Dark Lake Reviews
Kritters Ramblings – March 2, 2012
Mystery and intrigue wrapped up in a book that can be read in one thrilling day. The reader meets Allie as she heads back to a summer home that holds many memories – both good and bad. She hasn’t been on property in 15 years due to an accident that forever changed her relationship with her extended family members. Upon arrival she finds a murder and is flung into an investigation to get to the bottom of what has been happening while she has been away.
As with any murder mystery or who dun its (as I like to call them) there are twists and turns, but I am always wary that the twists and turns will either be too predictable or come from nowhere. There is a perfect little pocket where the story unfolds just right and this one did it! With many players in the story, the author introduced them seamlessly and the flow was just right.
I loved the combination of family drama and a murder investigation, it made it a complete story. All the pieces were there at the beginning but the reader has to read until the very last page to be able to put all the pieces in the correct spot to get the complete story. This was a perfect book to curl up with the possibility of a snow storm on its way.
Allie Armington Goes to the Adirondacks
Author Louise Gaylord Discusses Writing and Her New Book Dark Lake By Nuria Reed
Saturday, October 15, 2011
In a secluded compound of cabins above a lake in the Adirondacks, a young private investigator and assistant district attorney from Texas finds a beloved family member dead, a string of cover ups by corrupted officials, and a cousin in love with a dangerous man.
So begins Dark Lake, the fourth book in the suspenseful Allie Armington murder mystery series by award-winning author Louise Gaylord, who lives and writes in both Santa Barbara and her hometown of Houston, Texas. A spunky and curious young woman with a taste for adventure and a knack for finding out the truth, the character of Allie was originally inspired by Gaylord’s time on a grand jury in Houston. The assistant DA was “so lousy,” recalled Gaylord, that she thought “a woman could do this so much better.”
In the style of Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, Gaylord deftly intertwines family, love, murder, and suspense in these dark and exciting reads. Since the first book, Anacacho, Allie Armington has been in three more, each set in a new location. Dark Lake takes place in the Adirondacks, as Gaylord explained, because she has been going up there with her family for 47 years. The complex of cabins that the story centers around is based on an actual place that she saw while on a party boat with her family one summer long ago.
Gaylord never imagined she would be an author, and she didn’t even start writing until after her children were born and she became acquainted with the computer. “I could never have written them longhand,” she said. Though some authors follow an outline, Gaylord “lets it all hang out” and has “no idea where the story is going,” a strategy that keeps her amused. She enjoys the research and writing components of her novels equally. In the case of Dark Lake, Allie exposes a meth operation, including several faster and more streamlined mobile meth labs, which is something that Gaylord read about and researched in East Texas.
In the years that she has been writing, the publishing process has changed considerably and continues to do so almost daily, said Gaylord, who is an avid e-book user. She always makes her books available in e-form and also in print. “Some people say they have to have a book in their hand,” she said, “but I love my Kindle! I can carry 50 books with me in a very slim container.”
Gaylord self-published her first book after a friend in a writing group suggested Dan Poynter and his self-publishing seminars in Santa Barbara. She signed up and was reasonably successful. Now, Little Moose Press publishes the series, but she hopes one day that St. Martins might take it up. But the money is not in books, she said — it’s in TV or movie rights, and she is “not expecting to be a millionaire any time soon.”
Her next book-in-progress takes place on a cruise ship, and, for those who know the characters, Aiden and Myra have fallen in love and gotten married and brought the whole family on their honeymoon. The story involves an Italian captain who is not as good as he thinks he is and a new love interest for Allie. Gaylord plans on getting Allie to Santa Barbara in one of her future books. Each book takes about two to three years for her to write and she thinks she has at least three more before the series is complete.
Gaylord will be coming back to Santa Barbara around Thanksgiving and staying until March. In December, she’s likely to be doing book signings at Chaucer’s Books and Tecolote Book Shop. Stay tuned for that info.
WV Stitcher – Oct 2011 – Review of Dark Lake
My take on this book:
I love reading a good mystery where I am left wondering “Who Dun It” right up until the end and with “Dark Lake” that’s exactly what I got.
When I first started reading this book I didn’t realize there were other books in this series and honestly it didn’t matter. The author weaves this story so well, giving plenty of background information that it easily is a stand alone book. I love the character of Allie. Its easy to imagine her as a no nonsense person who doesn’t let anything stop her when she decides to find answers.She also seems very down to earth, which made me feel like she was an old friend.
By Chels – October 18, 2011
Ready for another Allie Armington Mystery novel? This book is no less exciting than the first. Allie returns to a vacation home in the Adirondacks at the request of her cousin, she is supposed to receive exciting news when she arrives. The first moment Allie steps through the door she can tell something is off, that feeling only grows as Allie awaits her relatives’ arrival to the house. After awhile, she decides to search on her own. What she finds shocks her. The story takes off from there.
As a character, Allie reminded me a bit of Nancy Drew. She was inquisitive, intelligent, and possessed a quick mind. She is a likable character and the reader will enjoy following her through the novel. The secondary characters are just as interesting, maybe more so because the reader will always be guessing who the bad guys are.
The events were interesting, the reader will like following Allie’s logic as she makes decision and uncovers clues. The ending was perfect. This book is recommended to mystery lovers.
By K. Sozaeva – October 14, 2011
Well-done mystery, great characters, a must-read!
Allie Armington has returned to the vacation home in the Adirondacks after 15 years; her cousin, Arlene, to whom she is as close as a sister, invited her, saying she had exciting news that she wanted to share. When Allie arrives, however, things don’t appear right – the car belonging to her Aunt Sallie, Arlene’s mother, is in front, but there is no sign of either Aunt Sallie or Arlene – no sign of anyone. Deciding they have just gone to the store, Allie lets herself in and helps herself to a glass of lemonade, taking it out onto the balcony overlooking the lake. However, when she looks down at the lake, she finally sees her Aunt Sallie – who is dead and half in the water. After searching the house, Allie finds Arlene tied up in an upstairs bedroom and obviously drugged; Arlene tells of two men in ski masks.
This appears to be the 4th Allie Armington mystery – it’s the first one I’ve read. Allie is an engaging character, and each of the other characters in the book is well-developed, including substantial histories. There are hints of past events that are never completely revealed – I’m not sure if some of these are covered in previous volumes or not. However, even ignorant of previous plotlines, I was able to follow the story – it stood on its own just fine. The plot moves along at a good clip and flows smoothly. The mystery is well done and I never once fingered the correct perpetrator – the plot twists kept the road ahead well hidden. This is a book I can highly recommend for fans of mystery/thriller/suspense fiction – if you haven’t met Louise Gaylord’s Allie Armington yet, well, what are you waiting for?
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