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Dead Lake
Keep the door locked...
A week's visit to the remote Harob Lake cabin couldn't have come at a better time for Sam.
She's battling artist's block ahead of a major gallery exhibition. Staying at Harob Lake is her final, desperate attempt to paint the collection that could save her floundering career. It seems perfect: no neighbours, no phone, no distractions.
But the dream retreat disintegrates into a nightmare when Sam discovers she's being stalked.
A tall, strange man stands on the edge of her dock, staring intently into the swirling waters below. He starts to follow her. He disables her car. He destroys her only way to communicate with the outside world.
And Sam is beginning to suspect he's responsible for the series of disappearances from a nearby hiking trail.
Stranded at Harob Lake, Sam realises she’s become the prey in the hunter’s deadliest game…
A week's visit to the remote Harob Lake cabin couldn't have come at a better time for Sam.
She's battling artist's block ahead of a major gallery exhibition. Staying at Harob Lake is her final, desperate attempt to paint the collection that could save her floundering career. It seems perfect: no neighbours, no phone, no distractions.
But the dream retreat disintegrates into a nightmare when Sam discovers she's being stalked.
A tall, strange man stands on the edge of her dock, staring intently into the swirling waters below. He starts to follow her. He disables her car. He destroys her only way to communicate with the outside world.
And Sam is beginning to suspect he's responsible for the series of disappearances from a nearby hiking trail.
Stranded at Harob Lake, Sam realises she’s become the prey in the hunter’s deadliest game…
158 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2015
About the author
Darcy Coates
69 books10.6k followersDarcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen horror and suspense novels.
She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/updates
She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/updates
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 926 reviews
June 13, 2020
Read for my Horror Group Challenge and I found it a bit creepy cool 😉
Mel 🖤🤔🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🤔🐺🐾
March 27, 2020
This was a nice supernatural mystery. The story was very suspenseful, interesting and flowed evenly. The protagonist was likable although naive and making many silly errors in judgement but it was fun to see how she would handle her very scary situations. This is a book that you don't want to put down and it was very well written and also well edited. (Big Plus). Definitely recommend to mystery and supernatural book lovers!
I rate this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟⭐ stars.
I rate this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟⭐ stars.
November 17, 2020
Story: 3.75 stars ⭐️
Creepy af. This is what you get when you mix thriller and horror.
Audio: 4 stars ⭐️
Creepy af. This is what you get when you mix thriller and horror.
Audio: 4 stars ⭐️
December 30, 2022
Remind me to read more supernatural books in the future, please. Not a fan of the ghostly and the spectral but this is not bad. Not too bad at all.
Sam is an artist—a painter to be specific and suffering from the worst case of artist's block. She decided to spend the whole week in her uncle's remote cabin, deep within the woods. It seems like the perfect getaway until a mysterious figure starts stalking her. Is it a ghost? A lost soul? Or simply a man hunting for prey?
Scary, creepy and spine-chilling. I loved the pluck and courage of the main character, really. She's not a wimp like most of the female characters I've come accross from my recent reads. She has quick thinking and do not dwell too much on her emotions, she's got survival instincts which I really like.
The eerie descriptions of the lake stayed with me even after putting down the book, I felt slightly cold whenever there are scenes involving water or the canoe. In the end, I felt a bit sad because of the injustices in the story, my heart broke for the lost and the missing.
I enjoyed this little novella. Not a fan of the supernatural genre but if it's as good as this, I'll take it.
Sam is an artist—a painter to be specific and suffering from the worst case of artist's block. She decided to spend the whole week in her uncle's remote cabin, deep within the woods. It seems like the perfect getaway until a mysterious figure starts stalking her. Is it a ghost? A lost soul? Or simply a man hunting for prey?
Scary, creepy and spine-chilling. I loved the pluck and courage of the main character, really. She's not a wimp like most of the female characters I've come accross from my recent reads. She has quick thinking and do not dwell too much on her emotions, she's got survival instincts which I really like.
The eerie descriptions of the lake stayed with me even after putting down the book, I felt slightly cold whenever there are scenes involving water or the canoe. In the end, I felt a bit sad because of the injustices in the story, my heart broke for the lost and the missing.
I enjoyed this little novella. Not a fan of the supernatural genre but if it's as good as this, I'll take it.
December 25, 2018
It had been too long since I'd read one of Darcy's stories, and I had forgotten how much I love the effortless way she writes these creepy tales. Full review coming soon!
June 10, 2019
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!
I just finished reading one of the stupidest books on the planet. I don't remember where or how I stumbled upon this book and thought, "huh! Seems interesting, and it's nice and short too!" I'mma browse blindfolded from now on!!
This is a short story about a struggling artist (a lazy-ass nutcase, more like) Sam, who decides to stay ALONE at her uncle's cabin on Harob Lake- located two hours away from nearest civilization, a place with no running water, no electricity, no means of communication with the world, and no common sense. Sam thinks staying away from her busy life will help her regroup, roll out "gallery-worthy" paintings and get her career back on track. She starts getting the feeling she's being watched the very second she steps foot on that property, and what does she do? NOTHING!
Eerie stuff happens around her but she blames it on the stress (yes, you may eye-roll. That might be scarier to watch, anyway) and always finds a way to discount it. She's surprisingly gutsy at all the odd moments and incredibly stupid as long as she's breathing. Let me ask you what you'd do if you felt someone was out there watching you. I'd use 10% of my common sense and try to get help and shriek my way out of there. What does Sam do? She ventures out of the cabin UNARMED but with a torch because, let's use this beacon and show people what we're doing! (see? gutsy and stupid).
Well, anyway, the story drags on filled with unnecessary details in the wrong parts. I would have loved to know more about who was stalking her but I guess what would have been too much work. Why don't we just read about the different types of soup Sam had instead?
The book had the stupidest, most unimaginative ending I've ever read. The plot was so full of holes, it's a miracle Sam didn't trip and fall down one and die.
I expected so much from this book and from a few reviews I read. I was scared in the beginning but all that fright just flew out the window and drowned in the lake along with Sam's common sense.
My Rating: 1/5 stars. (only because it was a short book)
If anyone needs me, I'll be watching Courage the Cowardly Dog and shivering in my boots. At least THAT is scary.
I just finished reading one of the stupidest books on the planet. I don't remember where or how I stumbled upon this book and thought, "huh! Seems interesting, and it's nice and short too!" I'mma browse blindfolded from now on!!
This is a short story about a struggling artist (a lazy-ass nutcase, more like) Sam, who decides to stay ALONE at her uncle's cabin on Harob Lake- located two hours away from nearest civilization, a place with no running water, no electricity, no means of communication with the world, and no common sense. Sam thinks staying away from her busy life will help her regroup, roll out "gallery-worthy" paintings and get her career back on track. She starts getting the feeling she's being watched the very second she steps foot on that property, and what does she do? NOTHING!
Eerie stuff happens around her but she blames it on the stress (yes, you may eye-roll. That might be scarier to watch, anyway) and always finds a way to discount it. She's surprisingly gutsy at all the odd moments and incredibly stupid as long as she's breathing. Let me ask you what you'd do if you felt someone was out there watching you. I'd use 10% of my common sense and try to get help and shriek my way out of there. What does Sam do? She ventures out of the cabin UNARMED but with a torch because, let's use this beacon and show people what we're doing! (see? gutsy and stupid).
Well, anyway, the story drags on filled with unnecessary details in the wrong parts. I would have loved to know more about who was stalking her but I guess what would have been too much work. Why don't we just read about the different types of soup Sam had instead?
The book had the stupidest, most unimaginative ending I've ever read. The plot was so full of holes, it's a miracle Sam didn't trip and fall down one and die.
I expected so much from this book and from a few reviews I read. I was scared in the beginning but all that fright just flew out the window and drowned in the lake along with Sam's common sense.
My Rating: 1/5 stars. (only because it was a short book)
If anyone needs me, I'll be watching Courage the Cowardly Dog and shivering in my boots. At least THAT is scary.
January 16, 2019
I went in expecting something quick, creepy, and fun. That's what I got. This was an enjoyable way to spend an evening, incredibly easy to read in one sitting. The actions of the main character can be irritating, but if they all took off as soon as something vaguely creepy happened, we wouldn't have scary stories. ;)
3.5 from me, rounded up to a 4. Sufficiently creepy atmosphere and a lot of suspense.
3.5 from me, rounded up to a 4. Sufficiently creepy atmosphere and a lot of suspense.
March 2, 2021
I thought this was a regular book, but it’s actually a brief novel with 4 novellas included. I didn’t really like any of the 5, because they mostly felt half-baked. Just because a piece of work is short doesn’t mean it has to feel underdeveloped!
Anyway, I did like the general premise of Dead Lake. Protagonist goes to an isolated cabin by a lake, a bunch of people have gone missing over time and then she is preyed upon. Le sigh, we could have had something special but nooo
Anyway, I did like the general premise of Dead Lake. Protagonist goes to an isolated cabin by a lake, a bunch of people have gone missing over time and then she is preyed upon. Le sigh, we could have had something special but nooo
August 16, 2018
A solid 3.5 stars for me. Sam, an artist, decides to stay at her uncle’s cabin to not only focus on her artwork but also to enjoy the peace and quiet of the surrounding area. Ohhhhh the cabin-remote, no neighbors anywhere, no phones, no heat (but a fireplace) and the nearest ranger station is over 2 hours away. Sam awakens each morning to find paintings that she can’t remember doing, extra coffee mugs set out, a mysterious man lurking out by the dock and a bunch of missing hikers (9 the past two years alone) -this book just screams “horror”. Dead Lake is an enjoyable/short book that I’d recommend to horror/supernatural fans.
May 6, 2020
An artist struggling for inspiration that could make or break her way into the art world; disappearances around the park, and things that just continue to get stranger and stranger.
Can’t a person just get a little solitude ?
In this place? Mmm nah.
Awesome story.
Can’t a person just get a little solitude ?
In this place? Mmm nah.
Awesome story.
February 6, 2024
Short book from Darcy Coates but still full of the haunted creepiness we love her for! As I read it, I was reminded of The Secret Window in a small way. The narrative is incredibly descriptive — you feel like you’re in the middle of the terrifying drama as it plays out on the pages. You can feel the terror Sam feels, your heart racing a mile a minute. Noises in my house at night while I was reading it made me jump out of my skin. I must admit I liked the ending very much and was quite satisfying for a couple of specific reasons, but I won’t say for fear it might spoil something for my Goodreads friends.
What does Sam keep seeing on the dock? What are the noises she hears through the fog? What’s up with the mysterious paintings? And who has been in her cabin? You’ll have to read to find out!
What does Sam keep seeing on the dock? What are the noises she hears through the fog? What’s up with the mysterious paintings? And who has been in her cabin? You’ll have to read to find out!
July 8, 2020
Seems like I’m trying to compensate for this waste of a summer by trying to find somewhat summery/vacationy reads. So this technically qualifies, after all a dead lake is still a lake. Although for Sam the artist this visit to her uncle’s remote cabin by the lake turns out to be neither fun nor relaxing. In fact, it might turn out deadly. She is, after all, trapped in the middle of nowhere, her phone has no signal and her car won’t start. Oh and there might be a serial killer lurking out there. Seems that Thoreauvian dream of peace in the woods only works when there’s no one around to turn it into a nightmare…which is pretty much generally the way of the world. So this is one of those battle for survival stories. And pretty fun for what it is. Sam isn’t the smartest at times and it’s impossible to tell the weather, she’s never warm (jackets and logs on the fire are needed constantly), but does go canoeing in just her bathing suit. But aside from that, yeah, pretty fun. But reader beware, though this book looks like a standalone thriller, Sam’s story takes up only 50% of the book, the rest are short stories and those are actually a lot more fun. Whether there are spins on traditional genre scenarios or original creepy ideas…they are quite effective. All the stories in this collection are supernaturally flavored to various degrees, they definitely are in the realm of horrific, but in a subtle way. There’s no overt violence, gore of guts, most of the scares are of psychological variety. I did enjoy that very much. The collection reads easily and quickly, entertains thoroughly and for me it provided a very nice introduction to a new author. An author whose name I’ve noticed around, but never really checked out before. What was learned…Darcy Coates is a female, Australian, very, very prolific, fairly popular being a USA Today bestselling author and all and is actually a pretty good storyteller, especially if you prefer your scares to be of a milder, calmer, quieter variety. Sure, it’s pop fiction more so than literary fiction, but it’s well done for what it is. Nice collection for genre fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
August 31, 2016
You know those characters in horror films who do really, really stupid things? Like going out into the dark woods where they just saw the killer? Like forgetting to lock the door repeatedly? Yeah. That's Sam, the main character in this book. I wanted to like her and be on her side, but she was just so stupid. And her reaction to almost everything (from running into the handsome ranger to finding a corpse) was the same: "Oh!" Don't get me wrong, this book had potential. It was positively oozing atmosphere, and did give me goosebumps a time or two. But the resolution was ridiculous, and I couldn't bring myself to care about the ditzy protagonist. The book wasn't much of a commitment, though. It took three nights of before-bed reading to get through it. Otherwise, it was a huge disappointment. Darcy Coates tends to be pretty well reviewed for some of her other work, so I'll likely give her another try. I just hope she writes some smarter characters whose motivations make sense.
September 8, 2016
Sam is taking a break and trying to catch up on her painting. What better way than to take a week away from the big city and stay in a remote cabin? She goes to the cabin expecting a peaceful week to paint, but what she finds is anything but peaceful. A mysterious man, weird paintings, and strange happenings keep her busy and eventually running for her life.
This book was REALLY good. I could not put it down. It was packed with action and was a suspense filled thriller from page one. This cabin is surrounded by evil and this book was a really chilling read.
So far I'm very impressed with Darcy Coates. Her books are not overly long, but they definitely have a way of grabbing, captivating, and yes, scaring you....Stormi
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This book was REALLY good. I could not put it down. It was packed with action and was a suspense filled thriller from page one. This cabin is surrounded by evil and this book was a really chilling read.
So far I'm very impressed with Darcy Coates. Her books are not overly long, but they definitely have a way of grabbing, captivating, and yes, scaring you....Stormi
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May 17, 2024
Slow burn. Could have possibly been better if it was more thought out and better executed. 2 star’s is me being generous.
January 10, 2020
This was a short listen. I enjoyed it. I wasn't sure which way the story would go. Is this a slasher? is this a ghost story? I added this to my ipod and by the time i got to listen to it, i had no clue what it was about. I liked that i was kept guessing for the first part of the story. The action begins almost as soon as Sam arrives at the cabin and does not let up. I think most Darcy Coates fans will like this story as well as fans of supernatural tales.
July 5, 2024
This book delivers a chilling novella and four creepy short stories, perfect for a frightfully fun escape. Darcy Coates did a wonderful job with the atmosphere and setting of the secluded lakeside cabin and the surrounding woods. Super creepy! Perfect book for horror newbies or a quick fright fix! I absolutely loved this collection of spookiness!
October 8, 2022
3.5/5stars
Properly spooky, very fun and quick, Darcy Coates' books are always very simple but do the job well of spooking the reader!
Properly spooky, very fun and quick, Darcy Coates' books are always very simple but do the job well of spooking the reader!
January 10, 2023
This was an ok little story. It was creepy, and the ending was amazing, but I was bored through most of it. It's still a good read, though, if you want something short.
March 10, 2023
Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.
A week in her uncle's remote, lakeside lodge is exactly what Sam needs. Her mother's early death hit her hard and now she has just weeks to go before the gallery viewing of the artwork she has yet to begin. She brings empty canvases along with her but when they begin to fill Sam is sure she isn't the artist and the story they are depicting isn't her own.
This was an intriguing mystery, had some solidly eerie moments, and characters I easily rooted for. However, the novella length kept everything feeling a little surface level and so any emotions this conjured weren't deeply felt, too. This was a fun and fast time with an apt conclusion and I feel I have little more to say about it.
A week in her uncle's remote, lakeside lodge is exactly what Sam needs. Her mother's early death hit her hard and now she has just weeks to go before the gallery viewing of the artwork she has yet to begin. She brings empty canvases along with her but when they begin to fill Sam is sure she isn't the artist and the story they are depicting isn't her own.
This was an intriguing mystery, had some solidly eerie moments, and characters I easily rooted for. However, the novella length kept everything feeling a little surface level and so any emotions this conjured weren't deeply felt, too. This was a fun and fast time with an apt conclusion and I feel I have little more to say about it.
October 19, 2022
Loved it. A nice, edge-of-your-seat, creepy terrifying story. I love the horror/thriller combo in this book.
I did notice some similarities between this book and Hunted. Since this book was written first and it's less than half the size of Hunted. I think she may have gotten some of her ideas from this book and expanded it to make the book Hunted. But that's just me guessing.
It was a great book for an October scary read. I have loved almost all of Darcy Coates's books so far. And I love that she is still writing :)
I did notice some similarities between this book and Hunted. Since this book was written first and it's less than half the size of Hunted. I think she may have gotten some of her ideas from this book and expanded it to make the book Hunted. But that's just me guessing.
It was a great book for an October scary read. I have loved almost all of Darcy Coates's books so far. And I love that she is still writing :)
April 6, 2019
If you are a ghost story enthusiast like I am you will love any of this author’s books. The four that I have read thus far have been very short but the story that they tell doesn’t need four or five hundred pages. They are all creepy and you will have no problem painting the picture they evoke clearly in your imaginations. Haunted houses, haunted lakes, haunted people…Darcy Coates will introduce you to them all.
April 19, 2021
This book is so daft it's almost just fun to keep reading. Bizarrely inept young woman goes to isolated cabin to try and paint 12 pictures for an exhibition due in one week. Even that intro had me chuckling. I don't know anything about painting, but I find it a stretch to think you could paint a dozen exhibition-worthy artworks in a week with nothing prepared? No themes to your art? Anyway, that aside, it gets better. The cabin is so remote there's no phone, no electricity and no neighbours. First night she sees a man on the lake's dock. She's so unnerved she dashes back inside the cabin, apparently forgetting to lock the door. She has an axe, and we're literally told it's too heavy for her to lift for long. In the morning, she discovers a fully painted portrait of a man on one of her blank canvasses. She sleep painted.
She sleep painted.
Wow.
Anyway, after a few more nights of this activity and now producing weirdly violent artworks depicting the man she saw dismembering and eating people, when she sees him again she decides to plunge off into the woods. To the trail where dozens of people have gone missing, victims possibly of a man who might dismember them... yup. Let's take that trail. Dead of night. So frail and skinny you can't hold an axe. Right. Taking the trail she discovers a tumbled-down hut in the middle of a deep clearing. It looks really awful. So, what does our stalwart heroine do? Cold, afraid. lost in the woods and thinking it looks like the cabin of a serial killer? Yup, she calls out and goes in. If this were a movie it would be the one you watch over and over with mates, all taking a drink when the daft bint does another ridiculous thing.
So, engrossed, I'll continue. It's an old joke in the army that you only follow some officers because you're curious to see what disaster they concoct next. That's how I'm reading this book.
I'll update when no doubt she's foiled the villain, solved the mystery, found a lovely young man, and had a superb success with her exhibition. It's that sort of book.
Hah. Finished.
Utter rubbish.
She sleep painted.
Wow.
Anyway, after a few more nights of this activity and now producing weirdly violent artworks depicting the man she saw dismembering and eating people, when she sees him again she decides to plunge off into the woods. To the trail where dozens of people have gone missing, victims possibly of a man who might dismember them... yup. Let's take that trail. Dead of night. So frail and skinny you can't hold an axe. Right. Taking the trail she discovers a tumbled-down hut in the middle of a deep clearing. It looks really awful. So, what does our stalwart heroine do? Cold, afraid. lost in the woods and thinking it looks like the cabin of a serial killer? Yup, she calls out and goes in. If this were a movie it would be the one you watch over and over with mates, all taking a drink when the daft bint does another ridiculous thing.
So, engrossed, I'll continue. It's an old joke in the army that you only follow some officers because you're curious to see what disaster they concoct next. That's how I'm reading this book.
I'll update when no doubt she's foiled the villain, solved the mystery, found a lovely young man, and had a superb success with her exhibition. It's that sort of book.
Hah. Finished.
Utter rubbish.
May 18, 2017
Not Coates' strongest work, but she gives a nice twist in the end. Extra points for keeping the story only as long as it needed to be. Many authors will pump a novella into a longer tale for market purposes. As always, I enjoyed it. She's really a great horror writer.
November 5, 2020
Enjoyable short story....a little bit of mystery...a tad bit of creepy.... it kind of reminded me of Stephen King’s Duma Key.... just a teeny tiny bit though. An itty biddy, teeny weeny, tiny, tad bit!
3.25 stars
3.25 stars
September 28, 2024
I think I’ll round up to four stars. This is a short story but it still took me a while to get into. It didn’t grip me the way her books normally do, but I found the ending satisfying.
It’s a thriller about a girl stalked in the mountains by a killer and it also has a paranormal element as well.
I liked that combination of paranormal and non paranormal.
So far my favorites from Darcy are still The Haunting of Blackwood House and the House of Shadows duology.
It’s a thriller about a girl stalked in the mountains by a killer and it also has a paranormal element as well.
I liked that combination of paranormal and non paranormal.
So far my favorites from Darcy are still The Haunting of Blackwood House and the House of Shadows duology.
February 21, 2023
I enjoyed this one but found it way to short. With Darcy's smaller stories. I often find plot holes in them. And the fast paced of this story made some of the spookier elements not as scary for me. As we were just barely touching them.
I still enjoyed it though. Just not my fav Darcy.
I still enjoyed it though. Just not my fav Darcy.
April 7, 2024
3.75 ⭐
This book kept me interested from the very first line but i had to pray for Sammy to stop making so stupid decisions. Yet she did every single thing I wouldn't even think about, if I were alone in a cabin in the woods, where unsolved missing cases took place.
Nevertheless, it was a good, balanced story.
This book kept me interested from the very first line but i had to pray for Sammy to stop making so stupid decisions. Yet she did every single thing I wouldn't even think about, if I were alone in a cabin in the woods, where unsolved missing cases took place.
Nevertheless, it was a good, balanced story.
December 3, 2019
'Dead Lake' was a pleasant surprise. As a fan of atmospheric horror/thriller, this book clicked in all the right ways with me.
We are following Sam, who is staying at her uncle's cabin for a week. Situated in the middle of a forest and two hours away from any civilization, this lakeside cabin is Sam's solution of getting her zeal for painting back to life. But as she spends time there, she realizes, she is not alone. Someone is stalking her. Hunting, actually!
I loved Darcy Caotes's writing style. She, just like Ruth Ware, is very good in creating spooky ambience. I love that in my spooky horror, with some wilderness in the mix. Only reason this was not a five read was my irritation with Sam's judgement in some places.That 'I-heard-a-noise-lets-investigate' part in horror , really gets on my nerve sometimes. I really wanted to shake her in some places.
But, overall it was a good read. I even liked the ending for a change.
We are following Sam, who is staying at her uncle's cabin for a week. Situated in the middle of a forest and two hours away from any civilization, this lakeside cabin is Sam's solution of getting her zeal for painting back to life. But as she spends time there, she realizes, she is not alone. Someone is stalking her. Hunting, actually!
I loved Darcy Caotes's writing style. She, just like Ruth Ware, is very good in creating spooky ambience. I love that in my spooky horror, with some wilderness in the mix. Only reason this was not a five read was my irritation with Sam's judgement in some places.That 'I-heard-a-noise-lets-investigate' part in horror , really gets on my nerve sometimes. I really wanted to shake her in some places.
But, overall it was a good read. I even liked the ending for a change.
April 30, 2021
I thought that this book was good
Displaying 1 - 30 of 926 reviews