Thursday, July 27, 2017

Book Review | Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Stillhouse Lake is a mystery/thriller from Rachel Caine.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.

I've mentioned my fascination before of women who are unknowingly married to monstrous men. Much to my delight, Stillhouse Lake was about a woman who was married to a serial killer. It wasn't until a stranger accidentally crashed into her (off limits) garage that she found out the truth about her husband and their life together.

What I loved most about this book, though, had little to do with the plot.

I had such an emotional connection to the characters from the very beginning of Stillhouse Lake. Part of this was being able to identify with the main character as a mother, but there was also a lot of subtext going on about what it's like to be a woman in general. I wish I had some badass analytical skills to break it down for you, but that's not really how I roll.

I will say I didn't want to put this book down - even when the suspense was lacking. Rachel Caine is a phenomenal writer.

I was lucky enough to attend a Rachel Caine book signing/reading, and I chose Stillhouse Lake to be my first book by her because an adult thriller is a pretty safe bet with me. Now that I know how compelling her writing can be, genre won't matter. I will definitely seek out more books by her.

Stillhouse Lake is the first book in a series so I was a bit shocked by the ending. I wanted total resolution after going through hell with these characters. You can be certain I'll be reading book two.

If you are a fan of Rachel Caine, I would love to hear which one of her books I should pick up next.

7/10: Recommended Read

20 comments:

  1. I've been curious about this one but am even more so now!

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  2. I've read some of her other books and loved them so I'm very curious about this one. It sounds very good but I'm sad it's a series. We need more stand alone books.

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    1. I knooooow. I want so badly to have stand alone novels. :'(

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  3. "Much to my delight, Stillhouse Lake was about a woman who was married to a serial killer."

    You had me almost one-clicking here but I was a little afraid it wouldn't pan out. Glad to hear it did and I will definitely be adding this one to my buy soon list!

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  4. Ooh, I'm so pleased to see a positive review for this one because I'm hoping to pick it up next week. Sounds excellent.
    Lynn :D

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    1. I look forward to your thoughts, Lynn! I hope you are able to connect with it as well as I did.

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  5. This sounds like a great read. I love these kinds of books, and this one sounds so thrilling. I haven't read a book by this author before. I'll definitely need to check this one out! Thanks for the tip ;)

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    1. I really need to seek out some other books she has written. From what I understand, she has written in many different genres.

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  6. Thanks for the warning that this isn't a standalone; and the idea of a woman unknowingly married to a serial killer is VERY intriguing. :)

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    1. You're welcome! I wish I had known going into it. I would have been more prepared. :)

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  7. I loved this! I had so many other books on my reading list but on a whim I decided to pick up this one because I was in the mood for a thriller-suspense. So glad I did! I couldn't put it down either, I finished it in a little more than a day. Before this I've only read her fantasy, in the Great Library series. I don't know if she's new to writing mystery/thriller but if she is, I will say she is a natural!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. Same here! I probably would have read it in one sitting if it hadn't been for life getting in the way. :)

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  8. How awesome that you were able to get this signed. I grabbed this as my Kindle First Prime book the month before it was released but never got around to reading it yet. Your review made me want to bump it up. I think it's been getting quite a bit of hype as well.

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    1. I'm so bad about downloading Kindle First books. :( I haven't read many reviews, but I do know she has a ton of them already. Hopefully it is connecting with a lot of people.

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  9. 7 out of 10 is convincing for me, I am going to get my copy soon and hope that it will be worth reading and spending time. Thank you for sharing it with us

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  10. Awesome book. I completed this in a day. I loved how the author has made things, simpler things into sacry ones. Just loved reading it!

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