Such a thrill ride!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was full of slow strong character building and wonderful thrilling plot twists. I love it when your never completely sure if the bad guys. Can't wait for more. ( )

Stillhouse Lake is an interesting study of wife and children of a serial killer. People often wonder how a person can live with someone and not know the evil that lurks within. Gina/Gwen is constantly moving with her children in fear of the stalkers who think she helped her husband with his murdering spree. I question some of the people she decides to trust but it is hard to say what we would do in the same situation. With my background being in Psychology I almost felt like I picked the story apart in my brain a little too much but I loved it!

The story is captivating; told in the first person point of view of Gina/Gwen the reader is in her head experiencing her fear, anger, disappointment, and strength. She questions how she is hurting her children with the constant moves and identity changes. There are a couple unexpected twists that add a lot to the enjoyment of the story. My major complaint is having a cliffhanger and a cliffhanger for a psychological thriller is a major disappointing. However, the story is a in-depth study of sorts with many questions answered within this book. I will read the next installment when available ( )

Lots of twist & turns with a good character layout. Gwen has to be on the run with her kids changing locations & identities to escape her serial killer husbands fans & people who think she was an accomplice & want her dead. ( )

WOW! The hype is definitely real on this book!

If you enjoy thrillers, mysteries, serial killers, and/or protective mothers…STOP EVERYTHING and READ THIS NOW!!

I love that it’s available as read and listen on KU and I was able to fully immerse myself into this book.
The ending ( )

2.5 stars....a good premise (written from the POV of the family of a convicted serial killer) but let down badly by a very poor and unbelievable ending................ ( )

I struggled with rating 2 or 3 stars but decided to round up because I did really enjoy a good chunk of the book. The premise is interesting and laid out well. The author ramped up the tension and kept me engaged up until around 170 pages in. After that, I had a mess of problems with what was going on. I'll be vague so I don't give anything away...

My biggest problems were with how blind Gwen seems to be and the insanity that was the local police/detective investigation and treatment of Gwen and her family.

I was screaming at Gwen for two of the big things that end up being pretty dang important and felt fairly obvious. So either the author laid the foreshadowing on too heavily for the reader, made her protagonist intentionally dense, or I'm incredibly smart. I don't think it's the third option.

As for the investigation, the way the detective in charge dealt with Gwen and the investigation had me yelling BS. I won't even go into the holes in situation with Kez. There's about 50 or so pages between the 170 and the end of the book that made me want to toss my kindle in the trash. But that's ridiculous because it's my kindle... But I held on, cursing internally.

The exciting climax was good and calmed me down a bit but, ultimately, I don't care enough to keep going with the sequel. ( )

Gina Royal was married to a complete monster. Because of his threats from behind bars, she and her two kids have had to move and change their names numerous times. But now they have settled in a little sleepy town that they have grown to love and have finally been comfortable enough to make friends. Once again Melvin Royal threatens their happiness as he sets a plan in action that will change their family forever.

This novel engrossed me from the very first page. It is one of those books you wished went on for just a little longer. The mystery kept me guessing, at one point I was as confused as the police officers. That is when I know I'm reading a challenging and masterfully written novel. I think I have a new author to follow! ( )

If you have a copy of Stillhouse Lake sitting on your TBR stack, don’t do what I did and let it keep slipping down the list. Read it now. It is fantastic.

Gwen used to be Gina, with a home, children, and a husband. Admittedly a husband who was a little bossy and needed his “alone time,” but they were happy. Not quite a perfect life, but pretty close. Until the day she comes home at a time she would normally be gone and finds a lot of commotion – policy activity – on her block. Activity that leads right to her garage where a car has gone out of control and broken through the wall - and interrupts her husband the serial killer in the middle of torturing a woman he has kidnapped. Not the first. Wow, can’t get a much bigger shock than that, can you? And nothing will ever be the same.

The police don’t believe Gina was as blissfully ignorant as she claims, but they have nothing to charge her with, so she’s free to get on with her life. What’s left of it. Because the general public doesn’t need proof to arrive at a guilty verdict and carry out a sentence, Gina and her children are trolled on the internet, threatened with physical violence in person and over the phone, and their home is vandalized. Freedom is subject to interpretation. So their life becomes going from town to town, job to job, school to school, and new identities to new identities. Nothing is permanent or normal, there is no future for her children other than just trying to make sure they survive.

The guilt and blame from the public are nothing compared to what Gwen puts on herself. How could she have been so blind; how could she have not known? How many of the deaths are her fault? How could she have let this monster in her life, in her arms, in her bed, let him hold her children?

But in the town of Stillhouse Lake they’ve kind of settled in. Until today, when a body is found in the lake and the threatening letters start arriving. That safe and secure help they thought they were getting? Maybe that helper has sold them out. Maybe her ex-husband has a very, very long reach from prison.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to analyze Stillhouse Lake and wonder how Gina the shy housewife could have become Gena the warrior mom. This book is propulsive, immersive, and exciting. Let it push you forward, pull you under, and suck you in. Go with it. Don’t think, just feel. When your heart stops pounding you’ll be glad you did.

I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Great thriller. On to book 2. ( )

dnf

Not vibing with this one ( )

After been persecuted for months and being prosecuted as an accomplice to her serial killer husband, Gina Royal changes her name, takes her two children, and spends the next several months changing locations and names repeatedly to not only escape her husband's ability to track them from jail, but also get away from the people who will never believe that she is an innocent victim. After finally landing at Stillhouse Lake, Gina becomes Gwen Proctor and she finally thinks that she and her children may be able to settle in, make friends, and find a home, but her happiness is short-lived when a woman is found in the lake and has been killed in the same way as her husband's victims. Everything Gwen has done to try and protect her family falls apart when the opportunity to run passes and she becomes a murder suspect.

Stillhouse Lake is a very intense thriller brimming with suspense. Once it is revealed that there are new murder victims, it becomes obvious that this story is not going to end well for Gwen and her children. Viable suspects are presented throughout the book with enough information to ensure that it won't be clear who is involved until the very end of the book. The author does a good job of developing Gina/Gwen as another casualty of her husband's devious nature ala Hannibal Lecter, but we also see that she has taken steps to make herself stronger and a more capable protector of her children. Overall, Stillhouse Lake is a very suspenseful thriller with a psychological aspect that makes it hard to put down. 4 1/2 stars. ( )

Fast moving keeps your interest. Gwen/Gina comes home one night with her children to discover the worst horror of her life. Afterwards she takes her children and goes on the run but they are never safe. She doesn't know who to trust in the end she doesn't know if she has trusted the wrong person. ( )

Rating 4.21 out of 5 stars
“But everyone runs from the monster.Everyone except the monster slayer”
― Rachel Caine, Stillhouse Lake
Year after discovering that her husband is a serial killer. Gwen (aka Gina) is on the run with her two kids. Not just from her ex-husband, but for the victims families who blame her, and so many others out there that want to hurt her and her children for what her husband did. Now when they finally start to feel that they have a home and can start making a real life for themselves, a body turns up in the lake and their entire world comes crashing down.

I listened to this on audio book through kindle unlimited. While I'm not super pleased with the narrator, cause she sounds like an animated voice through the whole book, I did love the story. Very compelling. There is a spooky feeling throughout the entire book. It keeps you wondering and guessing through the whole thing.
My rating system:
initial feeling= 4.5
writing=4
story= 4.75
originality= 3.75
unpredictability= 5
ending= 4
interest= 3.5 ( )

Very good, quick read because I couldn't put it down! ( )

Audiobook (4/5): I listened to most of this book on audiobook (the first 80% or s0), I got so sucked into the story I read the last 20% on my Kindle because I read faster than I listen. The narrator did an excellent job on this book and I really enjoyed the narration. The narrator does speak pretty slowly, so I ended up listening to this at 1.2x speed on audible. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks this is one I would recommend, it was very well done.

Story (4/5): This story was intense, heartbreaking, and terrifying to me. You learn in the prologue that Gina is a typical Midwestern housewife who finds out her husband is a serial killer and gets caught up in the case when a neighbor says that Gina knew what was going on (she did not). She has two young kids at the time; her and her kids end up fleeing for their lives after the victim’s families (and others) decide that, despite her acquittal, she should have been guilty. These people are determined to take her husband’s guilt out on her and her kids. After living on the run for many years she has finally decides to stay at her current location and stop running because her now preteen-aged children need more stability and friends. Of course this is when the past comes back to haunt her.

This is an intense story that was a bit of an uncomfortable read for me. I love Rachel Caine as a writer (especially her Great Library series) but find serial killer stories terrifying. However, this isn’t as much about the actual serial killer acts as it is about Gina/Gwen trying to protect her kids and live a stable life. Don’t get me wrong, I was still terrified at parts but it was also a very well done story. The story did start a bit slow for me and takes some time to build but the last half of it is non-stop-edge-of-your-seat type of action and I COULD NOT put it down.

Characters (4/5): The characters in here are amazing and complex and I loved trying to figure out who was lying and who wasn’t, who was guilty and who wasn’t. There is a very heavy psychological aspect to this story which I enjoyed. I love Gina/Gwen and her fierceness about protecting her children and watching how she gets through each day with the intense paranoia she’s developed. I did think a bit too much time was spent on Gwen’s own internal dialogue and that some of her thoughts and feelings were over-explained. I loved her kids too, even though my heart broke for them over and over throughout the story. I also thought that a lot of the darkness in this story was well balanced by some of the intriguing and determined side characters who end up helping Gina and her family.

Setting (4/5): Stillhouse lake was a wonderful setting. The vibe of this small lakeside town is captured really well here. For most of the book I actually felt like I WAS in Stillhouse Lake. It is a peaceful, yet eerie setting that fits the tone of the story perfectly.

Writing Style (4/5): This was mostly very well done. There were enough twists and turns here to keep me interested. I had a lot of guesses about how the story was going to go, but ended up still being surprised at the end. Things get pretty bad for Gwen and her kids, but never crossed a line that made me feel awful. The story was creepy but not unbearably scary (I am kind of a wuss about scary books). The story does start out kind of slow but the end was amazing. I also thought Gwen, her feelings, and her actions were overexplained and there was just a bit too much of this, but this got better as the story went on.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and am glad I read this, I don’t seem to be having too many nightmares about it so I will probably read the next book in the series. This book does wrap up the main mystery but then leaves the reader with a totally new cliffhanger. I loved the setting, the complex plot, the complicated characters, and the family dynamics here. This was an intense read but different enough from other serial killer thriller reads that I found it very psychologically intriguing, and it wasn’t soooo scary that I couldn’t finish it or had to sleep with the lights on. I plan on continuing the series. ( )

UPDATE: 3 stars

Stillhouse Lake a decent fast-paced suspense novel. Although I enjoyed the writing and the characters of Gwen, Lanny and Connor, I felt cheated by not having a better knowledge of Gina, Lily and Brady. To me, the characters had no real ARC or if they did it happened before this book took place and the reader missed out.

I'm sure there was reason to keep Mel mysterious because he'll play a big role in the sequel but all we were given were tiny details here and there of the crimes he committed. No reason why or any backstory. Only hints at his devious physical demeanors and how his voice changed. The only glimpse we received into their marriage was from Gwen's memory, which didn't feel like the best way to tell the story. I feel it would have been much stronger with the switch of POV or even the switch of time, perhaps before The Event in Kansas and after.

In the end it was very predictable. And very repetitive. I know you have two kids. I know your husband is a convicted serial killer. I know you're obsessed with being safe. And I never blamed her for any of these things but every other sentence? I needed a little more from Gwen as a character and deeper thoughts/realizations on the whole. ( )

At the heart of the story is Gina Royal. She is a housewife and mother who has been unknowingly married to serial killer Mel for nearly a decade. The garage was his “workshop” and the police discover a corpse hanging from the ceiling. When Mel is arrested, Gina is also initially arrested because they suspect her of aiding and abetting. She’s found innocent and goes into hiding with her two children daughter Lanny and son Connor.

Due to their being connected to a serial killer, Gina and the kids receive death threats and are harassed by internet trolls and stalkers. Gina is now Gwen Proctor and never stays in one place for long.
I liked that Gina is a strong woman and mother. She’s different now after finding out her husband is a serial killer. She reflects on how manipulative and controlling Mel was and on all the signs she missed. Gina is extremely over the top with paranoia and at one point she even goes through the motions in her mind of possibly having to shoot a cop who came to question her at home. The paranoia made a somewhat irritating character. The children are likeable characters and the struggles there were going through with having trauma over their father as well as trying to acclimate to being always on the run etc. was believable. Much of Gina’s thoughts are about wondering if their lives can ever be normal.

As the story flows, there’s a few other characters introduced such as Javi from the gun range and the neighbor Sam and sometimes you don’t know who Gina can actually trust. Gina’s husband is still manipulating her from death row and I wondered how it would all wrap up.

Overall, Stillhouse Lake was a thrilling, well written story even if it was a little over the top. The ending wrapped it all up while leaving it wide open for the next installment and there’s a twist I did not see coming.
https://bookwormnai.wordpress.com/2021/03/20/stillhouse-lake-by-rachel-caine/ ( )

I am not sure why it took so long to start this book. I am totally glad I finally did. I had never read anything by Rachel Caine so I was pleasantly surprised how well written this was and not vampire-like since that’s all I knew she’d ever written.
I am a sucker for serial killers so this book caught my interest immediately in the first chapter. We don’t really get to know too much about the above mentioned serial killer, but since this is a series, I’m guessing we will continue to learn much about him in future books. After the explosion of the first chapter, the rest of the book basically revolves around killer’s ex-wife trying to keep her family safe from all the killer’s fans.
I’m willing to give the next book a try. There’s definitely something intriguing here. ( )

This engrossing, fast paced thriller was not my cup of tea. A woman and her two children are at the center of this book, and the looming threats include an evil serial killer. The tension that increased as I read this book was unrelieved until the end.

I was scared early and scared often. I could believe that the main characters were real people in danger. I could buy into the relationships that formed and morphed and dissolved. Rachel Caine avoided the things that turn me off. I hate it when characters get attached without a sane explanation of why that would happen, but there's none of that. I hate it when macho rescues are the answers to conflicts, but there's none of that.

This is not a favorite book because, for me to love a thriller, there has to be enough light to balance the darkness. The light can be from characters that shine, and these sometimes do, but not brightly. Sometimes the light is found in resolutions that are deliciously satisfying: Caine's resolutions are mostly satisfying, but not… shiny. Although the world she spun is engrossing, Stillhouse Lake is not a place I want to return to. It is too dark for me. Perhaps I just want more sugar in my tea. ( )

This book had me on the edge of my seat. Absolutely un-put-downable. So many twists and turns. Makes you really think about who you can trust and shows the absolute wrath of a mother bear when you threaten her cubs. Definitely not for the faint of heart, it is graphic and shows just how human nature can twist into a sick unnatural thing. Cannot wait to read the sequel! ( )

Well written and well paced. I look forward to the next installment. ( )

Gina Royal is a Kansas housewife. She has two kids and a happy life with her husband Melvin. One evening a drunk driver hits their house with his vehicle. That accident tears Gina's life apart because the police discover something horrific in Melvin's workshop.....the workshop he padlocks shut, the workshop where he disappears to work on his projects, the workshop where he kills people. Melvin is a serial killer. Flash forward a few years. Gina is now Gwen Proctor, living on the run from internet crazies who think she helped her husband. Even being acquitted following a trial won't convince some sickos that she didn't have anything to do with her husband's murdering all those women. She and her two kids stay alert, ready to run and disappear again when threatened. Gwen has purchased a house on a lake.....they finally feel a little bit of security and happiness. Then everything goes wrong......again.

This is such a suspenseful and exciting story! Well-written and action packed, it kept my attention from beginning to end. There is a second book in this series, Killman Creek, and a 3rd book, Wolfhunter River, that will be published in 2018. I am definitely going to read more of this series!

I love the cover art for this series. It really sets that creepy feeling even before I start reading!

Rachel Caine is the penname for Roxanne Longstreet Conrad. She is the author of several series including the Morganville Vampires and Weather Warden.. I'm definitely reading more of her work -- this book was excellent!! I'm not really into vampire stories, but I might make an exception this time.



( )

I loved it - this book was non stop excitement (for me) and I liked trying to figure out what was going on - I had many guesses and for the most part they were completely wrong - Honestly if I were her I would have done many things differently during the course of the story - but alas, that wouldn't have made for good reading - I honestly can't wait to read book 2 - I need to find out what's going to happen next - I was going to say the book was fun - but I guess given the content I shouldnt but - I did have fun reading it ! ( )

I would have given this 5 stars, if it wasn't for a BRUTAL cliffhanger at the end. Call me salty, whatever. It seems lazy and like a money grab. Other than not being able to get the 2nd book yet due to my local library system being fucked, I thought this was one of the better thrillers I've read in recent memory. It was suspenseful all the way through. I've never read a serial killer thriller, but I appreciated the dark atmosphere that was consistent throughout the whole book. Several scenes were super creepy and kept me at the edge of my seat. The tension is revved up several times making reading this book exciting until the very end. Really great thriller. ( )

This was wild. I was very intrigued by the premise, and it was well executed - I've never read another thriller quite like it. The main protagonist was so strong and determined despite everything she's been through I might be a little in love with her??? I have a new fave thriller protagonist for sure. Thoroughly disturbing content at times, but that just made it all the more of an atmospheric thriller. Wholly enjoyable.

Trigger warning: heavy discussions of rape, torture, murder, serial killers. ( )