Suicide Lake

By: Ashley Fontainne

Narrated by: Sara Morsey

Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Those who have secrets beneath the murky waters will stop at nothing to keep them hidden.

Renee Thornton is on the brink of despair, ready to take a final plunge and join the other tragic souls at the bottom of Bradford Lake - known to locals as Suicide Lake.

Her plans change when she's startled back to reality after a body brushes up against her from the depths below. Terrified, Renee runs away and slams into her old flame Cliff Simpson, a deputy with Whitten County Sheriff's Department.

Strange events unfurl after the discovery of the corpse. Renee and Cliff find themselves caught up in a web of lies, deceit, and mystery.

Now, instead of being able to slip away silently and become another anonymous statistic, Renee finds herself entangled in a murder investigation. Is Cliff her ally or enemy? Who can she trust? What other secrets will rise to the surface?

©2016 Ashley Fontainne (P)2016 Ashley Fontainne

Paybacks are Hell!

Where does Suicide Lake rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I liked this book because the author actually put you into the minds the way real people think and talk.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Suicide Lake?

When the main character went to the lake to take her life and she encounters a dead body. All hell breaks loose after that.

Which character – as performed by Sara Morsey – was your favorite?

I liked the way she did Billy. Hard to do a man if you are a woman. LoL

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Lake is not always what it seems.

Good story...

Lots of twists and turns with this one. I wasn't a big fan of the narration. The characters all sounded the same and older. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Riveting ... Could Not Stop Listening

Would you consider the audio edition of Suicide Lake to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version so therefore I could not say.

What other book might you compare Suicide Lake to and why?

I would compare Suicide Lake to Cirque Macabre because they have the same type of suspense and intrigue that makes you want to keep listening,.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene would be when Renee discovers the body and Officer "Dick" as she calls him is being really obnoxious with her and she doesn't back down. I love a female lead that has a strong character.

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

Suicide Lake

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

This is a dark mystery/ thriller. Journey along to find out "who done it." There are plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing. Who will prevaai? Listen on to find out.


The narration was well done. The characters were excellently portrayed.

Twisty!

All of the crazy plot twists and revenge driven antagonists I've come to expect from Fontainne! I literally had no idea what the outcome was going to be, until the very last minute! Morley was the perfect choice for the narration. With her sweet southern charm meshes perfectly with the story. Loved it! I received a promotional copy in exchange for an honest review.

Could have been more

Underneath the dark water holds the secrets that will chance Renee’s life forever. When Renee can’t deal with her life and the haunting past, she decides it was time to end her life like so many others have. As she was ready to take her life, she discovers a dead body that changes her plans…and also runs into an old friend that just happened to be there.

For the first half of the story I was fully engaged as I was trying to figure out what was going on. The characters had their secrets – even the ones that just seemed like normal-nothing-important characters. There was so many secrets.

There was some instant love stuff…or was it old feelings brewing. Either way, I didn’t really care for it. I’m not sure it really added to the story for me. And then there was the surprise erotica.


It didn’t last long but did we really need it there? After that it went all down hill for me. We encounter an information dumb, big surprise that wasn’t much of a surprise, and then The End.

How was the Audio? Sara Morsey did an excellent job narrating. The audio was clear and the pacing didn’t make you feel like you wanted to sleep.

Overall, this story was just okay for me.

thrilling mystery with a hint of romance

Renee has lost all hope, and considering all the things life had thrown at her, it was very easy to sympathize with her. But just when she decides to end it all at the local spot known as 'Suicide Lake', she discovers a woman's body in the water, and soon Renee becomes deeply engrossed in a maze of betrayal and deceit.As a romance begins to blossom between Renee and deputy sheriff Cliff, Renee slowly starts to believe that perhaps there could be a more promising future ahead for her. But in a corrupt town full of secrets, Renee's life is threatened once more, and she has to face up to her own problematic past.

As a romance begins to blossom between Renee and deputy sheriff Cliff, Renee slowly starts to believe that perhaps there could be a more promising future ahead for her. But in a corrupt town full of secrets, Renee's life is threatened once more, and she has to face up to her own problematic past.

Suicide Lake was a suspenseful and very entertaining small town mystery with lots of unexpected twists and witty sarcasm. Although a relatively short story, the characters were fully fleshed out, and in particular, the protagonist, Renee, was characterized superbly. You couldn't help but feel everything she was feeling. Ms. Fontainne managed to trick me once more as I was trusting the wrong character. I just love how you can never predict what it is going to happen in Ashley Fontainne's stories. She gets me every time.

Sara Morsey was a perfect fit for the narration of this audiobook. She embodied the character of Renee just right and kept all the other characters distinct with a range of different, suitable voices. She is just great at getting across the entire Southern flair, which makes the setting and the characters seem so real. There were no issues with the production.

I would highly recommend Suicide Lake if you enjoy thrilling mysteries with a hint of romance and an intriguing small town setting where nothing is as it seems.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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"Some things are meant to stay secret..."

Any additional comments?

Renée's life has not been an easy one. The only daughter, her father, Raymond (I'm too redneck to have a middle name) Thornton left when she was 13, her mother was an alcoholic, the man she married beat her regularly only to later serve time for murdering his second wife, and her child died when still a baby. After years of mental problems, broke, jobless, hopeless and in constant pain, she can no longer face life and goes to the nearbye lake to end it. Instead, she finds the body of a woman.

Told from Renee's point of view, the town's guilty secrets are slowly revealed. The book is greatly enhanced by the superb reading of Sara Morsey, who, with a slow and beautifully accented voice tells, almost unemotionally, of event past and present. She really is Renee, with all of her self pity, resentments, hopes and ongoing fears. And the beginnings of love. It is the narration which makes this a powerfully engrossing book, well worth hearing: I am not sure that the written word would have gripped my attention in the same way.

I am new to the writings of Ashley Fontaine. I enjoyed the construction of this story, the rambling reminiscences of an unstable woman. Even the rare inconsistencies in the text could be ascribed, not to the auhor but to the character, herself. Would I read another of Fontaine's books? Most certainly if read by the same narrator. As a written text? Probably not.

My thanks to the rights holder for the gift of my copy of Suicide Lake, sent via Audiobook Boom. It was refreshingly different, a story I will revisit in my head for some time into the future.

A truly great listen

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Wow, what a roller coaster of a book! Ashley Fontainne really knows how to build up suspense and move you through a story. I loved the small town with a dark secret setting and how you slowly find things out that just deepen the mystery... there is some romantic content but it is not overwhelming at all. The narration is great and made for an entertaining listening experience. I would definitely recommend this book for any fans of Ashley Fontainne's work or of the mystery/suspense genre.

Will the secrets under Suicide Lake be discovered?

My rating system:
***** This book is being added to my "favorite reads" list, and I will recommend it to everyone
**** This book is better than average in at least one area, and I highly recommend it
*** This is a perfectly adequate book that I enjoyed, and recommend it
** This book did not meet my expectations in at least two or more areas, and I only would recommend with hesitation
* This book did not appeal to me at all, and I would not recommend it

Just as Renee Thornton attempts to take her own life by jumping into Bradford Lake, known locally as the infamous "Suicide Lake", she discovers a body of a woman under the surface of the water. Will Renee be able to overcome her own personal demons as she struggles to survive in a town full of lies, deceit and mystery?

I enjoyed this audiobook because of the many twists and unexpected turns the plot takes, just as one conflict seems to be resolved, something unexpected happens that makes the reader reevaluate what will happen next. I would consider this a good choice for anyone who enjoys a short suspense thriller.

The story would have been better for me if the conflict with the mayor had not seemed so rushed in the beginning. It felt as though no rational background or reasoning was given for Renee's immediate trepidation and skepticism of him. As the story unfolds, it is discovered these fears were indeed rational, but there was not enough foreshadowing to justify her initial response toward him.

Potentially Offensive Content:

Sex - consensual intercourse between two unmarried people, threats of sexual violence, sexual activity involving a man with two women

Violence - domestic violence against women, multiple murders, suicide, woman is beaten by two men

Language - I did not keep a tally, but the there were many swear words and other potentially offensive language sprinkled throughout the entire book. The "F" word is used multiple times.

I especially enjoyed all of the twists and turns this plot takes, the story keeps the reader guessing until the very end. I also felt the book was very strong in the area of character development and growth regarding Renee, especially. At the end of the book, she is most definitely not the hopeless, suicidal, desperate woman she is at the beginning.

Sara Morsey did a fantastic job narrating this audiobook. Her voice perfectly captured the age and tone I would have imagined Renee to possess.

"The water holds dark secrets meant to remain hidden"

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.com."