Online Exclusive
Stillhouse Lake

by Rachel Caine
Thomas & Mercer, July 2017, $15.95

Gina Royal’s life was normal. Or so she thought. Married to Melvin and the proud mother of two children, Gina is content to live a peaceful life in the suburbs of Wichita, Kansas—until the day it is revealed her husband is a serial killer, responsible for torturing and murdering more than a dozen people in his garage. Her world being ripped apart is bad enough, but Gina is also wrongly suspected of being an accomplice to her husband’s crimes and put on trial.

Four years after being acquitted, Gina has changed her name to Gwen Proctor and moved her kids to a house by a lake in rural Tennessee. She is now an accomplished marksman, has taught her kids every safety plan conceivable, and set up home security systemsall to protect her family from those who don’t believe Gwen's innocence, some of whom have posted threats to murder her kids. Despite the threat of danger and the constant fear of someone finding out who they are, the Proctors have begun to settle down by Stillhouse Lake and create a normal life. Gwen even develops feelings for a man, though she suspects he too, is trying to forget something in his past.

Then a body is found floating in the lake, killed in an identical manner to how her ex-husband murdered his victims. Gwen begins to suspect Melvin knows where they are, and that someone’s spying on them. Gwen doesn’t know if the killer is an internet troll trying to frame her, a friend of Melvin’s come to scare her, or something else altogether. But one thing is clear: a killer is nearby. And Gwen Proctor will use all her wits, training, and instincts to keep her children safe.

Stillhouse Lake is author Rachel Caine’s latest mystery, an intense, emotionally charged novel that will hook readers, who will empathize with Gwen’s desire to protect her kids, as well as the guilt she still feels because she truly didn’t know what her husband had been up to. The plot moves swiftly from one intense scene to another, giving readers a taste of the upheaval and sense of danger that the characters live through, and ends on a note that will leave readers anticipating a sequel.

Besides having relatable characters and an engaging mystery, Stillhouse Lake explores topics such as the harassment from online abusers, and the horror that children of killers experience as they slowly learn about the crimes committed by a parent they trusted. A thought-provoking mystery that explores guilt and innocence, suspicion and trust, Stillhouse Lake is highly recommended.

Sarah Prindle

caine stillhouselakeA thought-provoking suspense thriller with a mother's determination at its core, Stillhouse Lake explores themes of guilt and innocence, suspicion and trust.

Teri Duerr
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Caine
July 2017
stillhouse-lake
15.95
Thomas & Mercer