Emerald Lake: A Novel

by Nita Prose

An idyllic lakeside cottage hides long-buried secrets in this haunting mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid.

For most of her life, Jane Weber has kept the secrets of one devastating summer submerged in the brooding waters of Emerald Lake. Now, at eighty-four and in failing health, all Jane wants is to live out her days in peace at her lakeside cottage—the place where she first fell in love and where she suffered a loss so profound she wishes she could forget it.

But when her young granddaughters stumble upon human remains by the lake, the discovery sends shock waves through Jane’s entire community, reopening a mystery everyone thought had been laid to rest long ago. Police officer Clair Mundy begins digging into the area’s dark history, unearthing lies, scandals, and the strange legend of a woman who the locals insist has been haunting Emerald Lake for generations.

Jane knows far more than she’s willing to say—including what happened in the summer of 1955 when first she met that mysterious boy who existed in the shadows between the water and the woods. As the investigation closes in, Jane must decide whether to protect the secrets that have defined her life or tell the truth before it's too late.

Atmospheric, emotionally charged, and utterly immersive, Emerald Lake is a sweeping story of love and loss, memory and wilderness, and the dangerous myths we cling to in order to survive.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

464 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 6, 2027

About the author

NITA PROSE is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery Guest and The Maid, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide. A Good Morning America Book Club pick, The Maid won the Ned Kelly Award for International Crime Fiction, the Fingerprint Award for Debut Book of the Year, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and the Barry Award for Best First Mystery. The Maid was also an Edgar Award finalist for Best Novel. Visit Nita at nitaprose.com or on Instagram and X @NitaProse.

Reviews

[Erin Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Ballantine/Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This review is my own. I enjoyed Nita Prose’s Molly the Maid series and was excited to read this new mystery, and I absolutely LOVED it!!! I could not put this book down. The story is told in different timelines and by different characters within the timelines. Jane grows up spending summers on Emerald Lake with her sister, Marilyn, her family, and her best friend, Grace. The summer Jane is 15 the golden times come to an end when a land deal tears the friendships and the summer people/townies apart. There is murder, crime, young love, and the end of innocence. Jane faces her past in the present day. She is 84 years old and fears that the lake has finally released her darkest secret when human remains are found on her property, but Jane’s secret isn’t the only one the lake conceals. An excellent mystery, beautifully written, with a compelling story, rich characters, and an aching heart at its core. Highly recommend!!

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely fell in love with Molly the Maid, so I jumped at the chance to read Prose's new standalone mystery, Emerald Lake. And it was fantastic!! While Molly's series was lighthearted and filled with quirkiness and humor, this book took on a much darker tone that weighed on me heavily with its eerie, atmospheric prose. I was completely riveted with the decades-old mystery and loved the dual timelines. As much as I loved the story and characters, I am even more impressed with the talent this author has for capturing the essence of real-life emotions. I didn't just read an amazing mystery; I read about the fears of old age and dementia, the burden of holding secrets, the love of true friends, and the heartache and sorrow suffered from grief and loss. I did not expect to feel things so deeply from a mystery/thriller book. I devoured it in a day! This was a very well written story, and I can't wait to read more from this author. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for granting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Cindy Bokma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book....I went through a full range of emotions as I read it, and I wish I could give it more than five stars. If you loved Where the Crawdads Sing, I believe this has a similar vibe, and you will love it as much as I did.

Emerald Lake by Nita Prose is an excellent novel about a young girl in the 1950s and the same woman in the present day. It also features the POV of a female officer who is investigating the human bones that washed up on the shore of the lake. S

We travel back to the 1950s as Jane and her sister Marilyn spend their summers at Emerald Lake, where we encounter a full cast of characters. Jane has caught the eye of Owen, the son of a man who owns property that Jane's stepfather desperately wants. There are so many layers to this story as Jane is growing up, and then we get her perspective as an old woman as she reflects on her youth and on Emerald Lake.

The writing is so beautiful; the story is immersive, and I am very grateful for the chance to live in Jane's world for several hours.

[rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane is 84 and living where she grew up - Emerald Lake. A lot has changed over time. But one thing has been consistent her best friend Grace and her loads of secrets. When Jane’s granddaughters come upon old bones there is a day of reckoning coming. Enter a police woman
Officer Mundy. She is dealing with her own life challenges with her elderly father and family and starts digging into the bones mystery. The story goes back and forth to present day and 1955 when Jane and her deceased sister were young and reckless and in love with boys that captivated their hearts. We meet some of the present and past characters including some towns people some of which were highly suspicious and outcasts. Who is responsible for Jane’s sisters death and whose bones are they. The answers roll out at a nice pace and we really get immersed in Jane and her history. I enjoyed this one. It was a departure from the Maid books so you have to know that going in. But definitely worth the read!

[CozyChicLitLounge · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️{ARC}
This one was perfect to read while at the lake, except this lake is a lot more creepy. Small town. Buried secrets. Local legends. Mysteries that need to be uncovered. Dual timelines: 1955 vs Present day.

Thanksgiving and your granddaughters are finding skeleton remains. Not exactly the side dish you were expecting with your turkey ;)

84yr oldJane tells us her story in only a way she can. Loss, love, guilt, everything starts to unravel and decades old secrets come out. I liked that this has a historical element to it going back and forth to the 50s.

I enjoyed The Maid and this authors writing style so was happy to get to read as advanced copy. This comes out in April 2027.

**Thank you to Nita Prose and publisher Ballantine Books. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the 2026 release in exchange for my honest review.

[Julianne Nanzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nita Prose is tossing her hat into the ring with her newest take on thrillers and family dramas. The atmosphere of Emerald Lake takes its well-deserved seat front and center of the plot, but for me that’s as far as I was able to take interest. The cover, premise and knowing how beloved The Maid series is had me intrigued to request an Advanced Readers Copy of Emerald Lake.

What discouraged me from reading any further was the formality, rigidity and stereotypical setup and relationships starting to be laid out by the author. A disgruntled teen, mystery boyfriend and dropping some present day clues just had been done before and many times.

If you are new to thrillers, family dramas, etc., then you will most likely eat this book up. Expect this to hit shelves April 2027!

DNF @ 15%.

*A huge thank you to Penguin Random House, NetGalley and Nita Prose for this Advanced Readers Copy!

[BHK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emerald Lake had me so invested in this new Nita Prose mystery! I’m always a sucker for a creepy lake, buried secrets, and a mystery that refuses to stay buried. This book follows 84 year old Jane Weber, who has spent decades keeping the secrets of one devastating summer hidden. When her granddaughters discover human remains near the lake, the past comes rushing back, and police officer Clair Mundy starts digging into what really happened in 1955. I loved the eerie, atmospheric feeling of this book. I also really enjoyed the mix of mystery, love, loss, and even the strange local legend surrounding the lake. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at a peaceful little lake the same way again!

[TheReader7688 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is written in a heartbreakingly haunted tale. When skeletal remains are found on a lake, memories from years gone by are awakens. The teens from the early 50s are now in their 80s and have kept their secrets buried, even from each other. Questions of who the skeleton is, how they died, and why are answered in this eerie tale. Sadness and heartbreak, fear and greed as well as anger are all emotions felt for Jane, Marilyn, Owen, Fred and their families back on the lake when they were teens. Then again their ancestors present day as they piece together what happened. Thank you Nita Prose for crafting this beautiful story and allowing me to be one of the first readers.

[Holly Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Nita Prose has delivered another beautifully written, atmospheric mystery that completely swept me away to the lakeside. The setting is so incredibly vivid and lush; I could easily picture these characters wandering around the gorgeous landscapes of the Muskokas.

While the ending felt slightly predictable for seasoned mystery readers, the journey getting there was a total joy. The writing is engaging and expertly paced, making it an incredibly satisfying read from start to finish.

A wonderful, highly entertaining addition to my Kindle shelf!

[Libby Reidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! (read it in one day), A lakeside home occupied by a 84 year old women (Jane) is the setting for this emotional suspensful story. Going back in time, the reader meets a teenage Jane and her family who spend summer vacations there. A beginning love for Jane, greedy neighbors who scam a local out of his land and murders all happen that summer. Jumping to the present , Jane's granddaughters find some human bones while visiting the lakehouse which starts the story of what happened that fateful summer. I am definitely recommending this book to everyone I know.

[Lynne | bookedwithlynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Emerald Lake! It goes back and forth between 1955 and the present day, and I loved slowly figuring out what happened all those years ago. Once human remains are found near the lake, Jane’s past and all the secrets she’s kept hidden start coming back. I loved the creepy lake setting, the small-town secrets, and trying to figure out whose remains were found and what really happened. It was emotional, mysterious, and kept me wanting answers. Definitely a hard one to put down!

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read The Maid series by Nita Prose and really enjoyed them so thought I would give Emerald Lake a try. Wow, I was blown away by Emerald Lake and read it a day. I could see the lake in my mind, from the cove to the docks. Excellent descriptions with a multi person storyline that keeps you on your toes. Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Dual timelines and multiple POV‘s work well as 84-year-old Jane confront secrets from a tragic summer in 1955 after remains are found at her lakeside cottage.

More domestic drama and family, secrets, than straight thriller with a strong atmosphere and a solid story.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mysterious thriller! Interesting characters, some unexpected twists, and a haunted atmosphere. I’d recommend it! 9/10.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Kristeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 10 stars if I could.

[Carol Scheherazade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read ! Moody! Extra half star for great ending 4 1/2!!!!