Author: Margaret Traynor and Killarney Traynor
Book: The Monster of Deep Water Lake (The Encounter Series: Book 3)
Published: January 2023
Publisher: Original Thirteen Publishing
Genre: Horror
Source: Paperback
Rating:
I must offer another apology for a long delay in posting. The Fall 2023 semester was unusually grueling. I also have been working to get my books ready for publication.
Synopsis:
Chief Petty Officer Charles Emery receives an urgent, though cryptic, message from his old mentor, Captain Donovan. Finding himself at Deep Water Lake, New Hampshire, he hears word of a crazy old man talking about a monster in the lake. To his shock, the captain is this man. Someone or something has attacked people and fishermen. But monsters don’t exist. Locals, fearing the loss of tourist dollars, want to lock him away. Captain Donovan’s daughter, Norah, will defend her father at all costs. Chief Emery must either prove the unprovable, condemn his friend and mentor to a mental institution, or… Perhaps he can find a third alternative. Locals are trying to scare the captain into silence. Victims of the Great Depression drift through town all the time with an air of desperation that make some capable of anything. The captain also has a near-do-well nephew who has a financial interest in seeing his uncle committed.
With the mystery deepening and his friend becoming more desperate, Chief Emery must discover the truth behind the lies. Threads of truth start fitting together but show a reality more complex than anyone imagines.
Review:
This novel is the third installment of The Encounter Series by the sisters Margaret and Killarney Trayner. Set in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, The Monster of Deep Water Lake follows Chief Petty Officer Charles Emery as he tries to understand what is happening to a man who once saved his life during the Great War. He is too much of a realist to buy Captain Donovan’s story of a monster, and the man had spent time in an institution. Chief Emery also must consider if there is more to it than simple delusion brought on by guilt. There are others in Deep Water Lake, New Hampshire, who would like to see him committed.
I found The Monster of Deep Water Lake to be a most enjoyable read. Being a resident of New Hampshire, with a particular fondness for the Lakes Region, I certainly enjoyed the setting. The way the Trayner sisters set the story up, one questions what kind of story one is reading through most of it: mystery, psychological thriller, or is there a monster somewhere? The characters and their interactions were believable and fun. I need to go back and read the rest of the series, now.
By the way:
Price of Vengeance is now available for preorder at most major distributors. You can also preorder from Block Rose Writing (https://www.blackrosewriting.com/scifi/priceofvengeance) and use the promo code PREORDER2023 to receive a 15% discount before the launch date of February 1, 2024.
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