The Lakehouse

In this gripping crime novel from Thriller Award finalist Clifford (The One That Got Away), Dwayne Sobczak, the police chief of Covenant, Conn., is sure trouble will follow the return to town of former Wall Street financier Greg Norman, who’s building his dream house on the lake after being cleared of killing his wife. Sure enough, a woman’s body soon turns up on the beach near Greg’s house. Even after detectives from the larger and better equipped Holland County PD declare the death the result of an overdose, Sobczak remains convinced of Greg’s guilt. Single mom Tracy Sommers, with whom Greg had a chance meeting at the local Walmart that led to a two-hour conversation over coffee, provides an alibi, but Sobczak persists. Eventually, the town psychiatrist, who was once connected with a group home for troubled girls, provides Sobczak with leads that put him on the path to the ugly and frightening truth. Clifford does a good job depicting the police chief’s growing disillusionment with what was once “his quiet, wholesome town.” Fans of grittier crime fiction will be satisfied. Agent: James McGowan, BookEnds Literary. (Sept.)