Kate Morton's books are built around beautiful set pieces. For The Lake House, imagine the home setting from the film Atonement. You just wish you could take a walk through the world she's dreamed up and maybe stay for tea as well. 
 Morton is also a master at using multiple generations and shifting time periods to piece together a puzzle involving multiple story lines. In this book, the Edevane family is harboring many secrets, some of which may help solve the mystery of what happened to their baby boy on the night of the annual midsummer party when he went missing. 
 The characters are likable and Morton keeps you on your toes and guessing until the final reveal. My only issue with this book was that there were a few too many "recaps" or rehashing of information by the characters. Even so, the book was a delight to read and I look forward to Morton's next!