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Jake Cashen #3
Bones of Echo Lake
The discovery of human bones on the idyllic shores of Echo Lake forces Detective Jake Cashen to expose long buried truths.
Worthington County's coldest case heats up when ground-breaking on a new luxury subdivision comes with a grisly surprise. In full view of the media and half the town, a local politician uncovers the remains of a young girl, gone missing for decades.
The victim’s bones speak from the grave, telling a horrifying tale of her last moments on earth. Her death was no accident. She did not die peacefully. And she had a secret not even those closest to her knew. But was it worth killing for?
Jake zones in on a prime suspect with ties to a woman he cares about. Revealing the truth will destroy her. The case becomes personal and those in power think Jake should step aside. Are they right? Or is a conspiracy brewing that could allow a murderer to go free?
Bones of Echo Lake is the electrifying third book in the Detective Jake Cashen thriller series. A former police detective, author Declan James brings you authentic crime fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat with twists you'll never see coming. Perfect for fans of Connelly, Box, Dugoni and Baldacci.
Worthington County's coldest case heats up when ground-breaking on a new luxury subdivision comes with a grisly surprise. In full view of the media and half the town, a local politician uncovers the remains of a young girl, gone missing for decades.
The victim’s bones speak from the grave, telling a horrifying tale of her last moments on earth. Her death was no accident. She did not die peacefully. And she had a secret not even those closest to her knew. But was it worth killing for?
Jake zones in on a prime suspect with ties to a woman he cares about. Revealing the truth will destroy her. The case becomes personal and those in power think Jake should step aside. Are they right? Or is a conspiracy brewing that could allow a murderer to go free?
Bones of Echo Lake is the electrifying third book in the Detective Jake Cashen thriller series. A former police detective, author Declan James brings you authentic crime fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat with twists you'll never see coming. Perfect for fans of Connelly, Box, Dugoni and Baldacci.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2023
1223 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Declan James
15 books87 followersBefore putting pen to paper, Declan James’s career in law enforcement spanned twenty-six years. Declan’s work as a digital forensics detective has earned him the highest honors from the U.S. Secret Service and F.B.I. For the last sixteen years of his career, Declan served on a nationally recognized task force aimed at protecting children from online predators. Prior to that, Declan spent six years undercover working Vice-Narcotics.
An avid outdoorsman and conservationist, Declan enjoys hunting, fishing, grilling, smoking meats, and his quest for the perfect bottle of bourbon. He lives on a lake in Southern Michigan along with his wife and kids.
For more information visit https://declanjamesbooks.com
An avid outdoorsman and conservationist, Declan enjoys hunting, fishing, grilling, smoking meats, and his quest for the perfect bottle of bourbon. He lives on a lake in Southern Michigan along with his wife and kids.
For more information visit https://declanjamesbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
May 12, 2023
Well I was way wrong with who did it - and I love it!! What a great book in the Jake Cashen series ! I cannot wait for book 4!
August 25, 2023
I can’t even handle this. Each book gets better and better. My suspect list is soooo long, I think everyone did it up until the very end! He just throws so many wrenches in these dang plots!!!
February 14, 2023
Jake Cashen does it again❣️
At the end of the second book, we have an introduction into a skull being unearthed during a ground breaking ceremony. The bones of a deceased person are uncovered and Jake and the near new deputy are assigned working the case together. Unfortunately, as they say some secrets are best kept buried😳
This story was spectacular in that it was fast paced which I really enjoyed but also I feel as though we are becoming more familiar with these characters and each case in this community is emotionally charged due to everyone’s close proximity to each other. There were also times I thought I had a handle on uncovering who did it and then I got thrown a red herring and veered off course, but I did have a few “theories” proven right. So unpredictable is the name of the game and definitely makes this story a MUST read🤩
I’m excited to read more of Jake’s adventures to come. I received an advanced copy and willingly share my honest review😁
At the end of the second book, we have an introduction into a skull being unearthed during a ground breaking ceremony. The bones of a deceased person are uncovered and Jake and the near new deputy are assigned working the case together. Unfortunately, as they say some secrets are best kept buried😳
This story was spectacular in that it was fast paced which I really enjoyed but also I feel as though we are becoming more familiar with these characters and each case in this community is emotionally charged due to everyone’s close proximity to each other. There were also times I thought I had a handle on uncovering who did it and then I got thrown a red herring and veered off course, but I did have a few “theories” proven right. So unpredictable is the name of the game and definitely makes this story a MUST read🤩
I’m excited to read more of Jake’s adventures to come. I received an advanced copy and willingly share my honest review😁
March 12, 2023
Fantastic story!
Thi book, and the two previous stories, are brilliantly written. This author is a new favorite whose next book can't come soon enough. The strong characters and clever plotting are full of surprises. Well done!
Thi book, and the two previous stories, are brilliantly written. This author is a new favorite whose next book can't come soon enough. The strong characters and clever plotting are full of surprises. Well done!
March 21, 2023
Jake Cashen is one of the most realistic police detectives I have come across in my many years of reading. The plot lines and details are engrossing. And there aren’t the technical mistakes that come across in so many books.
Declan James knows his business!! Can’t wait for the next one
Declan James knows his business!! Can’t wait for the next one
February 25, 2023
Jake Cashen
This is an excellent series. It is totally riveting! I like the stories and the characters. I am eagerly awaiting the next adventure !
This is an excellent series. It is totally riveting! I like the stories and the characters. I am eagerly awaiting the next adventure !
April 2, 2023
A great read
I loved your book, it was an effort to put it down at bed time. The story was riveting and the end was amazing. Looking Goodreads to your next book.
I loved your book, it was an effort to put it down at bed time. The story was riveting and the end was amazing. Looking Goodreads to your next book.
June 16, 2024
5.0 stars. Loved it! This was excellent, so amazed at how the ending totally surprised me. These Jake Cashen books just keep getting better. Glad for the addition of Birdie to the sheriffs department. Will be interesting to see how her character develops. I'm thrilled books 4-6 are waiting for me to1-click and devour them. So happy 2025 brings another book to this series, and hopefully more.
May 3, 2023
Suspect, suspected No Someone Else
Take a murdered girl and suspect everyone that she ever dated. Then write a mystery about it. I usually have several guesses along the way but this time you got me. Very well plotted and it is very well written. It is truly a five star mystery.
Take a murdered girl and suspect everyone that she ever dated. Then write a mystery about it. I usually have several guesses along the way but this time you got me. Very well plotted and it is very well written. It is truly a five star mystery.
February 26, 2023
Twenty five years ago a young woman disappeared.
After reading the first three Jake Cashen crime thrillers, it’s hard to wait until August for the latest one. The books are well written and keep you enthralled in drama!
After reading the first three Jake Cashen crime thrillers, it’s hard to wait until August for the latest one. The books are well written and keep you enthralled in drama!
March 6, 2023
Great job!
I have fallen in love with Jake Cashen and Declan James. They know how to keep someone on the edge of their seat. The twist and turns in this story keep on coming up to the last sentence.
I have fallen in love with Jake Cashen and Declan James. They know how to keep someone on the edge of their seat. The twist and turns in this story keep on coming up to the last sentence.
March 10, 2025
This had moments that are riveting, and another great performance by Alexander Cendese. By now, in the third installment of the series, James has settled in to some of the recurring characters, so they are less contrived and more dimensional --this particularly applies to Gemma, Jakes's older sister, who still occasionally becomes a caricature, but is definitely more likeable. Anya, on the other hand, is less sympathetic than I would have expected, especially given her role in this particular story.
Unlike the other two that have a niche area of interest at their core (wrestling for no. 1, and hunting for no. 2), this one feels a bit more like an old-fashioned mystery (in a good way) -- human remains are unearthed and we have a town with lots of secrets to hide. This one involved introducing considerable backstory and James does it fairly well, although it did get a bit tiresome trying to keep track of the victim's various "involvements." But throw in some juicy scandal and there's a great story.
As for the culprit? I was sure I had it figured out from the get-go, but let's just say I was very, very close. And that's good -- I don't like to be right in this case (and the actual murderer was plausible, as opposed to bringing in a bunch of material right at the end to justify it). I'm looking forward to Red Sky Hill up next.
Unlike the other two that have a niche area of interest at their core (wrestling for no. 1, and hunting for no. 2), this one feels a bit more like an old-fashioned mystery (in a good way) -- human remains are unearthed and we have a town with lots of secrets to hide. This one involved introducing considerable backstory and James does it fairly well, although it did get a bit tiresome trying to keep track of the victim's various "involvements." But throw in some juicy scandal and there's a great story.
As for the culprit? I was sure I had it figured out from the get-go, but let's just say I was very, very close. And that's good -- I don't like to be right in this case (and the actual murderer was plausible, as opposed to bringing in a bunch of material right at the end to justify it). I'm looking forward to Red Sky Hill up next.
June 24, 2025
Book three of the Jake Cashen Crime series brings another compelling mystery along with more backstory and more character development. I’m really immersed in this town and these people, many of whom have troubled pasts.
As the commissioner (who is also Jake’s estranged uncle) breaks ground on a controversial new land development along Echo Lake, his shovel strikes bone. As cameras roll, they unearth a skeleton, unleashing a series of events that cause nothing but trouble for Jake.
His uncle is angry (and his sister is concerned) about the delay in construction. (They both have a financial stake in the new development.) His ex-girlfriend is in the center of the storm, as it’s her sister’s remains and her family is ill-equipped to handle the situation. His investigation is hurting a dear friend, the former lead on the case. Throw in some conflict with Birdie (his dead best friend’s sister who he feels protective of) and the ominous warning by King Rex (the incarcerated head of the local crime family), and Jake’s in a cauldron about to boil over.
His investigation brings more than one crime to light, and everyone seems to be harboring secrets. The plot proceeds at a comfortable pace, and whether you guess the perpetrator or not, the end will be satisfying. Another easy four stars.
As the commissioner (who is also Jake’s estranged uncle) breaks ground on a controversial new land development along Echo Lake, his shovel strikes bone. As cameras roll, they unearth a skeleton, unleashing a series of events that cause nothing but trouble for Jake.
His uncle is angry (and his sister is concerned) about the delay in construction. (They both have a financial stake in the new development.) His ex-girlfriend is in the center of the storm, as it’s her sister’s remains and her family is ill-equipped to handle the situation. His investigation is hurting a dear friend, the former lead on the case. Throw in some conflict with Birdie (his dead best friend’s sister who he feels protective of) and the ominous warning by King Rex (the incarcerated head of the local crime family), and Jake’s in a cauldron about to boil over.
His investigation brings more than one crime to light, and everyone seems to be harboring secrets. The plot proceeds at a comfortable pace, and whether you guess the perpetrator or not, the end will be satisfying. Another easy four stars.
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August 21, 20244.58
1,491 ratings46 reviews
The discovery of human bones on the idyllic shores of Echo Lake forces Detective Jake Cashen to expose long buried truths.
Worthington County's coldest case heats up when ground-breaking on a new luxury subdivision comes with a grisly surprise. In full view of the media and half the town, a local politician uncovers the remains of a young girl, gone missing for decades.
The victim’s bones speak from the grave, telling a horrifying tale of her last moments on earth. Her death was no accident. She did not die peacefully. And she had a secret not even those closest to her knew. But was it worth killing for?
Jake zones in on a prime suspect with ties to a woman he cares about. Revealing the truth will destroy her. The case becomes personal and those in power think Jake should step aside. Are they right? Or is a conspiracy brewing that could allow a murderer to go free?
Bones of Echo Lake is the electrifying third book in the Detective Jake Cashen thriller series. A former police detective, author Declan James brings you authentic crime fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat with twists you'll never see coming. Perfect for fans of Connelly, Box, Dugoni and Baldacci.
Good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2023
I have read all three of the Jake Cashen books and this has been my favorite of the series so far. But then again, that would not be unexpected as I believe this series was the author's debut and like many series I have read, the books improve along the way. With that being said, the storyline is again, well thought out and again centers around some familiar characters from the two previous books. The characters are showing a bit more development and I, as a reader, am beginning to enjoy the familiarity. This does not in any way keep it from being read as a stand-alone, however, and I believe I would have enjoyed it just the same had I not yet read the others.This story gets started from the get-go, has plenty of plot twists, and quite a surprise ending. Fast and fun read and I am looking forward to the next Jake Cashen case.
January 7, 2025
Another Winner from Declan James
We know Declan James is a pseudonym this author writes under. But this writer is an awesome story teller. The main character Jake Cashen has demons that he tries to keep contained. This reader suspects that the writer will in later books uncover more of this characters childhood traumas that cause Jake to be the man he is and maybe to lay some of those traumas to rest for Jake.
Like the subsequent characters around Jake in this rural area of Ohio, his sister who has had her own demons to battle, his best friend’s baby sister, and his child hood sweetheart. I think Jake’s character is evolving which this writer is doing a good job of while telling some rather page turning crime mystery thrillers.
Can’t wait to read the next in the series.
We know Declan James is a pseudonym this author writes under. But this writer is an awesome story teller. The main character Jake Cashen has demons that he tries to keep contained. This reader suspects that the writer will in later books uncover more of this characters childhood traumas that cause Jake to be the man he is and maybe to lay some of those traumas to rest for Jake.
Like the subsequent characters around Jake in this rural area of Ohio, his sister who has had her own demons to battle, his best friend’s baby sister, and his child hood sweetheart. I think Jake’s character is evolving which this writer is doing a good job of while telling some rather page turning crime mystery thrillers.
Can’t wait to read the next in the series.
March 6, 2023
jake Cashen, former FBI now a detectuve in his hometown which seems to have more local murders than most. A body is discovered buried on the shores of Echo Lake during a ground breaking of new exclusive development headed by his uncle.
The body is of a girl who disappeared when he was a teenager (his old girlfriend's sister). He is determined to find the killer so she & her family can have closure so many years later.
It was a good story but the killer was obvious to me
The body is of a girl who disappeared when he was a teenager (his old girlfriend's sister). He is determined to find the killer so she & her family can have closure so many years later.
It was a good story but the killer was obvious to me
December 10, 2023
I am really enjoying this series. The mystery in this book is about bones found by a lake when a new sun is going to be built. Jake is in charge of the investigation but it brings him to a conclusion that will hurt someone he cares about. Jake has to fight to keep control of the investigation. The case is very interesting. I feel like the author does a great job of taking us through the process of solving the case. The conclusion was satisfying. I would recommend this book and series.
April 16, 2024
Excluding the first chapter, this was a good book. Why open the book with something so horrible? Anyone familiar with the series already knows a murder has occurred! We don't need such graphic details. On the other hand, this new novel was quite twisty! The new recruit, Birdy, is terrific! A strong female cop is what this series needs and I can see her being spun off into her own series later on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2025
This did not disappoint!
I do love to read book series and this one didn’t disappoint. Number 3 in the saga of Jake Cashen, now a police detective who returned to his hometown, where he knows everybody. So when a murdered body turns up 25 years later, Jake is on a mission to find the killer.
I do love to read book series and this one didn’t disappoint. Number 3 in the saga of Jake Cashen, now a police detective who returned to his hometown, where he knows everybody. So when a murdered body turns up 25 years later, Jake is on a mission to find the killer.
July 17, 2023
A very powerful novel
This story keeps you mesmerized until the very end. Just when you think you know who did it, wham! It was someone else. A very real story of the power of teenage angst and the bad choices that can happen in a second. Then last forever.
This story keeps you mesmerized until the very end. Just when you think you know who did it, wham! It was someone else. A very real story of the power of teenage angst and the bad choices that can happen in a second. Then last forever.
September 6, 2023
A real WHO DONE IT.
Well written with good dialogue. A true mystery. Characters well described and small cues to remember who everyone is and how related. Lots of twists and turns with a surprise ending.
Well written with good dialogue. A true mystery. Characters well described and small cues to remember who everyone is and how related. Lots of twists and turns with a surprise ending.
August 7, 2024
The series is okay, but Jake is really starting to work my last nerve with his temper tantrums and flying off the handle and bashing people. The out of control driven detective thing is getting old. He, and the other characters are very boring, predictable, and cookie cutter.
May 10, 2025
what really happened
As the bones of a missing girl shows up, things start to get crazy. You will enjoy reading this mystery thriller! Just when you are sure you know the answer! BAM! You’re wrong! Enjoy the book!
As the bones of a missing girl shows up, things start to get crazy. You will enjoy reading this mystery thriller! Just when you are sure you know the answer! BAM! You’re wrong! Enjoy the book!
July 9, 2025
One of my favorite series
I can't say enough about this series. Stellar writing, fully-realized characters, pitch-perfect dialogue and inexorable pacing that won't let up. I rarely give 5-star reviews, but shew. This collection is the real deal.
I can't say enough about this series. Stellar writing, fully-realized characters, pitch-perfect dialogue and inexorable pacing that won't let up. I rarely give 5-star reviews, but shew. This collection is the real deal.
July 28, 2025
Bones of echo lake
Very different murder mystery tale with a tremendously difficult job to get clues from bones only after a long period of time. I don't like the way the hero was perceived and the way he reacted much of the time.
Very different murder mystery tale with a tremendously difficult job to get clues from bones only after a long period of time. I don't like the way the hero was perceived and the way he reacted much of the time.
February 27, 2023
Great series - looking forward to the next Jake Cashen!
March 3, 2023
Tangled!
I knew what did it from the start... NOT...every time I thought I knew it went in another direction. This book kept me thinking all the way to the end!
I knew what did it from the start... NOT...every time I thought I knew it went in another direction. This book kept me thinking all the way to the end!
March 3, 2023
Loved it! Thought sure I had this one all figured out but it turned out I was only half right.
March 15, 2023
Loved it. Great case, wasn’t completely sure who did it until the end. I love Jake and his family..can’t wait for number 4.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews