In Just Mercy, Stevenson's first book, he recounts a situation he encountered early in his career.  It was during his fourth year with the SPDC that the young lawyer became embroiled in a real-life To Kill a Mockingbird-esque case that would teach him truths so startling and profound he would never forget them.  While visiting a prison in Alabama—a state that had a large incarcerated population and no public defender system, meaning many of its death row inmates had no legal representation at all—Stevenson met Walter McMillian, a middle-aged African-American man from, ironically enough, Monroe County, Alabama.  Like the fictional Tom Robinson, McMillian was accused of harming a young white woman.  In McMillian's case, it was a murder charge—Ronda Morrison, an 18-year-old store clerk, had been shot during what appeared to be a robbery at her place of employment.  While Morrison upheld an unblemished reputation, McMillian's was undeniably spotty.  Though married, he was a notorious ladies' man (who had just ended a troublesome relationship with his white, married lover), who was also rumored to be part of the "Dixie mafia" and a drug dealer.  Still, McMillian emphatically maintained his innocence in Morrison's killing.  Although he had an alibi for the night the crime was committed, one verified by a dozen people, police pursued the matter, which eventually landed McMillian on death row.

Midsummer's Eve, 1933—Loeanneth, the Edevane Family's summer home in Cornwall, is the sparkling center of a lavish party.  Hundreds of revelers gather on its grounds, sipping champagne, watching a bonfire burn on the lake, and enjoying the perfect weather.  It's a night of enchantment, anticipation, and excitement.  A night that will turn tragic when the disappearance of 11-month-old Theo Edevane is discovered.  With no body, no ransom note, no clue as to what has happened to the child, the case of the missing baby goes unsolved.  Crushed by grief, the Edevanes close up the lake house, never to return.

Cornwall, 2003—After making a career-ending mistake, London detective Sadie Sparrow is forced to take a leave of absence.  While cooling her heels at her grandfather's seaside cottage in Cornwall, she stumbles across a once grand, now decaying home.  Intrigued by the ruin, Sadie starts asking questions.  When she learns about Loeanneth's mysterious history, she becomes obsessed with the Edevanes.  Determined to find out what happened to young Theo, she seeks out the boy's remaining family members as well as anyone with connections to Loeanneth.

Alice Edevane, now a well-known mystery writer in her late 80s, holds pieces to the puzzle of what really happened on that summer night back in 1933.  But not all.  Although she longs to piece it all together, she doesn't want the exposure.  Can she trust Sadie Sparrow to find answers?  Does Alice really want to know the truths her family has always gone to such pains to hide?

As Sadie comes closer to solving the very cold case, she will make some startling discoveries about the Edevanes, revelations that will lead her to illuminating epiphanies about herself and her own family.  If her manic search for answers about Theo Edevane doesn't kill her first.

It's no secret that I'm a huge Kate Morton fan.  I've read—and loved—all of her novels.  Sure, they're all kind of the same, but I don't care.  I adore them.  The Lake House, Morton's newest, is no exception.  With well-developed characters, intricate plotting, and a compelling mystery, it definitely held my interest.  Some of the story's plot surprises did strike me as annoyingly convenient, but I still very much enjoyed this multi-layered family saga, which kept me guessing nonetheless.  Morton's skillful storytelling never fails to captivate me, even when I see twists coming, which is why she's quickly become one of my favorite authors.  For me, her books are must-read, auto-buy treasures.  If you dig absorbing, suspenseful reads about old houses, family secrets, and past/present mysteries, don't miss The Lake House or anything else by the incomparable Kate Morton.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Kate Morton's other novels, including The Distant Hours; The Forgotten Garden; The House at Riverton; and The Secret Keeper)

Grade:

December's been a little hectic, both in real life and on the blog.  Now that the Christmas craziness is over, I'm working on getting everything ship-shape for the new year.  That includes trying to get all the books I read in 2015 reviewed before January 1st.  With *only* 29 to go, I'm not sure I'm going to make it.  Oh well, I'll do what I can ...

In the meantime, I thought today's Top Ten Tuesday topic sounded fun.  Last time I made a TTT list, back on December 1st, it had to do with 2016 debut books I was excited to read.  This week's prompt is similar: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the First Half of 2016.  I'm still stoked about the debut novels I listed previously, but I'm also excited to see what these ten are all about:


1.  Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (January)—There's been a lot of buzz about this seafaring adventure.  I know I'm not the only one who's waiting anxiously for its release.


2.  Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (February)—The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite YA series.  Although I haven't read Fairest or Winter yet (shame on me!), I'm still looking forward to this collection of prequel stories set in the Lunar Chronicles world.


3.  Riders by Veronica Rossi (February)—I loved Rossi's Under the Never Sky series and can't wait to read the author's newest.  This one is about a boy who dies and wakes up with a new destiny and identity as War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.


4.  Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan (February)—This Rapunzel retelling sounds like another fun YA read.


5.  Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham (March)—Stepping away from YA fantasy, this adult historical sounds intriguing.  The novel concerns Mary Surratt, a widow who went to the gallows after being suspected of helping with the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.  Fascinating.


6.  Living Color by Jodi Picoult (2016)—I'm a big Picoult fan and always wait eagerly for a new novel from her.  This one, which is supposed to release in 2016, concerns a black nurse who intervenes on behalf of a white baby, even though the infant's Skinhead father has forbidden her to touch him.  When the child dies, the nurse finds herself on trial for murder.


7.  The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman (March)—This novel about two sisters-in-law and their fractured relationship sounds intriguing to me.


8.  My Last Continent by Midge Raymond (June)—Set against a harsh Antarctic backdrop, this love and survival story concerns two scientists on two different ships—one of which is sinking.


9.  The Hunt by Megan Shepherd (May)—I read The Cage, the first book in Shepherd's series about human teenagers becoming exhibits in an alien zoo, earlier this year.  The sequel comes out in a few months—I'm interested to see where the story goes next.


10.  Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar (June)—I'm super excited about this supernatural YA novel, which has been described as Twin Peaks meets Stars Hollow.

There you go—ten 2016 releases I can't wait to read.  What do you think?  Do we have any picks in common?  What other great titles should I look for in the new year?  I love getting suggestions from you, so please leave me a comment on this post with a link to your TTT list and I'll happily stop by to look at it.  Happy TTT, everyone!

If you're not sure what a Mormon is, let alone a Mormon Mention, allow me to explain:  My name is Susan and I'm a Mormon (you've seen the commercials, right?).  As a member of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon or LDS Church), I'm naturally concerned with how my religion is portrayed in the media.  Because this blog is about books, every time I see a reference to Mormonism in a book written by someone who is not a member of my church, I highlight it here.  Then, I offer my opinion—my insider's view—of what the author is saying.  It's my chance to correct misconceptions, expound on principles of the Gospel, and even to laugh at my (sometimes) crazy Mormon culture.

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A word of warning:  This Mormon Mention may be a bit spoiler-y, so beware.

In The Cruelest Month, the third installment of Louise Penny's popular Armand Gamache series, the great chief inspector is trying to solve the case of a woman who died seemingly of fright.  While discussing lab reports, he says:

"'Ma Huang.  An old Chinese herb.  Also known as Mormon's tea.  And ephedra" (282).

- I'd never heard of Mormon's Tea (also called Brigham's Tea in reference to Brigham Young) and apparently, there's a lot of conflicting information about it.  As far as I can glean from some quick Internet research, Mormon's Tea is made from a shrub common in the American Southwest that is related to the Chinese herb to which Gamache refers.  Its stems are chopped up, then boiled and steeped into a concoction which is said to help with common ailments like colds, coughs, joint pain, constipation, etc.  It's also supposed to cure sexually-transmitted diseases.  The brew can also be drunk as an alternative to regular tea.  According to this article (from which I got most of my information), however, no mention of Mormon's Tea can be found in pioneer diaries until after the death of Brigham Young in 1877.  So, who knows? 

If you know anything about Mormons, you probably know that we live by a health code called The Word of Wisdom, which was revealed to Church members in 1833.  The edict cautions against the use of "strong drink" as well as "hot drinks."  Early Church leaders interpreted the latter to mean coffee and tea.  Modern leaders continue to urge us to avoid any substance that is addictive in nature, thus active LDS people generally abstain from drinking coffee and caffeinated tea.  We're also told to avoid alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and anything else that can be harmful to the body.  Anyone whose life has been touched by addiction should be able to see the wisdom in such advice, no?

Because of the damage addiction can have on individuals, families, and society in general, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers a fantastic, free recovery program that has helped many, many people overcome addictions to not only alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, but also pornography, gambling, infidelity, overeating, etc.