Charlotte grew up on the wrong side of the tracks so when she marries Paul, a wealthy widower, their small lakeside town can't help but gossip. Despite what the people of Lake Crosby say about her upbringing, and the death of his first wife—it is rumoured that Paul drowned her—they live a charmed life. But when Charlotte discovers a young woman's body floating in the same spot where Paul's wife died, things begin to unravel.
It seems at first that this is just a horrible coincidence. But the woman is no stranger, Charlotte saw her husband talking to her the day before. She is stunned when Paul tells the police that he has never seen the woman before. This lie causes the first fracture in their new union, but Charlotte is determined to keep it from breaking apart.
As Charlotte begins to uncover things that Paul has been hiding from her, she realizes how little she knows about her new husband. In her heart, she truly believes that he is a good man. So then why is her head telling her that there is something he's hiding in the lake?
Off the heels of the highly successful Dear Wife, Kimberly Belle is back with another mesmerizing psychological thriller. She ratchets up the suspense with a repertoire of secrets, lies, and perfectly executed twists.
Set in an idyllic and atmospheric locale, the isolation adds yet another layer of doubt—it is the perfect location for this narrative! Told with alternating storylines from the past and present, Charlotte is an indelible heroine that readers will get behind.
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KIMBERLY BELLE is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of several suspense novels. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Agnes Scott College and has worked in fundraising for nonprofits at home and abroad.
Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.
Q & A with Kimberly Belle
Please give your elevator pitch for Stranger in the Lake.
Stranger in the Lake is a story about Charlotte, a rags-to-riches newlywed whose shiny new life takes a disastrous turn when a stranger’s body washes up under the dock of her Appalachian lake home—in the exact same spot where her husband’s first wife drowned.
Which came first: the characters or plot line?
Plot, always. My stores are very plot driven, and they always begin in my head with a what-if scenario. What if a woman marries way, way up and then her brand new husband is accused of murder? What if it looks like he’s guilty? How much of a role would her newfound wealth—and her fear of losing it—play in her decision to stick by him? That was basically where I began building the plot for Stranger in the Lake. Character came much later, after I’d thought through all the plot points and had them mapped out into an outline. Only at that point in the process do I really start thinking about what kind of person is best dropped into that situation, someone with plenty of blind spots and issues to work through, problems the plot will really shine a spotlight on. For Charlotte, it’s money and everything that comes along with it—security, status in the community, respect. She will have to untangle all these internal issues before her story can be resolved.
Why do you love Charlotte and why should readers root for her?
I love Charlotte because she is a survivor. She was born into the worst possible family, an absent father and an emotionally abusive mother who left her home with a baby for long periods of time, but instead of turning bitter or following in their footsteps, she emerged stronger. She figured out a way to grow into a smart and kind and loving and trusting—maybe too trusting--person. She wants so much more out of life than what her parents offered, and she’s not afraid to work for it.
What's the "story behind the story" for Stranger in the Lake?
I’ve wanted to write a lake story for a while now. There’s just something about a big body of water--the dark swirling currents, the beautiful but remote setting… It’s the perfect place to set a suspenseful story because you just know something bad is going to happen there.
At the same time, I spend a good deal of family time in the Highlands/Cashiers area of North Carolina. It’s a place of stunning beauty, but where there’s a huge gulf between rich and poor. Wealthy outsiders have come in and completely transformed the area, carving out golf courses and building shops and restaurants and million dollar homes on the lake…and then you have the people who have lived there for generations—the ones flipping the burgers and scrubbing the toilets. This polarity makes for some very interesting dynamics, because when there’s money involved, when people have too much or their basic needs aren’t being met, morals can become questionable. This is something I really dug into for this story.
The narration of Dear Wife was so unique, what can you say about the narration/structure of Stranger in the Lake that isn't going to spoil anything?
Stranger in the Lake is told largely through Charlotte’s point of view, with occasional snippets of a story many years in the past. This makes the structure much more straightforward than Dear Wife, and when I began I thought it would be an easier story to tell. Fewer heads for me to crack open for the reader, fewer viewpoints for me to keep string together just so. But once I started writing, I discovered sticking to one point of view made telling the story more difficult. Everything every other character thinks has to be filtered through Charlotte, through her reactions and internalizations. For this and a bunch of other reasons, Stranger in the Lake took me longer to write than Dear Wife.
Which character in the novel is most like you and why?
This is a tough one! I’d like to think I have Charlotte’s tough skin and that I share her sense of loyalty, but I’m not sure I could have survived everything she has. My research taught me that far more people follow in their parents’ tragic footsteps than break the cycle like Charlotte did, and I can’t say for certain which side of the equation I would have fallen on. I do also share Paul’s drive, his innate desire to create beautiful things, but I think (hope?) that’s where the similarities between us end. I guess that’s the answer here, that like most authors I put little pieces of myself into every character—the good, the bad, the ugly. My characters are the best and the worst of me.
How can everyone find you online during promotional rounds for Stranger in the Lake, since the traditional type of tours won't be possible?
A little pandemic can’t keep this author down! I have lots of online events planned, chats with bloggers and fellow authors and bookstores I’d planned to visit before this thing hit, and lots more in the works. The most up-to-date list is at www.kimberlybellebooks.com/events—and make sure to check back often. I am adding more every day.
What was your last 5 star read?
I have a couple recent ones. I tore through the paperback of Heather Gudenkauf’s This Is How I Lied, and I just listened to Kimberly McCreight’s The Good Marriage. Both were absolutely fabulous! And Heather and I will be doing a joint virtual event on my release day, June 9th. Details are on the events page of my website.
What is one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?
Just one? Hmm, I guess if I have to choose, it would be to trust the creative process. Every story is different, from the idea to the structure to the ease with which the words move from my head to my laptop to finished product. With every new story, I have an a-ha moment when I realize all the methodologies and processes I’ve used in the past won’t work with this one. I have to let all those “rules” go and let the story lead the way. Getting to The End is the hardest thing in the world, but also the most satisfying. There is no better feeling than to hold a finished copy of your book in your hand. It makes all those sleepless nights worth it.
Do you have any specific writing rituals?
When I’m writing, I have a hard time sitting still—kind of strange for a job that requires many hours in a chair with a laptop. But it is a laptop so I move around a lot, floating around the house from my office to the kitchen to the living room to the outdoor patio. I change spots depending on my mood or the way the sun is shining through the window. Sometimes figuring out how to untangle a plot knot is as simple as a change of scenery.
What can you tell us about your next project?
I am currently working on a story about a home invasion. It’s a premise that has always terrified me, and it hits awfully close to home as it happens a lot here in Atlanta. I even know a family that survived one. I’ve pulled in a few details of their experience for this story, then mixed in plenty more from my imagination. No title yet, but out sometime in 2021.
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