In When the Wind Blows, readers were introduced to six very special children. Twelve year-old Max, her brother and four others are half-bird/half-human clones genetically altered in a secret Colorado laboratory. Local veterinarian Frannie O'Neill and rogue FBI agent Kit Harrison save the children from the "school" in which they've been held captive. What happens after the rescue is the subject of The Lake House.
This James Patterson sequel takes place six months after the conclusion of When the Wind Blows. The children have been taken from Kit and Frannie, the only family they know, and placed with their biological parents. All go their separate ways only to reunite in again in fear. This time the villain is Dr. Ethan Kane, who wants the valuable children for medical research. Max knows too much about another secret project called the "Resurrection" in which unsuspecting people are murdered in the quest for eternal youth.
Dr. Kane will kill to keep his research secret, so the kids go into hiding. Naturally, The Lake House is a fast-paced novel because loyal Patterson fans will accept nothing less. Ethan Kane is a wonderfully evil bad guy, complete with a robot wife whose only purpose is to serve him.
Scenes between the children are magical. The possibility of human flight is an interesting concept. Kane's desperate need for the kids isn't clearly defined, however, making it difficult for readers to fully accept the urgency of the tale.
Patterson does a good job of providing key background information from When the Wind Blows. One need not read the prequel to follow this novel, but doing so will enhance the reading experience. Small storyline liberties aside, The Lake House is a decent medical thriller that lives up to its predecessor. One gets the sense Patterson's fiction isn't too far from scientific fact.
