On a visit to her grandfather in Cornwall, Sadie Sparrow goes on a walk, discovers the long-neglected estate of Loeanneth, and falls under its spell. She simply has to know more about the place, and when she learns that it's owned by well-known author A.C. Edevane, she asks for permission to go inside the old house, which hasn't been lived in for decades.
The meeting of the two women will begin a series of events that will uncover long-buried secrets. After all these years, Alice Edevane may finally learn what happened to her baby brother back in 1933.
I have enjoyed every single one of Kate Morton's books, and The Lake House is no exception. Extremely few writers have Morton's knack for interweaving multiple storylines, time periods, and characters.
Throughout the entire book the Cornish estate of Loeanneth kept me spellbound, no matter the time period. From beloved home to neglected shell, Morton's descriptions held me in the palm of her hand because no matter the state of the place, Morton described a home that was loved, not hated. All that needed to be done was to have the secrets brought out into the light.
Young police detective Sadie Sparrow is the perfect character to bring those secrets to light. She is an absolute terrier at digging them up... although she has a secret or two of her own that she doesn't want to share.
Pitted against young Sadie is the much older and wiser Alice (A.C.) Edevane-- a strong character no matter the age at which Morton portrays her. We see Alice's parents falling in love, and we see Alice, her parents and siblings happily ensconced in Loeanneth. At the age of sixteen Alice is already writing novels. She's such a bright, inquisitive child, and so eager to become an adult. But her world comes crashing down around her after a party at Loeanneth. Hundreds of people attended, but only one cannot be accounted for: Alice's eleven-month-old brother Theo. The infant is never seen again, and the tragedy shatters the Edevane family.
The Lake House has so many interlocking secrets and so many possible solutions to what happened to Theo-- more than enough to keep all our little grey cells hopping. We learn about all these secrets as the time period swings to and fro naturally from present day to 1911, 1933, and 1941. Kate Morton has done it again: created a world, characters, and a story that kept me fascinated from first page to last.
The Lake House by Kate Morton
eISBN: 9781451649376
Atria Books © 2015
eBook, 512 pages
Romantic Suspense, Standalone
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
You had me at that linking of past and present, Cathy. When it's done well, I find it nearly irresistible. And I do like the sound of that Cornwall setting. I'm so glad you thought this was a good 'un.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever noticed that most of the books set in Cornwall-- well, at least that I've read-- are good 'uns? :-)
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