Still Lake

by Anne Stuart

Book Overview

Moving to Vermont with her mother and half sister to fulfill her lifelong dream of opening a charming country inn, Emilia Davis, the proud owner of an old farmhouse, which was the site of a brutal... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739427830
• ISBN13: 9780739427835
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Mira 2002/02
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Still waters run deep

Was he a murderer? That question has haunted Thomas Ingram Griffin for over twenty years. On a summer day in 1982 Griffin woke up at a farm in Colby, Vermont covered in blood and accused of killing his girlfriend as well as two other girls. Convicted for murder but eventually released on a technicality, Griffin went on, in the ultimate irony, to become a successful lawyer. However, the time has come for Griffin to search for the truth. Changing his name and renting a cottage in Colby for the summer, he finds out that the farm where the murders occurred has been transformed into a country inn. Now, Griffin must somehow find a way to search the property for clues to a decades old crime and keep his hands off the delectable innkeeper. Sophie Davis is trying to keep it together. She's burnt her bridges by leaving the city and buying a farmhouse in rural Vermont. Okay, so the property was the scene of a grisly triple murder. A little notoriety just might help jump start her bed and breakfast inn! In the meantime, Sophie's got to keep an eye on her eccentric mother and rebellious teenage sister and her hands off the new neighbor who seems to be everywhere. She absolutely does not need to get involved with a man who obviously has secrets to hide. Nevermind that he has the body of a god, gives earth-shattering kisses and owns a '74 Jaguar XJ6. Anne Stuart is back and I'm happy to report she is in fine form, indeed. Her descriptions of the Vermont countryside are vivid, the plot is classic and the characters are varied and interesting -- from the mutinous Marty to the God-fearing town locals. The interaction between Martha Stewart wannabe (for the domestic goddess stuff, not the insider trading) Sophie and mysterious John Smith aka Griffin is sometimes farcical, always funny and downright steamy on occasion. Nothing's better than a good girl learning to be bad and nobody writes naughty good girls better than Anne Stuart. TheSchemer

A quick but interesting read

I enjoyed the book. It wasn't difficult to figure out "whodunnit" but the cast of characters kept my interest. The romance was fairly typical but the people weren't. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a break from their problems for a few hours.

Anne craft's her magick again!!

When one has written such masterpieces as Moonrise (my favourite Stuart) To Love a Dark Lord and Nightfall...it is hard to keep that level of superpower quality book after book. And this one sadly just misses. It seems rather rushed, almost like she did not have time to fully form the lead characters in her mind.She still delivers a powerful read!! Anne Stuart's 2nd best are still away ahead of the pack!!When Sophia buys a rundown inn, she moves her overly rebellious 19 year old half-sister and her mother, starting to lose control of her memory, into what she hopes it to be the answer to her problems and an island of peace. But that peaceful dream is shattered by echoes of murders commited 20 years ago. A man has rented the cabin across the lake, John Smith, and from the start, Sophia resents his presence, resents his virile attraction and would like him to leave.The tension builds as we are told he was convicted of the death of the three girls who were murdered two decades ago, though released from prison after only 5 years. We learn John has few memories of that night and recalls nothing until he awoke covered in blood in the cabin.John feels it is time to stir the embers of the past, find out who really commited those murders - even if it was himself, and finally put the past to rest once and for all. Stuart never convinces us he could have been guilty, so she throws away that bad to the bone Alpha male she conjures so deftly in Moonrise and others.Stuart's tension between Sophia and John is excellent, but I don't think she had full grasp of just who John was because there are numerous conflicting errors in descriptions (shame on the editor, too!!) - which leads the reader to not fully know John either. The rebellious teen grated on my nerves - I read to escape the pains-in-the-rumps of the world, so this character really wears thin. But in a way, I guess that helps you empathise with Sophia - through it is with slightly gritted teeth!I applaud Stuart for giving us a down to earth 'real' woman in Sophia who is more than willing to eat that second or third muffin, to give a sweet, tragic quality in her mother facing growing less and less able to live by herself. However, some readers just might think all of this is a little too real....lolIt is still a fine book, I just wish it could have been tightened up and not have that rush feel about it. There is no one better at giving us the bad-boy we cannot resist. Just think this one would have benefited from finetuning before being sent to the publisher (or an editor that took his job seriously and caught these mistakes before they got into print).Even with the flaws, I truly enjoyed it and remain a loyal and devoted Stuart fan!!

Good story

The mystery is easy to figure out but that's okay because the story is mainly about the developing relationship between Sophie and "John Smith". The secondary characters, Sophie's sister, Marty and Grace, her mom who seems to be failing mentally add enough to keep the story interesting.A good fast summer read.

Fast-Moving Romantic Suspense

Sophie Davis, according to her sister Marty, is known as the poor woman's Martha Stewart. Taking her skills as a homemaking columnist to a higher level, she's decided to convert an old farm house into a bread and breakfast. Stonegate Farm on Still Lake, in Colby, Vermont is Sophie's choice for her undertaking. Unfortunately, the area has a grisly history. Twenty years before, the murders of three teenaged girls occurred there. But, Sophie's determined, since her new farm will make a good home and project, for herself, her mother Grace, and teenaged sister, Marty.John Smith, alias of Thomas Ingram Griffin, was convicted of the murders of the three girls. On a technicality, he was released from prison just a few years after his incarceration. John decides it is time to find the real murderer of the three girls. Or, did he really do it? He can't remember what happened the night the third girl was killed. As fate would have it, he returns to Colby to rent a cabin neigboring Stonegate farm. And, as fate would have it, Sophie and John will meet.STILL LAKE is a fast-moving read. The descriptions of the beautiful countryside in Vermont, put me there. The relationship between Sophie and John is fascinating. While they appear as opposites at first, I understood their attraction, felt the sexual tension, and enjoyed their lustful, then loving, romance. Secondary characters in STILL LAKE entertain also. Grace seems befuddled, Marty an angst-filled teen, and yet each contributes to the fast-moving pages. While I think most readers would find the villian pretty obvious, I thought the real mystery was how and why the murders happened. Also, feeling the menace that comes from the villian throughout the book, adds to the suspense. STILL LAKE is the kind of book I look for. It's a great story with a sexy romance, and page-turning suspense.