The People in the Lake

A long time ago, something dark and terrible happened at the remote mountain village of Big Bear Gap before it was flooded to make way for a new reservoir in the North Georgia Mountains. And now, almost a century later, an unimaginably terrifying force has been awakened beneath the tranquil waters, a force that threatens not only the serenity of this lonely wilderness paradise, but also the lives of those living along the pristine shores of Big Bear Lake. When Laura Drake and her precocious daughter arrive for a mother-daughter vacation at an isolated lake house, they quickly discover they are not alone. At night when it storms, they are awakened by the ghostly clanging of church bells that seem to be coming from the bottom of the lake. Even more unsettling are the spectral figures of two young brothers, Lucas and Mason, who roam the beach on stormy nights, their sad, hollow eyes masking sinister intent. Part ghost story, part love story, The People in the Lake is a horror/thriller set against the scenic backdrop of the Southern Blue Ridge, an ancient, untrammeled land of mystery, wonder and long forgotten truths where some things are not always as they seem. Throw a psychopathic American Psycho-style slasher from Atlanta into the mix, along with a few odd neighbors--a handsome, mysterious doctor, an eccentric retired history professor and a young reclusive artist--and the stage is set for an old-fashioned, page-turning supernatural thriller that explores spectral revenge against greed and murder as well as undesirable and unexpected consequences of messing around with the dead. The book is aimed primed primarily at an adult audience--not necessarily because of excessive foul language or graphic sexual depictions (although there are a few suggestive scenes--but because some descriptions of slaughter, mayhem, madness, psychological suspense and supernatural encounters might be too intense or beyond the grasp of younger readers. The story focuses on Laura, a thirty-something ex-English professor, who eventually learns the secrets of Big Bear Lake's past--but in a horrifying way. In a place where nothing seems normal, Laura and her daughter must first endure a harsh winter storm and complete loss of power while making peace with eerie phantoms from a tragic past if they are to survive a cold-crazed killer prowling the dark woodlands.