Review: "Marguerite by the Lake" by Mary Dixie Carter

Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter Minotaur Books, 2025   Mary Dixie Carter’s second novel, Marguerite by the Lake—which is scheduled for release on May 20—is a brilliant thriller that will remind readers of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic masterpiece, Rebecca. Marguerite Gray is as successful as she is beautiful. A gardening and lifestyle influencer, Marguerite lives with her husband, Geoffrey, at their Rosecliff mansion overlooking “the spiral-shaped” Lake Spiro in rural Connecticut. Marguerite’s brand is built around Rosecliff, which she writes about and photographs exhaustively for her millions of followers. While Margeurite takes credit for Rosecliff’s glory, it is Phoenix Sullivan that designs the grounds and keeps the roses blooming. But this admittedly unequal relationship works because Phoenix would rather have her hands in the soil than anywhere else; however, their relationship begins changing when Phoenix saves Geoffrey from being crushed by a falling tree. Margeurite becomes more circumspect, even suspicious, with Phoenix. And things escalate when Geoffrey begins paying more attention to Phoenix—seeking her out on the grounds, inviting her into the house for drinks—before ultimately coaxing her into his bed. Then Marguerite plummets to her death and Phoenix moves into Rosecliff with Geoffrey. A move that seems wonderful to Phoenix at first, but she quickly begins hearing whispers from the staff. A detective, an old high school classmate of Phoenix’s, won’t stop pestering her about Marguerite’s death, and Geoffrey and Margeurite’s adult daughter, Taylor, moves back to Rosecliff. Taylor is a younger version of Margeurite and her hostility makes Phoenix feel small. And Margeurite seems to be haunting Rosecliff, speaking to Phoenix in hushed tones, and trying to destroy the younger woman. Marguerite by the Lake is a claustrophobic gem littered with paranoia, betrayal (both real and imagined), and a beating soul as terrifying as Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart.” Phoenix’s unreliable narration—made so by her own paranoia and guilt—is taut with suspense and infused with a teetering madness that makes it both terrifying and fascinating. The plot twists are small and act less to surprise the reader than to push Phoenix closer to her own demise. Marguerite by the Lake is a splendid and inventive thriller, and it is hands down the best book I’ve read so far this year.

Check out Marguerite by the Lake on Amazon—click here for the Kindle edition and here for the hardcover.