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Maggie James
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Blackwater Lake: A psychological suspense novel Kindle Edition

by Maggie James (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 6,742 ratings

Still waters run deep...

When Matthew Stanyer’s parents go missing, he fears for their safety. His father has been struggling to cope with Matthew’s mother, who suffers from dementia. The nightmare worsens when Joseph and Evie’s bodies are found at Blackwater Lake, a local beauty spot. An inquest rules the deaths as a murder-suicide, based on the note Joseph left for his son.

Grief-stricken, Matthew begins to clear his parents' house of decades of compulsive hoarding, only to discover the dark enigmas hidden within its walls. Ones that lead Matthew to ask: why did his father choose Blackwater Lake to end his life? And what other secrets do its waters conceal?

A short (26,000 words) novella, Blackwater Lake examines one man's determination to uncover his family's troubled past.
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  1. Print length
    130 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    September 27, 2015
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015WYIQ4K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orelia Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 27, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 6,742 ratings

About the author

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Maggie James

Maggie James

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Maggie James is a British author who lives near Newcastle. She writes psychological suspense novels.

Before turning her hand to writing, Maggie worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practising as a nutritional therapist. Diet and health remain high on her list of interests, along with travel. Accountancy does not, but then it never did. The urge to pack a bag and go off travelling is always lurking in the background! When not writing, going to the gym, practising yoga or travelling, Maggie can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!

Sign up for Maggie's Special Readers' Group for the chance to win one of her signed paperbacks! Copy and paste this link into your browser: http://eepurl.com/bzW8ZP

Find out more about Maggie, including how to get her free novella Blackwater Lake, at https://www.maggiejamesfiction.com.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
6,742 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this psychological suspense novel engaging, with the story keeping them interested throughout and featuring lots of twists that keep them guessing. The writing style receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it reads like a full-length novel, and customers appreciate the well-developed characters and fast-paced plot. Customers describe the book as a page-turner that's very hard to put down, though opinions about its length are mixed, with some finding it enjoyable while others wish it was longer.

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316 customers mention "Readability"316 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, keeping them engaged throughout and describing it as a lovely afternoon read.

"...She has really done her homework on the psychology of hoarding. The characters come to life under her expert writing...." Read more

"...A good story without the time commitment. It provided me with the entertainment that I craved with the short amount of time that I had to enjoy it...." Read more

"...Still a quick and engaging read that you can easily get through during a typical plane ride...." Read more

"...Not here. This is good. It is fast paced...." Read more

291 customers mention "Suspenseful story"255 positive36 negative

Customers enjoy the suspenseful story of the book, praising its twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the end.

"...The characters come to life under her expert writing. The suspense is there ... the reader not quite certain where it's all leading...." Read more

"...A good story without the time commitment. It provided me with the entertainment that I craved with the short amount of time that I had to enjoy it...." Read more

"This is not the kind of story I normally read, but I enjoyed the mystery...." Read more

"...Overall, the story was great, though. There were some twists and turns, one of which I didn't care for, but still made for an interesting read...." Read more

184 customers mention "Writing style"177 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as well written and an easy read in its genre.

"...longer than a short story, shorter than a novel...but it reads as a full novel. She has really done her homework on the psychology of hoarding...." Read more

"...I read Blackwater Lake in a single sitting. The writing and plot had me engrossed and wanting to know what was going to happen...." Read more

"...read again or recommend to a friend, but it was a quick and easy read in a genre that I don't frequent...." Read more

"...I thought the book was well written...." Read more

51 customers mention "Character development"44 positive7 negative

Customers find the characters in the book nicely developed and easy to read.

"...The characters come to life under her expert writing. The suspense is there ... the reader not quite certain where it's all leading...." Read more

"...of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of...." Read more

"...The book is a short book, easily read in one sitting with few characters, something I enjoy, family members are discovered, secrets are unveiled...." Read more

"...I especially enjoyed the lead character, Matthew, and his action-reaction with the other characters...." Read more

39 customers mention "Pacing"37 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, describing it as a fast-paced and quick read that moves along at a good pace.

"...With it being a novella things moved fast and I didn't have to wait very long to find out how it would all play out. Was I able to figure it out?..." Read more

"...something I would read again or recommend to a friend, but it was a quick and easy read in a genre that I don't frequent...." Read more

"...Not here. This is good. It is fast paced...." Read more

"Blackwater Lake is difficult for me to review. On one hand, it’s a fast read, competently crafted, dealing with several complex topics, any of which..." Read more

23 customers mention "Page turner"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book captivating from the opening pages, describing it as a real page-turner that keeps readers engaged throughout.

"...Blackwater Lake is well-written, suspenseful, and the epitome of a page turner...." Read more

"...And the plot flowed smoothly, keeping the reader (me) involved. I enjoyed it and it was a good display of the author's abilities." Read more

"...A good, quick and page turning read." Read more

"...’s novella size makes it a quick read, as usual I was captivated from the opening pages and swept along by Maggie’s convincingly crafted characters,..." Read more

14 customers mention "Difficulty to put down"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the book very hard to put down.

"...Good story line. Written with British text, still easy enough for "non-brits" to follow (lol). Not long, but not to short either...." Read more

"Nice read. Easy to follow and had some twists that kept me interested. I would recommend this to a friend" Read more

"I loved this book! Well written, filled with suspense, hard to put down...." Read more

"Well written, I struggled to put it down. I'd say around halfway through I had my suspicions on who the killer was but I wasn't certain...." Read more

45 customers mention "Shortness"26 positive19 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some finding it short but sweet and enjoyable, while others wish it was longer.

"...The book is a short book, easily read in one sitting with few characters, something I enjoy, family members are discovered, secrets are unveiled...." Read more

"...This is a novella .. longer than a short story, shorter than a novel...but it reads as a full novel...." Read more

"This is not a very long book...you can read it in one sitting...." Read more

"...find it difficult to share my thoughts on novellas because the length is so short and I always fear I'm going to give something away...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • booklover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Be Careful What You Wish For -- You Might Get It!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Hoarding is more than just a mess ... it's a common problem difficult to treat. A hoarder has the compulsion to save anything and everything. They cannot bear to do without what they have.

    This is one of the illnesses that affects Matthew's mother. When he lived at home, he never had friends .. he was too embarrassed to let anyone see how his family lived.

    He has moved closer to home, now, because of his mother's early onset dementia. His father can't do it all himself anymore. He fears the worst when his parents go missing ..and then later are found as victims of a murder / suicide.

    As he works to clean out the house, he discovers there are secrets buried beneath the piles of boxes and food and clutter .... secrets that are 30 years old. Matthew feels a need to discover what his family has always hidden from him.

    You know the saying .... be careful of what you wish for, you might get it.

    The author has tackled this social problem at its basic core. What causes that urge one day to start collecting? How does the family exist in that kind of environment?

    This is a novella .. longer than a short story, shorter than a novel...but it reads as a full novel. She has really done her homework on the psychology of hoarding. The characters come to life under her expert writing. The suspense is there ... the reader not quite certain where it's all leading.

    An excellent read. Highly recommend. 5 Stars!

    My thanks to the author and Catlady Bookover Publicity who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kristine
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    3.5 stars
    I picked this novella up to read when I found myself short on time and behind on my blogging. It was the synopsis that really caught my attention and made me want to read it.

    I always find it difficult to share my thoughts on novellas because the length is so short and I always fear I'm going to give something away. I'll keep my thoughts brief because of that.

    This story focuses on Mathew as he begins the giant task of cleaning out the family home after their murder-suicide. Not an easy task when his mother was a hoarder all of his life. Mathew thought that his father did the unthinkable because of his mother's dementia but things buried in the hoard begin to make him question and long hidden secrets are discovered.

    I read Blackwater Lake in a single sitting. The writing and plot had me engrossed and wanting to know what was going to happen. With it being a novella things moved fast and I didn't have to wait very long to find out how it would all play out. Was I able to figure it out? Yes, but that is just me. Was it obvious? I don't think so.

    This novella delivered exactly what I was looking for. A good story without the time commitment. It provided me with the entertainment that I craved with the short amount of time that I had to enjoy it. I will definitely be checking out more work from this author.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • karlaina
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious but not the stuff nightmares are made of
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is not the kind of story I normally read, but I enjoyed the mystery. I liked that it was dark but didn't suck me into a creepy place personally - maybe because it was so short that I didn't have too much time to get emotionally invested. I thought that aspects of its conclusion were obvious by the way the author set it up, but there were enough pieces to the puzzle missing that I didn't have all the details figured out by the end.

    It's really short - don't expect lots of complex character arcs or details about the protagonist's relationships. Still a quick and engaging read that you can easily get through during a typical plane ride. This was not something I would read again or recommend to a friend, but it was a quick and easy read in a genre that I don't frequent.

    One reviewer commented on the demonization of the Protestant faith in the story. I will agree that that detail did seem to kind of come out of left field, leaving me wondering why the author threw that in. Besides, the behavior of the Christians in the book sounds more in keeping with some fringe cult that should hardly have been labeled "Christian" - especially since the narration explains that their "fundamentalist" sect was a fad that died out shortly after it began. It struck me as odd, and I was off-put by the way the protagonist reasoned that so many people's lives (including his) were ruined by the strict religious practices of grandparents he never even knew existed until
    decades after their deaths. In real life too many people blame their failures and character flaws on bad parenting. Come on - don't be the victim or secondary character in your own life! Everyone's got their stuff to deal with and some parents do mess up their kids. But everyone is responsible for their own decisions. Plenty of people have bad parents and don't grow up to be murderers or hoarders. Right?
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Booklover Catlady
    5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific, taut and tension filled plot. Fantastic tangible characters, plenty of suspense, dead bodies and twists. Brilliant!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Maggie James' writing is like a fine wine, it just gets better and better over time. Blackwater Lake is her latest offering and was a fantastic read. I was immersed in this novella from the very beginning and loved the aspects of the human psyche that it explored. Maggie is known for tackling different subject matter in each of her books, her last book The Second Captive tackled a complex case of Stockholm Syndrome. In Blackwater Lake, Maggie tackles...

    HOARDING.

    That is not all that Maggie brings to us in this psychological thriller, with a plot that is sure to thrill, this novella is a little winner.

    Evie is a hoarder, a serious hoarder, picture a house filled to the brim with just "stuff", on top of this Evie has dementia which is worsening day by day. Joseph, her son, is worried about both his mother and his father when he visits and realises how bad things are for them both.

    Then they both go missing...

    When their bodies are found by Blackwater Lake, Matthew has the unpleasant task of clearing the house. It is from here, dear reader that the plot gets really interesting. The waters get muddied. The past comes in to seep into the cracks of the present.

    The plot is taut and terrific, the characters incredibly tangible and realistic, especially Evie - I could picture her so clearly sitting in her world of hoarded items, refusing to let go of the safety net she has built around her with them. New characters are introduced and the plot weaves it's tricky course towards an ending that you may or may not see coming.

    This is one of those enjoyable reads that you can just get stuck into, it's not as long as a full novel so was a quick read for me and I happily devoured it in one sitting. Being the armchair sleuth that I am I was trying to guess where the twists were going, let's just say that I got some things right but some things wrong. Half a win.

    There are dead bodies. The question is - Why? What secrets does Blackwater Lake hold?

    I give 5 paw prints to Blackwater Lake. It's great reading, intriguing, gets the brain cells working and gives you plenty of mystery and murder. What more could you want? It will be popular with those who enjoy psychological thrillers but it's certainly not exclusive to those readers. A recommended read!
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  • R.M. Gauthier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Fresh
    Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Blackwater Lake is a short novella that engages readers from the first page until the last. A effectively woven story where the pace was spot on. Characters were well developed giving the readers a clear view into Matthew’s childhood and the relationship he had with his parents. Blackwater Lake was an engaging read that offered stunning scenery allowing the reader to step into the setting the author developed for the story. The plot structure pushed the story forward at just the right pace. The twists and turns throughout the story were unpredictable. Just when you think you have it figured out, Maggie twists the story in a new direction.
    What a pleasant surprise this novel was and a pleasure to read. I give the author credit in telling an age old story in a brilliantly fresh way.
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  • Dodo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spannende Novelle, die in der Kürze viele schwierige Themen gelungen einfängt
    Reviewed in Germany on January 18, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Matt meldet seine Eltern als vermisst, nachdem er sie bei seinem wöchentlichen Besuch nicht zu Hause vorfand, stattdessen aber einen beunruhigenden Abschiedsbrief seines Vaters. Das Verschwinden der beiden löst eine ganze Welle Enthüllungen über aus, denn am "Blackwater Lake", wo die zwei lebten, war vor über 30 Jahren schon einmal jemand verschwunden, damals eine junge Frau.
    Wie stehen die beide Geschehenisse in Verbindung? Und warum hatte Matts Mutter das "Messie"-Syndrom entwickelt, was dafür sorgte, dass Matt zwar geliebt und gut versorgt wurde, aber in einer zunehmend beengenden Behausung voller "Kram" aufwuchs, den er nun nach und nach entsorgen muss - und dabei natürlich durchsucht? Fürchtete Matts Vater, dass seine Frau, die früh an Alzheimer erkrankt war, bei einem ihrer aggressiven Schübe ein altes Geheimnis herausschreien könne?
    Zügig geschrieben mit mehreren überraschenden Wendungen, wobei die Enthüllungen im genau richtigen Tempo und glaubwürdig dargeboten werden. Es fällt wirklich schwer, die Novelle nicht in einem Rutsch zu lesen. Eins der besten Bücher, die ich in letzter Zeit gelesen habe.
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  • SSReadsALot
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing story ... vivid descriptions, likeable characters
    Reviewed in Australia on October 22, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Quite an enjoyable page-turner, with a real “Hitchcock-like” quality to it. I Very much enjoyed it, and will definitely read more by this author.
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  • louise Little
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read
    Reviewed in Australia on February 1, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A very lighthearted thriller.Very easy to read and very enjoyable
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