A tremendous thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of The House Across the Lake! This book publishes on June 21, 2022.

This is my first Riley Sager book. After everyone was raving over Home Before Dark, I just knew I had to get my hands on The House Across the Lake. In fact, it’s one of my wishlist items from my summer reading list! I can check that one off now. I went in with very few expectations, and was absolutely blown away.

The Story

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.

My Thoughts

For starters, did you know that Riley Sager is a pseudonym? The author’s real name is Todd Ritter. The pseudonym is definitely a step up.

As I mentioned, I had zero expectations for The House Across the Lake. Often, on NetGalley, I will request books whose authors I recognize or whose covers look interesting. This book was both!

It’s marked as “General Fiction,” but I would definitely say it errs on the thriller end of things. In fact, it even got a little sci-fi-esque. That part of it was 100% unexpected. As I was reading one night, I had to stop reading because it took a very unexpected and very creepy turn.

Now, there is quite a lot of alcohol drinking in this book. However, Riley Sager/Todd Ritter did not do what a lot of other thriller authors have done which is to make the drinking the “questionable” bit of the plot. He achieved a very WTF kind of storyline without relying on the alcohol.

Spoiler alert: I gave The House Across the Lake five stars. FIVE WHOLE STARS. That is almost unheard of when I read books, but it was that much of a surprise for me. The book kept me engaged and interested, and I just HAD to finish it. All qualities of a great book.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, so I may receive a small commission from sales generated.