3.5 A surprise 3rd book in the series, this started out tough to read as Gwen and her family go through some organized harassment. But then a woman calls her for help from Wolfhunter River, and the mystery begins. Sinister people and creepy feels abound in the terrible town of Wolfhunter, which made me read it that much faster to get to the end. It gave me flashbacks to HBO's True Detective series, and I'd be curious if anyone else got that vibe. It is a good thriller series, and though this one wasn't my favorite, they are all dependable page-turners.

This series is entertaining and make for great suspenseful reads full of tension. That being said, I didn't enjoy this as much as Stillhouse Lake and Killman Creek - which would have been a great conclusion in my opinion. Now that this is going to be a full blown series, Wolfhunter River feels like it's more filler than anything else. It's a good transition into Gwen's future but I wasn't a huge fan of everything that was happening. It felt like there were too many plot points and while most of it comes together in the end, it wasn't exactly satisfying.

Even with Melvin dead, Gwen can't escape him no matter how hard she tries. She is determined to move on and provide her children with a normal life but that is derailed by the reappearance of Miranda - the mother of one of Melvin's victims who is determined to prove Gwen is guilty.
Meanwhile, Gwen has begun receiving calls from women who want her help or advice. One of these calls worries her but with so many people still out to hurt her, she can't risk walking into a trap. It isn't until she receives another call from that woman's daughter that she travels to Wolfhunter River and finds herself caught up in a whole new world of trouble.

I am curious about what Bitter Falls will bring for Gwen, Sam, Lanny and Connor so I will definitely be picking that one up next January!

First off, seeing as usually you can read thriller series without bothering with the actual order of the books, I'm gonna go ahead and say you probably shouldn't do it with this one, for two reasons. One, is that you'll be heavily spoiled for the first two books, and even though there's a subtle recap of what went down before, you still be missing the amazing details that make this series great. And two, because of all the books that have been out so far, this one is the weak link.

That's not to say it's a bad book - it's definitely not the case here. As before, Rachel Caine comes through with characters that are realistic and relatable and continue to be my favorite thing about this. Gwen Proctor is one hell of a strong woman and a fierce protector of her children, and I love her; it's usually easy for the stereotypical Strong Female Character to turn into a caricature but that never happens here, because Gwen also breaks down and cries and feels overwhelmed like every normal human being. I really admire her for that.

The reason I didn't like this one as much (really mild spoilers for the first two books from here on out) is because what I really loved about the first two, the serial killer/psychopath element, is not as present as before. I could see that coming, of course, but I didn't realize just how much I'd miss it. This is a bridge book, between the series as it were and how it's going to be from now on. I also think that the solve of the mystery let me down a little, because they uncover something very interesting and barely mention it at the last ten or so pages.

Also, there's a certain suspension of disbelief to be noted when reading this one. Honestly, there are only so many shootings the same people can get involved with before I start to think it's a little too much.

All in all, it's a good book, it's part of a great series I love, and I can't wait for the next part. But the other ones as well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a copy of this book.

I'm a fan of Rachel Caine and I loved the previous novels in this series, but I think it should have been ended after the last one.

Would I read more in this series? Yes, but I won't be waiting excitedly like I did the previous.

This was really good! And I like the direction Caine seems to be taking the series.

Gwen is fierce. Seriously, Do not fuck with her family, because she will protect them at all cost. But she isn’t a robot. She has walked through hell with the devil himself and has the PTSD to prove it. She's smart, logical, and still cares for people despite what she has endured.

The addition of kids in a story like this usually doesn't feel genuine or it just turns ridiculous. That’s not the case at all here. I love how no matter what, they have complete faith and trust in their mom. And Sam is a rock. He trusts Gwen's decisions and 100% has her back.

Something that often annoys me in books and movies in this genre is the stupidity of the characters and/or the author having them make decisions that aren’t justified. Caine, however, gives her characters realistic and understandable motives for what they do.

Caine does a fantastic job demonstrating how dark and gross people can be and how the internet intensifies it. The perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theorist and wackos that believe them. It would be easy to dismiss what happens with Gwen as just fiction, but this kind of stuff is happening everyday in the real world, legitimately putting lives in danger.

So, yeah, I loved Wolfhunter River and am completely invested in this series.

I suggest starting the series from the beginning.

This is certainly not like anything like I've read before, the basis of the plot, and the idea is good. The story is written with changing first person perspective, which seems to be fashionable now, and I still don't like it. Why not write everything in third person; the author knows all anyway.
The book is well written and with excellent characters, and if you like action you will not be disappointed.

This picks up where the last book left off, with Gwen, Sam, and her kids still trying to live down the stigma of Gwen's ex being a serial killer. People still believe Gwen was his accomplice, and to escape that, she tries helping someone else in trouble. The book was, like the others in the series, a little slow at first, but once it got going it was hard to put down. I'm looking forward to more in this series, and seeing how everything plays out for the Procter family.

After living a nightmare for years, Gwen Proctor has struggled to leave it all in the past and find a normal life for her children. The Stillhouse Lake series has it all - a serial killer, internet trolls, and stalkers online as well as IRL. On top of all that, Gwen and her family live in the constant scrutiny of the media, their community, and the ever-present court of public opinion.

Having read and enjoyed the first two books of the series, which I found to be page-turning thrillers, I would recommend reading the series in order. I was very much looking forward to this next installment but have to admit it was a bit of a disappointment and I really had to push my way through. <i>Wolfhunter River </i> just didn’t seem to offer much that was new or exciting until the last chapters which held a few glimmers of what lies ahead for Gwen and her boyfriend, Sam. Felt like this was just checking in but I will continue to follow to see what lies ahead in Stillhouse Lake.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been excitedly waiting for this book and could not wait to start reading. I was not disappointed. I could not swipe pages on my Kindle fast enough and read this straight through! After the events in the second book, I wondered where the author would be able to go with the main thread tying the books together, and she did a great job of creating a situation that will give her plenty of leeway for future novels. There was “hold onto your seat” action and a LOT of gut-tearing emotion. Both aspects are something the author has always done very well, and what will keep me coming back for future installments of the series. Another wild ride in a great series. If you want to know more about the book, visit my blog at firefliesandfreekicks.com. This review was written based on a pre-release digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

I was unsure of where this series was going after the last book, I kept asking myself, what could possibly happen to this family next? Well, my questions were answered. I loved this novel, I'm excited to see where the series continues and I think this was a great novel to set up a much wider series, and I feel like the series is taking a slight genre change, which I think might be refreshing.

I will definitely be picking this up for my library and will be adding new books in the series to my TBR!

E-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen Proctor is by far the most badass protagonist I’ve ever come across in a thriller. Given the hellish realities readers saw her face in the first two instillations of the Stillhouse Lake series, it’s no wonder that women in crisis situations are now calling upon Gwen for her expertise in outmaneuvering the kind of men everyone else would be too afraid to cross.

In Wolfhunter River, readers can expect more of what Caine’s fans loved in the first two novels: will they/won’t they relationship tension between Sam and Gwen, two kids tougher than any kid should ever have to be navigating impossible decisions, and action scenes that will have you wincing from the edge of your seat. It also delivers a different set of villains and different (but equally high) stakes. Don’t worry, though. Melvin’s still managing to wreak havoc from beyond the grave.

While the end of this novel is wrapped up neatly, it also made me think more Stillhouse Lake novels might be around the bend. Yes, please!

I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. It was gritty, compelling, and emotional but not quite as strong a showing as the first two novels. That said, I don't know how Caine could have managed to top them.

I liked this book but there was a lot going on. By the end, it seemed almost too much was packed in together. There is a lot of background but it is explained enough throughout the story that not reading the first two books does not make this one that hard to follow.

Gwen is trying to escape her past. Her ex-husband was a serial killer and a good number of people believe she is at least partially responsible for his crimes. While she is trying to keep her family safe, for some reason she decides to appear on television and get involved in the dangerous situations of others. It was a stretch to believe that the characters would have taken some of the actions they did and it was a stretch to believe any small town could be as messed up as Wolfhunter turned out to be.

Oh, and there is a kidnapping in there, too.

I am newer to this series and did not read the first 2, but I jumped right in and loved this book. I will be picking up the first 2 hopefully this weekend.

This is a great series to binge read and would be the perfect series for a spring or summer vacation.

To me these books read almost like films, I can see this book as a film and see the characters up on the big screen. This book was the most cinematic to me, probably because there’s a lot of action and discussion compared to inner dialogue.

I really liked the direction this book took the series, and how it solidified some character relationships and stances on certain topics. I also liked that there was less about the Internet Trolls and more about an actual case that was taking place in a shady town.

Seeing a case that wasn’t directly related to Gwen was an interesting twist. In the previous books the main focus has been Gwen’s past and her ex-husband, but in this one the story takes us outside of all of that and Gwen is called to help a young girl whose mother was killed and the local police are blaming her for the crime.

I enjoyed watching Gwen and Sam put the pieces together to try and solve the mysteries, while also dealing with their own secrets and pasts. I would have liked it if the story focused a bit more on the two secondary mysteries more, over the main murder.

The ending was especially promising, I had read that there was a to be a book 4 and knowing that going into book 3 made it that much sweeter. I am definitely looking forward to more with Gwen in a new role and seeing a potential spin-off series would be very cool too.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries and thrillers centered around individuals working to solve a case, often with push back from local police. This is a good read for anyone who enjoyed the previous series installments, and for those that like strong lead women, supporting men, and stories filled with tension and twists.

Wolfhunter River
(Stillhouse Lake #3)
by Rachel Caine

Kindle Edition, 330 pages
Published April 23rd 2019 by Thomas & Mercer



Goodreads synopsis:
Rachel Caine is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the Stillhouse Lake series and the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires series.


***

5 Stars

I have to admit this is not as intense and in your face as books one and two. But this one is still a great addition to the series.

Goodreads doesn’t really give a synopsis so here it is in a nutshell:

Gwen is convinced to go onto a reliable tv program to plead her case and show her point of view. But the whole thing backfires and she is ambushed by one of the rich mother’s of one of Melvin’s victims. And not only ambushed but this lady is making a documentary about Gwen’s life and the whole debacle. But this lady intends to paint Gwen as monstrous as her ex-husband, Melvin, the serial killer. Not long after she gets used to the fact these documentary people are in town she discovers someone has put her phone number on the internet for the assistance in helping battered and abused women in danger. Gwen and family are drawn into a hell hole of peril and jeopardy they don’t expect.

And it goes on from there.

I am giving this five stars because this is awesome. Not as intense and thrilling as books one and two but it holds its own. There is an odd transition between when the documentary people arrive in town and Gwen deciding to help this girl in Wolfhunter River. This town is all kinds of messed up. I actually hope there are no real towns like it. Super scary.

Even more revelations are divulged about Sam Cade. And these threaten to disrupt the lives of them all. This is hair-raising and petrifying and I am not sure anyone will come out mentally coherent. There will have to be lots of therapy to overcome stuff like this and I am horrified just reading about it. I can’t imagine how hard it was to write it. To live with the characters and these situations day after day. I applaud the author for her intention to write something that comes off as so real and authentic. How does Caine not have nightmare at night writing this stuff?

Great books three to the series. I hear there might be a fourth book in the works and I wonder where in the world it could go from here.

An intense and awesome psychological thriller series unlike any other. Read it and be in awe!


I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Unfortunately, I think, it's the weakest book in the series so far.

I still find the initial set-up for the series quite interesting. Gwen Proctor, the ex-wife of serial killer Melvin Royal, gets stalked by internet trolls who are convinced she’s been his partner in crime and that she got away with it unpunished. The constant harassmant is not limited to the online world though and Gwen has to protect her two children from some very real threats. She changes her identity and moves to Stillhouse Lake. But trouble is following her. And Melvin, who’s on death row, is also not so happy with how things turned out and he has his own plans for his former wife.

Stillhouse Lake worked really well as the setting for a suspenseful and sometimes creepy first book, before in Killman Creek it got dark and sick and disturbing. I enjoyed both books. Though I think the whole story had been told and came to a satisfying conclusion with the second book.

Clearly the author thought differently. And in all fairness, I picked up the book, so ... yeah.

We are thrown back into the life of Gwen Proctor, who still has trouble with all sorts of people. And things get worse when the mother of one of Melvin’s victims shows up and wants to film a documentary about the whole case and in the process prove that Gwen isn’t innocent at all.

Gwen meanwhile has taken to some sort of help hotline role. People that are in detrimental relationships call her and ask for advice. One day a woman calls who seems to be seriously concerned about her safety. She doesn’t disclose why exactly that is and asks Gwen to come to Wolfhunter River to talk to her. Because of the vague nature of that phone call Gwen suspects a potential ploy by one of her stalkers. A little bit of spoilery stuff happens and Gwen receives another call, this time from the daughter of that woman. While that call makes it pretty clear that the situation has worsened, the daughter too remains wishy-washy about what the actual threat is. Nevertheless Gwen, in a move that’s somewhat out of character, decides to go after it. Maybe she just thinks she doesn’t have enough trouble in her own life already? Knowing Gwen, I had to suspend disbelief a little here.

In Wolfhunter River all sorts of things are wrong and sure enough the whole town seems to turn against Gwen and her family. The almost universal hate towards the main character, her two kids and her boyfriend Sam feels a little forced at this point in the series.

There are enough other things that make Wolfhunter River a shady place. But we only get a few glimpses of that, as the book for most of the time is focused on Gwen’s frail relationship with Sam and the latter coming to terms with him being an ersatz father for the kids.

It doesn’t work very well. Because neither Gwen nor Sam - as characters - have progressed that much since the first book. Gwen still can’t seem to decide if she’s a scared and vulnerable mother or a hardened by life kick ass heroine. And she also spends way too much time contemplating this herself. I’m afraid, it’s gotten quite tedious by now.

Sam in general doesn’t work well for me as a character. He constantly shifts between insecure/damaged boyfriend and merciless ex-soldier. Not being convincing in either of those roles.

And frankly, after all they’ve gone through together I think by now they should have made up their mind whether they trust each other or not and if they want to stay together or go their separate ways. I think this part of the story, by the end of the second book, had run its course. But I'm wrong. Obviously. The struggle very much continues.

The actual plot about child-abduction, murder, corruption and some sort of cult only gathers some momentum in the last 20% of the novel and felt cramped in a much too small space and also a little far-fetched here and there.

The epilogue sets up the series for some much needed change. But I’m not sure if I’m still on board now. I should have probably stopped after the second book. Maybe the author should have done the same? Only time will tell.

Wolfhunter River is the third book in the rather creepy Stillhouse Lake series, and whilst Ms Caine cleverly lulls you into a false sense of security by beginning in a slow and steady manner it suddenly evolves into a totally different beast altogether. The setting is the ominous and mysterious remote hunting town of Wolfhunter River, Tennessee and from the chilling and menacingly intense atmosphere down to the twists in the tale, the story is told with the author's usual aplomb. This is a deliciously dark fable and one which is so easy to pick up but virtually impossible to put down.

After the meandering beginning the pace lifts, the plot becomes multifaceted and complex and you struggle to establish just who can be trusted. To top it all off the diverse cast and exploration of current societal issues are broached with both grit and sensitivity and lends a realism missing from many thrillers. My bet is if you enjoyed the previous two novels that you'll love this just as much. I must say, though, that I thought this was the best to date. Roll on the next one - Bitter Falls - due to be published in January 2020. I simply can't get enough of this suspenseful series. Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.

I read the first two books of this series and was blown away. In fact when anyone asks me to recommend a thriller novel, Stillhouse Lake is my go to recommendation. I’ve gotten my friend and coworker to both read this series and they love it. I was curious to see how this book would add up since the plot line appeared to be tied up in the second book. Well though i didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two books, it is still a worthy installment. I think to understand the main character Gwen, you will need to have read the other books.. I think the author might develop the main character to further the series and I would be intrigued by it. Overall I would rate this book as 4 based on the strong writing and character development. I will definitely read another series by Rachel Caine in the future.

With all that transpired in book two, I was really curious where else this story could go. How Caine would carry the rest of the story line and more importantly, what other horrors could possible be in store for Gwen and her children.

I didn't have anything to worry about, Caine more than made not only this story entertaining, but it's own story separate from the others and yet, not at all separate. We still get Marvin torturing them all in only a way he could and yet there is a new mystery that makes the story line entirely new and fresh as well.
Throw in crazy stalkers, Marvin's fans, and obsessed family members of the victims and you have one heck of a story that is not only easy to fall right back into but completely enjoyable.

Not only were the characters more fleshed out but other things were revealed as well about them, their past and of course the horror that will always remain with them of what Marvin did and continues to do to them when it shouldn't even be possible.

All in all, a very pleasing, very entertaining read that kept me interested and turning the pages.

There is trouble in Wolfhunter River, Tennessee. Young women are disappearing and the police are making little progress in their investigation. At the end of a terrible day, Gwen Proctor receives a cryptic call from a Wolfhunter River resident. The woman is requesting Gwen come to Wolfhunter River, but will not provide any details. Initially Gwen believes the call may be a trap laid by her enemies but a few days later she receives another call from Wolfhunter River. Although Gwen is under an extreme amount of stress, she packs up her family and heads to Wolfhunter River. Upon their arrival Gwen realizes she may have jumped from the pot into the fire.

Wolfhunter River is the third book of The Stillhouse Lake Series. In the first book of the series Stillhouse Lake, we meet Gwen Proctor, ex-wife of notorious serial killer Melvin Royal. Gwen and her children are on the run from the families of Melvin’s victims, internet trolls, and vigilante groups. Book two of the series, Killman Creek offered a conclusion to Gwen’s story but left me wanting more. I was so happy to learn a third book was in the works and Gwen’s story would continue. However I was wondering where Caine could go with Gwen’s story. In Wolfhunter River, Gwen and her family begin a new journey; they have been transformed from victims to avengers.

Gwen has spent years trying to outrun her husband, his followers, and the families of her husband’s victims. She is hyper aware of the consistent target on her and her children’s backs. In Wolfhunter River, Gwen discovers there are many more monsters in the world; not just the ones she is trying to outrun. In Wolfhunter River, I believe Gwen learns she is not at the center of every battle. I am not saying that Gwen is self-centered, she is quite the opposite. However she carries a lot of guilt and shame, believing she is the cause of grief for the ones she loves. When Gwen makes this discovery, I can visualize the weight coming off her shoulders. Now that she has been relieved of this guilt she can begin to move forward with her life.

Many kudos to Caine for creating such a diverse cast of characters. In each book of The Stillhouse Lake Series, Caine features African-Americans and Latinos in key roles. The diverse cast gives the series a realistic and relatable touch. Caine touches on the opioid epidemic which has affected many small towns across the country and social issues concerning our justice system. These touchy subjects are addressed with tact and sensitivity.

Wolfhunter River marks a turning point for Gwen and her family. They are coming out of the shadows. Each with a new purpose, aware of the past but looking forward to the future. I am very excited to see what the future holds for Gwen. Readers looking for a high octane read full of heart should add Wolfhunter River to their list of must reads.

** Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for my free review copy of Wolfhunter River**

Murder and Moore Rating :
5 out of 5 Stars