She would think this strange man just showed up out of nowhere at my house while I am alone and he could hurt me. Casey wonders if Boone has motivations as a jilted lover and considers the possibility that he had been poisoning Katherine rather than Tom. With his trademark blend of sharp characters, psychological suspense and gasp-worthy twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lakewill shock readers until the very last page. As she slowly rebuilds her life, she feels more confident in herself and her ability to handle whatever comes next.

Also, there is very much a dependence on the reader being denied certain information a la Agatha Christie style that ties into a twist, so if any of these things are a hard pass for you, you've been warned upfront. Casey Fletcher is a NYC-based actress, who having grown up in the industry, is used to a lot of drama.But she surprises Casey by regaining consciousness and a budding friendship is born from gratitude, on Katherine's part, as well as an immediate camaraderie punctuated by crisp, humorous dialogue. Why does every Riley Sager book have to have some stupid man whose quote sexy show up in this girl's life and always have to save her in some way? He then gets in his car and drives to her house while she scrambles to lock the doors and turn off the lights.

It just seemed like most of his identity and personality followed well-trod tropes, and I would have liked to see his character more fleshed out. The seconds tick by, me counting each one in my head the same way I did when I was a girl and Marnie wanted me to time how long she could stay underwater before coming up for air.

Filled with unexpected twists and turns, The House Across the Lake has been compared to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and praised for its modern take on the genre. The book is told from the alternating timelines of BEFORE and NOW, with an eerie photograph of the lake before each NOW chapter.

I do like the prose in most of Riley’s books since they grab my attention without letting go through the book. Casey witnesses ( with her binoculars, of course) what she thinks is a disagreement between the couple ( very “Rear Window”, which coincidentally was her and her late husband's favorite movie), and when Katherine disappears, Casey suspects that Tom had something to do with it. Certain things such as an aspect of the big twist and the constant drinking of the main character took me out of the story at times.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. Casey explains, "I make jokes because it's easier to pretend I'm not feeling what I'm feeling than to actually feel it.

The night before she went missing, Katherine and Tom joined Casey and Eli for drinks, and the tension between them was palpable. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.Reviewers favorably compared the book to the classic film Rear Window and a movie adaptation is planned. Made by Hammer films and there's a total whiplash from hearing American actors barking these lines against cottagecore backdrops. Alcohol is her coping mechanism -- it makes it possible for her to avoid confronting and dealing with her emotions.