The Lake House

June 1933, and the Edevane family's country house, Loeanneth, is polished and gleaming, ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. Alice Edevane, sixteen years old and a budding writer, is especially excited. Not only has she worked out the perfect twist for her novel, she's also fallen helplessly in love with someone she shouldn't have. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.

An abandoned house.

Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Sadie Sparrow is sent on an enforced break from her job with the Metropolitan Police. She retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall but soon finds herself at a loose end. Until one day, Sadie stumbles upon an abandoned house surrounded by overgrown gardens and dense woods, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.

Title: The Lake House

Author: Kate Morton
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: Oct 2015
Source: Library
Rating: ★★★★☆

I am such a fan of Kate Morton after reading The Distant Hours last year and this one was no exception. I was soon drawn into the family, feeling like a fly on the wall to their relationships and stories. I really liked how we saw several points of view, two of Alice Edevane one past and one present and then Sadie as she starts to become charmed by the house and the mystery that surrounds it. I feel like the mystery itself was well written and engaging, it kept me guessing until the very end.

I loved the descriptions of the Lake House and the time that the family spent there, there is something entirely romantic about it, Kate Morton always excels at depicting her environments and families and it's something that really makes her stand out. Of course, there was also a second mystery, a missing woman which was the reason for Sadie's career break in the first place. Again, this played it's part on the periphery of the story but I still wanted to know the answer. My only complaint would be that it did feel a bit long but all in all it's a captivating read.

Have you read The Lake House or any other of Kate Morton's books? What did you think?