Beyond the Secret Lake is on Amazon and all other online stores, or you can order it from your local bookshop. With thanks to my illustrator Stuart Bache for creating such a beautiful cover to sit along side the first two! I am thrilled that it has won the 2025 UK Selfies Children’s Book Award – announced at London Book Fair when I was on holiday in Costa Rica! Luckily a good friend was able to collect the award for me. 😊
Below you will find the book’s description, along with a few words from a small team of early readers. I am thrilled that so many have told me Book 3 is their new favourite! 😊
- Order Beyond the Secret Lake from Amazon in print
- Order Beyond the Secret Lake from Amazon for Kindle/eReader
Embark on an unforgettable journey in this new page-turning time travel adventure for ages 8-12+ Book 3 in the international bestselling Secret Lake mystery adventure series
When Tom and Stella find a 100-year-old letter from their Edwardian friend Jack, his plea for help leads them and their friend Hannah back down the time tunnel to 1913.
There the adventurers reunite with friends Lucy, Emma and Sophie at the grand Penworth Estate – unaware of the danger that awaits. Young heir Sebastian has fallen mysteriously ill, and tensions are running high in the household.
With secrets lurking in every shadowy corner, it’s up to the friends to unravel a dangerous mystery that threatens Sebastian’s life.
Can the time-travelling detectives expose the truth behind Sebastian’s illness before it’s too late? Will the villain at Penworth succeed with their deadly plans?
Beyond the Secret Lake is packed with twists, turns, secrets and danger! Perfect for fans of middle-grade mystery, and anyone who loves history, old houses and daring adventures.
Early reader reviews 📚
Huge thanks to my team of advance readers of children and teachers, who volunteered from my newsletter mailing list. Here are just a few of those reviews — I hope they whet appetites!
Children’s reviews
Teachers’ reviews
A few teachers also received advance copies of the book. Here’s what they had to say
“Young readers will once again be hooked into the early 1900s, just as our 21st century protagonists are, and intrigued by the historical context .
I love how Karen Inglis takes us into a world that goes beyond the time-stamped historical events we learn to remember and actually gives us a feel for the way people and society ran too. It’s often hard to transport children to the time they are studying, but she gives us a portal to this with Tom, Stella, and now Hannah too, as our agents and I feel this makes it more relatable and enjoyable. To go alongside them makes me wish I had moles to look out for too!
The historical day-to-day life interwoven with the mysterious plot will certainly keep readers eager to not only read but learn more!” ~ Michelle Gilbert, Y5 Teacher, UK
“In true Inglis fashion, the time periods are well researched and include many details and facts representative of the times, whether the children are visiting the Edwardian past, or are in the present time. This is a classically woven, innocent, and creative tale of adventure and friendship that many children today long to be a part of. I loved the final chapter – the author’s attention to and connection of details really wrap the book up nicely! ~ Rebecca Dulaney, K-8 Teacher, USA
“The story builds slowly and is filled with clues that keep you guessing about the mystery that takes place at a grand estate in the English countryside. The author did a great job of mixing the new world and the old, and creating the suspense needed to carry the story to the end. This book fits perfectly in the genre of middle-grade fiction and reminds me of The Boxcar Children.” ~ M Tarantino, K-8 Teacher, USA
I do hope you’ll enjoy reading this latest adventure – and meeting a few new characters!
Ordering
- Order Beyond the Secret Lake from Amazon in print
- Order Beyond the Secret Lake from Amazon for Kindle/eReader
Search online to order from other stores, or place an order at your local bookshop.
I hope that the audiobook will be available later in the spring. 😊 📚
Hallo, meine Tochter und ich finden sie Geschichten rund um den geheimen See toll. Wann wird es den dritten Teil auf deutsch geben ?
Hello Christine — I’m so glad you have enjoyed books 1 and 2. ‘Jenseits des verborgenen Sees’ should be out in in the next week or so! If you email me at kpinglis@wellsaid.co.uk I can reply to you to confirm, otherwise join my mailing list. Apologies for my late reply — I have been busy managing the German and Italian translations with my overseas teams 🙂 Karen
Hi, I love books, so that meant that number 1,2,and 3 were literally impossible to put down. My mom even had to take the book from my hand. 5 star review. Chloe,
Hello, Megan
I’m so sorry I missed your message last week, but just to say how glad I am to hear that you enjoyed the series! It’s lovely to hear that The Secret Lake, Return to the Secret Lake and Beyond the Secret Lake were impossible to put down! We authors always worry that readers might not enjoy our stories and it’s always such a relief when they write to us to tell us otherwise! Thank you again for sharing and I hope you find many more adventures to get lost in in the coming year! 😊 Karen
Looking forward to a next in series
Hi, Katherine – thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you’re looking forward to the next book in The Secret Lake series. You will be pleased to hear that ideas are bubbling around in my mind at the moment, which is always how it starts off. (It’s as though the characters are nagging me to get on with it!) I can’t yet say when I will start writing; I will have to take their lead, but watch this space…. 😊 Karen (PS it’s best to sign up to my newsletter to be the first to hear news about what I’m up to! I don’t email often and you can unsubscribe at any time!)
Dear Karen,
I am a teacher in Florida and have read your book, The Secret Lake, as a book club book with our 5th graders!
We loved it! You have such a great “voice” and ideas for your characters, that it was easy to get hooked into the story. We will be starting Return to the Secret Lake in January and want to thank you for giving us something to look forward to and sharing your talent!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wendy Pellant
Dear Wendy,
How lovely to hear from you. I am thrilled that your book club 5th graders have enjoyed The Secret Lake. ❤️ It never ceases to warm my heart that this story has travelled (UK spelling!) so far and wide and is loved by so many. I do hope they enjoyed the twists and turns! Since they enjoyed book one I am sure they will love Return to the Secret Lake, partly as we see Lucy come into present-day times for a while, which I think children find eye-opening as they watch her take in the modern world. But also because in Book 2 Stella and Tom get to venture outside of Emma and Sophie’s home when they travel across London to meet Jack. There’s lots to discuss about the differences between then and now (as well as what is a constant across time, such as children’s hopes, fears, dreams and relationships, and seeing how these develop and change over time.)
Thank you so much for letting me know about your book group and please do say hello to all of your pupils from me! If at any stage you’d like a Zoom visit do let me know!
Happy Holidays / Christmas and New Year!
Karen 🚣♀️ 😊 🎄
(PS if you have time to post a short review on Amazon that would also be wonderful, but no worries if you’re super busy. I know how it gets!)
Hello Karin, we really like the ribbons from the hidden lake and we are happy if a fourth one comes out. The books are really great and above all totally excitingly written.
Mats 14 years old, Lias 12 years old and Mom Natalie 47 years old.
We are very exited.
Hello, Mats, Lias and Natalie – I’m at my desk so am going to reply right away as I have a very busy few weeks coming up!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed Beyond the Secret Lake and well done for finishing it! (It’s a long read!) I am thrilled that the series has been so well received both here and in the US (and in Germany where it is in translation) and am very much looking to a forward to a book 4 too! As always happens, the ideas are tumbling around and in the early planning stage at the moment, which is both exciting and a little unnerving as I never really know where the children will lead me next! I still have more research to do before I start putting pen to paper (so to speak).
If you sign up to my newsletter you’ll be the first to know when book four is due out. You’ll also get the chance to be an advance reader where I look for early feedback.
You might be interested to know that Beyond the Secret Lake has recently been shortlisted for the UK Selfies Book Award here in the UK in the children’s category, and is a Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards in the 9-12 age group, which is voted on by children in 10 UK primary schools, so that was a lovely surprise! The three-book series has also reached the shortlist for the CIBA International Book Awards for best books in series. It’s up against adult books too, so lots of competition! All of this is wonderful news and just reaching the shortlists is very humbling.
Thank you again for writing, and if you have a short moment it would mean a lot of you could leave short review on Amazon or your preferred online store of Beyond the Secret Lake. That apart, I hope you find many more fun adventures to get lost in over the coming weeks and months!
With very best wishes, Karen 😊 📚 ❤️ 🚣♂️
Hi Karen, I read all 3 of your books in the Secret Lake series and I liked them! But I found a mistake on page 308 of Beyond the Secret Lake. At the very bottom its says “She winked at Tom, Stella and Emma….”but Emma is not there at the moment Hannah is there. Did you mean to say Tom, Stella and Hannah? I am almost 8 years old (in one week) and I want to be a book editor when I grow up so I am just practicing.
Hi Esther
Thank you so much for writing, and I’m delighted that you enjoyed the Secret Lake series! And thank you SO much for pointing out that name error! I was clearly so absorbed in the action that I didn’t notice it.
It’s astonishing how many tiny proofing errors slip through the net, no matter how many pairs of eyes have seen the manuscript (in this case, not just me, but also the editor, the proofreader, and a team of advance readers!). With something like 62,500 words, it’s not surprising, though, and this is just part of the business of publishing. We caught another one like this when the audiobook was being recorded. 🙂
I’ll have the files corrected this week, which means that when the next print runs go out, those copies will say ‘Hannah’ and not ‘Emma’! In the meantime, hang on to your copy because, who knows, one day it might be considered extra special. 😊
Thank you again for writing, and I hope you find many more adventures to get lost in over the coming weeks and months.
With very best wishes, Karen 📚 ❤️ 😊
Hi Karen
Thank you SO much for writing back and for correcting the error that I found even though I’m just a kid.
Best, Esther
Hi Karen,
I run an after-school program in Ventura, California. We have a book club and have LOVED The Secret Lake series. We just finished Beyond the Secret Lake today and loved the ending. We hope there is a 4th book. Our favorite characters are Jack (of course), Hannah and Lucy.
We would love to hear some of your book recommendations.
Thanks,
Corrie
Hi, Corrie – thank you so much for your very kind words and I’m delighted to hear how much your book club have enjoyed The Secret Lake series ❤️.
Jack really is special, isn’t he? And Lucy is such a determined and loyal friend while Hannah is so thoughtful and kind… It was such fun reconnecting with them all in books 2 and 3 – they had been waiting a long time for me to get back to them to continue their story after The Secret Lake!
In answer to your question about another book, I currently have ideas tumbling around in my mind, which is how it always starts. In fact, I have been racing these last few months to clear lots of other projects and admin as I can feel the call…! So it’s a matter of ‘watch this space’ at the moment; much planning and thinking to do, but if you sign up to my occasional newsletter via my website here you will be the first to know as/when another book is due out.
As far as book recommendations go, I read the whole of the Anne of Green Gables fairly recently and loved it. I don’t know if your pupils have read any of them but, if not, I’d highly recommend the first one at the very least if they enjoy historical fiction. I’d also recommend books by Emma Carrrol (a British author who writes historical middle-grade fiction) – Frost Hollow Hall is very good but there are more if you look online. If your book club members enjoy fantasy meets ‘steampunk’ I loved Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray. I read it a few years ago but it has stayed with me. That is quite a mix, admittedly, but I hope you find something in there. 🙂
Thank you again for letting me know how much you enjoyed the books. If you have a moment and could leave a short review on Amazon it would be wonderful ☺️ (but no worries if too much trouble!).
Happy New Year – and I hope you all find many more wonderful stories to get lost in over the coming months.
Karen 📚 🚣♂️ 😊