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Black Water Tales #1

The Secret Keepers

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It’s midnight when Regina Dean she receives a harrowing phone call. On the other end of the line a scratchy voice whispers, “They found her, Regina…they found her.” Over the phone Regina learns that the corpse of her best friend, Lola Rusher, has been found and she must return to her, Godforsaken, hometown of Black Water for the funeral of the beloved girl who disappeared when they were both only sixteen years old. Regina returns to Black Water and is reunited with a cast of old friends. Soon Regina realizes that the details revealed with the discovery of Lola’s corpse do not make sense, especially the fact that Lola’s body was dug up on the land of their childhood piano teacher. Determined to lay Lola to rest, Regina launches her own investigation, but someone in Black Water warns Regina to STOP DIGGING. She is thrown into a race to solve the mystery before she loses her mind or meets Lola’s fate. Though Regina’s hometown is a fun house of disturbing characters and distorted images, the truth about what happened to Lola Rusher will be revealed along with a most unexpected and perverse secret that threatens to expose everyone in Black Water. Everyone knows something, but no one knows everything…All books in the Black Water Tales series stand alone and do not need to be read with other novels in the series.

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2012

537 people are currently reading
941 people want to read

About the author

Jean Nicole Rivers

6 books125 followers
Jean Nicole (@jeannicole19) is a National Black Book Festival award-winner and author of two psychological horror novels, Black Water Tales: The Unwanted and Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers. She has also garnered awards for her screenplay, If I Die, from multiple film festivals including the Shivers International Film Festival (Canada).

Currently, she is working through the 3rd installment of her Black Water Tales series on a novel currently titled, To the Moon and Back.

In 2016, she launched the only novel writing software founded and owned by a black woman, Simple Stylus (www.SimplyStylus.com) and she teaches an online beginner writing course titled, Simply Writing: An Aspiring Author’s Guide to Developing A Solid Writing Process and FINALLY Writing Their Novel.

She writes because she loves words, she writes because she loves stories, she writes because she has a story to tell.

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5 stars
151 (34%)
4 stars
120 (27%)
3 stars
97 (22%)
2 stars
51 (11%)
1 star
19 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Jean Rivers.
Author 6 books125 followers
May 10, 2012
Of course I love this book! It's mine.
Profile Image for Audra.
Author 3 books34 followers
October 12, 2020
When the tag line for a book is "Everyone knows something but no one knows everything," you just need to fasten your reading seatbelt and hold on tight.

Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers is a chilling, thrilling, page-turning book with sooooo many twists and turns that you won't see coming!

Lola, Regina, Natalie, and Nicki are the best of friends, but when Lola goes missing they all deal with the grief in their own way. When Lola's dismembered body is found years later, the three remaining friends are reunited. The sheriff of Black Water is on the case, but Regina decides she needs to do her own investigation. What ensues is a shocking tale of secrets, lies, and murder. And the ending? I didn't expect that at all!

If you are looking for a great October read with lots of jump scares, Black Water Tales is it!
Profile Image for Sherry Fundin.
2,311 reviews162 followers
October 2, 2022
I loved this horror thriller filled with shock moments that had me wondering…is it in her mind…as the secrets are slowly exposed, leaving it hard to figure out who is good, who is bad and why.

Profile Image for Lulu.
1,091 reviews136 followers
February 1, 2021
Imagine going back home to bury the body of a childhood friend who had been missing since your teenage years, only for all hell to break loose as you slowly start to lose your mind. Now you’re questioning your sanity and reality, and you have no idea which to trust.

The author is very descriptive of the town and its citizens which draws you in to the overall creepiness of the story. This was a really good mystery/thriller. I look forward to reading more.
Profile Image for Tracie.
66 reviews
April 14, 2021
I really liked this story. Jean Nicole definitely gives me some Stephen King vibes. She did well at building the suspense and bringing the reader along for the ride. I really enjoyed how none of the main characters fit into a neat box of “good” and “evil.” They all had darkness and light that showed up in different ways.
18 reviews
May 10, 2021
Could not get past the first chapter

Sentence structure was really bad. Punctuation and long drawn out descriptions ,really bothered me when trying to concentrate on the story. A good proofreader would help immensely.
Profile Image for Miriam Michalak.
862 reviews28 followers
May 11, 2021
3.5 stars
This murder mystery takes place in small town America, where everyone knows everyone and they all keep secrets. Loved the gothic vibe, the disturbing characters - none of whom turn out to be who you think they are - but the "am I losing my mind or is someone fucking with me? " that our protagonist is put through got a wee bit tiring.

Overall I enjoyed the ride - good fun.
Profile Image for Maghon Thomas.
1,542 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2013
Ok so let’s talk ridiculously creepy stories…. Because this is definitely one! I think this one is just well written to be creepy LOL I happen to like horror, though I don’t read it too often. I was actually really glad that I was offered this book because I really enjoyed it! The first chapter introduces you to the main character, Regina, and her former high school best friends, in their adult lives now. And they are soooo different, and by chapter two you are hooked because now you just have to know what is going to happen in their lives, and with that issue from the past, how will it all end!

After the phone call that tells Regina the body of her best friend Lola is discovered, 8 years after her disappearance, Regina heads home because she has to, regardless of her wants. The build up of this story was pretty good, as it takes a little slower pace, to make sure you are caught up with everyone and everything, but once we start realizing that things aren’t always what they seem, and everyone seems to have secrets about that night of the disappearance, and the climax just takes you on a wild ride- all the while you turn on every light, and keep your doggies close by for comfort You know, in those small towns, everyone knows everything, and yet there are SO MANY SECRETS!!!

Poor Regina, I do feel bad for her. She has a stressful life, then goes home to even more stress, plus she thinks she’s going crazy as she is trying to figure some things out, and give some closure to her best friend. She can’t run away this time. There’s no going back. Her best friend is dead, and her family is falling apart with all of this reopened. And let’s just say it’s not a nice way to die for poor Lola.

I really don’t wanna say too much as I don’t do spoilers, but you will be DYING to know who-done-it, and what really happened and how it all plays out. Trust me, if you are a fan of suspense and horror, with a small supernatural element, I am seriously telling you to pick this one up. It’s a great one. Plus, it hits home, with such harsh realities. Small towns always think this doesn’t happen there, and it’s all written in a beautifully, hauntingly real way. I completely understand why people who read this one would be as freaked out as the people of Black Water. I mean, creep factor was way up there!

This seems to be the end of Regina’s tale, but I have a feeling there will be some additions to this I am quite happy as I plan to continue! 5 CREEPTASTICLY SCARY PAWS!!!! Trust me, you’ll wanna read it!
Profile Image for Naomi.
1,473 reviews56 followers
March 25, 2013
When I read about 40% into this book I already decided that there was no way in hell that I will ever move to a town called Black Water…… everything is just too freaky!! If someone ever asks you or you have the sudden urge go there, DON’T DO IT!! The people there are wacky and there are so many evil secrets that they are hiding that you want no part of!!

After the body of Regina’s best friend Lola is discovered, 8 years after her disappearance, Regina heads home to support her old friends and her family. Some of the details about Lola's death don’t add up, so Regina decides to investigate further, only to be lead on a goose chase and she gets herself and the people she cares about in danger.

The build up of this story was a little slow at first, as the author fills us in on a lot of details on the way, but once we hit the climax of the book I found it really hard to put it down. There is so much secrecy in the small town and once some of the secrets were revealed, I was amazed! JeanNicole is very descriptive and I was able to imagine myself in the scenery that she was conveying to me.

At some stages I even thought that I would go crazy as Regina believed she was. She was under a lot of pressure and she was completely focused on the circumstances of Lola's death. She is a determined person, and loyal to her friends, however everyone has their own secrets that they don't want revealed.

There is so much I want to tell you, but it would give a lot of secrets away. Black Water Tales is a very powerful read that will have you on the edge of your seat. You will always be guessing who the culprit is and your suspicions will change. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to future tales in this creepy town. There were some other mysteries revealed throughout this story that have been left open for future tales, but Regina’s story appears to be wrapped up. I will never visit Black Water ever!

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Rebekah.
5 reviews2 followers
August 31, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story slowly builds up tension and then once the twists and turns start, doesn't let you go until end. I thought I had figured out how the book was going to end by time I reached the half-way point, but I would never have guessed the way it actually concluded. I look forward to hopefully more books in the series so I can read about some of the mysterious side characters in the story.

*I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Profile Image for Donna Moore.
7 reviews
May 25, 2021
One of the worst books I ever read

The story drags. Senseless details that just add words yet nothing to the story. Half the story is not believable. It could have been a good book but missed the mark.
Profile Image for Bri Little.
Author 1 book241 followers
November 19, 2023
*3.25 stars*

I enjoyed this well enough, always willing + ready to read more indie horror by Black women! I appreciated that the characters were messy and there was a lot of drama. I do wish the writing was more polished; there were some long, clunky sentences and parts where there could’ve been more suspense.
I want to read the other book in this series.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
674 reviews29 followers
August 14, 2023
I try to give self-published or small-house authors the benefit of the doubt as much as possible and try to give them positive reviews whenever I can. But this...I just couldn't get through it.

The story seemed compelling, and I think it would have been very interesting if I had been able to get into it, but at the 10% mark, I had to give it up. I told myself firmly that I had to read to at least that point in case I just needed to get used to the author's rhythm, or to get more engaged in the story.

Alas, I could not.

I typically break down book quality, at least in my head, into three different factors: the story, the characters, and the writing. Obviously, we want all three to be good, but usually, any two out of three will work. This time, the story was promising, and the characters seemed like they at least had potential, but the writing killed the whole thing for me. There were grammatical errors, typos, incorrect syntax, and way, way too many adjectives. What this felt like to me was a first draft, somewhere where the core of the story is present, but that needs to be edited and polished before going forward. It was seriously overwritten, and that's my besetting sin in my drafts as well, so I'm not trying to throw too many stones in my glass house.

I don't want that to be taken as a hit against the author, because we all need editors to correct our mistakes and try to force us to murder our darlings. I think if this has been cleaned and tightened up, I could have read it with as much enjoyment as other readers mention in their reviews. But this was a diamond in the rough, and it was still a little too rough for me. If I ever see a revised edition hit Kindle, I would probably try it again, because I want to enjoy the story the way many other readers have. Until then, sadly, my review stands.
1 review
Read
April 14, 2021
Should have started with. "It was a dark and stormy night"

This was a decent story but the author's incessant use of inappropriate adjectives and adverbs were distracting and annoying. " ....unmethodical strikes on the piano keys made the instrument give ugly howls. ". "...the gentility of a mother..." . " . ..a gruesome floral aroma. ". It reads like it was written by a high schooler with little understanding of the words they are using.
Author 28 books7 followers
July 2, 2012
From the very first chapter, I was hooked. This is what I consider a real page turner, and it kept me up half the night because I just couldn't put it down. The plot kept me guessing, the characters were very vivid, and the storytelling itself was excellent.

I look forward to reading more from this talented author.
9 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2021
Black Water Tales

Predictable & a waste of reading time! The red herrings are so obvious, that you can skip over half of the pages.
Profile Image for Bianca Newby.
323 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2023
Overall, this book was good. The atmosphere was creepy and eerie. Jean Nicole Rivers had me confused (but in a good way if that makes sense) because at times you aren't sure what is real and what isn't. I was not prepared for that at all. Rivers does very well writing sinister settings and gory/graphic scenes. There are also a few twists in the story that you won't see coming. My husband actually enjoyed me giving him updates on what was happening. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the setting (personal issue nothing against the book) which resulted in me detaching from the story. However, I would still recommend this book to others. I would love to read other stories by Rivers as well.

What I was surprised to see in the book was that the punctuation and sentence structure in some parts were off. I would get confused with some of the dialogue because two characters would be talking in the same paragraph or one character would be talking, and his/her dialogue is split up into different paragraphs.
15 reviews
July 14, 2021
A Non-Stop Thriller

Initially I wasn’t sure what to expect as this title was randomly suggested by my Kindle Unlimited subscription. However, this turned out to be one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.

The author’s writing style was very descriptive and jarring. Her style reminded me of Stephen King. I further appreciated the intricate layering of the story; the slow start was necessary in building the foundation of the twisting journey that would ensue.

Although this was a fiction novel, all aspects were highly relatable. The characters had complex personalities and presented a feeling of “everyday/ordinary people.”

I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers, horror and/or wanting to embark on a captivating new series.

I’m excited to read the other novels within this series. I also look forward to diving deeper into the mysterious and mischievous town of Black Water.
Profile Image for Angela.
154 reviews30 followers
July 29, 2022
I liked the plot of the book. It was interesting and kept the mystery til the end. However:
* I felt that the age of the characters and their behavior didn't match
* I noticed multiple timeline errors/things not adding up (e.g. SPOILER the event was happening when the main character was still a child yet during the conversation when she's 24 they say: it was 3 years ago.. What?)
* Dialogs seem forced and unnatural in a lot of instances
* I couldn't understand the state of the main character and many of her actions and thoughts seemed unfounded to me.

Overall I read the book and was pretty happy with the ending, but multiple times through the book I wanted to give it up and not finish. The only thing that kept me going was that I wanted to know what happened. And this is something that worked really well for this book - the plot. I didn't see that coming.
6,726 reviews5 followers
August 8, 2022
Wonderful entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

Another will written murder mystery romantic family relationship adventure thriller novel by Jean Nicole Rivers about a young 👦 woman 🚺 returning to her home town for the funeral of her best friend. After meeting up with other old school friends bad 👎 things begin to happen many haunting horror ghost 👻 sightings. What is going on? I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for something different to read. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage and health issues from shingles. Stay safe. 2022 👒😤😡
Profile Image for Michele Ward-moore.
37 reviews2 followers
January 24, 2023
She had me SHOOK!

I can't believe I didn't figure out this mystery! I grew up watching mysteries, from Scooby Doo to Perry Mason. I pride myself on figuring it out before the ending and smugly, gloating with a told you so attitude. The main characters, Regina, Nikki, Natalie and Lola had me so involved in their story, that the ending really surprised me. Now, that I finished it, I can say the ending makes perfect sense. Ms. Rivers paints a spooky, slightly gory, and gripping tale with twists that keep you glued to every page. I will definitely read more of the Black Water Tales!
Profile Image for Rose Smith.
73 reviews
April 26, 2021
Wow! Whodunit?!

Regina is the main character in this story. She has her best friends Natalie,Nicky and Lola whom they all grew up together. But one of them gets killed. The girls go their separate ways until they find the body and come back for the funeral. Regina starts to look into the murder and find many secrets.
This is an exciting yet amazing read. It keeps you guessing on who did it. It's a real page turner and would recommend this book to anyone whom enjoys an exciting read.
Profile Image for Cynthia A.
692 reviews
May 17, 2021
Running away just delays the punishment

Four very good friends find themselves pulling apart after one of them, Lola, goes missing. Then the dismembered body of Lola is discovered. Regina returns from Texas to join her other two friends Nikki and Natalie for the funeral. From this point on it becomes a very strange tale. I have mixed feelings about this book. Too much craziness for me.
Profile Image for Laura Gimbel.
358 reviews9 followers
June 16, 2021
Four teenage girls, a tragic accident that causes a death of Lola one of the 4 girls which haunts them all for the next eight years until Lola’s body is discovered in garbage bags all cut up. She was found on the DeFrank property.

This is not where or how Natalie, Nikki, and Regina left Lola. Who really put her there and cut her up? The mystery is full of twist and turns.
A great read by author Jean Nicole Rivers.
Profile Image for Deena Scintilla.
731 reviews
July 31, 2021
I gave this 2 stars only because I finished it. So many times I started to abandon it and I'm not sure why I didn't. It was overly descriptive, overly dramatic, taking endless sentences to get to a point so that that often the point would be lost. Jumping from reality to hallucinations was confusing and finally just tedious. I don't think the author could decide whether she was writing a mystery or a ghost story.
6 reviews
January 23, 2021
Wonderful story

It was so hard to put down. Intense characters and when you think you have it figured out? BAM another twist. Kept me guessing right up to the end. I loved it. Mystery, paranormal and plausible real life situations. I highly recommend this book.
18 reviews
January 23, 2021
Reading this book was like riding in car and all of a sudden you are driven off the road. There was a lot of twist and turns. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last. Would recommend.
324 reviews5 followers
April 10, 2021
Wow! Excellent mystery

Regina had 3close friends in high school, but returning to her home town years later will send her into an insane world of fright, murder and a mystery killer all related to something they all did years ago.,
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

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