top of page

Set in the 1950s, this Southern Gothic thriller by Edgar Award–winning author Lori Roy reimagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, tying her fate to a dreamy teenager whose boyfriend runs afoul of the mob.

Named to Summer 2024 Reading List -- Deep South Magazine

Named one of the Best Historical Fiction for Summer 2024 -- BookBub

“Lake County is a unique and imaginative page-turner that examines the difference between power and strength. In this thriller that races toward the end, Lori Roy's voice is so entrancing you can almost smell the orange blossoms and blood. I loved it.”
-- Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“[LAKE COUNTY], the sixth historical thriller by St. Petersburg writer Lori Roy, captures 1950s Florida so evocatively you might break into a sweat while you read it.  Or that could be a reaction to its tense and tightly woven Southern noir plot.” -- Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times

“Echoes of Carson McCullers and a soupcon of Flannery O’Connor filter through Lori Roy’s superb Lake County, her sixth novel. The coming-of-age novel looks at fame, celebrity worship and unbridled ambition wrapped in a solid story about Florida during 1955....Roy, a two-time Edgar winner, again delivers an outstanding novel in Lake County.” -- Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel            Read full review

Lake County is an irresistible slice of Florida Noir fashioned of great American mythmaking. James M. Cain meets Harper Lee. The story excels as both an exciting crime novel and a fine example of Southern literature.
-- Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Devil Ride
“Suspenseful, atmospheric, and surprising, Lake County pulls you and slowly ups the tension until you’re holding your breath. Another remarkable crime novel from Lori Roy.”
-- Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"LAKE COUNTY is the best book yet in Lori Roy's remarkable career, a beautifully written blend of suspense and heartache, where Hollywood longings intersect with Florida crime syndicates in an ever-intensifying squeeze. An atmospheric, haunting read."
-- Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of An Honest Man

"Two-time Edgar winner Lori Roy is at the top of her game with a Southern noir masterpiece about love, family and bad choices ."
-- Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The New Couple in 5B

"Roy’s latest is a sensual speculative thriller ... [She] is as adept as ever at bringing the South’s beauty and soft-edged dangers to life. In this complex tale, fierce family love is pitted against ambition, obsession, and contested power." -- Booklist

"Two-time Edgar Award winner Lori Roy has concocted one of this year's most gripping novels."
-- Deadly Pleasures Magazine

"A deftly crafted and simply riveting read from start to finish, 'Lake County' by Lori Roy is a compulsive page turner..." -- Midwest Book Review

Roy_LakeCounty-33011-FT-2a.jpg

Order Now

bottom of page