Book Review | Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine

Bitter Falls is the fourth book in the Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine.

She’s investigating a cold case no one else could—by going places no else would dare.

In spite of a harrowing past still haunting her, Gwen Proctor is trying to move forward. Until a new assignment gives her purpose: the cold-case disappearance of a young man in Tennessee. Three years missing, no clues. Just Ruth Landry, a tortured mother in limbo. Gwen understands what it’s like to worry about your children.

Gwen’s investigation unearths new suspects…and victims. As she follows each sinister lead, the implications of the mystery grow more disturbing. Because the closer Gwen gets, the closer she is to a threat that looms back home.

In a town that’s closed its ranks against Gwen; her partner, Sam; and her kids, there’s no bolder enemy than the Belldene family—paramilitary, criminal, powerful, and vengeful. As personal vendettas collide with Gwen’s investigation, she’s prepared to fight both battles. But is she prepared for the toll it could take on everyone she loves?

I just love the Stillhouse Lake series. In the last book, I was excited to see the direction the series was taking because it meant we could have a lot more books in this series. I mistakenly assumed the series going forward would take the safe route and become more about Gwen Proctor's new life and less about Gina Royal's old life. I'm so glad I was wrong! There is still so much of the original plot and family dynamic happening, and I'm so happy.

If you've read Stillhouse Lake, so much of what I loved about that first book can be found in Bitter Falls as well. It's really a return to the roots of this series while still progressing the family where they are now.

If you haven't read Stillhouse Lake, well... I recommend you get on that some day. I really look forward to each book in this series. Things are not easy for this family, and I'm assuming things are about to get rough all over again in the next one. I'll be there!

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Review copy provided by the author

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Book Review | Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine

Wolfhunter River is the third book in the Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine.

She can’t ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, it’s open season.

Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she can’t seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isn’t an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.

But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already dead—her own daughter blamed for the murder. Except that’s not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isn’t leaving until she finds out who that was.

But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And it’s poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, it’s so easy for them to hide…

Have I mentioned lately that I'm obsessed with this series?

Book one (Stillhouse Lake {review}) introduced us to Gwen Proctor and her kids who were trying to escape public scrutiny (and voilent threats) after Gwen's husband was discovered to be a serial killer. (< Not a spoiler.) Book two was a bit of a departure in some ways but also a fun installment. I feel like Wolfhunter River brought us full circle back to book one which made me extra happy.

Rachel Caine knows how to keep me turning the pages. I love the characters, and I need to know what is going to happen to them next throughout the entire book.

I kind of assumed the Stillhouse Lake series was going to be a trilogy. After book one I wondered how Rachel Caine was going to manage to pull a trilogy out of this particular story/family. Let me just say that Rachel Caine is brilliant because now I see how this series has the potential to go forever. I hope someday I'll be happily sharing my review of Stillhouse Lake #14 because I'm here for it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Stillhouse Lake is a mystery/thriller from 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

Book Review | Pines by Blake Crouch

Pines is the first book in Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy.

Book Description

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

Book Review

Well, that was a quick and fun read.

The beginning of Pines is normal enough. A guy has amnesia after a crash. You get pulled in wondering "Who is he? What's going on?". You know you are in for a bit of a mystery surrounding a strange town, but then Pines quickly becomes a mishmash of a book. It's all over the place, really, but it's intriguing and it's entertaining so you just hang on for the ride.

The most astounding thing to me is the way the ending manages to pull the entire mishmash of a Twilight Zome experience back together into a really solid read.

I was already excited about the TV series (due to M. Night Shyamalan's involvement), but now I can hardly contain myself. I'm a Lostie, and I'm hoping this series is going to fill some of the void.

It's rare that I finish the first book in a series and immediately start reading the next one, but that's exactly what happened when I finished reading Pines. I shouldn't have taken so long to start the series in the first place.

8/10: Great Read