Lake of Secrets

February 18, 2002
Fifteen-year-old Carlene's brother went missing three years before she was born, and although he is presumed dead, their mother has never abandoned hope of finding him. When a piece of evidence surfaces in Lake Isadora, where Keith disappeared, her mother moves back there with Carlene, setting up the premise for Littke's (Haunted Sister) exciting though not always well-executed mystery. When they arrive in Lake Isadora, something strange happens: Carlene experiences weird flashes of memory, even though she's never been there before, and soon learns that the memories belong to a woman who drowned in the lake the day Keith disappeared. Now Carlene, previously impatient with her mother's unreasonable hope, is the one who may be able to solve the mystery. A few character flourishes feel belabored (J.P., a small boy dumped by his parents, wears his dad's necktie every day), some minor plot points are left hanging and Carlene's narration is redundant at times. Even so, the lake, now evaporating to reveal the foundations of the old town (which was relocated), provides an appropriately haunting backdrop, and Carlene's resentment of her mother's absorption in her missing brother provides an interesting tension. The suspense builds as Carlene's "memory" of that day becomes clearer—and keeps this story afloat. Ages 12-up.