An Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense (May 2025)
One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2025
One of PEOPLE's "Books to Read After Watching Top 2025 Streaming Shows and Movies"
One of Kirkus Reviews's "Hottest Books of Summer 2025"
One of Zibby Owens's "Summer Reading List: Books to Die For"
One of SheKnows's "Incredible New Books That You'll Want To Get Your Hands on in 2025"
One of Beyond the Bookends's "May 2025 Book Releases"
One of Criminal Element's "Unmissable Mysteries of Spring"
One of Brit+Co's "Darkly Twisted Books To Read If You're Obsessed With 'The White Lotus'"
One of She Knows's "15 New Books We Can't Wait to Read in Summer 2025"
One of She Reads's "For The Girlies Who Love Drama in Their Fiction Not Their Life"
One of Criminal Element's "Beach-Worthy Mysteries & Thrillers for Summer 2025"
One of Brit + Co's "Ten Best Books to Read this Memorial Day Weekend"
One of PEOPLE's "Anticipated Summer Reads - Recommended by Kimberly Belle"
One of the Morning Blend's "Recommendations for Reading Outside Season" on TMJ4 - WTMJ - TV Milwaukee

"A searing contemporary take on Daphne du Maurier's classic neo-Gothic Rebecca . . . Not to be missed, and definitely not to be imitated."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Readers will be mesmerized by the pulse-pounding suspense, dark twists, hypnotic plot, and cataclysmic ending of Carter's latest gothic thriller."--Booklist (Starred Review)

"Shiver-inducing . . . Carter brings readers into Phoenix's fraying mind, wringing some delightfully gothic fireworks out of her struggle to avoid detection and stake her claim as the new mistress of Rosecliff. The result is a winning homage to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca."--Publishers Weekly

"Marguerite by the Lake is simmering with secrets . . . heavy on gothic atmosphere. Carter excels at conjuring an unsettling scene."--Book Reporter

"Carter artfully develops deliciously creepy undertones as Phoenix's uneasiness about Rosecliff and Marguerite's presence dismantles her mental state."--Oline Cogdill, Shelf Awareness

"A psychological thriller that immerses readers in a world of wealth, intrigue, and the dangerous consequences of buried truths. With Carter's evocative prose, the slow-building tension keeps readers on edge, drawn into a haunting narrative where the line between sanity and madness blurs. In this world, one may discover that the hell they create for themselves can be far worse than the truth they fear to uncover."--The Best Thriller Books

"Dazzling and atmospheric, Marguerite by the Lake is impossible to put down. A modern-day ghost story, with tinges of Gothic horror, it's as haunting and gorgeous as the painting at its center. I was gripped until the very last page--a final scene I still can't stop thinking about."--Jenny Hollander, USA Today bestselling author of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead

"Tense and richly emotional, Marguerite by the Lake is a deep-dive into toxic love and the danger of wanting another person's life. Carter's prose shines, hypnotic and lyrical as she paints characters and a setting that pop off the page, but it's the story's overarching sense of doom that makes it unputdownable. An engrossing read with an ending that lingers."--Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Paris Widow