ABANDONED. Horror/Thriller, 1980's. A child goes missing from a group. Family lived in big house by lake, some scandal? Spoilers ahead.

[Kate]

The book was about a family that lived in a big house by a lake. There was some kind of scandal around them? The feeling of the book was dark and forbidding.

SPOILERS:


Sorry, this the most important thing I can remember about the book: A child is found buried in the mud by the lake that used to live in the big house. Yellow dress maybe?

[Kate]

I wish. I remember it being dark (black?). I'm 100% sure it was NOT VC Andrews.

[Kate]

It was not Annabelle.

[Kris]

Kate, I added a few plot details to the topic header/title, so your book might be recognized from that description alone. Many members only read the headers.

You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the topic header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, there's a "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

- Who is the main character?
- Where was the child when s/he went missing? Who was she with?
- How does the story start?

[AdoraBelle42]

Possibly Susan Howatch's April's Grave?

Although (view spoiler)[I believe the missing child in it turns up again and it is her mother who is found buried in the garden. (hide spoiler)]

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Does something like this happen in Mystery by Peter Straub? I can't remember many details from it.

[Gisell]

Could it be Wait Till Helen Comes?

[Jade]

Maybe Blackwater, Michael McDowell Blackwater: The Complete Saga originally published in 1983.

[Kris]

No response, moving to Abandoned folder.

Kate (OP) was last active on the site in September 2020.