Lake Ness By Cherie Mitchell: A Book Review
Lake ness, was really unexpected. I had read a few similar novels in a row and it did set itself apart, but in a bit of a weird way. I’m not sure if I like or hate it though, so that’s a start! On to the review.
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Firstly, this is a very run-of-the-mill monster book that starts off rather slowly, only to go into a bit of a speed run mode for the rest of the book. Normally, things work out well this way but the novel leaves off weirdly.
Synopsis
Gerry Lawson, a washed-up scientist slowly recovering from a life that got out of his control, finds himself saying yes when his cousin Marnie asks him to help her and her partner Jim with an outdoor survival program for disadvantaged kids. Not quite sure what he’s let himself in for, he slowly adjusts to the isolated environment of Lake Ness and the challenges of living with a bunch of often erratic and unpredictable teenagers.
However, it’s not long before their best-laid plans start to unravel. Some of the kids aren’t too good at obeying the rules of the camp, Gerry finds himself dragged back down into memories he’s been trying to avoid, and Marnie and Jim have had a falling out. The FBI is also sniffing around and everyone knows that they don’t generally like to spend money unless it’s money well spent.
On top of everything else, there’s something large and dangerous living in the lake and as impossible as it sounds, Gerry is starting to think they’ve discovered some long-extinct aquatic dinosaurs living in this isolated waterway, creatures who are rapidly developing a taste for human flesh. Someone is going to have to step up to be a hero before more lives are lost and it looks like Gerry is that man. Unfortunately, volunteering to be a hero was never one of Gerry’s preferred career choices.
Lake Ness – extinction is about to be redefined.
Amazon (2021)
There are a lot of surprisingly unlikable characters in the novel, at least to me. Some of their actions are questionable or just plain awful. But it was still good in its own way, but the whole setup of the first book didn’t really leave me with a lot of comments or reactions.
The entire novel was great overall and I honestly would recommend it to others, however, I think I couldn’t just get into it. It feels like the novel is a set-up for the rest of the books in the series and I feel that if I read the rest of the books it would make much more sense. But I don’t think I can bring myself to read the rest of the books.
My biggest question thus far though, aren’t Mosasaurs salt-water dinos? I’m not someone who knows a lot about dinos but based on a few documentaries and Jurassic World, I’m pretty sure Mosasaurs were only found in Oceans?
Then again it could be a salt-water lake, or the Mosasaurs adapted like bull sharks. Either way, it would be interesting to see the thinking/theory behind that.
Overall, this is one of those books where you’ll either love it or not enjoy it. Really depends.
Interested in reading this? Grab it here: https://amzn.to/3wmVeCo
