Marguerite by the Lake

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What to expect

Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon known for her garden parties, high-end business ventures, and being the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, Marguerite by the Lake. Her presence is overpowering, her taste, legendary. For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener on the famed Rosecliff grounds, home of the Gray family: Marguerite and her husband Geoffrey. Phoenix came from humble beginnings, and now she works hard to craft the landscape that underpins Marguerite's brand.

When a storm threatens the launch party for Marguerite's latest book, it's Phoenix who spots the danger to the guests and rushes to Geoffrey's side to save him from a falling tree. Geoffrey is grateful-perhaps too grateful. Marguerite is . . . jealous. Phoenix senses the danger of being drawn deeper into their lives but can't resist the attention, becoming embroiled in an affair that could destroy her career.

But soon after the affair begins Marguerite falls to her death, from the same high point at Rosecliff where she posed for Marguerite by the Lake. Now Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him. A secret that Detective Hanna and Marguerite's daughter-her spitting image-are circling closer and closer to. Phoenix tries to put it all behind her and find her rightful place at Rosecliff. But as every gardener knows, nothing stays buried forever.

Critics Review

Praise for Marguerite by the Lake
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, bestselling author of The Paris Widow
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 centre. I was gripped until the very last page - a final scene I still can't stop thinking about
Jenny Hollander, bestselling author of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead
Praise for The Photographer
A twisted, dark, psychological thriller, The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter is a riveting and unsettling read. I couldn't put it down
Lisa Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of The Passenger
Unsettling from page one, Mary Dixie Carter's The Photographer follows an insidious photographer as she wheedles her way into the home of the clients she idolizes, permanently altering the course of all their lives. Masterful storytelling in a unique voice . . . this remarkable debut is sure to keep you riveted!
Katherine St. John, author of The Lion’s Den
The tension simmers brilliantly in this addictive and intricately constructed story of beauty, longing and the shadow side of desire. By holding up a mirror to our modern-day obsessions, Mary Dixie Carter shows us the futility of chasing greener grass and the madness that begins with picture-perfection. After reading The Photographer, the phrase 'living the dream' takes on a whole new and chilling meaning
Anna Downes, international bestselling author of The Safe Place
Why create the perfect life when you can just insert yourself into someone else's? Mary Dixie Carter's The Photographer is You meets Parasite, and I inhaled every dark, twisted moment of this brilliant thriller. Sharply observant, tense, and totally hypnotic, The Photographer is the most addictive suspense novel I've read in years
Jennifer Hillier, award-winning author of Jar of Hearts and Little Secrets
Reading Mary Dixie Carter's The Photographer - which I did in one riveted sitting - is like encountering a masterfully manipulated photograph that just keeps developing before one's eyes. The result is one of the most provocatively chilling debut novels I have read in a long time
John Burnham Schwartz
The menacing, manipulative lead character drew me in from chapter one and wouldn't let me go. Creepy and gripping - I loved it!
Jackie Kabler, USA Today and Kindle bestselling author of The Perfect Couple
As sharply focused and mesmerizing as a magic trick and a good deal creepier than most
Kirkus
The sense of impending disaster is palpable, as the suspense and tension grow, and what happens at the end is unexpected and odd. Creepy, dark, and suspenseful . . . A gripping read
Booklist
[An] explosive debut
Library Journal

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