Venom Lake by Emma White

One crazy read! And in a good way. Venom Lake is a psychological thriller that gives new meaning to the term twisty. Canadian author Emma White’s debut novel kept me up late at night to get to the finish line.

After seeing this book on store shelves everywhere I went, I finally got my hands on a copy and delved in. At first, it seemed a bit of a slow burn for me. A book club, four friends getting together, a nice little true crime discussion over wine, plans for a weekend escape on a private island. How perfectly quaint! However, it very quickly became clear that these friends had personal problems, secrets, and perhaps, a dislike for each other. Oh my! A missing husband, photos that shouldn’t exist, envy, jealousy and competition between friends, lies and blackmail set the scene for the murder of one of the friends during the island vacation.

Three points of view and snippets of a true crime podcast drive the plot forward at an increasingly rapid pace with the characters divulging their hidden secrets and agendas through reflection and backstory exposition. Ironically, they become subjects of the hobbies they enjoy—true crime books and the podcast. Just when you think you’ve been gobsmacked with a revelation about one of the characters, another shocking truth comes out.

The ominous ambience, created with the Ontario cottage setting on an isolated island during an approaching storm, evokes a sense of claustrophobia and danger. One body on the shore, three survivors—one of them the killer. Who can be trusted? Toxicity runs deep in this circle of friends. Four unlikeable characters, and one chilling read!