“A remote Scottish lake

The guests arriving at Creaglie Castle are expecting discreet luxury, panoramic views, and perhaps a glimpse of one of its infamous ghosts.

No means of escape

When a violent storm severs all contact with the mainland, it’s not the spirits they need to fear…

Trust no one

As the past resurfaces and trust vanishes, it’s clear that not everyone will be leaving Creaglie Castle alive.

Will The Lake give up its secrets, before somebody else dies?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Lake by Catherine Cooper. The Lake was published by HarperCollins on 6th November 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Lake but that has in no way influenced my review.

A new book by Catherine Cooper is a very exciting thing indeed! The Lake, which was published at the start of November, is the fourth book I’ve read by this author. Cooper’s other two psychological thrillers are sitting on the TBR patiently waiting for me (this is where I go back to the twenty-teens and say #bookbloggerproblems!🤭😂 ). I leapt, like a bookish kangaroo, at the chance of an early read of The Lake and was immediately drawn into the spooky goings-on in a remote, lake-bound Scottish castle turned resort. A group of mostly strangers gather for a weekend of ghost-hunting at the creepy castle, home to the Creaglie family for generations. But the weather takes a turn for the worse, shutting those on the island off from the mainland and from help. They’re stranded with a skeleton staff, and there’s a good chance they won’t all survive the night…

The Lake is a compelling, highly readable psychological thriller/suspense novel from an author I feel I can always trust to deliver. And Cooper delivers in spades with this latest book. The Creaglie family, led by ageing Alistair and his younger wife, Tabitha, need to make some extra money. So Alistair’s son, Joshua, suggests rebranding as a resort specialising in ghost-hunts, with a sideline in letting guests experience being Lord or Lady of the manor. It’s their opening weekend; they’ve got a psychic medium flying in from the US to hold a séance. Everything is in place until abysmal weather disrupts their plans, leaving guests and staff stranded on the shore. Should anything happen, they can neither leave Creaglie Castle nor get help from outside. So when the mangled body of one of the residents is discovered, those present can’t help but feel trapped, isolated and very much alone.

The author does a great job of creating a cast of believable, multi-layered, interesting characters. Some I warmed to over the course of the book. Others, I certainly did NOT. Those others made me increasingly cross. One character in particular made me seethe with anger. How blimmin’ dare they be such a wally! Grr. I do love it when an author writes a character that evokes such a strong reaction in me. That’s one of the reasons I love books as much as I do. There are secrets galore amongst the cast, connections that aren’t common knowledge, all of which keep the reader totally engrossed in the story. I loved the first half of the story set in the present day and couldn’t get enough of the setup. When the timeline took a more historical direction and went into detail about Alistair’s ex-wives, I found my attention drifting a little (only a smidgen!). I was still engrossed, but not to the same degree as the goings-on at the ghost-hunt weekend. The story took quite a different and unexpected turn. But it was still captivating, highly emotional and unsettling reading.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Lake is a riveting, engaging and thrilling psychological suspense novel. The characters are strong, the setting is glorious and as much a part of the story as the characters are, and the plot is well-written and well-plotted from start to finish. Told from multiple perspectives across multiple timelines, this book does have a fairly large cast of characters, but it was fairly easy to keep track of who’s who and what their relationships were. Creaglie Castle exudes atmosphere, notching up the creep-factor tenfold. The castle has a long, dark history, which the reader discovers throughout the course of the book. With bucketloads of adultery, secrets, deceit and emotional neglect, fans of engaging psychological dramas will love every moment they spend with this book! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Lake. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Lake by Catherine Cooper was published in the UK by HarperCollins on 6th November 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Catherine Cooper is a journalist specializing in luxury travel, hotels and skiing who writes regularly for national newspapers and magazines. She lives near the Pyrenees in the South of France with her family, cats and chickens. Her debut, The Chalet, was a top 5 Sunday Times bestseller.