This was a really good transitional novel. If you've been reading the series, then you know that the second book wrapped up the storyline from the first. This third book takes our main characters in a new direction and sets the stage for future installments.

I found that towards the end of the book, there was a little suspension of disbelief as one storyline was wrapped up quickly. However, I generally found the story as engaging as the previous two and look forward to the new story arc in future books.

This book is not needed to enjoy the first two books in the series, as those wrap up well on their own. However, if you want to see more of Gwen and her family, this is a worthy read.

4 stars because I really enjoy Rachel Caine's writing style.

Basic Plot: Gwen Proctor and the rest of the crew get drawn into helping protect a young girl from a group of locals who are trying to cover up something big. All Gwen wants to do is have a semi normal life with Sam and the kids, but the past won't leave her alone and now all their lives are at risk not just from her enemies, but from this town that will do anything to hide what's going on.

This is book 3 in the Stillhouse Lake series. This has been an awesome series that has kept me on the edge of my seat. We find Gwen still healing emotionally from her encounter with her serial killer husband in book 2 and wanting a normal life. Unfortunately, that just won't be possible for Gwen with her past and the lingering suspicion that she helped her ex-husband abduct and kill women. Gwen's past has made her popular among women who are trying to escape bad situations or who are being harassed. One of these women, Marlene, reaches out to her and when Marlene turns up dead, Gwen can't resist going to help the woman's daughter, Vee.

While I did enjoy this book, it is probably my least favorite of the 3 books. The writing is really good as usual, but my issue was with Gwen's decision to go help Vee and risk her family in the process. Her motivation for going just didn't ring true for me. Gwen has people who actually want her dead and her children dead, yet she goes to an unfamiliar town to help a girl she doesn't know, based on a cryptic phone conversation with the girl's mother, who she didn't know either.

What would have made more sense for the plot and the series, imo, is if the person contacting Gwen for help was a family member of one of Melvin's (Gwen's ex-husband) victims or somehow connected to one of the victim's. Deep down Gwen wants people to know that she did not help her ex-husband and it would make more sense to me if she decided to risk everything to help one of his victims in an effort to prove she is innocent and to ease her own guilt at not realizing what her husband was doing. But a random woman seeking help...it just didn't seem like a strong enough reason to go help.

What made the book enjoyable was was the action and the feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next. The author does a great job of building tension and making you feel like you are part of the action. Also, Gwen, Sam and the kids are all likable characters that you want to see survive and win. The book is definitely enjoyable as long as you focus on the characters and the action and not the weak and somewhat muddled story lines. I hope there is a book 4 because I really like the series and Rachel Caine's writing.

Books in order of Really Good, to Good
1. Book 2 (book 1 was awesome, but somehow book 2 was even better!)
2. Book 1
3. Book 3

This is the third book in the Stillhouse Lake series but it read more as a standalone so don't feel obligated to read the first 2, although I highly recommend reading Stillhouse Lake and Killman Creek to get the backstory. Gwen, still living under the shadow of her serial-killer husband, receives a call from a woman in Wolfhunter asking for help. Gwen is used to people asking for assistance but something about this woman fills her with unease. This had as much action and tension as the first 2 books and overall, I enjoyed this one as well. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

Danger seems to follow Gwen Proctor, her children Lanny and Connor, and her lover Sam. If you have read the previous 2 books in this series, you will likely be eager to read book 3. This one starts off slowly and I had to push myself to keep going, but by the middle of the book you won't be able to put it down. There are so many twists and turns, you will constantly be guessing about what will happen next and you will likely be surprised. Sit back and enjoy this rollercoaster ride. Gwen is quite a heroine and I am hoping for more books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

This book sounded so amazing that I knew right then that I needed to spend the week reading book one and two so I could devour this third book in the series. I do not regret spending my time reading all of this and I'm already looking forward to the fourth book! I love the main characters so much that I could feel myself truly caring about their wellbeing. I can't wait to see what's next!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This was my least favorite book in this series, by far. While I understand the author wants to take the book in a new direction and that's what the whole book is, setting the series up for a new plot line. I almost stopped after the first 100 or so pages because it didn't feel like anything was really happening, I liked the other two enough to push through and give this one the benefit of the doubt. That being said I still enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but it just didn't suck me in like the others.

Rachel Caine is why I started reading suspense.

I’ve only been reading mystery and suspense novels for the past couple years, and it’s all Rachel Caine’s fault. I’d read a handful of books from this genre over the years prior, and they were always eye-roll inducing with predictable plots and awful female characters who were so one dimensional they were practically transparent.

Then I stumbled on Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake series with main character Gwen Proctor and I was hooked. Gwen is complex and real and totally believable and relatable. I love everything about her.

After that, I’ve been hooked on suspense that features strong female leads and have been devouring novels by Sue Grafton, Nevada Barr, and Ruth Ware, to name a few.

But I’ll always credit Caine with opening up this world in a way that I truly appreciate and respect, and her latest book, Wolfhunter River, is a prime example of why. Complex, gritty, heart-pounding, and un-put-downable, Wolfhunter River picks up where Killman Creek left off, with the same level of non-stop action and unpredictability.

Gwen Proctor’s serial killer ex-husband is dead, but if she’s hoping that means life will return to normal, she’s dead wrong. Proctor still has to contend with the internet vigilantes who remain convinced she helped her husband murder all those women, and as if dealing with them online wasn’t bad enough, the main woman behind it all suddenly steps from the shadows to announce a documentary she’s developing which will tell the “truth” about Gwen. Suddenly, Gwen has camera crews following her and her kids’ every move.

Then, Gwen becomes embroiled in a mystery centered around the tiny town of Wolfhunter, and something is seriously wrong in this place. A woman reaches out to Gwen for help, and then is brutally murdered. But she’s not the first and she won’t be the last if Gwen doesn’t step in and try to unravel the town’s darkest secrets.

This book was seriously impossible to put down and I kept having to remind myself to breathe because I’d realize I’d been holding my breath for pages at a time.

I just did a quick Google search and saw that there’s a fourth book, Bitter Falls, scheduled for release next year, and that makes me so happy. I feel like Wolfhunter River left off in a really great place for Gwen, and Caine could take this in several different directions. I’ll just have to remind myself to keep breathing until then.

This was my most anticipated read this month! I have been devouring Gwen Proctor’s series and this one didn’t disappoint! I wasn’t sure where the story was going after the first two books, but this one proved to be as intense as the others! Gwen again taking everybody out (in a badass-mom way) to protect her children from the hateful trail that her ex-husband/serial killer brought to them. What’s new in this one? She is kinda turning into a some sort of “save-everyone-in-trouble” super woman.

I have really been enjoying this series. It’s an interesting perspective having the main character be an unsuspecting wife of a serial killer and living with the aftermath. I liked that this book was slightly less about her past and more moving forward. I’m excited for the next book in the series.

3 stars

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This is the third book in this series, but it's the first one that I've read. There was enough information in the books for me to understand the story despite not having read the previous books. The main character, Gwen, is the ex-wife of a serial killer. She was prosecuted and acquitted as an accomplice, and has consistently denied knowing about the murders. She, her two children and boyfriend moved to Stillhouse Lake to escape the public eye and try to live a normal life. Her boyfriend, Sam, is the brother of one of her ex-husband's victims.

The book opens with Gwen appearing on a talk show to tell her side of the story, but is quickly ambushed by one of the leaders of a victim's group that wants to destroy her. Gwen also discovers the group is shooting a documentary film focused on bringing her down.

This book was just ok for me. I understand the series revolves around internet stalking and the horrors of social media hatred, but I found myself skipping large sections of the book because it got monotonous. The secondary story line also did not hold my attention and seemed forced. The book is well written and paced fairly well. I'm sure I would like other books written by this author, but I won't read any more books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this before the publish date.

I really waffled back and forth on giving this book 2 or 3 stars, and I ultimately decided to go with a 2.5 rounded down to a 2. This was definitely my least favorite book in the series, since I gave books 1 and 2 each a 3 star rating. I finished it within 4 days, but that was mostly because I was eager for it to be over.

I think the story is just getting to the point where it feel formulaic. I felt there was a lot of repetition in the book that made sure to tell you the same old tired things about the characters' pasts. I know this was probably a device to make this as much of a stand alone as possible, but it made it feel stale for someone like me who has read all 3 in the series within the past 45 days or so.

Once the plot got rolling, I was annoyed because it just felt like there was TOO many conspiracies going on that made it feel too unrealistic. And the way that they just happened to stumble into all of these people and situations just felt way too convenient and not very authentic. In addition, connections that should have been made between these conspiracy sub plots were never made or explained by the end of the book, so I wasn't very happy about that.

I feel like the story of Gwen and being the ex-wife of a serial killer has run its course, so now they're just getting Gwen involved in other people's drama throughout the country to keep the story going. If this had ended at a duology, I think it might have been a better choice. The only reason I would want to keep reading past this point is to see more of what happens between Sam and Gwen. But maybe I will just go find another romance to read where I won't have to deal with the rest of the plot in order to enjoy the love story portion lol.

Loved this 3rd book in Rachel Caine's "Stillhouse Lake" series!
The drama and suspense in this book was every bit as captivating and intense as it was in the first two.
Gwen is trying to escape her past. Her ex-husband was a serial killer and many believe she is partially responsible for his heinous crimes. While trying to keep her family safe, Gwen appears on a television talk show in a attempt to clear her name. This goes horribly wrong and, in turn, Gwen decides to take a break from the area after receiving a strange call from a woman, in Wolfhunter River, requesting her help. Gwen (and family) decide to investigate revealing mysterious characters and dangerous secrets.
They should have stayed at home!
What they discover is beyond anything they could imagine.

If you enjoy thrillers and suspense you do not want to miss reading the "Stillhouse Lake" series. I can hardly wait to read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

If you haven't started the Stillhouse Lake series, you should do yourself a favor and get started asap! This edition of the series has a missing girl in a small town, while the characters continue to cope with what happened with Melvin Royal. Once again, action-packed. The series appears to be continuing after this. If you're looking for a series that offers plenty of action, thrills, and twists, this is a great one to read.

MELVIN ROYAL! This man is just.... Even from the grave he is dangerous and Gwen has to fear for everything she built up in the last months..,again. I had major goosebumps and had to put the book down a couple of times, just to take a deep breath. I feared for Gwen and the kids, and for Sam. Knowing the secrets about the past proved to be almost too much to bear. had my fingers crossed throughout the whole book, hoping for a good outcome. In the beginning I didn’t see how the case about the missing girl Ellie would fit into the story, but in the end it did and it was great. Hopefully there will be more to come about Gwen Proctor, the ending certainly leaves that open.

This feels like a filler book now that this is going to be a series. This installment is still action-packed and kept me at the edge of my seat but plot-wise for the characters there isn't much going on until the end.
I look forward to the next book, though.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel Caine's latest book in the Stillhouse Lake series, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that what I had believed to be a trilogy will apparently be an open-ended series. We're back with Gwen and her family as they cope with the fallout from Melvin Royal's crimes, and this time there's an additional small-town mystery involving missing women and an unsolved murder. I think that the sheer amount of plot threads made the narrative feel a bit chaotic, and I must admit that at times the story veered into implausibility. All in all, this was a thrilling read, and Caine writes about her characters' trauma very well.

It saddens me to say that I truly did not like this one. I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting myself into with this one because I didn’t love Killman Creek either. The drama in this series is so unbelievable and, honestly, downright exhausting. It was enjoyable in Stillhouse Lake, it was decent in Killman Creek, it was too much in Wolfhunter River. This book felt rushed. I wish the author would have picked one big twist and ran with that, much like the first book, rather than the thousand ridiculous twists thrown into this book. There was just way too much going on this one for it to be enjoyable to me.

I truly stopped caring about the characters in this as well. I found the kids to be irritating and the adults to be worse. Is it so hard to just have an honest conversation with each other?! I get that they have been through a lot but COME ON.

Last but not least, I just didn’t vibe with Caine’s writing style this time. I especially hated Gwen’s inner thoughts. I think I have officially outgrown these characters. I don’t know if there will be more books in this series and frankly, I don’t really care. This is me officially breaking up with this series. We had a good run but I’m cutting ties. I wish you the best, Stillhouse Lake.

I have enjoyed this series but was not sure what else was left to tell in the story. However, I was surprised that she found a new angle to take and continued on. I have enjoyed getting to know the characters more and seeing how their lives and relationships develop. In this book, Gwen and her children along with Sam, Gwen's boyfriend(?), find odd happening in a town hear Stillhouse Lake and are asked to investigate. While Gwen has not solved all of the problems in her own life, she moves on to help others. I am guessing there could be more books now moving in a different direction and I will keep reading them.

This was a great addition to the series. Don't get me wrong, this book definitely sets up for the series to continue. But this is not a filler book. There is action that is a bit over the top - but I've always had a soft spot for Gwen and the kids and so I'll go on any ride with them.

But this book also shows what they've been through - as a family. We get to see Lanny and Connor really make some tough grown-up decisions - ones that they are far too young to have to face but are facing none the less.

We also learn some secrets. Not everyone has been fully upfront about what's in their past. We also see the fallout of some of the broken trust in the last story. We also get to meet some of the Lost Angels and see some of the first hand stalking and terrorizing that comes with this group of unhinged people. I loved how this story concluded and I'm completely on board for the new focus and twist. I'm so ready for the next one! I can't wait!

I've really enjoyed all the Gwen Proctor books so far -- I hope there are more to come. Gwen is a strong woman dealing with a difficult situation, and I love that, while she doesn't need anyone's help, she accepts it for the sake of her children.

With that said, I have to admit this is my least favorite of the books so far. I was originally drawn to these books because I was fascinated by the story of the BTK Killer and his family -- how could they not have known what was going on right under their noses? A novelized version of that from the wife's point of view was exactly the sort of insight I was looking for. Now that Gwen's husband is dead and gone, I didn't find this story as compelling as previous ones. I sort of wish good ol' Melvin was still around for the sake of the story. It also seemed like a stretch that Gwen and her family got involved in the events of this book. It made more sense when they were naturally drawn in by their proximity to Melvin -- this seemed a little forced to me.

I loved the opening scene -- I'd like to see more of Gwen's internal conflict about her past, and I'd love to know more about what kind of person she was when she married Melvin. She tells us that she was very different then, but I hope future books give us a closer look at that. I'm also interested in knowing more about how she interacts with people who don't hate her, but still have a hard time understanding how she could have missed all the warning signs. People like me, I guess.

I felt that the true story of what was going on in Wolfhunter came kind of out of nowhere -- I would have liked a bit more foreshadowing of the weirdness, and maybe a bit more of a clue about Sparks, the cult and its long history in the town. It felt wrapped up too quickly to me, once the truth finally came out. I also missed Kezia and Javi -- I like them and was sorry we didn't see more of them in this story.

A great series that I recommend often -- I hope this isn't the end!