The Girl in the Lake

A haunting and suspenseful new mystery from bestselling author Lauren Oliver

By: Lauren Oliver

Kate Willis, a psychiatrist and researcher for unexplained extraordinary human experiences, is called to investigate the case of a six-year-old Massachusetts girl who claims to remember details of a past life.

As usual, Kate expects to find a simple explanation. Instead, she is shocked to discover that the child seems to know eerie details about Kate's childhood friend, Becca, who vanished one summer fifteen years ago.

Forced to confront her own memories of that fatal summer evening, Kate must piece together two mysteries that threaten to overcome her...©2026 Lauren Oliver LLC (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc.

Critic reviews

Everything I adore in a book: relatable characters; thrills and chills; a layered, propulsive plot; and enormous heart. It's about secrets, loss, grief, and love, and I still have chills of the very best kind. Stunning (JENNIFER NIVEN)

My favorite type of story: part supernatural investigation, part small-town mystery, and utterly captivating from the first page to the last. Lauren Oliver seamlessly blends the supernatural with the psychological in a twisted, decades-spanning puzzle that kept me guessing right up until the very end. I devoured this book (LAUREN THOMAN)

PRAISE FOR BESTSELLING AUTHOR LAUREN OLIVER

Beautifully written, compelling and poignant, a truly memorable read

A startling piece of writing that is utterly believable and beautifully told... If you only read one book this year, it should be this one

A sharp and harrowing mystery for the digital age . . . An immersive and captivating reading experience. I inhaled this book like a gulp of fresh air after a long swim (Lauren Thoman, acclaimed author of I’ll Stop the World)

Formally inventive, swimming in the murky waters of the Discord server and the true crime podcast, this novel will have you thinking twice about girls who disappear. This book is absolutely not to be missed (Hayley Scrivenor, internationally bestselling author of Dirt Creek)