The House Across the Lake

4/5 stars

Casey, an actress,  is recently widowed and reeling from some very bad press. She retreats to her family lake house and takes to spying on the couple across the lake. Casey befriends the wife, Katherine, after saving her from drowning and as the two become closer, Casey’s worries increase. Who is this couple and are there darker secrets at the lake than they expected? 

I read The House Across the Lake without knowing anything other than it is written by one of my must-read authors, Riley Sager. Like with all of his books, I was immediately drawn into the suspense he was building. I wasn’t sure about the woman watching from window trope, but Sager added twists that made the story unique.

Without giving too much away, I was instantly pleased with the paranormal aspect. I have long given up on “realistic” thriller and this peaked my interest because Sager has toed the line of paranormal in previous books, but this one went for it. It was a nice change and twist I didn’t see coming. 

The final twist felt unnecessary to me. I did appreciate that there were no loose ends or plot holes, but I would have been satisfied with the resolution without one final revelation. The entire book was paced well enough that anything extra lost its surprise. 

Overall, I enjoyed The House Across the Lake. It was a refreshing thriller and if you are okay with some supernatural elements, this could be for you.