The Lake and the Lost Girl: A Novel

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

It's 1999 in White Hill, Michigan, and Lydia Carroll's husband is in love with a dead woman. English Professor Frank Carroll has invested years searching for the lost works of local poet Mary Stone Walker, whose mysterious disappearance in 1939 is only rivaled by the beautiful words she left behind. When Frank's single-minded pursuit for Mary's lost poems puts his family in jeopardy, Lydia throws herself into the mystery, hoping to solve it and bring peace back to her home. But as Lydia begins investigating, her son takes action with a plan of his own...one that will bring the family to a breaking point and change Lydia's destiny forever.

Reviews

"Jacquelyn Vincenta spins a haunting tale of madness and obsession wrapped around the mysterious disappearance of a brilliant poet. Sweeping back and forth in time, from the 1930s to the end of the 20th century, Vincenta keeps you turning pages as she takes you on a journey that explores the complexities of marriage and families, professional quests as well as one's deepest, darkest passions." - Renee Rosen, bestselling author of What the Lady Wants
"A riveting story of love and obsession when a scholar's infatuation with a dead poetess throws his family into a dangerous matrix of love, hate, truth and deception which threatens his own sanity and his family's destruction." - Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Beach
"The Lake and the Lost Girlis a compelling tale, a web of life's interruptions deftly woven to mirror our gifts and frailties. With insight and care, Vincenta braids secret after secret into a tapestry of truth that reveals the stubbornness of our dreams, the ache of our losses, and the fiber of what helps us through. I couldn't put it down." - Mark Nepo, author ofThe One Life We're GivenandThe Way Under the Way
"Rife with secrets and tight with suspense, this is a timely and timeless exploration of the price of delusions.Wise, honest, and beautifully rendered, The Lake and the Lost Girl brings a wonderful new voice to the literary world." - Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous and Hope in a Jar
"This tale of deepening obsession with the poetic beauty of another era feels so real it will tie a knot in your belly even as the family at stake unravels. In Vincenta's capable hands, each character's need for validation feels at once romantic and dire. Plenty for book clubs to discuss here!" - Kathryn Craft, award-winning author of The Far End of Happy and The Art of Falling
"This is a novel you will tell your friends about. This is an author you will look forward to hearing more from. This is a story that will tear your heart out, and remember both for its graceful telling and the clear-eyed reality with which it presents two women's lives. " - Emelle Gamble, author of Secret Sister and Second Man
"Vincenta writes a compelling story of two women and their troubled lives with elegant prose and luminous characterization" - Bestselling author Mary Blayney
"...steady pacing and relatable characters, makes for an emotional, romantic and mysterious story that's filled with both fulfillment and revelation.

" - Booklist

Author Bio

JACQUELYN VINCENTA began her writing career as a police beat reporter for a daily Louisiana newspaper. She was also the managing editor for a publishing company specializing in international trade issues. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she focuses on writing, environmental projects, family, friends, and nature.