Review: Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine (audio)

Title: Stillhouse Lake

Author: Rachel Caine

Series: Stillhouse Lake, #1

Narrator: Emily Sutton-Smith

Published: July 2017, Brilliance Audio / Thomas & Mercer

Length: 10 hours 4 minutes / 300 pages

Source: Audio – Personal copy via Audible / Print – Paperback via Publisher

Summary: 

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.

My thoughts: I’m not really sure why I waited so long to pick this one up, except that it actually worked in my favor considering the ending…now I don’t have to wait to start the next book  – it comes out tomorrow! And as I mentioned below, having decided to go the audio route for this book, I may follow suit and continue in that fashion…but either way – this series is off to a rocking start!

If you know anything about me at all, you know I love a good mystery/thriller and this one kept me on my toes from start to finish. It has probably one of the most dramatic beginnings I’ve read in quite a while – so I knew right away I was in for quite a treat – and it really held up all the way through to the ending which very nicely sets up for the next book in this series. And that leads me to a side note…do you have to continue on? No…just about everything in this book is tied up and resolved with one loose thread hanging on that will carry over to the next book. So the choice to read book 2 is totally up to you…but I think once read this book, you will definitely want to read more!

The writing really pulls you in…there were so many times that I felt as if I was in Gina/Gwen’s head. I felt her paranoia as everything started happening all over again. I felt her anxiety as the bodies start surfacing in the lake and fingers starting pointing at her. And having to constantly be on alert and be at the ready to relocate if she ever got word that her location had been comprised…I could feel that stress that she was feeling, that she constantly felt. As the book progresses you are always wondering who is trustworthy and who is not. 

There are quite a few twists and turns throughout this book that really keep you on your toes and just when you think you have it all figured out – think again! This is a highly addictive read and really gets under your skin. I am so looking forward to seeing how this series progresses and cannot wait to start the next book. 

Audio thoughts: One of the reasons I decided to listen to this book despite having a print copy was because I saw that Emily Sutton-Smith was narrating it…I love her narrations and she definitely didn’t disappoint with this one! She did such a good job with the voices and adding just the right amount of tension and suspense to her voice as needed. She really helped bring the characters to life and I’m glad to see that she is one of the narrators of the next book!!!

Books in this series:

1. Stillhouse Lake
2. Killman Creek – due out December 12, 2017
3. Wolfhunter River – due out October 2018