In this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.
Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others--vampires, shape-shifters, and even deadlier paranormal beings. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget....
After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns such as Vicki's don't have any distance from the Others, the dominant predators who rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what is out there watching you.
Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe--one of the shape-shifting Others--discovers a murdered man, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, ancient forces are roused by the disturbance in their domain. They have rules that must not be broken--and all the destructive powers of nature at their command.
I wasn't even going to read this one. I was sure I didn't want to leave Lakeside and the characters in that courtyard. But this was one of those rare times when advance press got me to reconsider. I don't even remember what I read, but it was enough to make me think that maybe Lake Silence would be worth a read.
Squee! It was! Much to the detriment of my sleep. I started it yesterday afternoon and, true to previous experience, I almost didn't put it down again - I finally lost the battle at 1am, but was up again at 7am, book open, real-life rudely put on hold, until it was finished.
Turns out it's not Lakeside I'm attached to; it's the Others. I'm enamoured with their morality, to put it bluntly. Honesty and good faith keep you alive. Shady dealings and selfishness get you killed. Every. single. time. No second chances. In a world that's constantly pissing me off because people do bad things and get away with it, or dodge the consequences, if not immediately, than eventually (Pete Rose trying to get his lifetime ban lifted; Australia's cricket vice-captain caught cheating and already publicly stating he hopes to play again), I find this world of the Others refreshing. Unfortunately, even in a work of fantasy, humans can't stop being selfish and exploitative, in spite of clear cut rules, and consequences that are meted out consistently and immediately, and brutally.
The setting for Lake Silence is completely different, with an entirely new cast of characters, although there are a few cameos. This is a small town that's always been owned by the terre indigene, where the human residents fool themselves into believing the Others keep themselves to themselves. Vicki is a new resident, trying to make a go of an old abandoned resort she got as part of her divorce settlement, not realising the true purpose of the resort and her role as caretaker.
As in previous books, I just got sucked in; the characters, the setting, all of it. The only discordant note, and the reason it's not the full 5 stars, were the villains; they were the most 2 dimensional characters in the story - so much so they were caricatures, and that made it hard to take them as seriously as the story deserved. Vicki is also an emotionally broken character, and that's starting to make Bishop's MCs feel formulaic. While Meg's fragility was logical, given her background, Vicki's felt gratuitous; I don't think the story would have suffered at all, or worked less well, if she's been a relatively well-adjusted, independent woman getting on with her life after a divorce.
Doesn't matter in the end; I loved the book and lost sleep over it, and I'll gladly snap up the next one without reservations.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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1 April, 2018:
Finished reading
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1 April, 2018:
Reviewed