Salthouse Place

A Novel

By: Jamie Lee Sogn

Narrated by: Danice Cabanela

Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

From debut author Jamie Sogn comes a twisty thriller about the allure of the past and the danger of the truth as a young woman dives headlong into a cult in a desperate search for answers.

In the far reaches of the Pacific Northwest, three best friends spend a day at the lake…but only two come home.

Ten years later, Delia Albio is tormented by the mystery of what happened to fifteen-year-old Zee on the lake that day. When she receives an email from Cara, the remaining friend in the trio, she can’t resist the pull of the “life-changing” news in the message. Delia, hopeful for answers, travels home to see her old friend.

But Cara is gone by the time she gets there, setting off another mystery. When Delia hears about the women’s empowerment group that Cara joined, she sets out for the group’s retreat property on the Oregon coast to find her. Delia feels this could be her chance to reconnect with Cara and reckon with that fateful day at the lake.

Instead, Delia uncovers a possessive group with a dark agenda. As their leadership closes in, Delia hurtles ever closer to the truth—if only she can survive a cult that will protect its secrets at any cost.

©2023 Jamie Lee Sogn (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A masterful tale of lost and toxic friendships, Salthouse Place is full of twists you won’t see coming and will have you racing to the end in one more explosive, heart-pounding revelation.”—Lyn Liao Butler, author of Someone Else’s Life

“This slow-burn tale of friendship, grief, and the seductive allure of cults ratchets up in intensity as the pages turn, culminating in twist after shocking twist. Fans of Nine Perfect Strangers will devour Salthouse Place and root for Delia, the appealing heroine.”—Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Couple and the upcoming novel Gone Tonight

“In her twisty debut, author Jamie Lee Sogn dives deep into toxic friendships and the dangers of group-think. Rippling with emotion and suspense, Salthouse Place exerts a tidal pull that will keep you mesmerized right to the shocking ending.”—Elle Marr, #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Family Bones

Plagiarism at best

Did the author watch the NXIVM documentary and then write a "fiction" book telling the exact story? Almost word for word and scene by scene identical story. If this felt original I would have rated it better, it was interesting to listen to, but this is just the NXIVM cult story. A true story.

Tedious

Wasn’t sure at first if it was the slow pace of the plot or the narrator’s over-enunciation of every. single. word. It’s both. Listening for free with Kindle unlimited so I may just scrap it if it doesn’t turn around soon. Other reviews don’t leave much hope though.

Skip it

So many stories in one. It’s like the author couldn’t decide which one to tell. No real character development or likable ones even. It’s not worth the read.

NXIVM with a slight twist

This is basically the story of the NXIVM cult, so not at all original. It has a few small twists and side stories added in, but nothing of real value and certainly nothing that made me want to keep listening. And nothing that made the characters more than the predictable flat archetypes seen in so many books and movies these days. I also did not care for the narration. Her voice and inflections are what make it seem like a story for a younger audience, as mentioned in other reviews. I was able to listen to it for free through Amazon but would not recommend paying for it.

Boring

This book drags on with no real point. I regret purchasing it. Don’t bother. I found it hard to follow/finish.

Slow… But interesting

The story was slow… But interesting in the sense it shows how insidious a person kids get sucked into a group that is not good for them/a cult before they even realize it. It also people that we’ve known all of our lives may not be who we thought they were.

Not for Me

The description was interesting, but the story is weak. The narrator’s voice was irritating to the point that I slowed down the speed to .85 just to get through it. I think this was meant for teens.

It has potential

There really are quite a few things that feel hopelessly wrong with this story. I’m not sure many could casual walk away from a catastrophic event and sit to eat a picnic lunch! Small editing could have helped that (they all eat two go for a walk, friend goes to search and meets friend does/doesn’t have to explain and they leave. There were positives unfortunately the negatives overtook this time.

Narration was ok but very slow.

If I were reading it I never would have finished it.

If I had read this book I would have put it down in the middle and left it for a new book. It seemingly starts fine but it gets boring. Towards the end it got a bit better. I still will not recommend it to my friends.

Slow story

Hard to finish, wanted to quit listening because so slow and drawn out, but finished.