so true and accurate!

I love love love this book, very well written, very suspenseful and entertaining as well. Excellent performance by the narrator also!

I really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were likable and the story moved at a good pace. Also the narrator was very good

Good suspense/crime

Good suspense or crime story set in lake district. Glad I tried this author for the first time.

Good story but poor narrator

The story was good but the narrator spoke fast. With her quick speaking it was as if everything was urgent.

Glad it Was a Sale Purchase

This book is quite basic and you pretty much know where it is headed at the beginning. There was potential there and the narration's not bad, but there is not any depth to it at all. If you are looking for something superficial with wine, hormones and some mystery then this is for you.

Good Mystery

Really enjoyed this one! I'll definitely recommend to neighbors, friends and all my family! Sometimes I just can't make the required number of words.

Very Predictable

It was a good story but very Predictable. There weren’t enough Characters to be anything else I’m afraid.

Great book

This book kept me in suspense all the way through and enjoyed it a lot. I would recommend you listen to it.

Good story

This was good but not quite as exciting as it could have been. Like the creepy bits and characters were fairly good but not enough depth to them. Kept you wondering. No twists and turns though so bland in places.

A bit of a 'soft' mystery

Not sure if it was due to the narrator who didn't really create a 'mysterious' atmosphere or whether it was the story itself; but I found there was probably about 1hour of suspense. Although I did enjoy the parts of the book set in the Lake District.

Loved it

Stumbled upon this author after a few disappointing audible story listens that led me to give up on them unfinished. This has restored my faith in audible again. Loved this…creepy but not too scary that I couldn’t listen. Off to explore more by same author now.