Bitterroot Lake: A Novel

Alicia Beckman

$27.99

Publication Date: April 13th, 2021

Publisher:

Crooked Lane Books

ISBN:

9781643855806

Pages:

336

Description

When four women separated by tragedy reunite at a lakeside Montana lodge, murder forces them to confront everything they thought they knew about the terrifying accident that tore them apart, in Agatha Award-winning author Alicia Beckman's suspense debut

Twenty-five years ago, during a celebratory weekend at historic Whitetail Lodge, Sarah McCaskill had a vision. A dream. A nightmare. When a young man was killed, Sarah's guilt over having ignored the warning in her dreams devastated her. Her friendships with her closest friends, and her sister, fell apart as she worked to build a new life in a new city. But she never stopped loving Whitetail Lodge on the shores of Bitterroot Lake.

Now that she's a young widow, her mother urges her to return to the lodge for healing. But when she arrives, she's greeted by an old friend--and by news of a murder that's clearly tied to that tragic day she'll never forget.

And the dreams are back, too. What dangers are they warning of this time? As Sarah and her friends dig into the history of the lodge and the McCaskill family, they uncover a legacy of secrets and make a discovery that gives a chilling new meaning to the dreams. Now, they can no longer ignore the ominous portents from the past that point to a danger more present than any of them could know.

About the Author

Alicia Beckman adored living in Seattle as a college student and young lawyer, but is happiest back home in her native Montana, where she lives with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their full-figured gray tuxedo cat. As Leslie Budewitz, she's the bestselling author of the Seattle Spice Shop and Food Lovers' Village mysteries. A three-time Agatha Award winner, for Best Short Story (2018), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Nonfiction (2011), she is a past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America.

Praise for Bitterroot Lake: A Novel

Praise for Bitterroot Lake:
"Beckman paints a gorgeous picture of an idyllic small town...This suspense debut is sure to attract readers."
—Library Journal

"Ghosts, dreams, family secrets and a death that occurred in 1922 are deftly woven into a solid plot that hinges on believable twists."
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Oline Cogdill

“[Alicia Beckman] knows how to tell a Montana story.”
—The Missoulian

“Interesting blend of supernatural, mystery and suspense.”
—Suspense Magazine

"[A] well-written and complex tale."
—Dru’s Book Musings

“A complex, richly imagined, atmospheric mystery, Bitterroot Lake kept me guessing whodunit until the very end.” —A. J. Banner, #1 bestselling author of The Good Neighbor

“Compellingly comfy and eerie in all the right places, Bitterroot Lake features the recently widowed Sarah McCaskill, who has returned to her childhood home at Whitetail Lodge in idyllic Northwest Montana to cope with grief. When she arrives she discovers that one of her old friends has also returned. So begins a journey into the past where they are forced to face an old tragedy that is tied to the recent murder of another friend. Bitterroot Lake is a gracefully written exploration of the secrets that destroy friendships and the courage it takes to face the truth. Atmospheric, character-driven, and truly absorbing, Bitterroot Lake is crime fiction at its finest.”
—Christine Carbo, award-winning, best-selling author of the Glacier Mystery Series

“Old secrets and old ghosts live on in Alicia Beckman’s stunning new suspense novel, Bitterroot Lake. With gorgeous writing, an atmospheric Montana lake-house setting, and a plot that weaves together layers of history, Beckman’s deep dive into the psychology of guilt, friendship, fear, and courage will pull you in and keep you reading until the final reveal. This one is a winner.”
—Connie Berry, Agatha Award-nominated author of the Kate Hamilton Mysteries

“Bitterroot Lake is a twisty, haunting thriller propelled by a delicious hint of otherworldliness. It's a book that's both an expert mystery and an affirmation of love and family. I was absolutely enthralled.”
—Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls

“With a rich sense of place and a deft handling of fractured relationships, the pull of the past, and the pain of new grief, Alicia Beckman weaves a satisfying tale of secrets and lies eating away under the surface of happy families and close-knit small towns. And a touch of magic too!”
—Catriona McPherson, Edgar-nominated author of Strangers at the Gate