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📚 Travel Inspired by Novels Set in Lake George & the Adirondacks

Books That Bring You Here

Ever dreamed of stepping into the pages of a gripping novel? These novels set in Lake George, Glens Falls, Bolton Landing, and the wild Adirondacks let you do just that. Read about it - then travel here and see it for yourself!

the lake house by mikaela bee and goodwill's secrets by christopher mele

Recent Novels Set in Lake George & the Adirondacks

The Lake House & The Madhouse by Mikaela Bee

It doesn't get any close to Lake George than a thriller set directly on the lake! Queensbury native Mikaela Bee penned The Lake House and The Madhouse, published in 2021 and 2022 respectively. You won't look at Lake George in the same way again!

God of the Woods by Liz Moore

God of the Woods by Liz Moore, published in 2024, was a Goodreads Choice Awards Readers Favorite Mystery & Thriller for the same year. This book takes place at a summer camp circa 1975, with a mention of Garnet Hill Lodge.

Goodwill's Secrets by Christopher Mele

A teenager vanishes from a fictional town in the Adirondacks in Goodwill's Secrets by Christopher Mele, published in 2021. Local reporter tasked to cover the story believes she might be a runaway, but uncovers more than he bargained for.

The Plot and The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Plot and The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz, published in 2021 and 2024 respectively, mention many Upstate New York places as well as Vermont, including Lake George (a character stays at an unnamed motel), Glens Falls, and Sharon Springs.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

One woman, multiple identities, and a story set in Bolton Landing - don't miss out on this Reese's Book Club pick, The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, published in 2025.

Bonus Mention: Pressure: A Memoir 

Not a novel, but a fascinating memoir, Pressure: A Memoir by Eric Canori, published in 2022, details his massive marijuana empire in Queensbury, Lake George, and Saratoga Springs.

Older Novels Set in Lake George & The Adirondacks

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

This famous book that inspired the film, published in 1826, features Fort William Henry.

An Affinity for Murder by Anne White

This mystery published in 2001 takes place in Lake George and revolves around two dead art experts and a secret hoard of paintings that may have been the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, a famous Lake George summer resident.

The Matt O'Malley Adirondack Mystery Series by Thomas Kane

These four books published between 2012 and 2014 take place in Bolton Landing: Desperate Hours, Desperate Days, Kateri's Treasure, and Ghost Guns.

The Reserve by Russel Banks

This 2008 book takes place in part in the Adirondacks in the early 1930s.

Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

Winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award, this 2013 book takes place at a farmhouse in the Adirondacks in winter.

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woman in hat poses in front water
About the Author: Erin Nudi Erin is an avid reader, yogi, jogger, and hiker living in Queensbury. When she's not perusing books at Northshire, Owl Pen Books, or Beldame Books, you can find her at a local event or park with her family.
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