juliwi's review against another edition
2.0
I probably don't need to restate my love for thrillers and horrors. I heard a lot about The Lakehouse and had been really drawn in by the cover itself. There is a great atmosphere about it that really raised my expectations. Unfortunately I think they might have been raised a little bit too high and I ended up disappointed during my reading. Thanks to Polis Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A house on the lake. A mysterious new man in town. A body washed up on the beach. The perfect trifecta of happenings to be the start of a great thriller. One of the things that makes reading thrillers so comforting is that it's always about fitting the same kind of puzzle pieces together. There is a crime, there must be a perpetrator. There is your main character, who will have to figure out what's going on while, most likely, being in danger themselves. There are side characters who are either super helpful or super suspicious. Or maybe, just maybe, they're both. It is from these recognizable pieces that authors have been able to create something new and exciting every single time. But this is where drudgery can come from as well, when readers can predict all the next steps and the element of surprise disappears.
The Lakehouse, as the blurb shows, is about Todd Norman returning to Covenant to finish building the lake house the promised his wife, except this is interrupted when a woman's body washes up on his property. Except Todd Norman is called Greg in the book itself, which I guess falls down to changes in the editing between ARC and blurb. I also put some of the other mistakes throughout the book down to needing a final round of editing before final publication. But Todd/Greg also isn't the main character, even, of The Lakehouse. And his motivation for returning is never really addressed in the novel, only hinted at. The Lakehouse's narration is split up between Tracy Somerset, the new flame, Duane Sobczak, the cop, and Meshulum Bakshir, the psychiatrist. They all feel a little too like cardboard cut outs as their motivations are never delved in to too deeply. Because of this many of their actions feel like they come out of nowhere or are overly dramatic and nonsensical.
Duane Sobczak is probably the most fully formed of the characters and shows some actual development towards the end. He is a small town cop with a one-person team consisting of his son-in-law. He strongly believes in his town and in the goodness of its people. Drugs have no place there and neither do pre-marital sex, lesbians and murderers. Watching him come up against the real world is kind of charming but also struck me as very odd in this particular cultural moment. Tracy is a messy character that I think needed a lot more pages to develop her interiority. Dr. Bakshir feels like the odd character out, largely used for shock factor in some of the twists and turns. Aside from that there is a focus on drug abuse and sexual abuse in some of the female story lines that I don't believe was handled well or with any kind of delicacy.
I've seen a lot of praise for Joe Clifford's writing and was very excited to experience it myself. Unfortunately, as you might have guessed from the previous paragraphs, I was merely whelmed. There are a lot of interesting ideas in The Lakehouse which maybe needed a little bit more time in the oven, but in the edition I read they didn't quite fit well together yet. Some of the characters needed more development and attention in order to make them feel less like a plot-device. I saw the plot twist coming from quite early on but was looking forward to how Clifford would work his way towards it. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, many things did not end up getting explained which left me quite unsatisfied. By the end of the novel there were still quite a few plot threads that needed wrapping up which never happened. Finally, and I'm willing to admit it may be pedantic, but I loathe the title not separating 'Lake' and 'house'.
I had very high expectations of The Lakehouse but unfortunately none of them were met. Although I did get through the book quickly, I did not enjoy a lot of aspects of it. I may give Joe Clifford another go in future books, but only once complete edits have been done.
A house on the lake. A mysterious new man in town. A body washed up on the beach. The perfect trifecta of happenings to be the start of a great thriller. One of the things that makes reading thrillers so comforting is that it's always about fitting the same kind of puzzle pieces together. There is a crime, there must be a perpetrator. There is your main character, who will have to figure out what's going on while, most likely, being in danger themselves. There are side characters who are either super helpful or super suspicious. Or maybe, just maybe, they're both. It is from these recognizable pieces that authors have been able to create something new and exciting every single time. But this is where drudgery can come from as well, when readers can predict all the next steps and the element of surprise disappears.
The Lakehouse, as the blurb shows, is about Todd Norman returning to Covenant to finish building the lake house the promised his wife, except this is interrupted when a woman's body washes up on his property. Except Todd Norman is called Greg in the book itself, which I guess falls down to changes in the editing between ARC and blurb. I also put some of the other mistakes throughout the book down to needing a final round of editing before final publication. But Todd/Greg also isn't the main character, even, of The Lakehouse. And his motivation for returning is never really addressed in the novel, only hinted at. The Lakehouse's narration is split up between Tracy Somerset, the new flame, Duane Sobczak, the cop, and Meshulum Bakshir, the psychiatrist. They all feel a little too like cardboard cut outs as their motivations are never delved in to too deeply. Because of this many of their actions feel like they come out of nowhere or are overly dramatic and nonsensical.
Duane Sobczak is probably the most fully formed of the characters and shows some actual development towards the end. He is a small town cop with a one-person team consisting of his son-in-law. He strongly believes in his town and in the goodness of its people. Drugs have no place there and neither do pre-marital sex, lesbians and murderers. Watching him come up against the real world is kind of charming but also struck me as very odd in this particular cultural moment. Tracy is a messy character that I think needed a lot more pages to develop her interiority. Dr. Bakshir feels like the odd character out, largely used for shock factor in some of the twists and turns. Aside from that there is a focus on drug abuse and sexual abuse in some of the female story lines that I don't believe was handled well or with any kind of delicacy.
I've seen a lot of praise for Joe Clifford's writing and was very excited to experience it myself. Unfortunately, as you might have guessed from the previous paragraphs, I was merely whelmed. There are a lot of interesting ideas in The Lakehouse which maybe needed a little bit more time in the oven, but in the edition I read they didn't quite fit well together yet. Some of the characters needed more development and attention in order to make them feel less like a plot-device. I saw the plot twist coming from quite early on but was looking forward to how Clifford would work his way towards it. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, many things did not end up getting explained which left me quite unsatisfied. By the end of the novel there were still quite a few plot threads that needed wrapping up which never happened. Finally, and I'm willing to admit it may be pedantic, but I loathe the title not separating 'Lake' and 'house'.
I had very high expectations of The Lakehouse but unfortunately none of them were met. Although I did get through the book quickly, I did not enjoy a lot of aspects of it. I may give Joe Clifford another go in future books, but only once complete edits have been done.
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
Todd Newman has been cleared of his wife’s murder. The murder follows him he insists he’s innocent but people believe he bought his way off. He decides to return to her hometown in Connecticut. He’s building a lake house and just wants a fresh start. When a young woman’s body is found washed up on the beach next door of the lake house, of course Todd’s the first suspect, the police are certain he’s to blame and they continue harass him. Tracey Somerset is a single mom who just went through a tough divorce, she’s raising her two year old son with little help from her ex. On a rainy stormy night she drives to Walmart to pick up some medication. Meeting a handsome man at 1am is the last thing on her mind. She meets Todd unaware of his past and that he was called “The Banker Butcher”she enjoys a coffee and good conversation with the handsome man. The next day she’s shocked to hear about the woman being found dead, and when Sheriff Sobczak asks if she was with a man at Walmart at 1am she’s floored that she’s being asked if she is Todd’s alibi. When more woman disappear she begins to wonder could the nice man she fell for be capable of murder? Is there a connection with the murdered woman and the other woman that have disappeared? What secrets is the small town hiding? Told through the POV of Tracey and the sheriff we get a peek into their lives and the investigation. The ending left me wanting more! I really loved the book ,I felt the darkness hanging over the town, and the author does an amazing job bringing the characters to life and making you feel like they are real and imperfect. The story drew me in and got me out of my reading slump. This is the second book I’ve read from the author and I highly recommend his previous book The One That Got Away. Four stars!
readingtimeatthezoo's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite sure how to review this book. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't really like it either. I was offered the opportunity to read this one and after reading the synopsis I agreed because it actually sounds really good.
Todd Norman is acquitted of his wife's murder and returns to her hometown to build their dream lake house he was planning to build before she died. The move isn't that easy for Todd. His wife's parent's live in the town and blame him for their daughter's death, the local police think he did it, in fact everyone thinks he did it. Everyone except newly separated single-mum Tracey. She falls in love with Todd and is adamant he is innocent.
This could have been so good with it's thriller undertones but unfortunately something fell slightly flat for me. I kept waiting for this amazing story to start and it just didn't. It was almost like reading a report, just a list of facts with no life to it. Everything was too one dimensional, there was no real oomph to any of the characters. I really wanted to learn about them, what was going on behind the scenes, and why some of the characters were even there, Dr Bakshir? What was even the point of him meandering weirdly through the story-line?
Unfortunately there were just too many of these one dimensional characters and strange detours from the main story line that just didn't make any sense or add any value.
I know this sounds like I really disliked this book. I didn't, I stuck with it because the plot itself was a good one and I wanted to know what happened, I just wanted more.
Todd Norman is acquitted of his wife's murder and returns to her hometown to build their dream lake house he was planning to build before she died. The move isn't that easy for Todd. His wife's parent's live in the town and blame him for their daughter's death, the local police think he did it, in fact everyone thinks he did it. Everyone except newly separated single-mum Tracey. She falls in love with Todd and is adamant he is innocent.
This could have been so good with it's thriller undertones but unfortunately something fell slightly flat for me. I kept waiting for this amazing story to start and it just didn't. It was almost like reading a report, just a list of facts with no life to it. Everything was too one dimensional, there was no real oomph to any of the characters. I really wanted to learn about them, what was going on behind the scenes, and why some of the characters were even there, Dr Bakshir? What was even the point of him meandering weirdly through the story-line?
Unfortunately there were just too many of these one dimensional characters and strange detours from the main story line that just didn't make any sense or add any value.
I know this sounds like I really disliked this book. I didn't, I stuck with it because the plot itself was a good one and I wanted to know what happened, I just wanted more.
natalier3's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this, the characters were good and likeable. I would have preferred a more suspenseful read though, ie if Greg was actually a potential murderer. The police thought he did it, but the way Greg is portrayed is too gentle on this and could have helped to add more danger to Tracy's story.
dommdy's review against another edition
2.0
Poorly developed characters, not well plotted or narrated, confusing, nonsensical, unsatisfying ending
kourtneyalexis's review against another edition
5.0
Having recently read "Skunk Train", I had extremely high hopes for "The Lakehouse" and Joe Clifford did not disappoint!!!
Greg Norman, whose wife was killed, moves to her hometown to fulfill a promise they made to build a house on the lake. Let's back up and mention that Greg was accused of and stood trial for her murder and was cleared of all charges....unfortunately, the townsfolk do not believe in his innocence...and when a body is discovered near the site of the lake house, any chance of clearing his name is out of the question. It gets worse when more women start to disappear and the plot thickens.
This story has so many rich characters, brilliantly interwoven into a great story that shows the ripple effect of things that happen in a small town and how the dead don't stay buried. I could not put this book down, every layer that was exposed made me want to unravel the mystery more!
If you haven't read anything by Joe Clifford, please do yourself a favor and pick up one of his books! They will keep you up reading into the wee hours of the night!
A special thank you to NetGalley, Polis Books, and Joe Clifford for providing me with an ARC.
Greg Norman, whose wife was killed, moves to her hometown to fulfill a promise they made to build a house on the lake. Let's back up and mention that Greg was accused of and stood trial for her murder and was cleared of all charges....unfortunately, the townsfolk do not believe in his innocence...and when a body is discovered near the site of the lake house, any chance of clearing his name is out of the question. It gets worse when more women start to disappear and the plot thickens.
This story has so many rich characters, brilliantly interwoven into a great story that shows the ripple effect of things that happen in a small town and how the dead don't stay buried. I could not put this book down, every layer that was exposed made me want to unravel the mystery more!
If you haven't read anything by Joe Clifford, please do yourself a favor and pick up one of his books! They will keep you up reading into the wee hours of the night!
A special thank you to NetGalley, Polis Books, and Joe Clifford for providing me with an ARC.
reading_my_life_away's review against another edition
1.0
That book is the ultimate textbook thriller, it has all the aspects and steps of how to writer a contemporary thriller/mystery book, which are:
( A sudden murder _ a prime suspect who everyone thinks is the culprit _ a copper, preferably close to retirement just to give an edge to the book _ a small town setting, which must be described as a safe haven until the murder _ many side characters, the more the merrier _ unlimited side plots, literally everyone has to have a connection _ an ending in which you discover that the main suspect isn't the murderer ( surprised, right?) And instead it's one you didn't even doubt until the grand finale.
The book is a really slow paced one and what made it worse was the writing style, the author just kept jamming a lot of information in the same paragraph in an overly descriptive manner, also, i didn't like the heavy usage of slang and acronyms.
Don't recommend
( A sudden murder _ a prime suspect who everyone thinks is the culprit _ a copper, preferably close to retirement just to give an edge to the book _ a small town setting, which must be described as a safe haven until the murder _ many side characters, the more the merrier _ unlimited side plots, literally everyone has to have a connection _ an ending in which you discover that the main suspect isn't the murderer ( surprised, right?) And instead it's one you didn't even doubt until the grand finale.
The book is a really slow paced one and what made it worse was the writing style, the author just kept jamming a lot of information in the same paragraph in an overly descriptive manner, also, i didn't like the heavy usage of slang and acronyms.
Don't recommend
jupitershallemerge's review against another edition
5.0
I initially rated at 4 stars (4.5 to be more exact) but now, after a few days, I will round it up to 5.
Some parts of this book got me so furious with cops and I also liked the romance here, and that doesn't happen usually.
This book stuck with me and I was somewhat impressed I guess so there we are ... 5 stars.
Some parts of this book got me so furious with cops and I also liked the romance here, and that doesn't happen usually.
This book stuck with me and I was somewhat impressed I guess so there we are ... 5 stars.
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
While I thank the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC, I cannot finish this.
The sentence structure is so choppy and does more telling than showing with minimal dialogue to move the plot forward. Beyond that, is the character's name Todd or Gregg because changing the name of an accused killer within a few chapters was a horrible idea?
The sentence structure is so choppy and does more telling than showing with minimal dialogue to move the plot forward. Beyond that, is the character's name Todd or Gregg because changing the name of an accused killer within a few chapters was a horrible idea?
francica's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks net galley for this title.
This story was a gripping and exciting tale about a small town Covenant where it is relatively peaceful, that is until Greg Norman ( a man accused of the murder of his wife, a resident April) comes to rebuild his life in a Lakehouse near the beach after being acquitted. A little while after returning a young lady Wendy, was found dead near the lake house and this investigation set off a whirlwind of events that revealed secrets that shook this peaceful little town to the core.
I really liked the story. The characters were relatable I especially liked Tracy, Amanda and Uncle Bob's characters .It read like an enjoyable TV series in some parts. I think that in end we could have had more detail of how Greg and Tracy's relationship turned out because I felt they just left the story abruptly (read the book so you will know what I'm talking about). This is one of those mystery stories that you just had to wait till the end to see who did it. I had so many thoughts about who the murderer could be that I just gave up speculating and just waited till I was at the end and what an ending it was. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to more like this from the author.
This story was a gripping and exciting tale about a small town Covenant where it is relatively peaceful, that is until Greg Norman ( a man accused of the murder of his wife, a resident April) comes to rebuild his life in a Lakehouse near the beach after being acquitted. A little while after returning a young lady Wendy, was found dead near the lake house and this investigation set off a whirlwind of events that revealed secrets that shook this peaceful little town to the core.
I really liked the story. The characters were relatable I especially liked Tracy, Amanda and Uncle Bob's characters .It read like an enjoyable TV series in some parts. I think that in end we could have had more detail of how Greg and Tracy's relationship turned out because I felt they just left the story abruptly (read the book so you will know what I'm talking about). This is one of those mystery stories that you just had to wait till the end to see who did it. I had so many thoughts about who the murderer could be that I just gave up speculating and just waited till I was at the end and what an ending it was. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to more like this from the author.