This could have been so much better than it was. Plot spacing and execution didn't quite live up to the potential of the horrific ideas. But so much potential!

Loooove the character developments and the uncanny ideas about the lake. The book took way too long to get to anything thick though, and so wrapped up too quickly and without exploring those excellent ideas deeply enough for my taste. Ended up feeling like the story battled to believe itself both horror and mystery without the two making peace.

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Thirty-something Emily Collins inherits her recently murdered aunt's house, deciding to move to Heartshorne, Oklahoma, to claim it and confront her family's dark past after her dead mother begins speaking to her in dreams, propelling this gothic, neo-noir thriller toward terrifying revelations of murderous small-town justice when a horrible community secret is revealed through the supernatural pull of Echo Lake.

My Review: is an imprint of the newish press,Curbside Splendor. All part of a Chicago blooming of publishing talent, laden with the starter jobs that publishers and editors need so much.

Here's the usual rub: Amateurs are the decision makers and frequently they don't have mentors or cicerones. And now here this: To my melting happiness, [ECHO LAKE] has trimmed these ordinary issues far, far down and has risen to higher levels than any other first-time author could reasonably ask for.

The plot is a juicy one; the characters feel more vigorous and buzzy-bizzy than I, a real corporeal being, than I can even pretend to occupy.

At $15.95 USD, this eerie and suspenseful exploration of solitary life is a terrific value. Make a dent in your loneliness, read this book, and remember how it all began.

What started out to be interesting and had some great potential ended in a confusing mess.

Full disclosure: Letitia is a friend of mine and I'm already a huge fan of her poetry and of the horror movie podcast she cohosts, so there was no way I WASN'T going to like Echo Lake. But I still feel comfortable saying this is a fantastically entertaining first novel, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who's into horror, suspense, noir, or just good literature. The main character, Emily, inherits her murdered great-aunt's house in rural Oklahoma, and after she uproots her life and moves there, she ends up investigating her family's dark past and how it fits into the dark past (and present) of the town itself. I've always loved the "seemingly wholesome small town hides dark secrets" plot device, so it was especially fascinating and eerie for me to watch that plot unfold in an environment very much like the one I grew up in.

One of my favorite things about this novel is the structure and the way it allows the suspense to unfold at a satisfying pace. The book is divided into three roughly equal sections, and in the first, Emily discovers that something happened to her now-dead mother when she (the mother) was thirteen that resulted in their entire family, with the exception of Emily's great-aunt, moving away immediately afterward. The middle section alternates between Emily's conversation with an elderly woman who claims to know what happened to Emily's mother, and flashbacks to what actually happened during those three days in 1965. I really appreciated the way this structure allows the suspense to build and holds the reader's interest without ever feeling manipulative.

Fair warning: this book is pretty dark and creepy, and it doesn't shy away from showing the worst of small-town life. But nor does it wallow in seediness or corruption. Emily has her fair share of issues, as she'd be the first to admit. But she's completely believable and likable as a protagonist, quick to find the good in her new hometown even though she knows something terrible happened to her family here. I'd like to be able to claim I knew what a treat Echo Lake would be, but Letitia really outdid herself. Highly recommended.

I can't resist any narrative that has a lake over a flooded town. This gothic story feels well balanced between the twin narratives of mother and daughter, separated as they are by years and all the secrets in those years.

This novel surprised me with they way the lead character grew as a person over the course of story as she dealt with horror surrounding the small town. Trent engages in a beautiful dialogue, lovely prose and twisted narration that perfectly blends with the mystery and horrific elements of the story.

The lack of quotation mark was a major distraction and was least bit successful in maintaining intrigue. It just felt awkward, unreliable and terribly convoluted in some places.

In the end its the story of embracing their legacy, finding companions and love.