Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine is the 4th installment of the Stillhouse Lake Series. If you haven’t read the first three in this series, I suggest you do, because they are just as amazing.
In Bitter Falls, we are still following the Proctor family...formerly Royal family in relation to Melvin Royal/serial killer. The family is trying desperately to become normal, after they are found out to be the relatives of Melvin Royal, the community is less than accepting of their presence. The kids are trying to fit in at school, but it’s really difficult. Gwen is now working as a private investigator, which seems to be something she is really good at and helps pay the bills. Sam Cade is still part of the family too...although they are still working on issues from the incidents in previous books.
When Gwen’s next job comes up, a missing college student who vanished 3 years prior, it seems to be a pretty straight forward job without much to go on, but as Gwen starts to uncover secrets of a possible cult, her family is put in smack dab in the middle of danger again. To Gwen, it’s now personal...when her son and partner are abducted, Gwen will do whatever she has to in order to find them before they become the latest army of saints the cult believes they are building in heaven.
Gwen Proctor is a badass. Her kids have been trained to always be on guard for danger, but they are still just teenagers and want to do teen things. It becomes more difficult to keep them safe. This is one of my favorite psychological thriller series. Bitter Falls is just as good as book 1, Stillhouse Lake. You will be on the edge of your seat wishing you had enough time to binge read from page 1 to the last.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Rachel Caine and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced reader edition of Bitter Falls in exchange for an honest review. I highly advise everyone to read this series.

There are books that are well-written enough -- and compelling enough -- that we tear through them, enthralled to the last page. It's not until the book (or the Kindle) is closed that we ask the questions: Could that have plausibly happened? Did it, in fact, happen in a previous book in the series? Is it consistent with what we've been told and shown about the characters?

After reading all four of the Gwen Proctor novels by Rachel Caine, I think that Caine has that gift -- she propels us through her books, our disbelief suspended (And we like it! Until those pesky questions set in after the fact.)

The main character, Gwen Proctor, is a role model for victimized women everywhere, and her family seems solid and relatable, despite all the ongoing trauma of their lives. The original setup is unique: Gwen was once , unbeknownst to her, the wife of a serial killer, and she has changed her name and her life to escape the spotlight.

So, yeah, I'd call her a fictional friend. But just as IRL, sometimes you ask yourself if that friend with the drama- or trauma-filled life doesn't actually court the damage and derangement? But then, if Gwen truly withdrew from peril, she wouldn't be Gwen and we wouldn't have this series.

I enjoyed this book more than I did the third one in the series, although this seemed almost like a long epilogue to Wolfhunter River.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

I have really enjoyed each installment in Caine's thrilling series about this family. It had been a long time since I read the last novel, so I was concerned that it would be a challenge to get back into the family dynamics and remember the backstories. Wow, was I wrong. I picked everything back up immediately and by 25% into the novel, I was hooked -- again. I also adore the secondary characters and was delighted that they all showed up in the story. A fun read and thoroughly enjoyable.

This is Book 4 in the Stillhouse Lake series, and I personally struggled to get through it. It was a lot of the same. And I feel like the kids just get worse. I do love most books by Rachel Caine but feel like maybe this is the end of the road for this series for me!

Book 4 in the Stillhouse Lake series, and I'm still loving it - but there's just the slightest tinge of tarnish creeping in at the edges.

First of all, the good in the series is still very, very, good. The research into law enforcement, serial killers, cults, all the various things poor Gwen has had to deal with is all top notch, up to date, and accurate without turning into these novels into textbooks. They tend to the shorter length, but that might also be that they pull the reader along so quickly that it just feels shorter, too.

On the downside, Rachel Caine does love to make her heroines persecuted unjustly (see her Morganville series for another example), and by book 4 it's starting to grind on me a bit. The realism of how a family would adjust to so many traumatic events feels spot on, but at the same time - it's still a lot of relentless trauma. The trolls feel a little too relentless in their stalking; at least in the true crime circles I run in, there is a lot of conciousness around realising that the families of killers are also victims. It would be nice to see at least some of that side to balance against the "we're going to drive your kids to suicide because their dad was a serial killer" side.

However, overall - still a very entertaining series, that fills a niche noone else is filling right now. Oh, and the playlists at the end? Give them a chance, Rachel Caine has some pretty excellent taste in music.

I absolutely love Rachel Caine and the Stillhouse Lake series. This is the 4th book in that series. Book 3, Wolfhunter River was slightly difficult to get through, but this one was much more action packed. I love seeing the development of all he characters, especially Gwen. I feel some relationship development took unnecessary leaps and that the series has run its course. Overall though I highly recommend this book and it was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Thank you NetGalley for my gifted copy of Bitter Falls. All opinions are my own.

Another page turner from Rachel Caine. This book continues the series with fantastic twists and turns.

Bitter Falls is an interesting story . a PI starts out looking for a missing person only to end up trying to rescue her partner and son who have been taken by a cult. Lots of action that will keep you reading until the end

I love this family and how real they feel. It was another twisted chapter of their lives that had me glued to the book until it was finished.

4.25 Stars

The Closer you are to Danger, the Farther you are from Harm.

For Gwen, Lanny, Connor and Sam, Stillhouse Lake is no longer the sanctuary it once was. Now, the townsfolk are against them and everyone, except for a select few, want them gone and they aren’t afraid to show it.

Now a Private Investigator, Gwen is assigned to work on the missing persons case of Remy Landry, a young man, who went missing in Knoxville, three (3) years ago. Turns out that poor Remy tried to help a gal he met and ended up in a Cult and now Gwen is caught smack dab in the middle of it and they are hot on her tail and no one around her is safe.

When Lives are on the line, Gwen Proctor and her kids Lanny and Connor and Sam Cade know how to stand and fight and when the going gets tough, they roll with the punches.

“Bitter Falls” is the fourth book in the “Stillhouse Lake” series and it kept pace very well with the other books in the series. I liked it a tad bit more than the last book, “Wolfhunter River” and feel like the author is doing a great job of giving the readers what we want. Rachel Caine knows how to get my back up and make it so that I am scared for the lives of four of my favorite characters and completely breathless when I reach the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Rachel Caine for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 12.27.19.

Rachel is a great writer. However I feel like this series is built on toothpicks and it’ hasn’t been enough to hold my attention. If this isn’t the last in the series, this is the last of this series that I will read.

I enjoyed this book in the Stillhouse Lake series - I really like the quick pace that Caine keeps with her writing and I felt we got to know the family dynamics even more. I would plan to read the next Stillhouse Lake but I feel like the series is starting to slow down so a wrap up book would be good too.

Gwen Proctor is finding her way in her new life after killing her ex-husband, a serial killer, in self-defense. Now she hopes that she, her two children and her partner Sam Cade can move on. She is working as a private investigator and has been hired to locate a missing college student who after a night out with friends was never seen again. After three years, the case has gone cold, but the young man’s mother still hopes. Gwen also has some major decisions to make. Her family is still not accepted in Stillhouse Lake, due to her ex-husband, and they receive constant threats. Should they move to another area where they might be able to live in peace? Gwen is a strong woman trying to protect her family, but this recent case may end up causing them more trouble. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

A fast paced and action packed story that kept me on the edge till the end.
I liked the cast of characters and the solid plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This series just gets better and better. Such character growth too. Definitely a favorite series and another wonderful installment.

This is my first book in the series, so I couldn’t get the character development or the past incidents. By itself it’s a fast paced page turner that kept me on edge. The hate towards the mother is understandable but towards the children is stretching a bit far. For a family that is on the run the daughter behaves stupidly. Otherwise a good book and I will be happy to go back to the previous books in the series.

I'm a fan of Rachel Caine's Stillhouse Lake series. I love how she writes a good, fast-paced thriller. Since Bitter Falls contains a thrilling mystery, I'm going to keep my review to what I liked and didn't like about this book.

Likes:

*Rachel Caine's writing was just as easy to get swept away in as always. She kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was coming next.
*I loved the Prologue. It made me so curious as to what was to come.
*Seeing how Gwen's kids' lives continued to be burdened by their father's notoriety was interesting.
*The whole cult aspect of this book was fascinating. It gave an even more twisted feel to things -- especially with its connections to Wolfhunter River (book 3).
*How everything came together in the end.

Dislikes:

*I hate to say it, but some of the continued themes that have traveled through each book are starting to feel a little too repetitive.
*Some things that happened felt a little unbelievable.

Overall, Bitter Falls was a great addition to the Stillhouse Lake series. If you like thrillers and haven't yet read this series, I highly recommend going back and starting at Stillhouse Lake.

I was excited to see another book in this series. Sadly I didn’t enjoy this one like I did the others I felt it has run it’s course now and should be put to bed. I lost interest and felt it was to much the same as before with the other books

Another great addition to this fantastic series, which could also be read as a stand alone.

Gwen is again facing more troubles, where she and her family had to move because hostilities with their neighbors are mounting.
A new case seems to be a good distraction, but again Gwen finds her self in the cross hairs of a violent sect who do go to any measure to protect their tracks.

Again the plot is addictive, emotional, and action packed. Great relatable characters we grew to care about and identify with.
Also a satisfying ending that could serve as a befitting ending to the series, although I'd love to read more books with those characters.

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I didn't expect the fourth episode in this series to arrive so soon after the previous one, but hey, you don't hear me complaining. After the third episode I expected the series to end so this was a real treat.
Gwen Procter is still living in Still Lake, but it is getting clear that the family has to move soon because the neighbours are getting more hostile by the minute.
When her employer gives her an assignment that takes her and her children to Bitter Falls this seems like a good opportunity to escape the hostilities at home, but of course it isn't. It only serves to bring Gwen and her family to the unwanted attention of a very violent sect. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the plot.
I must say, that I enjoyed all the books in this series, but this one in particular because it focussed less on the internet trolls and had more of a uniform plot. Furthermore there is a lot of suspense in this episode and it was really hard to put down.

Full marks.

I am very grateful to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book.