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...
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 read Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine because it was the Suspense pick for COYER Book Club for May (more on book club on Friday!). I was the moderator for the suspense genre for May. Stillhouse Lake had been on my radar for awhile but I hadn't picked it up for whatever reason. Turns out that was a mistake!
I really liked the plot in Stillhouse Lake. There is one hell of a prequel. Really I feel like this is every woman's nightmare or at least one of them. Gwen's character sort of annoyed me at first. Even knowing that she was completely blindsided by her husband's terrible secret I had a hard time with her character. Gwen understandably had some major trust issues.
Because of the beginning of the story I had a hard time trusting any of the characters. I really liked her children. It would turn out that I trusted the wrong people by the end of the book and that was what made me really enjoy this book!
Typically I really enjoy when an author can surprise me. Rachel Caine definitely surprised me. I don't feel like that is even a spoiler because during our book club discussion things that were obvious to me weren't obvious to others and vice versa.
I was sad when we didn't get to continue the series for book club in June but I'll definitely be continuing the series on my own or if anyone in COYER is interested I can buddy read the series with them.
5★ Audiobook⎮Stillhouse Lake kept me riveted, both mentally and physically. There were times when I was frozen in anticipation of the next sentence. Listening to Stillhouse Lake more closely mirrored the experience of watching a gripping television drama than...Read more
5★ Audiobook⎮Stillhouse Lake kept me riveted, both mentally and physically. There were times when I was frozen in anticipation of the next sentence. Listening to Stillhouse Lake more closely mirrored the experience of watching a gripping television drama than listening to a story. I felt as if I could see everything play out in front of me. Audiobooks are popular for the convenience of multitasking, but the gripping intensity of Stillhouse Lake drove me to a one track mind.
This was my first Rachel Caine book. I’ve started two others in the past, Glass Houses and Ink and Bone, but never really connected to them. Because of that, I was a little hesitant to begin Stillhouse Lake. However, once I read the synopsis, I just knew I would enjoy it. Something about it reminded me of Kelley Armstrong’s Casey Duncan series, which I devoured it a few months ago. They share a common theme of abused women trying to disappear but finding more trouble in the process. I’ve always known that I like “strong female leads”, as a Netflix calls it. But what I like even more is when the female lead has to dig down deep to find strength she never knew she had. That type of empowering character development really appeals to me.
Similarly, Stillhouse Lake reminded me even more of Laura Lippmann’s And When She Was Good, which I just finished last month. There’s something really chilling about an abusive villain who has been locked away, yet whose reach still extends beyond prison bars. How does one ever feel safe, especially with kids involved? Stillhouse Lake brought to mind all sorts of enigmatic questions surrounding a serial killer’s other victims- his surviving family.
I’m dying (bad choice of wording) to see Stillhouse Lake adapted on screen. I know it would do well. As a protagonist, Gina/Gwen was extremely likable. Moreover, she was intelligent. There were no stupid mistakes or miscommunications for the sake of cheap drama. Caine didn’t need them. The mystery was woven together brilliantly. Even though I had suspected the culprit earlier on, I was kept on my toes enough to never be 100% certain. It certainly wasn’t outright predictable and I could have never guessed the extent of how it would play out. Stillhouse Lake was a thrill ride with tangible, endearing characters and exhilarating action.
I immediately knew I would be continuing on with the series, which has three installments, two of which have already been released. However, upon finishing Stillhouse Lake, I briefly wondered whether or not I should “take a breather” between installments because the first one had been so intense. Stillhouse Lake had invaded my thoughts and even my dreams. Ultimately, the decision was made for me because the next installment, Killman Creek, isn’t available via my listening service (Scribd) until the end of the month.
Narration review: Emily Sutton-Smith’s narration made Stillhouse Lake come to life. The approach she took (firm, dry, distant) was perfect for Gwen Procter. One of the reasons I’ve never made it through Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series is the narration. Sutton-Smith did not disappoint. Her tone set the scene for Stillhouse Lake and it never wavered. It also enhanced the characters, especially helping me to get inside the mind of Gwen Proctor. Although I’ve never heard her perform before, Emily Sutton-Smith is definitely on my radar now. ♣︎
This is by far one of the best psychological thrillers that I have read so far this year! Gina Royal, now Gwen Proctor, was a meek mild housewife turned kick-ass survivalist due to the fact her husband was discovered to...Read more
Review:
This is by far one of the best psychological thrillers that I have read so far this year! Gina Royal, now Gwen Proctor, was a meek mild housewife turned kick-ass survivalist due to the fact her husband was discovered to be a serial killer. Now Gina/Gwen has one focus, to hide and protect her 2 children from her haters that think she knew what her husband was up to. Just when you think you have this one figured out it goes down a whole different path, in other words this will keep you om the edge of your seat.
Books like this seem to be few and far between and this had all my criteria for a good suspense/thriller; creepy, gripping with lots lots of twists. I loved how Gwen became a tough survivalist and taught her children as well. I look forward to the second book because there was a bit of a cliffhanger in this one.
Five Caffeinated Reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to Stillhouse Lake
Rachel Caine is a fantastic writer who knows how to write fleshed out characters and suspenseful tales. She doesn't rush things but slowly builds up to climactic scenes....
Five Caffeinated Reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to Stillhouse Lake
Rachel Caine is a fantastic writer who knows how to write fleshed out characters and suspenseful tales. She doesn't rush things but slowly builds up to climactic scenes. In STILLHOUSE LAKE we meet Gina Royal, happily married mother of two, who later becomes Gwen Proctor survivor and protector of her young. Gina's world is turned upside down when she learns her husband had a secret life as a serial killer. Caine will send chills down listener's spines.
After several moves and name changes, Gina, and her children through the help of an online contact, purchase a home in a rural area and for the first time lay down roots. All that changes when a body is found mutilated very similarly to her husband's murder victims. *cue creepy music* I really enjoyed the way Caine shared what happened after the world discovered her husband's secrets. Gina went through hell, and Caine skillfully shares its impact on her from overprotectiveness to newly acquired skills and the nightmares she still has.
Topics such as societies' reactions to the families of serial killers were chilling. Our society is quick to judge, lay blame and some refuse to believe the wife is the last to know. Some believe Gina helped her husband, victim's families come after her in the media and physically. One only needs to log on to their Facebook or Twitter account to see the attacks and slamming of celebrities, authors, and the latest news stories. Some seek justice making the world Gina and her children live in a very scary place.
The lakeside murder(s) from the investigation to the fall out held me captive. I admired Gwen's strength and felt for her through growth and setbacks. We are treated to plenty of twists and while admittedly I picked up on certain clues, I did get a few surprises along the way.
There are a few things I would love to chat about but "spoilers darling" Grab this if you love a good thriller, you are in for a treat.
Emily Sutton-Smith was a new to me narrator but wow did she impress me. I love when a narration enhances an already good story. Her voices, tone, and pacing allowed me to slip into the story and I found I could listen for hours on end. My house thanks you too Emily, because I went on a cleaning spree while listening.
I've read Rachel Caine's fantasy series, and I liked them decently. I always thought something was missing though, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with Stillhouse Lake, as it is her first foray into the thriller genre....Read more
I've read Rachel Caine's fantasy series, and I liked them decently. I always thought something was missing though, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with Stillhouse Lake, as it is her first foray into the thriller genre. I've got to say, she found what was missing in her previous novels. Stillhouse Lake is everything I would expect from a thriller novel, and I can safely say that readers will not be disappointed. That being said, I feel it's important to mention (spoiler alert) that the novel does in fact end with a cliffhanger. I didn't find it to be an agonizing one, but many readers may not be happy with a cliffhanger for an ending, so be aware of it if you're debating about this for a read.
Warnings first: If you've read the description of this novel, you'll know that Mel Royal is a monster, and he did things that only a monster would do. These things include rape and murder. Neither are seen/done by the main perspective, but they are mentioned. There's also some mention of uncomfortable sexual experiences between Mel and his wife, the main character. She didn't call what happened sexual assault, but considering she didn't want what he did – I would argue that it is exactly that. I was immediately drawn into the life of Gina Royal. In just one moment, her life and the lives of her children were changed forever. An accident caused Mel Royal's horrible secret to be revealed to the world, a secret Gina didn't know about. Nobody but her children believe that Gina didn't know about it (and this is likely because they didn't know either). When the public and the victim's families started to get too threatening, Gina took her children and ran with them (after she was acquitted on all charges – she did not run as a guilty woman, at least not in the eyes of the law). She changed their names, hers becoming Gwen Proctor eventually (after many moves and name changes). As first I wasn't sure how I felt about the concept: a wife on the run from internet strangers who were furious about her connection to a malicious murderer. One whom she happened to be married to, but had no idea of what he had been doing? It's a bit of a hard sell, I'll give you that. But it was hard not to feel for Gina/Gwen and her children. At a certain point you just start rooting for them, even (perhaps especially) when you know that everyone around them is going to suspect first and ask questions later. It was oddly compelling. I think what I loved the most was not the threat that Mal presented (in jail, he didn't feel terribly threatening to me, at least not right away). It was the threat of all the people online; the ones who felt she got away with murder (literally), the ones that felt they had the right to fix what the law failed to recognize. The ones that were okay with vigilante justice. It was an interesting twist on the whole thing, one I greatly enjoyed. As for the cliffhanger? I didn't love that part, and I would like to see what happens next, obviously. I don't think it'll turn me off fro reading the rest, but maybe a longer wait for the sequel will change my opinion on that matter, cliffhangers can do that sometimes.
