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Cossayuna Lake
After the tragic death of her husband Bradley, Kelcy returns to her childhood summer home on Cossayuna Lake with her four-year-old son, Seth, seeking a fresh start and a refuge from her grief. The peaceful facade of the lake soon shatters when a near-fatal encounter with her old friend, Chris, leaves her questioning everything. As they rebuild their strained friendship, they begin to uncover dark secrets about the lake, including the mysterious disappearance of Chris's brother, Mark. Together, they discover that Mark's fate is intertwined with Kelcy's family and the eerie occurrences that have haunted the lake for generations. As the past resurfaces, Kelcy must confront the hidden legacy that has bound her family to the lake and find a way to protect her son from the darkness that lurks beneath its surface
230 pages, Hardcover
Published September 10, 2024
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 25, 2025
Cossayuna Lake glides in with that deceptive calm you only find in places where the past never really dies—it just sinks below the surface and waits. Adrien Beck crafts a story that feels like stepping into cool water on a hot day… only to realize something ancient and unseen just brushed your ankle. It’s atmospheric, intimate, and dripping with generational unease.
Kelcy, freshly widowed and hollowed out, returns to the lake of her childhood hoping for a reset. What she finds instead is a full-scale emotional audit waiting for her. The place doesn’t welcome her back so much as it watches her—quietly, knowingly—like it remembers every secret ever whispered along its shore. Her grief is raw, her little boy clings to her like a lifeline, and the lake? The lake clings too.
Then comes the near-fatal encounter with Chris, an old friend whose presence feels like both comfort and warning. Their reunion has the energy of two people trying to rebuild a bridge that’s been underwater for too long—unstable, necessary, and charged. As they dig into the disappearance of Chris’s brother, Mark, they start tugging on threads that should have been left alone. Threads that tie Kelcy’s own bloodline to the lake’s long, eerie history.
Beck hits the sweet spot between psychological thriller and supernatural dread. It’s not just about what happened—it’s about the legacy of silence handed down through families like heirlooms no one wanted. Every chapter feels like peeling back damp wallpaper to reveal something rotten beneath. And yet, the characters keep pushing forward, driven by love, fear, and the desperate need to protect a child who has no idea what kind of darkness he’s inherited.
This book works like a top-tier change management initiative gone feral—every attempt to “start fresh” only exposes deeper structural issues. Kelcy’s journey becomes a brutal, beautiful case study in confronting the past or being consumed by it.
If you crave lakeside mysteries with emotional depth, slow-burning suspense, and that creeping sense of “the water knows more than it should,” Cossayuna Lake delivers. It’s haunting. It’s heartfelt. And it leaves you wondering what secrets are lurking under the stillest surfaces of your own life.
Kelcy, freshly widowed and hollowed out, returns to the lake of her childhood hoping for a reset. What she finds instead is a full-scale emotional audit waiting for her. The place doesn’t welcome her back so much as it watches her—quietly, knowingly—like it remembers every secret ever whispered along its shore. Her grief is raw, her little boy clings to her like a lifeline, and the lake? The lake clings too.
Then comes the near-fatal encounter with Chris, an old friend whose presence feels like both comfort and warning. Their reunion has the energy of two people trying to rebuild a bridge that’s been underwater for too long—unstable, necessary, and charged. As they dig into the disappearance of Chris’s brother, Mark, they start tugging on threads that should have been left alone. Threads that tie Kelcy’s own bloodline to the lake’s long, eerie history.
Beck hits the sweet spot between psychological thriller and supernatural dread. It’s not just about what happened—it’s about the legacy of silence handed down through families like heirlooms no one wanted. Every chapter feels like peeling back damp wallpaper to reveal something rotten beneath. And yet, the characters keep pushing forward, driven by love, fear, and the desperate need to protect a child who has no idea what kind of darkness he’s inherited.
This book works like a top-tier change management initiative gone feral—every attempt to “start fresh” only exposes deeper structural issues. Kelcy’s journey becomes a brutal, beautiful case study in confronting the past or being consumed by it.
If you crave lakeside mysteries with emotional depth, slow-burning suspense, and that creeping sense of “the water knows more than it should,” Cossayuna Lake delivers. It’s haunting. It’s heartfelt. And it leaves you wondering what secrets are lurking under the stillest surfaces of your own life.
September 18, 2024
Cossayuna Lake, the family retreat of Kelcy's childhood, seems like a safe escape from life's harsh blows. Instead, it reveals its darkness to her and forces Kelcy to confront a disturbing family secret and legacy. This short but entertaining book is a delightfully dark dive into a woman's mind with depths of trauma that will make you wonder what is darker and deeper...Kelcy's mental struggles or Cossayuna Lake? I highly recommend this book if you're in the mood for a creepy, introspective Halloween read!
I had the privilege of beta-reading this book and I extend my thanks to Andrien for the opportunity!
I had the privilege of beta-reading this book and I extend my thanks to Andrien for the opportunity!
November 8, 2024
A short and [not so] sweet, twisty horror novella just in time for spooky season from debut author, Andrien Beck!
Out of work and, in turn, without an income due to a threatened disability claim, a young woman named Kelcy and her son, Seth, move from Seattle to a tiny cabin near Cossayuna Lake where Kelcy’s great-grandfather used to live. There are legends of disappearances and deaths that lurk around Cossayuna Lake but they’re just rumors…right?
Let me just begin by saying that this book is not for the faint of heart. It is a horror story so there are references to addiction, blood, gore, and, of course, murder. So if that’s not your jam, this one isn’t for you.
I truly love the way this story was written! It is a quick read without leaving out any necessary information. With the length of the story being short and the intense build of both the plot and the characters, it was an easy read that kept me engaged.
Critiques (and this is purely just my own preference): I would have liked a bit more suspense, more of those “on the edge of your seat,” “nail-biting” kind of moments. Perhaps a dual POV of Kelcy and Chris could have worked as well since we hear the thoughts of both once Kelcy arrives and reacquaints herself with him. The time jumps were also a little confusing for me but I blame my own “mom brain” for a lot of that.
You may have a few questions pop up in your head while reading this. I know I did. But all of my questions ended up being answered and everything wrapped together nicely in the end!
Overall, this was a solid read for me and I enjoyed it! I think it is a great way to welcome in the season of creepy things!
Out of work and, in turn, without an income due to a threatened disability claim, a young woman named Kelcy and her son, Seth, move from Seattle to a tiny cabin near Cossayuna Lake where Kelcy’s great-grandfather used to live. There are legends of disappearances and deaths that lurk around Cossayuna Lake but they’re just rumors…right?
Let me just begin by saying that this book is not for the faint of heart. It is a horror story so there are references to addiction, blood, gore, and, of course, murder. So if that’s not your jam, this one isn’t for you.
I truly love the way this story was written! It is a quick read without leaving out any necessary information. With the length of the story being short and the intense build of both the plot and the characters, it was an easy read that kept me engaged.
Critiques (and this is purely just my own preference): I would have liked a bit more suspense, more of those “on the edge of your seat,” “nail-biting” kind of moments. Perhaps a dual POV of Kelcy and Chris could have worked as well since we hear the thoughts of both once Kelcy arrives and reacquaints herself with him. The time jumps were also a little confusing for me but I blame my own “mom brain” for a lot of that.
You may have a few questions pop up in your head while reading this. I know I did. But all of my questions ended up being answered and everything wrapped together nicely in the end!
Overall, this was a solid read for me and I enjoyed it! I think it is a great way to welcome in the season of creepy things!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews