Day: March 18, 2021

I have recently read and enjoyed two of this author’s books (She Lies Alone and Two Widows), so I was looking forward to this one. While I did like this story, I will be honest in saying I thought it could have been better. The atmosphere was perfect, but the relating of the plot was spotty.

First the good. It doesn’t get much better than a secluded house by a lake, where old friends gather to catch up. Throw in dark woods, no cell service, and miles from civilization and you have the perfect creep-inducing atmosphere.

There were times where I felt claustrophobic while reading. I think that was because the author did a good job of relating Megan’s feelings about the whole situation. There are several reasons that she feels off about this reunion. Some are obvious and others are only revealed late in the book.

That was also done well. There were twists right up to the very end (and I mean quite literally the last lines) of the book. I like when an author can produce that very last gasp of surprise.

The aforementioned atmosphere was also effective. While the women in the book were a bit younger than me, I could relate to the milestone birthdays and feeling of recapturing what they thought were good times. Turns out, not so much.

What worked for me is that because I am of a certain age, the whole setting reminded me of the Friday the 13^th movies, which were pivotal in building my list of “scary locations” for books and movies. This obviously fit right in.

While the author did have me guessing at who was really behind everything (there were a couple of good red herrings) I thought the reasoning for the real perpetrator was flimsy and not fully developed.

If there had been more flashbacks or a few more hints, I think it would have played better. As mentioned, the red herrings were almost more plausible than the actual reasoning.

There was also quite a bit of repetitiveness, especially when it came to “placing blame” for who was responsible for the predicament the ladies were in. After finishing the book, I now know why that was important, but during the reading, it was a bit tedious.

The same goes for Megan’s thoughts about her family. I get now that it was to build her background and up to those last pages, but over the course of the book, it was just sort of “oh, she said that again.”

Lastly, I thought the owner of the Lake House and everything surrounding him, was an easy out that played along current political lines. It seemed clumsy, and more to appease a point of view than really have impact on the plot.

That being said, I did think the story was good and the creepy camp/location was enough to make a note to myself to always check out vacation places thoroughly. I would still recommend this book for those reasons.

Author Bio:

Laura Wolfe writes fast-paced and twisty mystery and suspense novels. Her new and upcoming releases include TWO WIDOWS (Bookouture, August 2020), SHE LIES ALONE (Bookouture, November 2020), and THE LAKE HOUSE (Bookouture, March 2021.) Her equestrian-themed YA mystery books have been shortlisted for multiple indie book awards. Laura is a lover of animals and nature. When she is not writing, she can be found hanging out with her highly-energetic kids, growing vegetables in her garden, or spoiling her rescue dog. She enjoys living in Ann Arbor, Michigan