I don’t normally post less-than-pleased reviews, ya know, since this is a “hype” page and all… but every once in a while, I make an exception. This is the second time I’m bringing you a rant review, so buckle up buttercups.
Usually, I enjoy Riley Sager’s books. I even gave his previous novel, Survive the Night a five-star review. But his new one…. I have issues with The House Across the Lake.
If you have not previously read The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, then ignore the rest of this post. If you like thrillers/murder mysteries, you might find The House Across the Lake to be quite enjoyable, and I truly hope you do, should you decide to pick this one up.
Now, for those of us who did read The Woman in the Window, let us proceed with sadness and a word of caution that this includes some mild (albeit predictable) spoilers.
The first 200 pages or so of The House Across The Lake are basically the exact same thing as The Woman in the Window. Yes, seriously. You’ve got:
- a woman who recently went through trauma
- she can’t go anywhere (for differing reasons, but both are still stuck)
- she’s a drunk, therefore an unreliable witness
- she spies on her neighbors (with binoculars vs. camera) and they are across the lake instead of across the street
- she thinks she sees the husband do something bad to the wife
- no one believes her, so she decides to investigate herself and gets in the cops’ way
- she’s got a little bit of a thing for the closest neighbor (next door instead of roommate)
- she’s got her own very big secret
Same. Story.
Things do take a turn in the last 100 pages or so, but it’s still kinda on par with The Woman in the Window. Her past holds the key to the current situation, just in a different way in The House Across the Lake. This time, things just get weird and there’s no real explanation of why this mystical thing happens, it’s just accepted as real rather quickly. I have far more questions about it than any of the characters, that’s for dang sure.
If I hadn’t read A.J. Finn’s book, I probably would have enjoyed Riley Sager’s new thriller. Since I had, I was just rather disappointed that something so glaringly the same could be passed off. I really hope Sager’s next book is more original and feels less like a copycat of someone else’s work.
Thanks to the publisher for the digital ARC, even though I kinda wish I’d skipped this one had I known.
If you do decide to read it, let me know what you think.
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