The Lake House by Kate Morton (A Book Review)

A Mystery Remains Unsolved for Seventy Years

A rundown estate, a child missing for seventy years, and a detective who refuses to give up. All these add up to another excellent demonstration of Kate Morton’s power to captivate, mystify, surprise and superbly entertain her readers.

The Lake House takes place in England in two distinct eras: the early 1930s (with earlier flashbacks), and 2003.

The first chapter opens in Cornwall, England in 1933, with a wealthy family that lives in a mansion beside a lake. While there, the mother, Eleanor, gives birth to three daughters and a son. All is bliss until one fateful day when the eighteen-month-old son disappears. The family leaves the house, unable to live there any longer.

We see much of this storyline through the eyes of the third daughter, Alice Edevane.

Next, we are introduced to Sadie Sparrow, a young detective with the London police force. She has come into some trouble at work for insubordination, specifically, not wanting to let an unsolved case go cold. Her boss suggests a vacation to distance herself from work and worries and to pull her life together.

Sadie goes to Cornwall to stay with her beloved grandfather, Bertie, and stumbles across the ruins of a neglected mansion beside a lake. Gradually, the story of the Edevanes emerges, and Sadie is hit by yet another cold case that she cannot release.

With many switches of scene and time period, author Kate Morton weaves a tapestry with many background knots and misplaced stitches. D.C. Sparrow continues to gather information about both cases, while retaining a low profile so she won’t lose her job. She eventually locates Alice Edevane, who has become a famous mystery author, and together, they untangle the secrets of the past. 

After much tension and stress, the story wraps up with a well-crafted and satisfying conclusion to the mysterious adventure. As with Mortons’ books other books, The Lake House is a uniquely structured and fascinating read.

This is the fifth Kate Morton book I have read, and I love them all. I recommend these stories, especially The Lake House, to anyone who adores well-crafted mystery, deeply developed characters, and settings that sing. Read and enjoy.

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Time Out…for Reading

It’s summertime, and thoughts of summer bring to mind pictures of people lounging in the sun, reading. I read all the time for many reasons, but sometimes I like to give myself the gift of reading guilt-free, just for fun. After all, reading has always been my most enjoyable non-writing activity.

Looking back to my youth, I loved the Nancy Drew series. Two main genres that most intrigued me at that time were mysteries and horse stories. (I was fortunate to live on a farm with horses, so that was a dream come true.)

In high school, I discovered classic novels, including Russian titles such as Anna Karenina, War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov (didn’t ever get through that last one).

When my children were young, I couldn’t find as much time to read, settling for short books on how to keep your sanity while parenting young children. And children’s books, of course.

Then I discovered Bodie Thoene. She was the author who inspired me to venture into writing. I found her books bold and intense and impressive, and wanted to write like her. (I’ve since realized that no matter what books and writers I admire and emulate, I still must find my own voice and style.)

My current interests vary widely. I have always loved historical fiction, and I should, since that’s primarily what I write, but I also enjoy good contemporary fiction. I’m on the library committee at our church, so I get to read lots of different Christian authors: Jeanette Windle, Joel C. Rosenberg, Heather Day Gilbert, Patrick W. Carr, Terri Blackstock, James Scott Bell, Angela Hunt, Jill Eileen Smith, Dani Pettrey, Dee Henderson, Siri Mitchell, to mention a few.

My preferred secular books are Alexander McCall Smith’s The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, Alan Bradley’s Flavia deLuce series, and Kate Morton’s novels. I also stumbled upon Lorena McCourtney’s Ivy Malone cozy mysteries, which I love. Add to that my complete series of The Cat Who books by Lilian Jackson Braun, which I’ve read and re-read for easy, engaging entertainment.

I could go on, but I’d love to know what some of your favorite titles are. What do you read just for fun?

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