ID 1980s Horror Paperback?

Cafe Society
1

Early 1980s (possibly very late 70s?) paperback about a squid-like creature terrorizing a lakeside resort. The book opened with a rich developer buying the land and the cabins, and moving in with his family. After opening, some weird creature in the lake started killing people so they recruited an oceanographer to come in and figure out what was going on - and he got eaten.

That’s what I remember. Also, it was very much a Jaws ripoff, with the same basic story beats.

It may have even been called ‘The Lake,’ but it’s impossible to search for that because there are SO many books with that title.

Does anyone remember this? I’d love to read it again.

Thanks.

2

Peter Benchley also did a novel that sounds similar to that, Beast. But I think that monster was a squid.

3

It wasn’t Beast - this one was earlier. But thank you.

4

Was it “The Watcher” by Dean Koontz? I can’t recall what form the monster took, but I seem to remember a lake. And a very cool Golden Retriever.

5

Nah, that one looked baboon-ish

6

No, the book I’m thinking about wasn’t by any ‘name’ author - it was strictly a cheap Jaws rip-off. Thanks though

7

I seem to remember this. Seems to me that it came out in the time period you describe, because I remember that Stephen King was still huge and that V.C. Andrews’ books were popular but not newly so. I want to say it was called “The Lake” or “Lake ----------” and that the cover was dark with a picture of a pier with the end missing or broken off.

8

I can’t remember the cover at all but I’m fairly confident ‘lake’ was in the title.

9

Pretty sure I’ve found it! it’s ‘The Lake’ by R. J. Jensen.
Thanks to everyone who helped.