The House Across the Lake

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.

"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, where nothing is what it seems. I had a thrilling time reading this. An unputdownable page-turner."
—Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and *The Maidens

“Riley Sager is an auto-buy for me, and his latest propulsive thriller, *The House Across The Lake, may just be my favorite of his yet. With his characteristic mix of dynamic characters and riveting plot twists, Sager will keep you turning the pages in his foray into secrets, grief, revenge, and love.” 
—Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ***The Last Thing He Told Me

*"The House Across the Lake pulls you under on the first page and doesn’t let you come up for air. With fascinating characters, a suffocating setting, and an intriguing premise, Riley Sager relentlessly turns up the tension on every page. Good luck putting this book down."*
*—Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of *The Book of Cold Cases

*“Go into the book blind for a full experience. The clues are definitely there for you to piece together but I was still surprised. You will be questioning everyone and everything, making this book such a fun read.”
—Mystery and Suspense*
*

Autorentext

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Klappentext

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.

Leseprobe

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…