The House Across the Lake

by Riley Sager

[Quirky Cat]

I'll be the first to admit that I've found Riley Sagar's novels very hit or miss lately (no offense meant, naturally). However, I'm always willing to take the risk with his writing because when he gets it right – boy, does he get it right! Enter The House Across the Lake, the latest novel I'm diving into.

Casey Fletcher is a widow and a (currently) disgraced actress. She has spent her whole life catering to those around her, which is why she doesn't really know how to grieve. Casey is sent to the family lake house to adjust to her new life and finds a new distraction.

One morning she spots the famous Katherine Royce happily swimming in the lake and happily swimming – right up until she starts drowning. Casey rushes to the rescue, and in doing so, she kicks off the strangest series of events.

“No matter how much you look, something just beneath the surface will always remain hidden. I should know. I’ve been watching.”

Even though I didn't love the last Riley Sagar book I read, I still found myself eager to dive into his latest novel, The House Across the Lake. Uh, no pun intended, sorry about that (sort of).

I love it when I pick up a thriller that is so enthralling that I can happily read it all in one go. That was certainly the case for The House Across the Lake – I couldn't bring myself to put it down. I just had to find out what happened next...

This tale has multiple layers, which made for some unforgettable twists. One twist, in particular, was not something I was expecting! (Sorry for the vague writing, but I can't risk spoiling that big reveal for you). Wow!

I enjoyed the dynamics between Casey and Marnie. We have two women, one married and one a widow. Casey is in isolation and is going through a lot. There are times when Casey turns into an unreliable narrator. Meanwhile, Marnie is calm, cool, and collected, yet very much appears to be in danger.

There were times when The House Across the Lake reminded me of other classic thrillers, but never to the point where I felt like shouting, "aha! This is a reference to [insert book title here]!" So it always maintained a singular identity.

Everything said and done; I enjoyed The House Across the Lake. I think it's my favorite Riley Sagar novel to date, and it's already excited me to see what he'll write next.

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