CLAIRE CONSIDERS Gravewater Lake: A Thriller by A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent

CLAIRE CONSIDERS Gravewater Lake: A Thriller by A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent

In Gravewater Lake: A Thriller (Thomas & Mercer 2025), two related storylines told in alternating chapters collide in a surprisingly unforeseeable, yet deadly climax. Authors A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent masterfully weave together these narratives, each brimming with conflict, tension, and the breathless suspense of a grand psychological thriller. The result is an engrossing, satisfying read.

The novel incorporates classic gothic elements—a vulnerable young woman, a brooding and secretive man, and a remote, mysterious mansion. With betrayal, lies, and gaslighting at every turn, the protagonist’s struggle to separate reality from illusion is palpable. At times, she seems gullible, slow to piece together the clues, but her bravery is undeniable. Whether she is truly smart remains in question—until the climactic reveal.

The protagonist is a young woman, beautiful and wealthy, named either Adria or Anna. Or is she? The prologue teases readers by introducing Adria in the midst of a deadly conflict. Then chapter one introduces a wounded woman crawling from a frigid lake with no memory of who she is and why she nearly drowned. She fights her way to consciousness and has only one clue as to who she is—a bracelet with the letter A. On the verge of hypothermia, with a head wound and blackening eye, she struggles toward the only light she sees in the remote, wooded Vermont landscape. She arrives at the door of a stranger, barely alive. 

The stranger is a blue-eyed man named Gregg. Or is he? He takes her into a grand but eerie mansion, once the summer retreat of a robber baron and the perfect setting for the gothic thriller that soon follows. He seems friendly and appears to want to help her. But does he? Making a guess at her name from the bracelet, the man calls the woman Anna. It’s January, there’s a blizzard, and he tells her the bridge is out, the roads impassable, the cell phones don’t work, and the landlines and internet are down. Or, are they?

Meanwhile in the parallel story, Adria is married to a man whose name is Peter. Or is it? Peter is incidentally also a blue-eyed handsome man and might not be who Adria believes him to be. But who is in this tale? Readers learn in the Adria chapters that she is a trust-fund kid but works hard and honestly at her grandfather’s charitable foundation. Peter also works diligently at the foundation. Or does he?

At the mansion on Gravewater Lake, Anna senses she and the man called Gregg are not alone, though he asserts repeatedly that they are. She hears voices arguing, sees fleeting shadows, discovers shattered bottles leaking dark liquid, and spots a knife-wielding figure trailing her. Gregg convinces her—or tries to convince her—that these incidences are only her imagination, or hallucinations. After all, she barely survived either an accident—or an attempt on her life—and has amnesia. 

Trapped in the house with Gregg, Anna becomes increasingly aware of the danger she is in. Back in the tale of Adria and Peter, Adria is also aware of the danger she is in. Neither Peter nor Gregg seems trustworthy. Neither seems to be who he says he is. Anna’s safety depends largely on the compassion of Gregg. But can Anna rely on Gregg? Meanwhile Anna’s life is complicated further by a neighbor on the lake named Helene, who claims to be on an author finishing up edits on her manuscript. Then there’s a crude man who claims to be another neighbor on the lake and friend of Gregg’s. But are they? And if neither of them is who they say they are, then who are they?

The name of the lake—Gravewater—comes from a historic, abandoned cemetery that is slowly being submerged beneath the rising waters. Anna’s discovery of the graveyard is just one of many atmospheric scenes that give the novel its wonderfully eerie, chilling quality. 

As the dual plotlines converge, questions and dangers come faster and faster for both Adria and Anna. The fast pace and the layers of mysteries, the appealing main character of Anna/Adria, and the sheer cleverness of the ultimate plot are so well done, who cares if the story tilts close to melodrama at times. All in all, this twisty gothic tale is an engaging and wholly readable story. 

Be warned: once you start reading Gravewater Lake, you won’t want to stop. Each chapter ends with a hook, pulling you deeper into this chilling gothic mystery. And when you reach the end, please do not spoil the final twist. You’ll want to discuss it, but let others uncover the ending’s surprise on their own.

Husband-and-wife team A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent, known for their previous collaborations including I Will Find Her and The Last Girl Left, once again deliver a thrilling, unputdownable novel. Strong, originally from the U.K., now splits his time between Florida and Maine, as does co-author Sonya Sargent. Strong has worked as a graphic designer, newspaper journalist, artist, and actor. Sargent has a degree in design, a “passion for anything dogs, travel, and the arts” per Strong’s website.