The House on Sprucewood Lane [Mass Market Paperback]

Caroline Slate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

From the outside, the McQuade family appeared to be a slice of suburban perfection in Westport, Connecticut -- a page-from-a-lifestyle-magazine existence for parents Melanie and Tom and their two gifted children. But Melanie's sister, documentary filmmaker Lex Cavanaugh, knows that nothing is as it appears; the truth of any picture lies in the eye of the beholder. So when her ten-year-old niece Calista, an Olympic-hopeful gymnast, has been found murdered, Lex comes to Westport and finds a family living out its worst nightmare. Suspicion is cast upon all members of the McQuade household: Lex's obsessive, controlling sister; her TV-personality brother-in-law, and the intensely unhappy young Jared. As the homicide investigation unfolds, decades of hidden indiscretions, raw resentments, and buried truths come to the surface....Now it's up to Lex to unlock the secrets of the past -- the McQuades' and her own -- if there is any hope at all for their future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ripped from yesterday's headlines, the plot of this assured first novel concerns a compelling and beautiful child of 10 who is murdered in a "locked-room" mystery set in Westport, Conn. Calista McQuade is a star from the beginning, adored and pushed by her strong but driven mother, Melanie; loved from a distance by her damaged journalist father, Tom; and both loved and hated by her older brother, Jared. After the murder, at Jared's request, Melanie's sister, Alexis, is reconciled with the family after a rupture caused by her affair with Tom. But can the troubled and bulimic Lex even help herself? And whom can she trust? Suspicion centers on the family and 12-year-old Jared in particular. Lex employs her considerable detective skills as a documentary filmmaker to discover anything that might help her nephew. There are other possibilities: the McQuades' wealthy friend Courtney and Courtney's husband, Calista's coach, Vin; their maid, Tonya. But the police are looking no further than the family, and Lex knows Jared's time is running out. The lurid subject is ripe for exploitation, but Slate handles it deftly, rounding her characters so that the reader can hear their ragged breathing. While the plot has a few more twists than may be good for it, the narrative is cohesive and suspenseful throughout, establishing Slade as a promising writer in the psychological suspense genre. Agent, Loretta Barrett.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Estranged from her family, documentary filmmaker Lex Cavanaugh is pleased to get an e-mail from nephew JaredDuntil she reads it and discovers that his ten-year-old sister has been murdered. With everyone in the family under suspicion, Lex must rush in and protect Jared.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743418891
• ISBN-13: 978-0743418898
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,085,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, March 14, 2002

By 

Mrs. E. Murphy (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House on Sprucewood Lane (Hardcover)

I came across an early copy of this book at a friend's house when visiting New York last week and was intrigued by the theme. I have just finished reading it and want to recommend it to all the perusers of this website. Slate writes easily and colloquially,and is especially good at dialogue. The characters are very well drawn, as layers of their personalities are gradually revealed. The plot is complex and carefully unfolded for the reader; and the suspense (the whodunit factor) is killing. It is a difficult theme but neither unlikely nor untimely, as any newspaper reader knows. Don't start this book unless you have a free afternoon because you won't be able to put it down.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The House on Sprucewood Lane, December 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The House on Sprucewood Lane (Hardcover)

A really exciting good read. A true page turner. It was hard to put down once I got into the story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars be careful what you wish for, July 11, 2002

By 

Roger L. Aplon "raplon" (san diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The House on Sprucewood Lane (Hardcover)

Ms slate has conjured a mystery that is as much self-confession as it is slight of hand & inquiry. I especially liked the risk she took in balancing the psychology of all the characters with the psychology of the author [come] 'detective.' She (Ms Slate) has a special talent rarely seen in 'mystery' writers: where the writing itself carries the passion & the intrigue! I felt it well fleshed-out & 'unafraid.' A great read!