This book pulls you in from the first paragraph. Not only the story, which is hard to put down once you start, but also the language. What a beautifully written book. I highly recommend it!

‘The Lake Of Dead Languages’ by Carol Goodman describes a year in the life of American school teacher, Jane Hudson, who has returned to the school she attended as a girl. Eerily the tragic series of events that took place when Jane was studying there seems to be repeating itself. This book is essentially a Mystery/Thriller but includes many character-driven sub-plots.

The writing in this novel is excellent. Ms. Goodman creates an extremely evocative setting and even the minor characters have problems with which the reader is able to empathise. These character-driven aspects of the novel were the most enjoyable and Ms. Goodman really creates an emotional link between the reader and her characters. The novel also successfully touches on the themes of adolescence, the past and the affects of tragedy.

The mystery aspect of the novel is the least successful and I occasionally got the feeling I had guessed something in advance of its big reveal. This may have been intended as poetic irony but left me unsurprised by certain twists. If you want to read a book you will find truly thrilling and unpredictable ‘The Lake Of Dead Languages’ may not be the best choice. But, if you’re willing to sacrifice some of that unpredictability for compelling characters and a beautifully described setting I would not hesitate to recommend this novel.

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This book is so exciting! My brother had to read it in school and when he had finished it, I borrowed it. It was so thrilling, I could hardly let go of it to go to school or to sleep or anything.
I was glued to it for three days, then it was ended and I wished it would have been longer…

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience the thrill of reading and a really good and scary story.