The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright

About the Book

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed being among the Northwoods, helping her father with programming at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess, who still roams the woods. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coons cabin ruins and a rotting porcelain doll. But even more terrifying is seeing her name etched on the doll’s foot like a sinister omen.

In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last ten years carrying the mantle of mystery since she emerged from the forest as an eight-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger’s axe. She has accepted she’ll never remember what happened to her family. When a member of the town of Tempter’s Creek is murdered, rumors spread that Ava’s secret is more malicious than previously imagined.

Both women discover that to save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.

The Review

Although a full grown woman, Ava is emotionally frozen at the age of 10 when she came from the woods dragging a bloody ax. The town, for the most part, ignore her until a man is murdered with an ax just like her family had been. Suspicion falls on her, so the handsome reverend takes her into his protection for fear that a mob might try to take matters into their own hands.

The modern storyline takes place in a Bible camp where the main character, Wren, helps to search for a lost little girl. Losing a child in the wilderness is scary enough without ghost stories creeping from memory to reality.  Wren seems to be singled out by a fantom-woman, and when details about her mother come to light she is forced to dig deeper into her past than she ever expected. At her side is her hot boyfriend, eccentric brother, and her closest friend–Eddie. 

As mysteries unfold, Wren is forced to look at her entire life in a new light while Ava, in the historical storyline, dredges further into violence and mystery to remember what happened to her family at Lost Lake and finally find herself in the ruins.

If you love books by Erin Bartels, Michelle Griep, and Christina Suzann Nelson, you will enjoy this compelling suspense featuring two women from different time periods who face the shadows of their pasts to find their future. The Souls of Lost Lake is a must-read.

This review was originally shared in episode 28

About the Author

Jaime Jo Wright is a winner of the Christy, Carol, Daphne du Maurier, and INSPY Awards. She’s also the PW and ECPA bestselling author of three novellas. Jaime brings to life the stories of the past and intertwines them with the present, to bring readers award-winning time-slip novels.

Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.