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The Lost Women of Lost Lake: A Jane Lawless Mystery (Jane Lawless Mysteries Series Book 19) Kindle Edition

by Ellen Hart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 91 ratings
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Ellen Hart was named the 2017 MWA Grand Master, the most distinguished lifetime achievement award offered in the mystery community.

Restaurateur and part-time P.I. Jane Lawless is taking some much-needed time off at her family's lodge when her best friend, Cordelia, arrives with news that Tess, one of their good friends, has taken a nasty fall and needs their help with rehearsals for a play that is set to open in a week. When Tess isn't on crutches, she helps run the Thunderhook Lodge, the premier resort on Lost Lake. And while she clearly needs Jane and Cordelia's assistance, she isn't exactly acting all that grateful.

A man who claims to be a journalist has arrived in Lost Lake with an old photograph and some questions for Tess that go back decades. His questions have put her on edge, and when he shows up peeking through her kitchen window, everyone else is right there with her. As beloved as Tess is, there are plenty of people who don't care about any so-called journalist and are happy to protect her, but how far are they willing to take it? And when will they need answers to questions that that only Tess can provide?

In The Lost Women of Lost Lake—the most engrossing mystery yet from Lambda and Minnesota Book Award–winning, MWA Grand Master author Ellen Hart—Jane's only hope of protecting her friends from the secrets that are surfacing all around them is to uncover the whole truth before anyone else can.

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  1. Book 19 of 27
    Jane Lawless Mysteries Series
  2. Print length
    333 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Minotaur Books
  6. Publication date
    September 27, 2011
  7. File size
    619 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
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  10. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“As ever, author Ellen Hart presents first-rate depictions of her locales and her returning characters.… An appealing homage to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon underscores the bountiful action, which also includes a revelatory scene involving Chess's girlfriend that would made Alfred Hitchcock proud.” ―Yahoo Shine! on The Cruel Ever After

“One of the strengths of Hart's acclaimed series (this is the eighteenth book) is that the rich details about food, family, and place never undermine the swift pacing of her plots. Readers feel so much a part of Jane's world that we'd fight for a table at the Lyme House Restaurant in Minneapolis just for a taste of Jane's corned beef and cabbage.” ―Star-Tribune (Minneapolis) on The Cruel Ever After

“The Lambda Literary Award and Minnesota Book Award–winning author of seventeen Jane Lawless mysteries knows how to spin a tale full of complex plot lines, fast-paced action, and characters skilled in deception. Fans of the Lawless series and readers who enjoy gay/lesbian mysteries will not be disappointed.” ―Library Journal (starred review) on The Mirror and the Mask

“Ellen Hart, one of Minnesota's bestselling mystery writers, weaves a net of complex relationships. . . . Sweet Poison is as much a psychological thriller about unrequited love as a mystery.” ―St. Paul Pioneer Press on Sweet Poison

“Hart is at the top of her game.” ―Curve Magazine on The Mortal Groove

About the Author

ELLEN HART, "a top novelist in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre" (Entertainment Weekly), is also a Lambda and Minnesota Book Award winner. The author of eighteen previous mysteries featuring Jane Lawless, she lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004VMV51G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books (September 27, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 27, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 619 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 333 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 91 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ellen Hart

Ellen Hart

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Ellen Hart is the author of thirty-two crime novels in two different series. She is a six-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005. Entertainment Weekly named her one of the "101 Movers and Shakers in the Gay Entertainment Industry." For the past sixteen years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Her newest Sophie Greenway mystery is No Reservations Required, (Ballantine, June 2005). Fever in the Dark, the newest Jane Lawless mystery, will be released by St. Martin's/Minotaur in October 2016. Ellen lives in Minneapolis with her partner of 37 years.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
91 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want a good read... buy this book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have read Ellen's work since her first novel. I have impatiently bided my time until each new book for Sophie or Jane hit the market. Of all her books, this is the one that caught me unawares when the ending came. She stayed true to her characters which is sometimes difficult to do. As an audio book, it's wonderful to listen as the story unfolds. Narrated by Aimee Jolson, she has perfect cadence that keeps you listening while moving the story along. All in all, this is a pleasant listening experience with a wonderful mystery.
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Basil
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
a good novel
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Valorie
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! The Lost Women!
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
I would like to give more than 5 stars.
I am never disappointed with any of Ellen's books, I have read almost all of her books. I have lost alot of sleep when I am reading her books. Ellen has 22 books in Jane Lawless series and I have been loving every one of those.
Girls you will not be steered wrong when I tell you that you have to get these books and you won't be DISAPPOINTED! I promise, these women in this book are interesting characters and strong willed.
I really liked Tessa and Jill that have a great house and boy did they love each other. The whole town is so cool. You know with small towns everyone knows your business but all had things that they were hiding.
You have to read this, I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU! You won't put it down cause you won't be able to find a place to stop reading.Come on girls give it a try and if you don't like it blame me.
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Mabel E
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
I love mysteries and this series is wonderful. I have gotten very attached to all of the characters and can't wait for new books to come out.
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helen
3.0 out of 5 stars My favorite thing about the Jane Lawless series is Cordelia
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
My favorite thing about the Jane Lawless series is Cordelia. I also like Jane, but wish she had more maturity when it comes to romance. This is a story of past deeds catching up with the present. Nice setting, but I prefer stories that take place in and around Jane and Cordelia's home area.
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carl brookins
4.0 out of 5 stars Intense emotionally satisfying novel
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2011
It is interesting how these things come in multiples. Libby Hellmann recently released a novel with its genesis in the riotous summer and fall of 1968. The Minnesota History Center has just opened an elaborate exhibit focused on 1968, and the History Theater in Saint Paul has mounted an original play, "1968, The year That Rocked The World." And now here we have a powerful, emotionally intense novel by that excellent Minneapolis writer, Ellen Hart. It is a story of two women who are unable to divorce themselves from that same year, 1968 and the decisions and actions they took then. What followed from those actions are the core of this tale.

The story is another event in the evolving saga of Minneapolis restaurateur, Jane Lawless. This time she and bosom chum Cordelia take what they intend to be a short vacation trip into Minnesota's benign northern wilderness to the Lawless family lodge on a lake north of the Twin Cities. It's a common enough activity, and bucolic time on placid water amid peaceful forests is expected to provide calm and rejuvenation. Jane is trying to decide whether she can commit to working with a close friend toward becoming a professional private investigator.

The peaceful appearing forest, like so many lives, conceals dark doings and Jane is drawn into a maelstrom of murder, revenge, drugs and double dealing. The multiple threads of this complex story intersect, divide, and then reweave. At times the action is high with tension, the pace frantic. At other times, the story becomes thoughtful, calm, like the smooth waters of the lake itself, allowing readers moments to reflect, perhaps, on their own lives and paths not taken. The women of lost lake, must, in the end, decide for themselves, and take for themselves the heart-rending consequences of their lives.
2 people found this helpful
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Chris Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Lawless series
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2013
Verified Purchase
I have enjoyed all Ellen Harts Books and all the Jan Lawless series in particular All are well written and keep you interested and are hard to put down!.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
Ellen Hart is the best writer of smart female characters to ever grace the pages of a mystery!
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Top reviews from other countries

roberta morelli
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
Ellen Hart’s continues to deliver! I’ve read all books of this series and definitely this is worth reading.
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JMB1779
3.0 out of 5 stars Synopsis - Book 19 in the Jane Lawless series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2011
Verified Purchase
From the book cover: "Restaurateur and part-time P.I. Jane Lawless is taking some much-needed time off at her family's lodge when her best friend, Cordelia, arrives with news that Tess, one of their good friends, has taken a nasty fall and needs their help with rehearsals for a play that is set to open in a week. When Tess isn't on crutches, she helps run Thunderhook Lodge, the premier resort on Lost Lake. And while she clearly needs Jane and cordelia's assistance, she isn't exactly acting all that grateful.

A man who claims to be a journalist has arrived in Lost Lake with an old photograph and some questions for Tess that go back decades. His questions have put her on edge, and when he shows up peeking through her kitchen window, everyone else is right there with her. As beloved as Tess is, there are plenty of people who don't care about any so-called journalist and are happy to protect her, but how far ar they willing to take it? And when will they need answers to questions that only Tess can provide?

Jane's only hope of protecting her friends from the secrest that are surfacing all around them is to uncover the whole truth before anyone else can."

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually disappointed minutes after having finished the book. As with the previous installment, Jane is little more than an extra in this story, and I miss her!!!

It is as per usual very well written and the plot is well thought out - but I don't feel the action and tension like I used to when Jane (with her sidekick Cordelia) was in the drivers' seat and actually had a life and mind of her own.
3.5 stars and fingers crossed that Lawless will be back in full force in the next installment!
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