de Riley Sager
Named a most-anticipated summer book by USA Today, People, E! News, Cosmopolitan, PureWow, CNN.com, New York Post, CrimeReads, POPSUGAR, and more
The bestselling author of Final Girls and Survive the Night is back with his “best plot twist yet.” (People, "Best Summer Books")
Be careful what you watch for . . .
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of bourbon, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is powerful; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage isn’t as perfect as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey immediately suspects Tom of foul play. What she doesn’t realize is that there’s more to the story than meets the eye—and that shocking secrets can lurk beneath the most placid of surfaces.
Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read . . . no lake house required.
Named a most-anticipated summer book by USA Today, People, E! News, Cosmopolitan, PureWow, CNN.com, New York Post, CrimeReads, POPSUGAR, and more
The bestselling author of Final Girls and Survive the Night is back with his “best plot twist yet.” (People, "Best Summer Books")
Be careful what you watch for . . .
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of bourbon, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is powerful; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage isn’t as perfect as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey immediately suspects Tom of foul play. What she doesn’t realize is that there’s more to the story than meets the eye—and that shocking secrets can lurk beneath the most placid of surfaces.
Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read . . . no lake house required.
Critiques-
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Starred review from April 25, 2022
The setup of Rear Window serves as the framework for this outstanding novel of suspense from bestseller Sager (Survive the Night). Actor Casey Fletcher has become an alcoholic in the wake of the recent death of her screenwriter husband, who slipped out one morning to go fishing at their vacation home on Vermont’s Lake Greene, fell into the water, and drowned. After Casey is fired from her latest Broadway role for showing up drunk for a performance, she returns to the Vermont house. One day, while on her third or maybe fourth bourbon, Casey spots someone who may be drowning in the middle of the lake. She jumps into her motorboat and rescues a neighbor, former supermodel Katherine Royce. The grateful celebrity befriends her savior, who soon becomes convinced that Katherine’s life remains at risk. While spying on Katherine’s home, Casey comes to suspect that Katherine’s husband is plotting to murder her. Sager brilliantly misdirects readers while playing fair with them. Newcomers and fans both will be eager to see what he pulls off in his next book. Agent: Michelle Brower, Trellis Literary. -
September 1, 2022
Sager (Home Before Dark) pens another tense, fast-paced psychological thriller with his signature twist ending. Troubled actress Casey Fletcher escapes to her family's cabin on Lake Green in Vermont to recover from a drinking problem following the death of her husband. Trying to keep busy, Casey spies on the house across the lake with binoculars where tech innovator Tom and former supermodel Katherine live. One day, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, starting a friendship and getting Casey tangled in a web of murder, deceit, and magic. Narrator Bernadette Dunne blends the innocence, murderous intentions, and the mystical forces at play in each of the characters, ably switching among them and bringing additional thrills. The haunting setting of rural Vermont sets the stage for a story where relationships are not what they seem, and local Indigenous beliefs add levels of sometimes unbelievable shock value. VERDICT Fans of Sager, and those just discovering his works, will enjoy this novel.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Narrator Bernadette Dunne expertly renders the psychological suspense in this compelling domestic drama. Recently widowed actress Casey Fletcher spends her days at the family cabin on Lake Greene, alone with a steady rotation of alcohol, grief, and guilt. Dunne's portrayal of Casey sounds textured by substance abuse and the weighty expectations of others, along with a private anguish that is revealed throughout the production. After she rescues her new neighbor, former-model-turned-philanthropist Katherine Royce, from drowning, a series of unsettling events occurs, with Katherine's disappearance at the center. Dunne's solid characterizations of the lake's few residents--Eli, Boone, and the Royces--continually shift listeners' assumptions as past and present events eventually converge. An absorbing production with more than a few surprises for intrepid listeners. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
