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Jenessa Jones Mystery #1
The Lake House Secret
With her life going from bad to worse, reporter Jenessa Jones is drawn back to her small hometown by a death in her family. When human remains are discovered not far from town, Jenessa is assigned the story, throwing her into the thick of town drama.
Caught between her old boyfriend, with whom she shares a sordid past, and her new love interest, who offers her something she has desperately been wanting, Jenessa is embroiled in a homicide investigation that ends up pointing the finger at someone she cares very much about. Can she uncover the truth of this murder before it destroys her family and any chance she has for a happy life?
Caught between her old boyfriend, with whom she shares a sordid past, and her new love interest, who offers her something she has desperately been wanting, Jenessa is embroiled in a homicide investigation that ends up pointing the finger at someone she cares very much about. Can she uncover the truth of this murder before it destroys her family and any chance she has for a happy life?
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2013
2386 people are currently reading
1885 people want to read
About the author
Debra Burroughs
26 books226 followersDebra Burroughs writes with intensity and power. Her characters are rich and the stories are full of compelling suspense and real romance. She can be found, most days, sitting in front of her computer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, dreaming up and writing about strong women, their relationships with men (good and bad), involved in exciting, mysterious, and romantic situations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews
October 30, 2013
I am a big Debra Burroughs fan. When I read Three Days in Seattle, I knew I stumbled on to something really good. This book has the romantic suspense theme that I love. I am also one of the stars. I am Aunt Renee! Yup that is me. I am so happy I won that contest Anyways enough of my babbling.
The story starts out creating the love I had for Jenessa. She has a bad day, she gets the lay off speech at work, goes home to see a 3 day eviction notice and then hears her Dad has had a heart attack and he didn't make it. Sorting through this mess is going to take time. So I get invested in her character and I feel sorry for her, but I admire her strength. She hops in her old beat up Toyota and drives to Hidden Valley. When she gets there you are introduced to Aunt Renee (ME) and her sister Sara and Ramey her best friend. It is here that all the secrets come out. There is a huge murder investigation, a lie, a betrayal and a BIG family secret.
On the way there poor Jenessa gets stopped by the police.
Enter Mike
Gosh he is cute, smart, and has shown great improvement since high school.
The lovable Aunt Renee (me) gets the word there is a report job and recommends Jenessa. Lucky for her she gets the job. Being she has a parent to mourn, a job to do, and about $5 in her pocket, she needs to get together and move on. It is a Jenessa Jones is immediately pulled into the human remains story. Juicy and interesting. She has a flair for getting a detective on her side. I loved her and George together. Not a spoiler, but she does have a way with getting him on her side to spill a secret or three.
Now enter Logan. He is the one who got away. Well I dont know if that is accurate anyway. I hated him and then loved him. The author does a great job of adding one mystery and one secret at a time. Seriously a page turner. This town is chock full of drama.
Obviously I loved Jenessa, she was all that! Funny, pretty, smart and sneaky! I liked how there were secrets being spread out through the Hidden Valley chapters. I also liked how she second guessed who was the killer. There is a chapter where you even think it may be her best friend. A very good plot that moves along at a steady pace.
The biggest reveal was about Logan the boyfriend who stole her heart. His part is a steamy must read for sure! The characters are all lovable in a way that you know they will be in the next book. I hope it is a long series. Long live Aunt Renee! Did I mention that was me? I'm a star!
The story starts out creating the love I had for Jenessa. She has a bad day, she gets the lay off speech at work, goes home to see a 3 day eviction notice and then hears her Dad has had a heart attack and he didn't make it. Sorting through this mess is going to take time. So I get invested in her character and I feel sorry for her, but I admire her strength. She hops in her old beat up Toyota and drives to Hidden Valley. When she gets there you are introduced to Aunt Renee (ME) and her sister Sara and Ramey her best friend. It is here that all the secrets come out. There is a huge murder investigation, a lie, a betrayal and a BIG family secret.
On the way there poor Jenessa gets stopped by the police.
Enter Mike
Gosh he is cute, smart, and has shown great improvement since high school.
The lovable Aunt Renee (me) gets the word there is a report job and recommends Jenessa. Lucky for her she gets the job. Being she has a parent to mourn, a job to do, and about $5 in her pocket, she needs to get together and move on. It is a Jenessa Jones is immediately pulled into the human remains story. Juicy and interesting. She has a flair for getting a detective on her side. I loved her and George together. Not a spoiler, but she does have a way with getting him on her side to spill a secret or three.
Now enter Logan. He is the one who got away. Well I dont know if that is accurate anyway. I hated him and then loved him. The author does a great job of adding one mystery and one secret at a time. Seriously a page turner. This town is chock full of drama.
Obviously I loved Jenessa, she was all that! Funny, pretty, smart and sneaky! I liked how there were secrets being spread out through the Hidden Valley chapters. I also liked how she second guessed who was the killer. There is a chapter where you even think it may be her best friend. A very good plot that moves along at a steady pace.
The biggest reveal was about Logan the boyfriend who stole her heart. His part is a steamy must read for sure! The characters are all lovable in a way that you know they will be in the next book. I hope it is a long series. Long live Aunt Renee! Did I mention that was me? I'm a star!
April 11, 2016
The Lake House Secret
Meh. This annoyed me on many levels. It's like a tick list of cliches...this might contain spoilers but the story is so lame, I'd prefer to call them warnings.
Nerdy high school buddy turned tall, dark and handsome. And a single superdaddy of a (of course) perfect, well adjusted child with grandparents who happily take the kid every time Daddy wants to have grown up time with pretty lady.
The super hot, rich former boyfriend. Who of course, gives her chills, thrills and zingy feelings in the lady garden area. Even though she hates him because of stuff in high school. Yaaaaawwwwn.
Stupid names. I wanted to punch the kindle every time I was reminded her name is Janessa. Ditto her buddy, Ramey.
Pastry chef. It feels like every half assed romance Amazon flog on kindle, must have a pastry chef.
(On the pastry thing, I personally cannot think of a pastry more revolting than a f#":¡*ng cinnamon bun, this author obviously loves them, based on 36 different description s. However, mass hits on the synonym button to describe the things hasn't helped)
Pointless and annoying over description of every single meal. And there's many meals. Technically, this chick should be obese, because she chows down like a starving coyote but never exercises.
No job, broken car, eviction notices? Ohhhh it's all good. Because of course, someone died, so naturally within a day or two, she's inherited a Mercedes, house (probate takes months unless you live in lala land) and waltzed into a reporting job... like one does in lazily written romance novels...I found the 'even take a cleaning or (shock, horror!!!) Waitressing job commentary mildly offensive.
Rich boy takes advantage of poor, innocent janessa. But she lurved him and the reader is subjected to pages of irritating emotional puke on that point.
Janessa has a whole bunch of chips on her shoulder. My surprise is she didn't eat them with some kind of over described dip.
The so called 'rivalry' between Jenessa and her pointless sister is almost as pathetic as the hand wringing between her two high school boyfriends. The family background theme got on my nerves because it didn't add a thing to the story.
Oh yeah, there was a body. It wasn't exactly a mystery. It was beyond obvious 'whodunnit'.
Meh. This annoyed me on many levels. It's like a tick list of cliches...this might contain spoilers but the story is so lame, I'd prefer to call them warnings.
Nerdy high school buddy turned tall, dark and handsome. And a single superdaddy of a (of course) perfect, well adjusted child with grandparents who happily take the kid every time Daddy wants to have grown up time with pretty lady.
The super hot, rich former boyfriend. Who of course, gives her chills, thrills and zingy feelings in the lady garden area. Even though she hates him because of stuff in high school. Yaaaaawwwwn.
Stupid names. I wanted to punch the kindle every time I was reminded her name is Janessa. Ditto her buddy, Ramey.
Pastry chef. It feels like every half assed romance Amazon flog on kindle, must have a pastry chef.
(On the pastry thing, I personally cannot think of a pastry more revolting than a f#":¡*ng cinnamon bun, this author obviously loves them, based on 36 different description s. However, mass hits on the synonym button to describe the things hasn't helped)
Pointless and annoying over description of every single meal. And there's many meals. Technically, this chick should be obese, because she chows down like a starving coyote but never exercises.
No job, broken car, eviction notices? Ohhhh it's all good. Because of course, someone died, so naturally within a day or two, she's inherited a Mercedes, house (probate takes months unless you live in lala land) and waltzed into a reporting job... like one does in lazily written romance novels...I found the 'even take a cleaning or (shock, horror!!!) Waitressing job commentary mildly offensive.
Rich boy takes advantage of poor, innocent janessa. But she lurved him and the reader is subjected to pages of irritating emotional puke on that point.
Janessa has a whole bunch of chips on her shoulder. My surprise is she didn't eat them with some kind of over described dip.
The so called 'rivalry' between Jenessa and her pointless sister is almost as pathetic as the hand wringing between her two high school boyfriends. The family background theme got on my nerves because it didn't add a thing to the story.
Oh yeah, there was a body. It wasn't exactly a mystery. It was beyond obvious 'whodunnit'.
November 1, 2013
Debra Burroughs is a new author to me. Her husband is our realtor and she gave me a copy of this book to read and review. Since I had not read any of Debra's books I had no idea what I was getting in to.
Debra creates great, three dimensional characters. The plot doesn't lack, it moves at a steady pace, which keeps you turning pages.
This book is her newest release and is the beginning of a new series. If you enjoy good romantic suspense this is definitely a book for you.
Recommended!
Debra creates great, three dimensional characters. The plot doesn't lack, it moves at a steady pace, which keeps you turning pages.
This book is her newest release and is the beginning of a new series. If you enjoy good romantic suspense this is definitely a book for you.
Recommended!
February 1, 2020
Kind of predictable, very unrealistic (the cops treating a journalist like a fellow cop? Nah), and some of the characters were annoying (I couldn’t stand Jenessa’s sister). But this was a cute, quick, engaging read. And a free ebook. So no harm, no foul.
January 31, 2016
I'm abandoning this book at 31%. I just posted an update about credibility issues and the very next Chapter (15) takes a swan leap off a cliff. No, no, no. I'm just not buying THAT as a reader. So, now it feels OVERLY contrived.
PREVIOUS UPDATE (30%)
Jenessa is one of those people that asks you for favors (plural) that put you in an awkward position. First, the detective. Then, her boss's cousin at the crime lab. And next, her high school friend on the police force. But asking is only half. They all seem to do it with barely a 2nd thought. Major leaks too. I dont know about the believability here...
PREVIOUS UPDATE (30%)
Jenessa is one of those people that asks you for favors (plural) that put you in an awkward position. First, the detective. Then, her boss's cousin at the crime lab. And next, her high school friend on the police force. But asking is only half. They all seem to do it with barely a 2nd thought. Major leaks too. I dont know about the believability here...
July 20, 2015
Loved this book! Great read and had me on my toes until the end!
December 3, 2016
This is better than some of the other 'cozy mysteries' i've read so far in an effort to catch up on my Goodreads challenge, because I'm currently behind by 40 books and stories like these are light and easy fluff that I can breeze through quickly.
The main character wasn't terribly unlikable, but she sure did bust out a lot of her best friend's business without telling her best friend first. If I were that friend, I'd be kind of pissed. And since when do reporters run investigations? I mean technically she wasn't running it but she sure gave some orders and "helpful hints" to the detective working on the case.
The main character wasn't terribly unlikable, but she sure did bust out a lot of her best friend's business without telling her best friend first. If I were that friend, I'd be kind of pissed. And since when do reporters run investigations? I mean technically she wasn't running it but she sure gave some orders and "helpful hints" to the detective working on the case.
February 21, 2015
A must
Romance is not my type of book, investigative mysteries are, so I didn't know how I would like it. I'm really glad that I read The Lake House Secret. It had everything and the mystery was a real surprise. I also like the fact that Debra kept it clean with no cussing or mushy sex.
It was well written without spelling or grammatical errors and I loved the characters.
I would recommend this book to everyone and I really want to read more of Debra Burrough's books.
Romance is not my type of book, investigative mysteries are, so I didn't know how I would like it. I'm really glad that I read The Lake House Secret. It had everything and the mystery was a real surprise. I also like the fact that Debra kept it clean with no cussing or mushy sex.
It was well written without spelling or grammatical errors and I loved the characters.
I would recommend this book to everyone and I really want to read more of Debra Burrough's books.
February 23, 2015
Grabbed me !
Somehow the book grabbed me and I didn't stop reading until the end. All the characters are interesting and the plot was great. Light, gentle romance, family dynamics, and friendship builds a great background for the mystery. Looking forward to book number 2.
Somehow the book grabbed me and I didn't stop reading until the end. All the characters are interesting and the plot was great. Light, gentle romance, family dynamics, and friendship builds a great background for the mystery. Looking forward to book number 2.
October 12, 2018
I love a romance, suspense mystery ... such a great read ... love the writing style, characters and easily how the writing just flows we well and quickly. always a fan of a strong heroine, my favorite. well developed characters. will read more from Debra soon enough!! ( ;
Want to read
April 7, 2020TheFussyLibrarian
April 17, 2018
I really enjoyed the book. Suspense mystery romance. I'm looking forward to book 2 in the series.
September 8, 2024
Acquired Kindle edition when offered free on Amazon.
DNF at 51%. One of the most insulting-to-everyone's-intelligence books I've ever tried to read.
Because the book was published in 2013 and appears to be one of the author's early efforts, I was prepared to cut her some slack. Even in the worst-written books there's usually some nugget, some particle of quality, that elevates the whole above garbage. There are books that are offensive -- some of them have numbers and colors in the title -- and are thinly disguised fan fiction that deserve (but usually don't get) universal scorn. There are others that are written by sincere but untutored amateurs whose enthusiasm far outweighs their skill. And then there are the books written by persons presumed to be adults who really ought to know better that are not only an insult to readers and writers but to books in general.
The Lake House Secret is one of those books.
When the story begins, the main character, Jenessa Jones, has lost her job, is out of money, is about to be evicted because she doesn't have the money for rent, and her car is dying.
She's been laid off. She's a journalist working for a "big" newspaper in Sacramento, California. She's entitled to unemployment compensation. No mention is made of her having even applied for UC.
Why is she driving a 12-year-old rattletrap of a vehicle if she's been working steadily for a number of years? Why hasn't she had the Toyota -- a generally reliable vehicle -- maintained and repaired?
Why is she so damn stupid?
Just as she's at rock bottom -- oh, honey, you don't got a clue what "rock bottom" really is -- she gets a phone call informing her that her father has died suddenly and she needs to go back to her "home town" of Hidden Valley, California. Oh, goody! Now all her problems are solved! Daddy was a successful lawyer, lived in a big house that's virtually empty now so Jenessa can move right in. (See, her mother died several years ago and her sister Sara moved out, so this big ol' house is just waiting for Jenessa.)
So since she's out of a job anyway, she packs all her worldly goods into the Toyota -- minus her furniture that she's leaving in the apartment because it must have been junk she doesn't want to keep? -- and heads off to Hidden Valley. Within 24 hours she lands a job as reporter for the local newspaper. No mention is made of Daddy's will and how the estate is going to be settled between the two daughters, but Jenessa just takes over the house and Daddy's Mercedes and everything else, and of course Sara, who already has a chip on her shoulder about something or other, says nothing. Oh, she's snippy about everything else Jenessa does, but says nothing about ownership of the house, the expensive car, etc. Nor is there any mention of insurance coverage on this car that she's driving, now that the legal owner is dead.
Before Jenessa even fills out her W-4, she's sent out on an assignment to cover the discovery of a body -- well, okay, some bones anyway -- up at the lake outside of town. She has no press credentials, but she bullies her way through the police lines, takes unauthorized photos, and harasses the detective way past a point where he should have had her arrested, or at least bodily removed from the scene.
She's also a menace on the roads. On her way into town, still driving the limping Toyota, she's stopped for speeding because she's not paying attention. After she gets the reporting assignment, she hops in Daddy's Roadster [sic] and tools up the highway toward the lake, but oh, it's such a cool car that she can't resist speeding a little bit. And she gets stopped again by the same city cop -- and former high school nerd friend -- who stopped her in the Toyota. He lets her off with yet another warning, but as soon as she's beyond the city limits, she puts the pedal to the metal again! And after she's finished at the crime scene, she heads back to town speeding again!
I don't like her. I wouldn't like her in real life.
I don't like her sister.
I don't like her ex-boyfriend Logan Alexander.
For about the first 15% of the book, the reader gets teased about this big sordid scandal that Jenessa and Logan were involved in while they were in high school. It was such a scandal that Daddy refused to speak to Jenessa and made it clear she was no longer welcome in the family. It was such a scandal that Jenessa's mother begged her to come home to Hidden Valley for a holiday dinner, and when Jenessa refused, her mother drove from Hidden Valley to Sacramento and then was killed in a car accident on the way home. The scandal? They had sex one time and Jenessa got pregnant. She was sent away to live with her grandmother until the baby was born, and then she gave it up for adoption.
And no one was told, other than the immediate families, all of whom would have preferred that she have an abortion, but she, being TSTL, thought he loved her and they would get married and . . . . . .
We're not talking 1950s or 1960s or even 1970s, since based on the publication date of 2013 we can place the pregnancy around the year 2000. The attitude is certainly dated, however.
But when Jenessa runs into Logan again upon her return to Hidden Valley,
She hated the way she felt every time she bumped into him—a cross between wanting to throw up and her heart trying to jump out of her chest. (p. 127)
He ditched you, honey! He got you pregnant, he wouldn't marry you, he wanted you to abort, and then when you show up back in town he never even asked about the kid! But you still get the old pitter-patter heart thing? He's a sleaze! And you're a sucker!
And his family owns the Hidden Valley Herald newspaper. The newspaper she's now working for.
So he's a rich, good-looking sleaze, which puts him into the romantic triangle with nice guy former nerd and now city cop Michael Baxter, also good-looking if not rich, and single dad to a five-year-old plot moppet.
Now, you might think Michael is a good guy and I shouldn't dislike him along with all the rest. But he's an enabler of Jenessa's bad behavior. Not only does he let her evade two speeding tickets, but he also agrees to help her on her "investigation" of the "murder" -- at 40% of the way into the book, it hasn't even been ruled officially a murder yet -- and offers to use his own tools to break into her father's locked desk drawer. She doesn't want to call in a locksmith for fear they might see something in the drawer they shouldn't (Like what? This is an idiotic plot device. Any normal person would call the damn locksmith.).
She's already got Detective Provenza, Officer Michael Baxter, and some woman in the crime lab giving her information on this case when they should just be hanging up on every one of her phone calls. What the hell is wrong with those people?
And I love that there's a big issue being made that Logan's father might have to split his estate between two potential heirs and this could be a motive for murder, but it never occurs to Jenessa that the same could be true of her own father's estate. She's just latched onto everything, and Sara says nothing. Of course, the information she's "fairly certain" is accurate, identifying her friend Ramey as the murder victim's daughter and fathered by Logan Alexander's father, is nothing more substantial or substantiated than gossip from her Aunt Renee, which Jenessa then blithely passes on to Officer Michael!!
And that's just one of many reasons I already dislike this goody-two-shoes Aunt Renee. She's a meddling busybody and a prig -- but a rich one -- and a nasty gossip.
I don't even like Michael's five-year-old son Jake.
“Can I get a couple of napkins, Ramey?” Michael asked.
She grabbed a few and held them out.
“Thanks.” He took them just in time, for the boy had already devoured the cupcake and wore almost half the frosting on his face and he was wiping the icing from his hand onto his shirt. p. 93
The kid is five years old, getting ready to go into kindergarten, and he doesn't know how to eat a cupcake like a civilized human being and not wipe his hands on his shirt???
Which of course doesn't reflect well on single dad Michael.
We already know Logan is a sleaze. He cons Jenessa into going out to dinner with him, supposedly just to catch up on what they've been doing for the past twelve years, and dinner is just burgers, but it's pretty obvious he's trying to start something with her all over again, and she's letting him. She's such a ditz and so melting for him already that she forgets she made an appointment with Michael to take a look at the locked drawer in her father's desk. So Michael shows up at her house -- her dad's house -- at the appointed time, and it just happens to be the moment Logan is dropping her off after their not-a-date. She won't ask him in, even though she really wants to, and then he kisses her -- without asking, without getting consent -- and heaven only knows what would have happened if Michael hadn't driven by at that moment and then taken off, tires squealing.
Oh, poor Michael! you're thinking. Ha!
Jenessa calls him, explains what was going on, and begs him to come over anyway and pick the lock on her father's desk. And he does it! Well, he comes over, though he fails at the lock picking part. Then she invites him to have some peach pie and ice cream, and then things get all mushy and she knows he's going to kiss her. UGH! What a sleaze she is! But saintly Michael backs off.
Michael was so close that Jenessa felt his hot breath on her lips. Then, he stepped back unexpectedly.
“I can’t do this right now. I have Jake to think about.”
Her feet fell flat. “I don’t understand.”
“I saw you kissing Logan tonight. I have to be careful who I get involved with, for Jake’s sake.”
The romantic moment was lost. p. 154
For Jake's sake. Aw, what a good dad! At least for a couple of paragraphs.
“Listen, Jenessa, when you’re nothing more than just friends, you don’t kiss on the lips.” Out of nowhere, Michael grabbed her by the arms and pulled her against him. His lips were on hers, kissing her fiercely, deeply, then he released her just as fast. p. 155
He's a police officer, for crying out loud! Doesn't he know that's assault? Doesn't she know that's assault?
The next morning, of course, there's no mention of it from either of them when they meet in the local bakery/coffee shop.
The next morning, at the bakery, Michael shows up, with little Jake in tow. They're on their way to the county fair, and Jenessa just invites herself to go along with them! Hello? What is the matter with her? But first she has to interview Logan's step-mother, his father's second wife, for an article about the local garden club's flower show. Of course, at the end, Jenessa just has to take the opportunity to ask Lauren Alexander about the murder.
“I don’t mean to sound indelicate, Lauren, but I’ve heard talk that when your husband was married to the first Mrs. Alexander, he had a reputation for sleeping with women who weren’t his wife.”
“What exactly are you implying, Miss Jones?”
“Lucy St. John was one of those women.” p. 169
First of all, the bones have not been conclusively identified as belonging to Lucy St. John. Second of all, the person's death has not been ruled a homicide. Third of all, the "talk" Jenessa refers to is nothing more substantial than gossip from her busybody aunt. Yet on that basis, she's interrogating this woman????
Are you (expletive) kidding me?
That conversation is held on page 169. On page 175, Jenessa has a run-in with Grey Alexander, husband of the above-interviewed Lauren, father to sleaze-bucket Logan, and according to blabbermouth Aunt Renee, also father of Jenessa's friend Ramey. Was Jenessa stupid enough to believe Lauren wouldn't tell her husband that his new reporter -- remember, Grey Alexander owns the newspaper Jenessa is working for when she's interrogating, er, interviewing his wife, for crying out loud -- asked her about his involvement with Lucy St. John?
“My wife called me this morning and she was extremely upset by what you said to her.”
Jenessa willed her spine to hold her up. “I…I’m doing an investigative story on the remains that were discovered by your lake house last week—Lucy St. John’s remains.”
“Lucy St. John? The police have confirmed that?”
“Not exactly.” She took a deep breath. “But I have reason to believe they will shortly.” p. 175
(Emphasis mine.)
I read three more pages. I don't give a rat's ass who killed this woman, if she is Ramey's mother, if Grey Alexander is her father, if Jenessa ends up sleeping with Logan or Michael or both of them at the same time. I thoroughly despise all of them. I don't care about any of them.
The writing itself is amateurish, dull, technically clean except for some misplaced and/or dangling modifiers, but even that all comes in a distant second to the horrible characters.
DNF, one star because I want it to factor into the total. Not recommended to anyone.
DNF at 51%. One of the most insulting-to-everyone's-intelligence books I've ever tried to read.
Because the book was published in 2013 and appears to be one of the author's early efforts, I was prepared to cut her some slack. Even in the worst-written books there's usually some nugget, some particle of quality, that elevates the whole above garbage. There are books that are offensive -- some of them have numbers and colors in the title -- and are thinly disguised fan fiction that deserve (but usually don't get) universal scorn. There are others that are written by sincere but untutored amateurs whose enthusiasm far outweighs their skill. And then there are the books written by persons presumed to be adults who really ought to know better that are not only an insult to readers and writers but to books in general.
The Lake House Secret is one of those books.
When the story begins, the main character, Jenessa Jones, has lost her job, is out of money, is about to be evicted because she doesn't have the money for rent, and her car is dying.
She's been laid off. She's a journalist working for a "big" newspaper in Sacramento, California. She's entitled to unemployment compensation. No mention is made of her having even applied for UC.
Why is she driving a 12-year-old rattletrap of a vehicle if she's been working steadily for a number of years? Why hasn't she had the Toyota -- a generally reliable vehicle -- maintained and repaired?
Why is she so damn stupid?
Just as she's at rock bottom -- oh, honey, you don't got a clue what "rock bottom" really is -- she gets a phone call informing her that her father has died suddenly and she needs to go back to her "home town" of Hidden Valley, California. Oh, goody! Now all her problems are solved! Daddy was a successful lawyer, lived in a big house that's virtually empty now so Jenessa can move right in. (See, her mother died several years ago and her sister Sara moved out, so this big ol' house is just waiting for Jenessa.)
So since she's out of a job anyway, she packs all her worldly goods into the Toyota -- minus her furniture that she's leaving in the apartment because it must have been junk she doesn't want to keep? -- and heads off to Hidden Valley. Within 24 hours she lands a job as reporter for the local newspaper. No mention is made of Daddy's will and how the estate is going to be settled between the two daughters, but Jenessa just takes over the house and Daddy's Mercedes and everything else, and of course Sara, who already has a chip on her shoulder about something or other, says nothing. Oh, she's snippy about everything else Jenessa does, but says nothing about ownership of the house, the expensive car, etc. Nor is there any mention of insurance coverage on this car that she's driving, now that the legal owner is dead.
Before Jenessa even fills out her W-4, she's sent out on an assignment to cover the discovery of a body -- well, okay, some bones anyway -- up at the lake outside of town. She has no press credentials, but she bullies her way through the police lines, takes unauthorized photos, and harasses the detective way past a point where he should have had her arrested, or at least bodily removed from the scene.
She's also a menace on the roads. On her way into town, still driving the limping Toyota, she's stopped for speeding because she's not paying attention. After she gets the reporting assignment, she hops in Daddy's Roadster [sic] and tools up the highway toward the lake, but oh, it's such a cool car that she can't resist speeding a little bit. And she gets stopped again by the same city cop -- and former high school nerd friend -- who stopped her in the Toyota. He lets her off with yet another warning, but as soon as she's beyond the city limits, she puts the pedal to the metal again! And after she's finished at the crime scene, she heads back to town speeding again!
I don't like her. I wouldn't like her in real life.
I don't like her sister.
I don't like her ex-boyfriend Logan Alexander.
For about the first 15% of the book, the reader gets teased about this big sordid scandal that Jenessa and Logan were involved in while they were in high school. It was such a scandal that Daddy refused to speak to Jenessa and made it clear she was no longer welcome in the family. It was such a scandal that Jenessa's mother begged her to come home to Hidden Valley for a holiday dinner, and when Jenessa refused, her mother drove from Hidden Valley to Sacramento and then was killed in a car accident on the way home. The scandal? They had sex one time and Jenessa got pregnant. She was sent away to live with her grandmother until the baby was born, and then she gave it up for adoption.
And no one was told, other than the immediate families, all of whom would have preferred that she have an abortion, but she, being TSTL, thought he loved her and they would get married and . . . . . .
We're not talking 1950s or 1960s or even 1970s, since based on the publication date of 2013 we can place the pregnancy around the year 2000. The attitude is certainly dated, however.
But when Jenessa runs into Logan again upon her return to Hidden Valley,
She hated the way she felt every time she bumped into him—a cross between wanting to throw up and her heart trying to jump out of her chest. (p. 127)
He ditched you, honey! He got you pregnant, he wouldn't marry you, he wanted you to abort, and then when you show up back in town he never even asked about the kid! But you still get the old pitter-patter heart thing? He's a sleaze! And you're a sucker!
And his family owns the Hidden Valley Herald newspaper. The newspaper she's now working for.
So he's a rich, good-looking sleaze, which puts him into the romantic triangle with nice guy former nerd and now city cop Michael Baxter, also good-looking if not rich, and single dad to a five-year-old plot moppet.
Now, you might think Michael is a good guy and I shouldn't dislike him along with all the rest. But he's an enabler of Jenessa's bad behavior. Not only does he let her evade two speeding tickets, but he also agrees to help her on her "investigation" of the "murder" -- at 40% of the way into the book, it hasn't even been ruled officially a murder yet -- and offers to use his own tools to break into her father's locked desk drawer. She doesn't want to call in a locksmith for fear they might see something in the drawer they shouldn't (Like what? This is an idiotic plot device. Any normal person would call the damn locksmith.).
She's already got Detective Provenza, Officer Michael Baxter, and some woman in the crime lab giving her information on this case when they should just be hanging up on every one of her phone calls. What the hell is wrong with those people?
And I love that there's a big issue being made that Logan's father might have to split his estate between two potential heirs and this could be a motive for murder, but it never occurs to Jenessa that the same could be true of her own father's estate. She's just latched onto everything, and Sara says nothing. Of course, the information she's "fairly certain" is accurate, identifying her friend Ramey as the murder victim's daughter and fathered by Logan Alexander's father, is nothing more substantial or substantiated than gossip from her Aunt Renee, which Jenessa then blithely passes on to Officer Michael!!
And that's just one of many reasons I already dislike this goody-two-shoes Aunt Renee. She's a meddling busybody and a prig -- but a rich one -- and a nasty gossip.
I don't even like Michael's five-year-old son Jake.
“Can I get a couple of napkins, Ramey?” Michael asked.
She grabbed a few and held them out.
“Thanks.” He took them just in time, for the boy had already devoured the cupcake and wore almost half the frosting on his face and he was wiping the icing from his hand onto his shirt. p. 93
The kid is five years old, getting ready to go into kindergarten, and he doesn't know how to eat a cupcake like a civilized human being and not wipe his hands on his shirt???
Which of course doesn't reflect well on single dad Michael.
We already know Logan is a sleaze. He cons Jenessa into going out to dinner with him, supposedly just to catch up on what they've been doing for the past twelve years, and dinner is just burgers, but it's pretty obvious he's trying to start something with her all over again, and she's letting him. She's such a ditz and so melting for him already that she forgets she made an appointment with Michael to take a look at the locked drawer in her father's desk. So Michael shows up at her house -- her dad's house -- at the appointed time, and it just happens to be the moment Logan is dropping her off after their not-a-date. She won't ask him in, even though she really wants to, and then he kisses her -- without asking, without getting consent -- and heaven only knows what would have happened if Michael hadn't driven by at that moment and then taken off, tires squealing.
Oh, poor Michael! you're thinking. Ha!
Jenessa calls him, explains what was going on, and begs him to come over anyway and pick the lock on her father's desk. And he does it! Well, he comes over, though he fails at the lock picking part. Then she invites him to have some peach pie and ice cream, and then things get all mushy and she knows he's going to kiss her. UGH! What a sleaze she is! But saintly Michael backs off.
Michael was so close that Jenessa felt his hot breath on her lips. Then, he stepped back unexpectedly.
“I can’t do this right now. I have Jake to think about.”
Her feet fell flat. “I don’t understand.”
“I saw you kissing Logan tonight. I have to be careful who I get involved with, for Jake’s sake.”
The romantic moment was lost. p. 154
For Jake's sake. Aw, what a good dad! At least for a couple of paragraphs.
“Listen, Jenessa, when you’re nothing more than just friends, you don’t kiss on the lips.” Out of nowhere, Michael grabbed her by the arms and pulled her against him. His lips were on hers, kissing her fiercely, deeply, then he released her just as fast. p. 155
He's a police officer, for crying out loud! Doesn't he know that's assault? Doesn't she know that's assault?
The next morning, of course, there's no mention of it from either of them when they meet in the local bakery/coffee shop.
The next morning, at the bakery, Michael shows up, with little Jake in tow. They're on their way to the county fair, and Jenessa just invites herself to go along with them! Hello? What is the matter with her? But first she has to interview Logan's step-mother, his father's second wife, for an article about the local garden club's flower show. Of course, at the end, Jenessa just has to take the opportunity to ask Lauren Alexander about the murder.
“I don’t mean to sound indelicate, Lauren, but I’ve heard talk that when your husband was married to the first Mrs. Alexander, he had a reputation for sleeping with women who weren’t his wife.”
“What exactly are you implying, Miss Jones?”
“Lucy St. John was one of those women.” p. 169
First of all, the bones have not been conclusively identified as belonging to Lucy St. John. Second of all, the person's death has not been ruled a homicide. Third of all, the "talk" Jenessa refers to is nothing more substantial than gossip from her busybody aunt. Yet on that basis, she's interrogating this woman????
Are you (expletive) kidding me?
That conversation is held on page 169. On page 175, Jenessa has a run-in with Grey Alexander, husband of the above-interviewed Lauren, father to sleaze-bucket Logan, and according to blabbermouth Aunt Renee, also father of Jenessa's friend Ramey. Was Jenessa stupid enough to believe Lauren wouldn't tell her husband that his new reporter -- remember, Grey Alexander owns the newspaper Jenessa is working for when she's interrogating, er, interviewing his wife, for crying out loud -- asked her about his involvement with Lucy St. John?
“My wife called me this morning and she was extremely upset by what you said to her.”
Jenessa willed her spine to hold her up. “I…I’m doing an investigative story on the remains that were discovered by your lake house last week—Lucy St. John’s remains.”
“Lucy St. John? The police have confirmed that?”
“Not exactly.” She took a deep breath. “But I have reason to believe they will shortly.” p. 175
(Emphasis mine.)
I read three more pages. I don't give a rat's ass who killed this woman, if she is Ramey's mother, if Grey Alexander is her father, if Jenessa ends up sleeping with Logan or Michael or both of them at the same time. I thoroughly despise all of them. I don't care about any of them.
The writing itself is amateurish, dull, technically clean except for some misplaced and/or dangling modifiers, but even that all comes in a distant second to the horrible characters.
DNF, one star because I want it to factor into the total. Not recommended to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2019
Excellent
Very good story and meeting Hebrews and her ability to be an excellent reporter help solve crime. Will continue to follow this author liking her style of romantic mystery.
Very good story and meeting Hebrews and her ability to be an excellent reporter help solve crime. Will continue to follow this author liking her style of romantic mystery.
August 14, 2016
It is so much fun to discover a new writer, and Debra Burroughs will definitely be on my watch list from now on!
The characters were engaging....and the pieces of each back story tied in neatly, even if they weren't always the way you wanted them to actually end up unfolding. I found the character dialogue to be realistic and appropriate as well.
While the premise was suspenseful, I found the story to cling to more traditional mystery lines, with a touch of romance that didn't detract from the story and/or become a reason to segue into one raunchy sex scene after another. In fact, it was fairly vanilla and flowed naturally.
Although the denouement was NOT a surprise, there was enough of a "kick" to make it satisfying.
A very enjoyable read that I would heartily endorse.....and I hope the sequel is soon to come!
The characters were engaging....and the pieces of each back story tied in neatly, even if they weren't always the way you wanted them to actually end up unfolding. I found the character dialogue to be realistic and appropriate as well.
While the premise was suspenseful, I found the story to cling to more traditional mystery lines, with a touch of romance that didn't detract from the story and/or become a reason to segue into one raunchy sex scene after another. In fact, it was fairly vanilla and flowed naturally.
Although the denouement was NOT a surprise, there was enough of a "kick" to make it satisfying.
A very enjoyable read that I would heartily endorse.....and I hope the sequel is soon to come!
October 30, 2017
Jenessa James has returned home after the death of her estranged father. With her Mother also dead, Jenessa’s family consists of her younger sister, aunt and best friend. Bitter memories surround Jenessa in Hidden Valley, including the betrayal of her former boyfriend in this mystery. Trying to start over she takes on a new job with the hometown newspaper and promptly becomes involved with investigating the mystery of bones found at a Lake House.
Life got into my way and I had stopped reading this book, but finally picked it up again and glad I did. Also glad to learn there are two more books in this series by Debra Burroughs.
Life got into my way and I had stopped reading this book, but finally picked it up again and glad I did. Also glad to learn there are two more books in this series by Debra Burroughs.
November 21, 2019
Jenessa Jones, a reporter, has been evicted after she lost her job and her accounts started piling up. With nothing to look forward to, she returns to her hometown when she learns her father has died. There she is hired by the small town newspaper. When some human remains are found in a lake, she decides to investigate. So far, so good. However, later on the story flounders. She is SOOOO good that she starts giving orders to the chief of police and to lead the investigation. Ridiculous and totally unbelievable.
April 8, 2016
Simplistic style, stilted dialog, ridiculous situations
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but considering all the five star reviews, there must be people out there who just want to suspend disbelief and forget reality for a couple of hours without having to think. This book is for them. Especially if coarse language, graphic violence and sex offends. There is none of that. The novel equivalent of a daytime soap. Not an over abundance of typos and reasonably decent grammar.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but considering all the five star reviews, there must be people out there who just want to suspend disbelief and forget reality for a couple of hours without having to think. This book is for them. Especially if coarse language, graphic violence and sex offends. There is none of that. The novel equivalent of a daytime soap. Not an over abundance of typos and reasonably decent grammar.
July 3, 2017
The suspense ripples across every page as Janessa Jones balances romance, family, and an old murder that seems to impact everyone she knows and loves. The book is a quick read because the descriptive words are at a minimum as action takes place on many levels. The characters are very straightforward and provide few surprises. The conclusion comes with a real twist, but is very satisfying. Not a challenging, but a very entertaining read.
January 14, 2017
I stopped reading this because there was more romance than mystery. It reads like a tv movie mystery. If you like romance novels, you will like this.
February 13, 2017
2.5-3. I don't really like the main character. So that makes it hard to continue the series. The mystery was pretty predictable. I appreciate that this book is clean, though.
May 20, 2017
Pretty much absurd that this young reporter was telling seasoned detectives how to investigate.
June 19, 2017
A light easy to read book.
Not really gritty enough for me .
Reasonable storyline,hadn't read the earlier book but could still follow the story .
Not really gritty enough for me .
Reasonable storyline,hadn't read the earlier book but could still follow the story .
June 20, 2017
The story was weak. She didn't strike me as a real journalist.
November 4, 2017
Nice story
The Lake House Secret is a nice , light, predictable romantic mystery. I found it to be boring and couldn’t wait for it to end.
The Lake House Secret is a nice , light, predictable romantic mystery. I found it to be boring and couldn’t wait for it to end.
April 24, 2024
I really did enjoy the story but wow, is this girl LUCKY!
Life in Sacramento was getting really hard with no job. She gets called home to a small, sleepy town after her dad passes. Tragic, but lucky! Her father was a well-off lawyer and her aunt is also quite financially stable.
She barely makes it home in her busted up old car. She gets to use her dad's roadster Mercedes after picking up the keys at the coroner's office.
She's a reporter that lost her job due to downsizing in Sacramento (or was it San Francisco?) Her aunt pushes her to apply at the local paper and even calls ahead. Nepotism! Lucky!
It's a small town, really what stories could there be? Suddenly a body is found when someone is digging, getting ready to lay foundations for a lake house. LUCKY!
Her ex is there, and he's still in love with her. And girl still gets weak in the knees for him. Trite.
Nerdy boy school friend grows up to become a hunk. And is a single dad. A big thing for her since she was forced to give up her baby. And the kid actually likes her. Of course she'll end up with this guy. He's the good guy.
With very little prodding, she gets the near-retirement detective to give her information, and she gets to help from the sidelines via her occupation with solving the case. Even gets favors and info that would have lost people their jobs if it was found out. Girl has a silver tongue.
There's a not-quite-a-love-triangle with her sister and her ex that gets neatly all tied off with the introduction of another dude for her sister. Not everything has to be tied in a neat little bow. Life isn't like that.
Best part, she gets to help take down a powerful and arrogant man, her ex's father. Dude....
I know this has been sort of a negative list but I guess overall I did like the story.
Life in Sacramento was getting really hard with no job. She gets called home to a small, sleepy town after her dad passes. Tragic, but lucky! Her father was a well-off lawyer and her aunt is also quite financially stable.
She barely makes it home in her busted up old car. She gets to use her dad's roadster Mercedes after picking up the keys at the coroner's office.
She's a reporter that lost her job due to downsizing in Sacramento (or was it San Francisco?) Her aunt pushes her to apply at the local paper and even calls ahead. Nepotism! Lucky!
It's a small town, really what stories could there be? Suddenly a body is found when someone is digging, getting ready to lay foundations for a lake house. LUCKY!
Her ex is there, and he's still in love with her. And girl still gets weak in the knees for him. Trite.
Nerdy boy school friend grows up to become a hunk. And is a single dad. A big thing for her since she was forced to give up her baby. And the kid actually likes her. Of course she'll end up with this guy. He's the good guy.
With very little prodding, she gets the near-retirement detective to give her information, and she gets to help from the sidelines via her occupation with solving the case. Even gets favors and info that would have lost people their jobs if it was found out. Girl has a silver tongue.
There's a not-quite-a-love-triangle with her sister and her ex that gets neatly all tied off with the introduction of another dude for her sister. Not everything has to be tied in a neat little bow. Life isn't like that.
Best part, she gets to help take down a powerful and arrogant man, her ex's father. Dude....
I know this has been sort of a negative list but I guess overall I did like the story.
September 3, 2024
What a great story...or should I say mystery...that revolves around a young woman named Janessa Jones who because of circumstances outside of her control returns to the place where she grew up. Her father has just died and she is without a job, anyway. Luck has it she quickly gets a job at the local newspaper where she can use her skills and experience because she was a reporter for a big city newspaper until she was laid off.
Janessa brings a lot of baggage with her because she has been estranged from her father for years and her mother already passed away, too. She doesn't have a good relationship with her sister, either, but her aunt welcomes her warmly, as do some old friends. What surprises her is being caught up in a murder investigation of a crime that occurred over ten years ago. Her sleuthing skills as a reporter are put to good use and she ends up working closely with the local police.
But of course the story is more complicated than that. Janessa has a history with a man who she dated as a teenager and wanted to marry after she discovered she was pregnant with his offspring. This is what drove a wedge between her and her family and why she escaped to college and a life somewhere else. She and this boy didn't see eye to eye about what to do about her pregnancy and she has never forgiven him for his attitude, although she still has feelings for him.
Anyway, I shouldn't be writing so much about the story details other than to say that if you like a mystery and enjoy the happenings in a small town, you will love this book. I sure did as there were new twists and turns every couple of chapters as Janessa developed some new relationships and the murder mystery unfolded.
Janessa brings a lot of baggage with her because she has been estranged from her father for years and her mother already passed away, too. She doesn't have a good relationship with her sister, either, but her aunt welcomes her warmly, as do some old friends. What surprises her is being caught up in a murder investigation of a crime that occurred over ten years ago. Her sleuthing skills as a reporter are put to good use and she ends up working closely with the local police.
But of course the story is more complicated than that. Janessa has a history with a man who she dated as a teenager and wanted to marry after she discovered she was pregnant with his offspring. This is what drove a wedge between her and her family and why she escaped to college and a life somewhere else. She and this boy didn't see eye to eye about what to do about her pregnancy and she has never forgiven him for his attitude, although she still has feelings for him.
Anyway, I shouldn't be writing so much about the story details other than to say that if you like a mystery and enjoy the happenings in a small town, you will love this book. I sure did as there were new twists and turns every couple of chapters as Janessa developed some new relationships and the murder mystery unfolded.
November 21, 2019
I love mysteries, enjoy romance, so Romantic Mysteries are my thing. This example wasn't. Okay, I'm sure there are people out there who love tropes and want to be confident that everything is happening exactly the way they expect it to.
If you enjoy stereotype characters, acting like stereotypes with a pretty straightforward plot just to escape, then this book is for you.
I found it hard to read to the end but the blurb said the author was a mistress of the plot twist. Well, there was a plot pinch at the end, so maybe that qualifies.
But a detective who lets a journalist take photos of the crime scene? Who lets her do his job for him? A female lead who cannot make her mind up whether she wants the charming reliable solid new guy or the do-no-got tosser who got her pregnant at 17?
The father of her child it says in the end, that's why she can't gt him out of her system. Whopeedo.
Dialogue felt stilted, the plot does what it has to do rather than what is probable. I could go on, but I won't.
Burroughs manages to properly weave her romance into the mystery, grammar and punctuation is decent (formatting is not, first paragraphs in chapters and scenes are left-aligned and when I found that missing, the amateur alarm went off in my head.)
Two stars for the mystery/romance bit and the plot pinch at the end, but I will not buy any more books from this author.
This is just too uninspiring
If you enjoy stereotype characters, acting like stereotypes with a pretty straightforward plot just to escape, then this book is for you.
I found it hard to read to the end but the blurb said the author was a mistress of the plot twist. Well, there was a plot pinch at the end, so maybe that qualifies.
But a detective who lets a journalist take photos of the crime scene? Who lets her do his job for him? A female lead who cannot make her mind up whether she wants the charming reliable solid new guy or the do-no-got tosser who got her pregnant at 17?
The father of her child it says in the end, that's why she can't gt him out of her system. Whopeedo.
Dialogue felt stilted, the plot does what it has to do rather than what is probable. I could go on, but I won't.
Burroughs manages to properly weave her romance into the mystery, grammar and punctuation is decent (formatting is not, first paragraphs in chapters and scenes are left-aligned and when I found that missing, the amateur alarm went off in my head.)
Two stars for the mystery/romance bit and the plot pinch at the end, but I will not buy any more books from this author.
This is just too uninspiring
August 6, 2021
I'm simply not in the mood to give this first-year-creative-writing-course work any mercy.
Newspaper reporter Jenessa Jones has hit rock bottom. She's lost her job, she's about to be evicted, her car has to be in the right mood to start, and now her father has suddenly died. But wait, that last bit of bad luck actually is good luck for Jenessa. She can go live in Dad's house, eat Dad's food, and drive Dad's BMW. Screw her sister's claim to any part of the estate, this is Jenessa's World! She returns to her small hometown of Hidden Valley, where her immediate family also doesn't seem all that bothered by Dad's death, so it's not just Jenessa. Now that he's pushing up daisies, everything is coming up roses. Before funeral arrangements are even made Jenessa is immediately hired by the local newspaper, immediately given a breaking news story to cover, immediately asked out on a date, and even has time for an impromptu pool party. Jenessa's World!
The mystery part comes from the discovery of human remains out by the local lake. This is where I feel it shows the author's only experience with investigative procedures as well as investigative journalism comes from what she's seen in Lifetime movies. None of this seems legal or professional. Not to mention everyone is eating every few pages. But I guess eating helps pad out a very thin story of a self-centered, shallow protagonist.
Newspaper reporter Jenessa Jones has hit rock bottom. She's lost her job, she's about to be evicted, her car has to be in the right mood to start, and now her father has suddenly died. But wait, that last bit of bad luck actually is good luck for Jenessa. She can go live in Dad's house, eat Dad's food, and drive Dad's BMW. Screw her sister's claim to any part of the estate, this is Jenessa's World! She returns to her small hometown of Hidden Valley, where her immediate family also doesn't seem all that bothered by Dad's death, so it's not just Jenessa. Now that he's pushing up daisies, everything is coming up roses. Before funeral arrangements are even made Jenessa is immediately hired by the local newspaper, immediately given a breaking news story to cover, immediately asked out on a date, and even has time for an impromptu pool party. Jenessa's World!
The mystery part comes from the discovery of human remains out by the local lake. This is where I feel it shows the author's only experience with investigative procedures as well as investigative journalism comes from what she's seen in Lifetime movies. None of this seems legal or professional. Not to mention everyone is eating every few pages. But I guess eating helps pad out a very thin story of a self-centered, shallow protagonist.
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