Series Review- Stillhouse Lake By Rachel Caine

This is a series full of amazing characters who maybe don’t always do the right thing, but always have each other in mind while they are doing it. If you like series with good characters who are also a little on the morally gray side, a story with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing and keep you on the edge of your seat, then this is the series for you. I will warn you that they are also not for the faint of heart as there are some grisly murders as well as child abduction, torture and other horrible things. But if you can handle that then you are in for a great read.

“The internet enables and organizes hate very effectively; it lets people believe they’re righteous warriors for justice when in reality they’re just clicking keys.” Bitter Falls

Stillhouse Lake– Book one

This is the only book totally told by Gwen, which is good. She really is a great narrator and you get to know her so well, which helps in the other books. There are times when you will doubt if she is a reliable narrator, but you will never doubt the love she has for her kids and how fiercely she protects them. She is also willing to go to great lengths to keep as much evil as she can from their world, which is really hard given the circumstance.

Gwen had another life prior to this one, she was married to a serial killer. She didn’t know this at the time, which can be hard to believe, but once you get to know her past, you come to understand how it could happen. She and her kids are now paying for the sins of her ex-husband in more ways than you can imagine.

The plot is very fast paced and at times you really are not sure what to believe. There is a very important message about how the internet can be more harmful than one might think in that there are people out there that will hound you if they think you have done something wrong, no matter the proof. This is the dilemma that Gwen finds herself in with good reason, and also worrying about her ex getting out of jail and coming for her.

Killman Creek– Book Two

Book two start where book one leaves off. But Gwen is no longer our only narrator. She is still the main narrator, but now we hear from Sam and the kids as well.

We first meet Sam in the book one, and he is a love interest although there is a lot of baggage on both sides which keeps the two of them at arms length. But Sam does come to respect Gwen and all that she has been through and he comes to love her kids too, and will do anything to protect them. I really like Sam and rooted for the two of them to get together. They have some pretty rough patches but they eventually get through them.

Lanny is Gwen’s daughter and she is just as fierce and protective as her mother, although she does have a rebellious streak that Gwen never had. Lanny, like most teens, does not make the best decisions sometimes, but she will own up to her mistakes and keeps her wits when there is trouble.

Connor is Gwen’s son and is the youngest. He has seen so much and has to deal with being his father’s son. He also makes some big mistakes which puts his and his sister’s life at risk, but you just want to hug him all of the time.

You could just read the first two books and be totally satisfied with that, but you would be missing out on some really good stories if you do.

Wolfhunter River– Book Three

While the legacy of her husband’s murders are still at the forefront of Gwens life, with Sam’s support she has come to terms with it. She has now become somewhat of fixer, or at least someone that people can turn to when there is no one else who can help them. This book sends Gwen and her family to a nearby community and a young girl that needs help.

This book was very different than the first two. We get a lot more backstory on Sam and on some of the people who are out to hurt Gwen because of her past. The story is still solid and a page turner, but there did seem to be a little something missing in this one. Still pretty scary though with a town that protects their own, more so than seems believable.

Bitter Falls– Book Four

Gwen is now a private detective which is a good thing, but also gets her into some sticky situations. This one also relates back to Wolfhunter River, so you really kind of needed to have read that one to totally get what is going one here.

Connor shines a bit in this book and shows some growth in his character. Actually all of the characters go through quite a bit of growth in this one. Something that was missing a little bit in the last book.

Sam also steps up and continues to put himself in harms way to save the kids and Gwen from harm. I was a little bit nervous in this one that not everyone was going to survive. Lots of scary stuff and horribly evil people in this one.