The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

If you haven't tired of The Girl on the Train, or Gone Girl, or The Woman in the Window (which, to be fair, I haven't read), and even Ghost 19, then this is your book! Female narrator? check. Possibly unreliable? Check check. Voyeurism? Triple check. Timeframe shifts from chapter to chapter? checkity check check check. Twists and turns? Hopefully you'll think so like I did - but I'm not one to try too hard to figure things out. I'm just along for the ride.

This one takes place at...wait for it...a lake. The cast of characters was mercifully small enough that I was able to keep track of everyone pretty well. There's the supermodel wife, the aloof husband, the spiraling widow, the dead husband, the hot guy, the helpful neighbor, the cop, the supportive best friend, and the annoying mother. While I feel, for many reasons, this book is formulaic, this is the second book by Riley Sager that I've read that has managed to completely surprise me. Again, not so difficult to do. 

What I liked about this book is that I didn't want to put it down. I liked the characters and the setting. I actually appreciated the detail Sager went into regarding his main character's alcoholism. While I can't speak from experience, so I'm not sure how accurate the depiction is, Sager's descriptions of her physical and, really more emotional cravings and how consuming they were were eye opening to me. Hell, I probably should have listed bourbon as an additional character in this book, given its prominence.

While this might not be the most realistic tale at the end of the day, it's a fun, quick read.