#22 The Lake House by Kate Morton

#22 The Lake House by Kate Morton

Dearest Reader,

I must begin by informing you that I am, unapologetically, a fan of Kate Morton. I have read her other novels and have thoroughly enjoyed them: from the descriptions of secret gardens and old ruins in England to how she weaves a mystery together, often spanning generations, and how she shifts with finesse through past and present. 

In 1933, Alice Edevane is the daughter of a privileged family who own a country estate deep in the heart of England. As the story unfolds, we learn of her parents past: her father’s service in the war and subsequent shell shock; her mother’s upbringing and their courtship, all which inform future events.  

As a budding young novelist, Alice develops a crush on Ben Munro, a drifter hired by the Edevane family to tend to the gardens. After her baby brother and Ben go missing the night of a grand party, Alice feels guilty because she shared with Ben a story idea with striking similarities to baby Theo’s abduction and she suspects Ben is the culprit. Keeping quiet about her suspicions, Theo’s disappearance is never solved and the family, who abandon the property shortly thereafter, are destroyed. Decades later Sadie, a police detective on sabbatical in the country, discovers the abandoned property while wandering the country lanes and stumbles upon the still unsolved mystery of Theo’s disappearance. Still tormented by a case that she’s escaped from, Sadie distracts herself with the hunt for clues in the long forgotten mystery finally uncovering the truth behind Theo’s disappearance and sheds light on Alice’s misconceptions which have burdened her thoughts and her life since. 

The Lake House is a suspenseful and intricately woven mystery which is expertly unfolded by the author. Ms. Morton creates vivid imagery of long ago days and the lives of the privileged English, their secrets and shame wrapped in a captivating plot and driven to an unpredictable conclusion. Like I said, I love Kate Morton’s writing and I know that this book will immediately draw you in as it did me and keep you intrigued well past the time you should turn out your light! Until next time…have you read a book today?

Julie