The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
🏡💀 The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager – Full Spoiler Review & 5-Star Squeal Fest
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Alcoholism 🍷, murder, serial killing, drowning, domestic violence, poisoning, supernatural possession 👻, stalking, and some violence-related gore.
⭐ My Rating: 5 out of 5 Creepy, Twisty, I-Did-Not-See-THAT-Coming Stars ⭐
Friends… FRIENDS. I went into this book thinking I was ready for Riley Sager’s twists. I wasn’t. My jaw actually dropped, I may have audibly gasped (ask my cat 🐈), and I finished the last page with that satisfied “YES, this is why I read thrillers” feeling.
📖 Quick Plot Recap – Full Spoilers Ahead 🚨
🥂 A Widow, a Lake, and a Binocular Problem
Casey Fletcher, a 35-year-old widow and former actress, retreats to her family’s lake house in Vermont after her husband’s death and a spectacular downward spiral into booze-fueled self-destruction. She plans to drink the summer away — until she rescues glamorous neighbor Katherine Royce from drowning.
Katherine’s married to Tom, the CEO of tech company Mixer. They’re rich, beautiful, and… a little bit suspicious. One evening, after Casey rescues her, Katherine and Tom come over with fancy wine. Katherine promptly passes out in the yard. Red flag? 🟥 You betcha.
👀 The Rear Window Vibes Kick In
From her own dock (and with a generous assist from her binoculars), Casey spies on the Royces’ glass-walled home. She sees tension, fights, and one chilling moment where Katherine slaps Tom… and then stares straight at Casey.
The next day, Katherine is gone. Tom claims she went back to New York, but Casey knows something’s off — especially after a fake Instagram post pops up and Boone (another neighbor) admits he heard a scream that morning.
☠️ Poison in the Wine Glass
Casey breaks into the Royce house and finds Katherine’s hidden phone plus a suspicious Google search about a man who poisoned his wife. When Detective Wilma Anson analyzes the broken wine glass Katherine dropped in Casey’s yard, she confirms it: Tom has been slowly poisoning Katherine. Suddenly, Katherine’s near-drowning makes a lot more sense.
🕵️♀️ Suspect Shuffle
While keeping watch with Boone, Casey learns about a local serial killer case involving three murdered women. Tom is a suspect. But Casey also discovers Boone once kissed Katherine — cue suspicion shift. This is a thriller, after all; trust no one.
🌩 Storm, Basement, and… Possession?!
During a storm, Casey follows Tom to an abandoned house… where Katherine is tied up. Tom swears she’s possessed by Len — Casey’s late husband. And then Katherine speaks… with Len’s voice, his mannerisms, his memories. Including the one no one else knew: Casey killed Len.
Flashback: Casey found evidence Len killed those three missing women. She drugged him, shoved him into the lake, and covered it up.
🪝 The Ultimate Sacrifice Plan
Determined to end Len’s evil once and for all, Casey takes Katherine/Len home, ties her to a bed, and demands the location of the victims’ bodies. Katherine/Len agrees in exchange for freedom. When shown the spot (middle of Lake Greene), Casey kisses Len, drawing his soul into herself, then jumps into the lake with an anchor.
Katherine saves her — yay! — but the nightmare isn’t over.
💥 Final Showdown
Casey confesses everything to Wilma, throws out her liquor, and begins to rebuild her life… until she realizes Tom still tried to kill Katherine even before the possession. Cue Tom’s attack on Casey.
They fight. Tom dies in the lake — but Len’s spirit possesses his body. Casey smashes the last remaining bottle of Tom’s poisoned wine (the same kind that almost killed Katherine) over his head, destroying both Len and Tom for good.
💕 Happy(ish) Ending
Months later, Casey and Boone are together, both sober, both healing. Casey is finally free from her past and ready to live again.
🤩 My Thoughts
This book was so much fun. I knew Riley Sager was going to pull some rug out from under me, but I genuinely did not see the Casey twist coming. The supernatural element with possession was unexpected, but it worked — it added a fresh flavor to the domestic thriller formula.
Also: can we talk about how satisfying it is to get a genuinely happy ending in a thriller? Boone and Casey deserve their sober, lake-house love story. 💖
📚 If You Liked The House Across the Lake, Try:
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The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (camp setting, secrets, and jaw-dropper twists)
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Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris (domestic suspense, toxic marriages)
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The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (family secrets + creepy houses)
🛒 Grab Your Copy Here:
👉 The House Across the Lake on Amazon (affiliate link – I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you)
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