Genre Fiction
![Riley Sager - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_riley_sager.jpg)
The House Across the Lake: A Novel
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
Editorial Reviews
"Sager's best plot twist yet."
-People, "Best Summer Books"
"The tale takes a series of weird turns, morphing into a cross between Silence of the Lambs and The Exorcist… As with Sager's first five thrillers, the characters are well drawn and the prose is first rate."
-Associated Press
"It's a familiar psychological thriller structure – until everything changes. . . . A page-turning climax."
-USA Today
"The thrills and chills are all present and accounted for in this tale."
-E! News
"The House Across the Lake reads like a psychological thriller version of The Great Gatsby, featuring binoculars for more accurate across-the-lake spying, smaller gatherings for a shorter list of suspects, and a truly bat**** twist for more satisfying consumption. So basically The Great Gatsby, but better. I know, them's fightin words."
-CrimeReads
"A suspense novel brimming with twists and turns."
-PureWow
"Riley Sager is a master of the art of the thriller."
-Shondaland, "The Best Books for June 2022"
"A classic tale brimming with Hitchcockian suspense."
-BookTrib, "Put These 12 Summer Reads in Your Beach Bag"
"Highly entertaining.... Sager keeps the Rear Window-esque plot of The House Across the Lake focused keenly on believable characters who may not always be likable but who readers will care deeply about…a deliciously eerie plot."
-South Florida Sun Sentinel
"The House Across the Lake is the work of a master storyteller. A Hitchcockian premise is given an exciting new spin, as voyeurism, murder, and the lies we tell ourselves about our nearest and dearest spiral out of control in this gripping mystery, wh...
-People, "Best Summer Books"
"The tale takes a series of weird turns, morphing into a cross between Silence of the Lambs and The Exorcist… As with Sager's first five thrillers, the characters are well drawn and the prose is first rate."
-Associated Press
"It's a familiar psychological thriller structure – until everything changes. . . . A page-turning climax."
-USA Today
"The thrills and chills are all present and accounted for in this tale."
-E! News
"The House Across the Lake reads like a psychological thriller version of The Great Gatsby, featuring binoculars for more accurate across-the-lake spying, smaller gatherings for a shorter list of suspects, and a truly bat**** twist for more satisfying consumption. So basically The Great Gatsby, but better. I know, them's fightin words."
-CrimeReads
"A suspense novel brimming with twists and turns."
-PureWow
"Riley Sager is a master of the art of the thriller."
-Shondaland, "The Best Books for June 2022"
"A classic tale brimming with Hitchcockian suspense."
-BookTrib, "Put These 12 Summer Reads in Your Beach Bag"
"Highly entertaining.... Sager keeps the Rear Window-esque plot of The House Across the Lake focused keenly on believable characters who may not always be likable but who readers will care deeply about…a deliciously eerie plot."
-South Florida Sun Sentinel
"The House Across the Lake is the work of a master storyteller. A Hitchcockian premise is given an exciting new spin, as voyeurism, murder, and the lies we tell ourselves about our nearest and dearest spiral out of control in this gripping mystery, wh...
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle
I am a HUGE FAN! I had this book pre-ordered for months. I couldn’t wait to devour it, and can I just say, “what a disappointment!”. Any time a fantastic mystery writer takes the “easy out” of including the supernatural, the quality of the work suffers. I’m so concerned that he stooped to this. Sager has been hailed for his amazing twists and turns, and this book just feels like he wasn’t trying. Blame it on a spirit? Disappointing. Evidently I was expecting too much from this release.
Tina LangdonKindl
The book came in earlier than expected and in perfect condition. Thank you!
SailAwayTina Lang
I’ve read every one of Riley’s books and they always keep me on the edge of my seat! Excellent writer of suspense and thrill! Highly recommend all of his books.
AngelicaAngelicaS
Another excellent book by Riley Sager! I thought I knew what was going to happen about halfway through, but I was not expecting the ending at all. It was a complete shock and not at all what I was expecting.
William de RhamAn
Riley Sager’s “The House Across the Lake” is a murder mystery combined with a thriller. Because the promotional materials (the “blurb”) and some of the reviews so adequately describe the premise, I'm not going to summarize the plot, especially since I don’t want to risk giving away any of the twists, turns, or surprises. And there are more than a few! As Mr. Sager states in his “Acknowledgments” at the end of the novel, this book has a “bonkers plot.” Which means it has plusses and minuses. On minus side, the beginning of the novel seemed, in places, not believable. Characters said and did things that had me scratching my head. The main character suffers from alcoholism that seems to have been brought on by parental neglect, if not abuse, not to mention the death of her husband, also the victim of parental abuse. All that, combined with a glaring similarity to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” almost had me closing the book to move on to something else. But on the plus side, I found the book well-written, scenes well-constructed, the Vermont lake setting well-described and utilized, and the characters well-drawn and interesting. They include a successful “working actress” (as opposed to a glitzy movie star), her musical-comedy mega-star mother, a retired super-model, her tech-titan husband, and a hunky ex-police officer with something of a checkered past. And so, I kept going. Only to find that the plot is devilishly “bonkers” and that Mr. Sager seems to delight in leading his readers down false trails as foggy and mysterious as the paths around his fictional Lake Greene. Now, that’s not to say that readers won’t have to “willingly suspend their disbelief” sometimes, and in some pretty big ways. The “reveal” of what’s actually going on is fairly stunning and certainly creative and original. Indeed, I don’t believe I’ve ever read or heard of anything quite like it. Those who are able to “just go with it,” should find themselves enjoying what I ultimately thought was a very entertaining novel.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Now
I stare at the detective on the other side of the table, an untouched mug of coffee in front of me. The steam rising from it gives her a gauzy air of mystery. Not that she needs help in that regard. Wilma Anson possesses a calm blankness that rarely changes. Even at this late hour and soaked by the storm, she remains unperturbed.
"Have you watched the Royce house at all this evening?" she says.
"Yes." There's no point in lying.
"See anything unusual?"
"More unusual than everything I've already seen?" I say.
A nod from Wilma. "That's what I'm asking."
"No." This time a lie is required. I've seen a lot this evening. More than I ever wanted to. "Why?"
A gust of wind lashes rain against the French doors that lead to the back porch. Both of us pause a moment to watch the droplets smacking the glass. Already, the storm is worse than the TV weatherman said it would be-and what he had predicted was already severe. The tail end of a Category 4 hurricane turned tropical storm as it swerved like a boomerang from deep inland back to the North Atlantic.
Rare for mid-October.
Rarer still for eastern Vermont.
"Because Tom Royce might be missing," Wilma says.
I tear my gaze from the French doors' rain-specked panes to give Wilma a look of surprise. She stares back, unflappable as ever.
"Are you sure?" I say.
"I was just there. The house is unlocked. That fancy car of his is still in the driveway. Nothing inside seems to be missing. Except for him."
I turn again to the French doors, as if I'll be able to see the Royce house rising from the lake's opposite shore. Instead, all I can make out is howling darkness and lightning-lit flashes of water whipped into a frenzy by the wind.
"Do you think he ran?"
"His wallet and keys are on the kitchen counter," Wilma says. "It's hard to run without cash or a car. Especially in this weather. So I doubt it."
I note her word choice. Doubt.
"Maybe he had help," I suggest.
"Or maybe someone made him disappear. You know anything about that?"
My mouth drops open in surprise. "You think I'm involved in this?"
"You did break into their house."
"I snuck in," I say, hoping the distinction will lessen the crime in Wilma's eyes. "And that doesn't mean I know anything about where Tom is now."
Wilma remains quiet, hoping I'll say more and possibly incriminate myself. Seconds pass. Lots of them. All announced by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room, which acts as a steady beat backing the song of the storm. Wilma listens to it, seemingly in no rush. She's a marvel of composure. I suspect her name has a lot to do with that. If a lifetime of Flintstones jokes teaches you anything, it's deep patience.
"Listen," Wilma says after what feels like three whole minutes. "I know you're worried about Katherine Royce. I know you want to find her. So do I. But I already told you that taking matters into your own hands won't help. Let me do my job, Casey. It's our best chance of getting Katherine back alive. So if you know anything about where her husband is, please tell me."
"I have absolutely no clue where Tom Royce could be." I lean forward, my palms flat against the table, trying to summon the same opaque energy Wilma's putting off. "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to search the house."
Wilma considers it. For the first time since we sat down, I can sense her mind ticking as steadily as the grandfather clock.
"I believe you," she finally says. "For now. But I could change my mind at any moment."
When she leaves, I make sure to watch ...
I stare at the detective on the other side of the table, an untouched mug of coffee in front of me. The steam rising from it gives her a gauzy air of mystery. Not that she needs help in that regard. Wilma Anson possesses a calm blankness that rarely changes. Even at this late hour and soaked by the storm, she remains unperturbed.
"Have you watched the Royce house at all this evening?" she says.
"Yes." There's no point in lying.
"See anything unusual?"
"More unusual than everything I've already seen?" I say.
A nod from Wilma. "That's what I'm asking."
"No." This time a lie is required. I've seen a lot this evening. More than I ever wanted to. "Why?"
A gust of wind lashes rain against the French doors that lead to the back porch. Both of us pause a moment to watch the droplets smacking the glass. Already, the storm is worse than the TV weatherman said it would be-and what he had predicted was already severe. The tail end of a Category 4 hurricane turned tropical storm as it swerved like a boomerang from deep inland back to the North Atlantic.
Rare for mid-October.
Rarer still for eastern Vermont.
"Because Tom Royce might be missing," Wilma says.
I tear my gaze from the French doors' rain-specked panes to give Wilma a look of surprise. She stares back, unflappable as ever.
"Are you sure?" I say.
"I was just there. The house is unlocked. That fancy car of his is still in the driveway. Nothing inside seems to be missing. Except for him."
I turn again to the French doors, as if I'll be able to see the Royce house rising from the lake's opposite shore. Instead, all I can make out is howling darkness and lightning-lit flashes of water whipped into a frenzy by the wind.
"Do you think he ran?"
"His wallet and keys are on the kitchen counter," Wilma says. "It's hard to run without cash or a car. Especially in this weather. So I doubt it."
I note her word choice. Doubt.
"Maybe he had help," I suggest.
"Or maybe someone made him disappear. You know anything about that?"
My mouth drops open in surprise. "You think I'm involved in this?"
"You did break into their house."
"I snuck in," I say, hoping the distinction will lessen the crime in Wilma's eyes. "And that doesn't mean I know anything about where Tom is now."
Wilma remains quiet, hoping I'll say more and possibly incriminate myself. Seconds pass. Lots of them. All announced by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room, which acts as a steady beat backing the song of the storm. Wilma listens to it, seemingly in no rush. She's a marvel of composure. I suspect her name has a lot to do with that. If a lifetime of Flintstones jokes teaches you anything, it's deep patience.
"Listen," Wilma says after what feels like three whole minutes. "I know you're worried about Katherine Royce. I know you want to find her. So do I. But I already told you that taking matters into your own hands won't help. Let me do my job, Casey. It's our best chance of getting Katherine back alive. So if you know anything about where her husband is, please tell me."
"I have absolutely no clue where Tom Royce could be." I lean forward, my palms flat against the table, trying to summon the same opaque energy Wilma's putting off. "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to search the house."
Wilma considers it. For the first time since we sat down, I can sense her mind ticking as steadily as the grandfather clock.
"I believe you," she finally says. "For now. But I could change my mind at any moment."
When she leaves, I make sure to watch ...
