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Lost Girl of the Lake
Lake August, 1961. Mark Gaitlin is 15, the son of one of the wealthiest men in Texas, and on the most boring summer vacation of his life. His days are filled with the pomp and circumstance of country club life, while his nights are a parade of one embarrassment after another at the hands of giggling teenage girls.
But the piney woods above Lake Livingston are dark at night, and hold many secrets for an impressionable youngster on the cusp of becoming a man. And one night, after skinny dipping in the lake with a mysterious local girl, Mark Gaitlin's life takes a crazy turn into the fire and brimstone religion of backwoods snake handlers and abandoned villages haunted by old family secrets.
If he can survive the snakes and the ghosts and his own family's dark history, he just might make it out of the woods alive. And something else... he just might become a man.
But the piney woods above Lake Livingston are dark at night, and hold many secrets for an impressionable youngster on the cusp of becoming a man. And one night, after skinny dipping in the lake with a mysterious local girl, Mark Gaitlin's life takes a crazy turn into the fire and brimstone religion of backwoods snake handlers and abandoned villages haunted by old family secrets.
If he can survive the snakes and the ghosts and his own family's dark history, he just might make it out of the woods alive. And something else... he just might become a man.
Paperback
First published April 24, 2012
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About the author
Joe McKinney
112 books666 followersJoe McKinney has been a patrol officer for the San Antonio Police Department, a homicide detective, a disaster mitigation specialist, a patrol commander, and a successful novelist. His books include the four part Dead World series, Quarantined and Dodging Bullets. His short fiction has been collected in The Red Empire and Other Stories and Dating in Dead World and Other Stories. For more information go to http://joemckinney.wordpress.com.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 22, 2018
It was the Summer of 1961 and young Mark Gaitlin was on vacation with his family in Lake Livingston Texas. Mark was like any other 15-year-old, his body was changing, his family was driving him nuts and he was obsessed with sex. His dream of meeting a girl comes true one night when a mysterious girl invites him to go skinny dipping. Mark is on the verge of becoming a man and everything is about to change.
Mark is starting to see the social injustices in the world and also realizes that Lake Livingston is a mysterious place. He’s surrounded by abandoned villages haunted by family secrets and finds evidence of a cult of religious backwoods snake handlers. As he journeys into manhood he finds the world is more complicated than he thought and wrong decisions may cost him his life.
Lost Girl Of The Lake by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty is about how a series of odd events shape a young man’s life. The passage that really hooked me into this story was early on when we hear Mark being introspective as an adult about his childhood. He states that “the man and the boy don’t speak the same language anymore.” He then describes the difference between how an adult thinks compared to how a child’s mind works. The beginning of this coming of age tale had a Stephen King feel to it that made me want to keep reading.
What I enjoyed most in this story is how a lot of it is open to interpretation. The authors paint a picture by the way they describe the setting. Also the use of imagery like the butterflies that gather at the lake, the abandoned town, the Copperhead snakes and the dreams that Mark is having are metaphors and they all shape the man he will become. It’s up to the reader to wonder what the meaning behind everything and how it affects the characters in the story.
For a short novella there is a lot going on in this book and every little detail seems to have a deeper meaning. I enjoyed the references to pulp fiction magazines in the story and since at points it felt like the pulp fiction that Mark reads I thought it was a good metaphor. Another scene I liked that illustrated what its like to be on the edge of adulthood was when Mark and his friend are heading to the lake to look at “spicy” pulp magazines and have to keep a look out for anyone who may get them in trouble for having them. At one point Mark tries to walk away but his friend urges him to stay which leads to something that illustrates what 15-year-old boys are like.
Whether you like this book or not will depend on what you’re looking for. If you’re expecting a good horror story or a tale with a lot of supernatural activity you may be disappointed. On the other hand if you are into coming of age stories that make you think about how certain events shape your life then you will like this novella. This is a story of the loss of innocence, the road to adulthood and how your reaction to what’s happening around you affects your life.
Mark is starting to see the social injustices in the world and also realizes that Lake Livingston is a mysterious place. He’s surrounded by abandoned villages haunted by family secrets and finds evidence of a cult of religious backwoods snake handlers. As he journeys into manhood he finds the world is more complicated than he thought and wrong decisions may cost him his life.
Lost Girl Of The Lake by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty is about how a series of odd events shape a young man’s life. The passage that really hooked me into this story was early on when we hear Mark being introspective as an adult about his childhood. He states that “the man and the boy don’t speak the same language anymore.” He then describes the difference between how an adult thinks compared to how a child’s mind works. The beginning of this coming of age tale had a Stephen King feel to it that made me want to keep reading.
What I enjoyed most in this story is how a lot of it is open to interpretation. The authors paint a picture by the way they describe the setting. Also the use of imagery like the butterflies that gather at the lake, the abandoned town, the Copperhead snakes and the dreams that Mark is having are metaphors and they all shape the man he will become. It’s up to the reader to wonder what the meaning behind everything and how it affects the characters in the story.
For a short novella there is a lot going on in this book and every little detail seems to have a deeper meaning. I enjoyed the references to pulp fiction magazines in the story and since at points it felt like the pulp fiction that Mark reads I thought it was a good metaphor. Another scene I liked that illustrated what its like to be on the edge of adulthood was when Mark and his friend are heading to the lake to look at “spicy” pulp magazines and have to keep a look out for anyone who may get them in trouble for having them. At one point Mark tries to walk away but his friend urges him to stay which leads to something that illustrates what 15-year-old boys are like.
Whether you like this book or not will depend on what you’re looking for. If you’re expecting a good horror story or a tale with a lot of supernatural activity you may be disappointed. On the other hand if you are into coming of age stories that make you think about how certain events shape your life then you will like this novella. This is a story of the loss of innocence, the road to adulthood and how your reaction to what’s happening around you affects your life.
August 2, 2012
When two great novelists team up, a tale like "Lost Girl of the Lake" can happen--and happen it did! Joe McKinney's and Michael McCarty's "Lost Girl of the Lake" is as wonderful as it is haunting. A really great coming of age tale about realizing those significant moments in life and how they change a person. Filled with human horror as well as the type of supernatural horror we all have come to love from these gentlemen! Brilliantly done and a must read!!!!
October 9, 2014
"Lost Girl of the Lake" is a well-written, dark coming of age tale.
Set in the summer of 1961 in the piney woods of Lake Livingston, Texas, Mark Gaitlin discovers something of his family's haunted past and has an experience that becomes the defining moment of his life.
5 STARS
Set in the summer of 1961 in the piney woods of Lake Livingston, Texas, Mark Gaitlin discovers something of his family's haunted past and has an experience that becomes the defining moment of his life.
5 STARS
August 16, 2013
A coming of age story, featuring an excellent cast of characters, racial tension, a beautiful setting, and a bolus of snakes. If you don't know what that is, you certainly will when you're done with this novella. Highly recommended!
March 13, 2013
The snake scene. Is it good? OH YES. This book has the most amazing images, from a nude girl swimming in the night to millions of white butterflies filling the summer air. It also has really shocking descriptions of ... well, I'd rather not give too much away. Written in a mesmerizing, fluent, uncomplicated style, this short novel leaves no questions unanswered. This is my first book by either author but definitely not my last.
The one thing that bothered me was I pretty much had an idea from the start who the "Girl of The Lake" really is ... maybe that is intentional. All through the pages, I kept chanting 'don't do it, don't do it' to the young man bent on holding her in his arms.
The one thing that bothered me was I pretty much had an idea from the start who the "Girl of The Lake" really is ... maybe that is intentional. All through the pages, I kept chanting 'don't do it, don't do it' to the young man bent on holding her in his arms.
August 12, 2013
Lost Girl of the Lake is an amazing coming of age story that immediately grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. When a writer(s) can grab the reader and suck you into the environment such as this story they did an amazing job. While reading this story, I felt like I was a third party witness to the tale. I found myself highlighting passages from the book which to be honest has been a rare thing for me, (I know this sounds cliché’) but they just don’t write them like they used to. 5 stars definitely check it out!
February 20, 2013
Joe Mckinney and Michael McCarthy tightly woven story of a boy coming of age. Mark is 15 years old this summer. He meets Ermelinde and that will change his life forever. Something's you can never forget no matter how many years pass you by. This a haunting tale of supernatural horror.
March 18, 2013
This novella by Joe MicKinney is a refreshing coming-of-age story with some elements of horror mixed in. I thought his characterization of rural east Texas and race relations during the 50s and 60s was pretty bewitching and with his flair for language, it certainly brought to mind Joe R. Lansdale. Which is a good thing if you ask me. More than the horrific and supernatural elements of this work, I very much enjoyed the reminiscence of days of hormone-throttled youth and how confusing and awkward it all was. The way McKinney details it as part of the protagonist's story, I certainly mused that the experience of early adolescence is much the same across the generations. If you like character-driven fiction with the bizarre hidden in the layers, this one is for you.
April 3, 2015
LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE is an unconventional "coming of age story" as only authors Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty could invent. It is an endearing, evocative saga filled with the familiar as well as the unexpected, infused with wonders of the heart and soul. A tale of dark seduction and innocence, told through a man's mind, recreated from his boyhood memory. I highly recommend this page turning novel and glimpse into both the past and future with unanswered mysteries lurking in the wings.
November 12, 2014
A nice story but not the horror I thought it would be. Easy reading short story. A coming of age story. Quite boring actually.
This review was written before I started to take my reviewing seriously. I would need to re-read the book to give it a serious, detailed and fair review so the above review was what I posted at the time.
This review was written before I started to take my reviewing seriously. I would need to re-read the book to give it a serious, detailed and fair review so the above review was what I posted at the time.
May 4, 2013
This is a quick little read, a coming of age story with a slight horror twist (word of caution: stay far away if you have snake phobias!). Easily read in one sitting, what this storylacks in length, it more than delivers in impact.
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May 9, 2018Freebie!
September 2, 2024
I wanted to read a book on my Kindle and decided to try Lost Girl of the Lake by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty. I’ve owned this e-book for so long that I don’t remember how or why I acquired it. Furthermore, I decided it had been neglected long enough. The setting was a family vacationing on a lake, so it also helps me hold onto the last vestiges of summer.
Fifteen-year-old Mark Gaitlin is on summer vacation with his parents in 1961. The family rented a cottage at a resort on Lake Livingston. (I kept picturing Kellerman’s, in the movie Dirty Dancing.) Mark is bored and looking for excuses to escape the adults and kids his age that he does not connect with. One night, he encounters a girl skinning dipping in the lake and becomes consumed with seeing her again. An abandoned village sits nearby the resort, where decades ago it’s rumored deeply religious people lived as well as snake handlers.
I’m easily drawn to stories about abandoned houses or villages. I love the mystery behind a location and the general spooky nature. I think that is what kept me reading this novella — and the fact that it’s short, so my time commitment was minimal. There were many times I came close to bailing. The story seemed to often deviate from the main story, which was the mysterious girl in the lake and the abandoned village, by Mark’s lengthy interactions with his parents and another boy at the resort. There were really lame jokes that were needlessly inserted into the story. I understand the jokes were meant to be lame, but come on, it wasn’t relevant to the story.
I liked that the story was told from Mark’s adult perspective. It was a reflective story about what transpired with the mysterious girl and the insights he gained about his family’s past and his parents. This style of storytelling reminded me of Gordie Lachance in the movie Stand By Me. During the moments I wanted to close my Kindle and move on to my next book, I kept wondering what was going to happen with the girl and that abandoned village. That portion of the story was satisfying and enjoyable.
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
Fifteen-year-old Mark Gaitlin is on summer vacation with his parents in 1961. The family rented a cottage at a resort on Lake Livingston. (I kept picturing Kellerman’s, in the movie Dirty Dancing.) Mark is bored and looking for excuses to escape the adults and kids his age that he does not connect with. One night, he encounters a girl skinning dipping in the lake and becomes consumed with seeing her again. An abandoned village sits nearby the resort, where decades ago it’s rumored deeply religious people lived as well as snake handlers.
I’m easily drawn to stories about abandoned houses or villages. I love the mystery behind a location and the general spooky nature. I think that is what kept me reading this novella — and the fact that it’s short, so my time commitment was minimal. There were many times I came close to bailing. The story seemed to often deviate from the main story, which was the mysterious girl in the lake and the abandoned village, by Mark’s lengthy interactions with his parents and another boy at the resort. There were really lame jokes that were needlessly inserted into the story. I understand the jokes were meant to be lame, but come on, it wasn’t relevant to the story.
I liked that the story was told from Mark’s adult perspective. It was a reflective story about what transpired with the mysterious girl and the insights he gained about his family’s past and his parents. This style of storytelling reminded me of Gordie Lachance in the movie Stand By Me. During the moments I wanted to close my Kindle and move on to my next book, I kept wondering what was going to happen with the girl and that abandoned village. That portion of the story was satisfying and enjoyable.
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
December 6, 2020
This is a new novella by Michael McCarty and Joe McKinney which tells a tale of a young boy and one eventful summer that he spent in Livingston, Texas on a family vacation. A boy who happens to be a descendant of a family snake handlers that lived in the nearby Gaitlinville, a now abandoned village, that was founded by his great-great-grandfather.
The tale is told from the perspective of the now grown, Mark Gaitlin, as he remembers it. One hot summer night, shortly after the family had settled into their cabin at the resort, he wanders off from the clubhouse party to get some fresh air as boys will do. Not to mention the fact that he was clearly bored silly, being 15 and having no one his age around.
He encounters a young girl in a lake, that is completely nude, who encourages him to join her. Naturally, being a young male teen, he does indeed join her in skinny dipping in the lake. The girl is quiet but beautiful and he spends the time in the water, staring at her while she swims languidly. A clumsy move on his part scares her away before too long and she leaves him in the lake.
Confused and feeling slightly foolish, he tries to chase her and apologize but she vanishes. A few days pass and he waits to see her again. His nights pass with weird dreams of snakes, old woman, the old village and the girl. Then he has another encounter with the quiet girl. She appears at his window, calling for him to follow her. When he does so, the experience will leave him forever changed.
This was an interesting little tale as told by an old man fondly remembering his youth and those experiences that made him a man. While the story is not scary by any stretch, it is mysterious and intriguing.
The final experience is never fully explained which leaves one to wonder what the point of it was or the why behind it, but it is well-told and has a nice campfire feel to it. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
The tale is told from the perspective of the now grown, Mark Gaitlin, as he remembers it. One hot summer night, shortly after the family had settled into their cabin at the resort, he wanders off from the clubhouse party to get some fresh air as boys will do. Not to mention the fact that he was clearly bored silly, being 15 and having no one his age around.
He encounters a young girl in a lake, that is completely nude, who encourages him to join her. Naturally, being a young male teen, he does indeed join her in skinny dipping in the lake. The girl is quiet but beautiful and he spends the time in the water, staring at her while she swims languidly. A clumsy move on his part scares her away before too long and she leaves him in the lake.
Confused and feeling slightly foolish, he tries to chase her and apologize but she vanishes. A few days pass and he waits to see her again. His nights pass with weird dreams of snakes, old woman, the old village and the girl. Then he has another encounter with the quiet girl. She appears at his window, calling for him to follow her. When he does so, the experience will leave him forever changed.
This was an interesting little tale as told by an old man fondly remembering his youth and those experiences that made him a man. While the story is not scary by any stretch, it is mysterious and intriguing.
The final experience is never fully explained which leaves one to wonder what the point of it was or the why behind it, but it is well-told and has a nice campfire feel to it. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
April 7, 2021
First, I would classify Joe McKinney's and Michael McCarty's "Lost Girl of the Lake" as a Supernatural Suspense/Coming of Age Novelette. Second, I really, really, liked this story. The characters are especially defined, especially Mark (the protagonist), and we come to know some intimately. I am a stickler for characterization and getting to know and care about what happens to a character. I got this in "Lost Girl of the Lake." Mark is a delight. He is insightful, honest, and humble in his teenage pseudo-rebel kind of way. Add to this the fact he is disturbed by the inequality he witnesses between the rich entitled folks and the barely-gettin'- by service workers at the swank vacation spot he's visiting with his parents. Co-authors Mckinney and McCarty, once being teenagers themselves, painted this kid's portrait perfectly. I was rooting for Mark the whole way.
The writing is the best I have read by McCarty; I think co-writing this tale with McKinney served them both well in their stretch to produce a seamless first-person narrative that is descriptive and also intimate, and it paid off.
Is this story scary horror? No. Any blood and gore? No. How about suspense? Heck, yeah! Even though I had the "Lost Girl" character figured out early, that didn't stop me from wanting to learn what she wants with Mark. What she wants is... well, I'm not gonna tell you.
What I will tell you is I like this book enough to give it five stars and my recommendation. "Lost Girl of the Lake" delivers.
The writing is the best I have read by McCarty; I think co-writing this tale with McKinney served them both well in their stretch to produce a seamless first-person narrative that is descriptive and also intimate, and it paid off.
Is this story scary horror? No. Any blood and gore? No. How about suspense? Heck, yeah! Even though I had the "Lost Girl" character figured out early, that didn't stop me from wanting to learn what she wants with Mark. What she wants is... well, I'm not gonna tell you.
What I will tell you is I like this book enough to give it five stars and my recommendation. "Lost Girl of the Lake" delivers.
June 25, 2023
This was very good, and a very quick read. I actually found this book at a resale shop in the middle of Kansas. I love about 45 miles from Lake Livingston-so when I read the synopsis, I knew it needed to come home with me.
Very well developed characters and the story flowed well, no dragging spots which was refreshing. Certainly bizarre in places, but the perfect amount of it. Atmospheric and dark, a nice break from my current reads.
Very well developed characters and the story flowed well, no dragging spots which was refreshing. Certainly bizarre in places, but the perfect amount of it. Atmospheric and dark, a nice break from my current reads.
May 13, 2019
A little disappointed
I vividly remember the filling of this lake on Thanksgiving in 1971. (There was a flood on the Trinity River - filled in a week!) There was much more local lore the authors could have drawn on, including a submerged town, graves, & ghosts, equipment, livestock was stranded
I vividly remember the filling of this lake on Thanksgiving in 1971. (There was a flood on the Trinity River - filled in a week!) There was much more local lore the authors could have drawn on, including a submerged town, graves, & ghosts, equipment, livestock was stranded
December 26, 2019
Strange read for me I was looking for the horror aspect of this book that I did not find, overall a quick fast paced read.
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