Book Review: The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

Genres: Thriller, mystery, suspense, fiction, adult
Pages: 349
Format: Physical
Rating:

“I think he did it, but I just can’t prove it” – Taylor Swift, No Body, No Crime.

I’m still making my way through my physical TBR, and with not wanting to start a new fantasy series, I decided it was time for a mystery/thriller. I’ve read one Riley Sager book before (Final Girls), and while it wasn’t my favorite, I wanted to give him another shot. My expectations were medium-high. There’s a TikToker I trust who always recommends his books, and I want to like him too.

The Plot (Spoiler-Free!)

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager is a psychological thriller, mystery and suspense book. If I had to describe it in one sentence, I would say that it’s about an alcoholic attempting to solve a kidnapping and mystery. 

This book follows actress Casey Fletcher who is recently widowed and has been sent away by her mother to their family’s lake house in Vermont, which also happens to be where her husband passed away a year ago, hence the excessive drinking. The lake house is secluded, with about five other houses in the surrounding area, including a fully glass house recently purchased by former super model Katherine Royce and husband Tom. A glass house makes for easy spying especially with the high-grade binoculars Casey owns. She can’t help herself and sees a bit too much one night and the next day Katherine is missing. Casey is determined to find her no matter what, and she ends up finding a lot more than she intended.

What I Liked

This book is told from the first person POV, switching between the past and present which added a level of suspense to the story. There were points where I thought I knew where the story was going, but I was actually wrong which I was glad about because I hate when I’m able to guess the ending. Something I also hate about mystery books or any books are endings that don’t make sense and plot twists for the sake of plot twists and this book did not have that at all. I felt like everything made sense, all of the twists and turns were well written, and the story didn’t end until the very last pages. The pacing starts off medium and then picks up after the first 100 pages with short chapters. A little over halfway through the book the plot takes a dark turn, and maybe it’s because I was reading it late at night, like midnight, but it felt very chilling.

I think this book was so well-written. When Casey is approached about writing a memoir, she suggests the title of  “How to Become a Tabloid Dodder in 7 Easy Steps”  and Sager uses that as a way to info dump and give us a back story into the past 30+ years of Casey’s life, step by step. Even though it was an info dump, it didn’t come across as boring or forced. I appreciate the format it was presented in and found it to be very creative. As an actress, Casey has been in tv shows, movies and most recently on Broadway starring as the lead in Shred of Doubt. This is mentioned throughout the book and correlations are drawn between her role and what’s going on in her life currently. I really liked how this was consistent and woven in throughout the story. I also thought it was kind of funny how often Rear Window is brought up because I remember watching that movie in high school during English class and analyzing it as part of our assignment.

Sager excels in writing complex characters that aren’t necessarily likable but at the same time you can’t fault them because it’s clear why they’re making the decisions they are. I can’t say I’ve ever spied on my neighbors with binoculars, but I can see why Casey did so. It’s hard to resist temptation, the house is glass, and of course she was drunk so that affects her decision making. There were some parts where I thought Casey was an absolute weirdo. When she’s watching Katherine, and Katherine takes a drink, Casey says, “I raise my own glass in a silent toast and tune my sip to hers.” WEIRD BEHAVIOR. Casey isn’t perfect by any means, but she has also been through a lot in her life and is coping the best way she can. This book explores heavy themes such as death, loss, alcoholism, morality, and Casey has experiences with all of them.

What Didn’t Work for Me

The timeline. I think the entire book takes place over three or four days, but without time stamps or clear indicators, it got confusing. The days felt long, and I kept wondering how much time had passed. A little more structure would’ve helped and would have probably made this a five deer-star book for me.

Final Thoughts

This book spooked me enough that I had to stop reading at 2am (but only because I was freaked out—I wanted to keep going!). While I don’t think the purpose of the book was to sell me on Vermont real estate, it did kind of make me want a lake house…

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, eerie mysteries, and well-written twists, this is definitely worth a read. Just be warned—it gets dark. Still, Sager has redeemed himself for me after Final Girls, and I’ll definitely keep reading more of his work.