By: Amber Cowie
ISBN: 1542091209
Publisher: Lake Union
Publication Date: 11/12/19
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars Esme and Benedict Werner have an idyllic life in a tight-knit community until an accident in their cul-de-sac ends in the tragic sudden death of one of their dearest neighbors. After vindicating eyewitness accounts morph into contradictory memories, suspicion, and unaccountable accusations, Benedict is arrested. Esme’s life, too, is changed forever.
As the neighborhood largely turns against her and her family, Esme has time to think about her past and what to do next. Then her fellow residents start looking deeper, questioning one another, and themselves, about hidden lies and betrayals.
Esme has more than her share of secrets. And the consequences of what happened on that fateful late-summer evening on Raven Lane are far from over. When the mask of civility slips, can friends and neighbors recover from seeing the monstrous truths beneath?
Praise
Smooth prose and relatable characters keep the pages turning. Cowie delivers surprises all the way to the end.”
—Publishers Weekly
Peering into the daily lives of the beautiful and talented will provide a thrill for readers…”
—Booklist
“[Raven Lane] sticks to your skin and makes you second guess your assumptions.”
—Pique News Magazine
“Amber Cowie has written an unputdownable, suburban nightmare, which calls into question all our safe assumptions about what happens on the other side of the picket fence. Raven Lane will linger with you long after the final page.”
—Blake Crouch, bestselling author of Dark Matter
“Raven Lane is a sexy, provocative thriller about devastating secrets and shocking behavior in one bohemian, suburban enclave. With timely themes and boundary-pushing revelations, Raven Lane starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the final, jaw-dropping twist.”
—Robyn Harding, international bestselling author of Her Pretty Face
“Beware! Enter the sexy, sordid affairs of Raven Lane with a clear schedule, because you won’t be able to put this HOT thriller down. Paired with your favorite vino or tea, you’ll find the escape into this suspenseful page-turner full of delicious betrayals. Loved it. Clever. Unique. Hot. Devilish fun.”
—Shannon Kirk, international bestselling author of Method 15/33, In the Vines, and Gretchen
“A fateful accident on an otherwise lovely summer evening opens a veritable menu of lust, lies, and buried secrets for restaurateur Esme, her husband Benedict, and their neighbors. Atmospheric and edgy, Raven Lane serves up a satisfying tale of questionable choices and their unanticipated consequences.”
—Linda Keir, author of The Swing of Things and Drowning With Others
“Nothing is quite as it seems on idyllic Raven Lane. Inside this carefully curated neighborhood, accomplished artists, writers, and musicians inhabit their beautiful modern homes and each other’s lives, but something sinister lurks just beneath the surface. A terrible car accident unravels a litany of lies and betrayals as police begin to consider the possibility of a murder. This haunting thriller will keep you reading late into the night!”
—D.M. Pulley, author of The Dead Key and No One’s Home
“Amber Cowie’s Raven Lane is the sly, sexy, irresistible tale of a family—make that an entire neighborhood—that embraces self-deception as a means of daily survival. The result is a page-turning piece of fictional anthropology that illustrates the tragic differences between what we are, what we imagine we are, and what others want us to be. I’m sorry that it’s over.”
—Bryan Gruley, author of Bleak Harbour
“In Raven Lane Amber Cowie delivers a deliciously discomfiting and compelling domestic suspense told from the intimate third-person point of view of Esme Werner, whose version of events appears increasingly questionable after a terrible accident on a balmy September evening shatters the delicate façade of a privileged neighborhood, revealing a salaciously toxic—and deadly—tangle of relationships below. For fans of domestic suspense with unreliable narrators, this tale of marriages and parenthood gone wrong hits the right notes.”
—Loreth Anne White, bestselling author of In The Dark
“Another thought-provoking read from Amber Cowie. Raven Lane is a seemingly tight-knit community of close friends but which is shot through with misconceptions and murderous secrets. Interwoven into the tightly written plot is a book within a book, cleverly reflecting the goings on in Raven Lane. Do we all have a monster within us? Keep turning those pages to find out.” —Imogen Clark, bestselling author of Postcards from a Stranger and Where the Story Starts
My Review
RAVEN LANE is another excellent thought-provoking domestic suspense installment with superb storytelling by talented author Amber Cowie. 💕 She wowed me and readers worldwide with her knock-out thriller debut, RAPID FALLS, and she is BACK!
Sexy, provocative, edgy, and scandalous!
Meet the suburban neighbors of Raven Lane, a cul-de-sac with five detached homes arranged in a U shape, tucked into an area just two blocks away from one of the busiest commercial areas.
Set in the Pacific Northwest, an exclusive neighborhood. Little traffic. safe neighborhood? The residents of Raven Lane are drawn into a web of secrets, lies, betrayal, scandal, and tragedy.
What happens behind closed doors?
I adored the diverse neighborhood and characters; especially, the lyrical prose from Author, Torn Grace. From a former model, a chef, an author, real estate agent, a former movie star, an artist, plus more.
"The Truth Can Bring Out the Worst in the Best of Friends."
Atmospheric and twisty. If you are a fan of Robin Harding's THE SWAP, BIG LITTLE LIES, and the TV series, THE AFFAIR, (one of my favorites), would never miss an episode— you will find a lot to like here. 🎬
The purpose of referencing the hit TV series in comparison to Raven Lane—I think there are some parallels and especially if you are a fan of the show, this current Season 5 which is moody, dangerous, sexier, and edgier than previous seasons. In the aftermath of horrific events, characters try to come to terms with the consequences of their choices, similar to the characters in RAVEN LANE.
Some people have darkness and monsters within them. Often they fool others and sometimes they deceive themselves. As always, I adore Amber's writing and her diverse and dynamic characters.
An ideal choice for book clubs and future discussions. 📚 An excellent Reader Group Guide is included.
Highly Recommend!
Head over to my blog and check out my INTERVIEW with Amber's debut, RAPID FALLS.
Be sure and check out her upcoming book: LOSS LAKE coming Nov 2020 and my upcoming Elevator Q&A Ride Interview.
A special thank you to Lake Union (print) and NetGalley (digital) for an advanced reading copy. #JDCMustReadBooks
About the Author
Amber Cowie is a novelist and freelance writer living in a small town on the west coast of British Columbia. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, Crime Reads and Knitty, among other publications. Her debut novel, Rapid Falls, was a runner up in the Whistler Book Awards and hit number one on the Kindle Bestsellers list as well as the top 100 books in the Kindle Store. She has appeared at Left Coast Crime, the Pacific Northwest Writers Festival, and the Whistler Writers Festival. She serves on the board of Sisters in Crime Canada West and is a member of several writing groups. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria.
She is a mother of two, wife of one, reader of many and writer of suspense novels. She likes skiing, running and making up stories that make her internet search history unnerving.
Her third novel, Loss Lake, is available for pre-order here.
