The Lake House Secret by Debra Burroughs ****

One of the great injustices of the world is that the best written books are read the fastest, and the worst written books the slowest. The result is that, on average, more time is spent reading books we don't enjoy that much, while flying through the enjoyable ones. The Lake House Secret by Debra Burroughs is one of the good ones.

Jenessa Jones was already laid off from her reporter's job in Sacramento when her  father died. She left the big city to return to the small town of Hidden Valley, the place where she'd grown up. There she reestablishes relationships with rich, bad boy Logan Alexander (who got her pregnant in high school), and sweet Michael Baxter who has blossomed into hot young man after a stint in the military.

On the girlfriend side, her relationship with old friend Ramey St. John picks up where it left off over a decade ago, until Ramey's mother's murdered body is discovered to have been buried long ago out by the Lake House. As Jenessa uncovers the mystery, her relationship with Ramey is strained by the secrets she is afraid to share.

This is a excellently written book and a pleasure to read. As a hybrid mystery-romance, both the mystery and the romance seem suffer from the combination. The mystery is missing the plot twists and reveals that a mystery reader might expect. Alternately, the romance lacks to passion that a romance reader might desire. Regardless, the book is a page turner and fun read.