REVIEWS - Peter Kingsmill, Author

Reader Reviews of Awan Lake Experiment

As an avid reader of the first two books, I was anxious to set my eyes on #3 THE AWAN LAKE EXPERIMENT. What a fun read. Protagonist Frank Anderson took readers from the usually sleepy town of Spirit River, Ontario on a journey incorporating political and corporate intrigue linking Washington D.C., Ottawa and the Congo. Although set in 2017, I found the book's reference to a global pandemic particularly prescient. My blood pressure is up from reading the cliff-hanger ending (leading of course to book #4 - can't wait!). Amazon, 5 stars

Reader Reviews of Nobody Drowned

Thrilling novel, great story well written and I would highly recommend to others and would not hesitate to read more by Peter Kingsmill. (Erinne Carey, NetGalley Reviewer, 4 stars)

I received a review copy of this book from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion. Nobody Drowned takes up the story of the people on Awan Lake approximately a month after the ending of Sunset at 20:47. And while it is told in the same character-driven, great storytelling style of the original, there is a little more action, murder, and mayhem here. While Sunset was described as a slow, easy voyage on the water with rapids and whirlpools providing excitement, Nobody Drowned is more like a high-speed motorboat racing down the river, being diverted this way and that as new fireballs begin showing themselves in the sky. All of this provides plenty of counterbalance to Mr. Kingsmill's strong suit- which is his ability to write a tense, suspenseful storyline, but still maintain the integrity of his characters' places in it. In other words, while all the shooting, bombing, stealing, killing and attempting to kill are going on, the main drive of this story is the character of the people involved and what they are willing to do to protect their lakefront community, the lake itself, and the surrounding countryside, especially when it comes to Spirit River. Again, these characters are so well portrayed you may feel you have seen them before; actually, you have. The Awan Lake group (Anderson, Arnold and Marion, the Webster sisters, Sam, Sergeant John, and Flo) are back and a couple of people we barely met in Sunset at 20:47, become more of a major player here; like Anita, Crazy Man Willy, and Superintendent Daniels. The ending is fully satisfying in my opinion as it ties up the major threads of Nobody Drowned but left enough open to indicate there will definitely be a book 3. I highly recommend this series and suggest you grab it at the first opportunity. (USA, Teresa, Bookbub review, 5 stars)

This was my 2nd read in the Frank Anderson series and I loved it. Book 2 picked up where the first ended, the difference being non-stop action from start to finish. A real page turner. Maybe 'nobody drowned' but it seemed there were as many departed souls in and around Awan Lake as in an entire season of Midsomer Murders. (Canada, April, 2019, Amazon customer, 5 stars)

Nobody Drowned (Awan Lake Series Book 2). Superb follow on book better even than book 1.. A well written and crafted story, murder intrigue & corruption. Tense and gripping in places, yet tells of the beauty and serenity of the location. A work of fiction that is probably happening for real! Great entertainment. (USA, April, on Amazon reader, 5 stars)

I just finished reading an advance copy of Peter Kingsmill’s "Nobody Drowned" novel, and it was absolutely amazing! The continuance from the first book in the "Frank Anderson" novels (Sunset at 20:47) is totally seamless. The characters are innovative and the story is well written with the right amount of mystery, intrigue and humour." (Canada, February, ARC reader)

A great read. Kind of a 'Mystery of Corruption in Business'; the Author did a great job at bringing out the story. And the Characters were very knowledgeable as characters in this read. It does a very good job at bringing you in, especially if you love these kind of reads. (USA, April, Amazon customer, 5 stars)

Reader Reviews of Sunset at 20:47 at: Kindle Edition

review of another edition

I received a free electronic copy of this ARC novel from Netgalley, Peter Kingsmill, and Kobo Writing Life. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest, personal opinion of this work. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and will look for more from Kingsmill. This is the first of a series, I hope. If you like action-adventure stories, Sunset at 20:47 is right up your alley. This excellent debut novel covers a short span of time, from the morning of July 12 through the evening of July 26th. Our protagonists are all well presented, the setting wild and wonderful at the village on Awan Lake, village of Spirit River in northern Ontario, Canada, in the present time and the excitement is steady and engrossing. Frank Anderson is a carpenter and handyman, well respected in this tiny lakeside community and making a steady living out of his place, a 30x30 foot building with a 30x10 living area boxed off in the back, and his shop in the front. He is the owner of various interesting tools - a professionally set up boat - most all the bells and whistles available and Anderson is retired Coast Guard so he knows boats, a little Kubota tractor for moving dirt or snow, a pontoon barge for towing his Kubota and other incidentals to other places on the lake, an all-terrain vehicle, and an old Chevrolet Colorado pick-up truck. Anderson meets the Webster sisters when Marjorie encounters a corpse in the lake while kayaking. She and her sister Wendy, are the only residents of a small island in the lake. Our bad guys are all concentrated on the north side of this big lake - a mining company, their henchmen, and several old hippy fanatics. And then there are the bad guys they know nothing about - yet. The residents of this small community are all connected in some way, as are most small towns. Knowing the connections is essential to understanding the essence of that community - and Anderson is shushing it out as he goes along. (Netgalley reviewer on Bookbub, 5 stars)

I received this book from a BookFunnel giveaway. This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last. In my opinion, Mr. Kingsmill is a consummate storyteller. He has created characters that are completely realistic and three-dimensional. They are people you could actually know and not larger than life caricatures. Since the story mainly takes place on Awan Lake I'll use boating imagery to describe my opinion of the book. It starts out as a potentially exciting journey down the river, then becomes a slow, easy voyage with intermittent rapids and whirlpools providing plenty of excitement. Now don't let the phrase "slow, easy voyage" make you think this book is boring; it is anything but. It holds your interest by doing what all good books should do - it tells a great story. With all of the "shoot 'em up, blood & guts" stories out there this book is a welcome change. It is a well-told story that leaves you wanting to get your hands on the next installment. I can't wait. (USA, Teresa, Bookbub review, 5 stars)

Once again because of my 2019 Arthur Ellis awards reading project I broke my rules and bought a debut novel by a new to me Canadian author but once again I was really lucky and found a book I really liked and I’ll sure read more by Mr Kingsmill. There’s not very much I can find wrong with this book and I’ve rated it 4 stars which I very seldom do for a debut novel. The writing style is very readable with great descriptions of the area, the weather and small town Northern Ontario life in Spirit River and Maple Falls and a well developed but somewhat large cast of likeable good guys and just as unlikeable bad guys. Lots of suspects and red herrings with reasonable motives for the various mysteries but it all comes down to the common drug thing and another solid ending where the perp doesn’t make it to the crowbar motel. Now I do have to say that it takes a huge suspension of disbelief to accept the main characters here and much of the action but, of course, we read these stories for escape and entertainment and we sure get lots of that here even if characters like the Webster sisters are a bit over the top and Frank Anderson seems like Jack Reacher combined with Spenser and Travis McGee and Willy is a wonderful character. There’s sure lot’s of shoot em up action and some technical stuff that I guess is accurate but I wouldn’t really know and The Beaver is sure some kind of a ship. I thought the romances were very well handled and there were quite a few little humorous exchanges with Frank and Arnold and Marjorie to lighten things up a bit. There are a couple of things that I found either a strange coincidence or a bit too far fetched to be believable but they didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I was surprised by what may be a coincidence that Mr Kingsmill has used the fictitious Ontario Police Service (OPS) as his police force in 2018 when the OPS was introduced by Inger Ash Wolfe in “The Calling” in 2008! Also the way the OPS allowed Frank and his civilian crew to plan and run the big operations may possibly be a bit too far over the top to even be acceptable but it sure made for good reading. I’ll definitely read more by Mr Kingsmill. (Canada (Phil), April 2019, 4 stars on Goodreads)

This is a story. A very long and very slow story. An incredibly boring story. When there is a little action, we're only told about it afterwards instead of being in it, except the very last part. (USA, T. Olsen on Goodreads, 2 stars)

Sunset at 20:47 is a well-crafted story that’ll be sure to touch the hearts of nature enthusiasts, environmentalists, and anyone who likes a good mystery. It’s chock-full of interesting well-developed characters. I enjoyed it immensely and am looking forward to the next novel in the series. (Canada, February, 2019, Amazon customer, 5 stars)

This is a great first novel! Peter builds suspense with an intriguing group of characters, and a sense of place that is clearly built on a love of lakes and boats. I look forward to the next one. (Canada, March 2019, 4 stars on Goodreads)

Satisfying mystery, interesting setting. I’ve never been to Canada but the setting, people and lifestyle in this story ring true to me. The mystery was satisfyingly complicated. I’m looking forward to another book by this author. (USA, February, 2019 on Amazon, 5 stars)

In this, his first novel, Kingsmill develops an intimate portrait of, apparently, a fictional lakeside village. Coulda fooled me. Awan Lake is as real to me now as any of my own favourite places, and he's inhabited it with characters just as compelling. Detailed descriptions of people and locations fill the book and describe the search for a missing girl, an environmental miscreant, and love. (Canada, December 2018, Amazon customer, 5 stars)

Great storyline and a great mystery read. I have never visited Canada but this book is how I imagine it to be. First of the author I've read and will definitely be looking for more. (USA, July 2018 on Amazon, 4 stars)

This is a good story that kept me turning pages long after I should have been doing something else. I always like a mystery that includes a little romance and discussion of societal issues. (Canada, April. 2018 on Goodreads, 4 stars)

"I just finished " Sunset at 20:47 " I liked it a lot.. Will read more of them as they are written." (USA, July, 2018)

"I'm impressed with how you manage to flesh out Anderson's character and draw the reader into the story with concise prose and precise imagery. I'm looking forward to reading more!" (Canada, May, 2018)

" I finished your mystery this weekend and I enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the overall development of the book. I’m glad that Anderson et al. survived; I look forward to the sequel!" (Canada, June, 2018)

"I enjoyed reading Sunset at 20:47 and would like to see more of the Awan Lake characters." (USA, June, 2018)

" My husband and I both read Sunset and enjoyed the book and characters especially Anderson. Good mystery and something different. Keep them coming." (South Africa, July, 2018)

"I have just finished "Sunset at 20:47" and really enjoyed it. It kept me fascinated right through and it had a twist in tail at the finish. I look forward to the sequel." (USA, August, 2018)