Having read some Rachel Caine books before I hoped that I would enjoy this title and I was right, I absolutely loved it. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I couldn't put it down. I was reading before work, during my lunch break, after work, it was a true page turner. I hadn't read the first book, but I didn't feel like i was missing out by not knowing the back story of Stillwater Creek. Gwen and her kids felt like characters that had been forged in fire and yet they were still human, with all their faults. Overall a thriller that was slightly disturbing, yet totally plausible and ultimately gripping in it's intensity.

Oh my goodness what a suspenseful book! Killman Creek is well written and the plot pulled me in immediately. The suspense kept me on the edge of my chair. If you enjoy a good suspense check this book out.

I devoured this book. Read it in one sitting last night and the sleepy brain fog this morning was totally worth it!

Killman Creek picks up just a few weeks after the events of Stillhouse Lake. Gwen and Sam have joined forces to hunt the insidious Melvin, Gwen's murderous and sadistic ex-husband. Wanting to protect her kids, she leaves them behind with Javier and cop friend Keziah. But Melvin and the mysterious hacker Absalom will go to new depths of evil to find and destroy Gwen, her reputation and her relationship with her children.

Killman Creek is told in multiple perspectives: Gwen, Sam, Connor and Lanny. I usually get annoyed when stories are told this way. There's always one or two characters I don't connect with and I sometimes tend to skip those chapters. Not this time. Getting inside Sam's head was interesting (particularly as I'm a sucker for any hint of romance). Trust is a big issue, once again, and the four narrators help show the full impact of the sucker-punches Gwen is dealt with in the book, particularly when it comes to Melvin's relationship with Connor. The chapters are punchy and binge-worthy, and the plot is action-packed and gripping. The ending was satisfying - no cliff-hanger ending this time.

While Stillhouse Lake was a surprise winner for me (I'm still new to the crime/mystery genre), I had high expectations for Killman Creek. It definitely delivered. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes their books with a shot of adrenalin and is willing to sacrifice a few hours' sleep - you won't be putting it down once you begin.

Although I could not put down the first book in this series and it was a five star read for me, I have to tell you that this second book was still really good and hard to put down. Rachel Caine is such a brilliant writer and I love love loved reading her foray into this genre. She brings her carefully researched and planned plots along with awesome character development into the mix with heart-pounding action. I read these first two books back to back, which was so great, and probably my most fun reading of this year! Someone please make these books into a movie or TV show!!!!

Killman Creek comes out next week on December 12, 2017. The first book in this series, Stillhouse Lake, was absolutely incredible and I can't wait for book three, Wolfhunter River, which is scheduled to be released next year on October 2, 2018.

Stay alive.

I can't depend on Sam now. I can't depend on anyone but myself. All my life has been coming to this.

I'm not ready.

But I begin.

Gwen and her current ally Sam Cade have decided to fly solo without the children to try to end the gruesome situation they find themselves in.There are harrowing incidents that follow, not for the faint of heart. Gwen is both trying to escape her serial killer ex and track him down to stop her troubles.In this book, we get an insight into all the players in this game separately. It adds to the thrill and the fast pace of the story, there are times when the heart moves its way to the throat while fingers are crossed for their safety.Both books of the series show a huge flaw in our current interconnected world where we see what we want to , while ignoring the rest despite having evidence to the contrary. It throws doubt on anything and everything. Trust is a fleeting thing, and that is the game that is played in this book.

I was lucky enough to read the first in this series as a galley and loved it so much that I jumped at the opportunity to read this one. I'm so glad I did. While Rachel Caine isn't my favorite author, she's quickly climbing the list. This book was even more intense than the first. I do recommend reading the first in the series before picking this one up but it's not necessary. Because of the subject matter, you would pick up on the main points of the first without completely giving the entire plot away. I love that last part especially since I sometimes accidently read book out of order. I really hope the author continues with the series as I'm already craving more.

I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Luckily for me I didn't have to wait until the book officially releases on December 12th because I got a preview copy from NetGalley to immediately continue reading because after the cliffhanger in book 1 and just wanted to know how the battle between Gwen and her ex serial killer husband (ex-husband that is, certainly not ex-serial killer) continues.
It is always wait and see whether a sequel is just as exciting as the first book in a series, but the second episode in what seems to become a 3 piece series was even more thrilling and creepy than the first one.
The perspective has changed compared to the first book, in the sense that in Stillhouse lake the narrative was told entirely from the viewpoint of Gwen. In this second book the narrative changes with every chapter, which gives better insight in the impact of having a father who is a serial killer and a monster has on the two children and the different ways they cope with this.
In my opinion this really adds to the suspense and the creepy feeling of the developments in this book.
Gwen is hunting her spouse to protect her children but Melvin and the internet trolls strike back in unexpected ways.
Even more fast paced than the previous book and very interesting how the different protagonists react.

Rachel Caine has written a lot of books, mostly urban fantasy and fantasy, and I’ve read and enjoyed most of them. But I think she’s even better as a writer of dark thrillers like this one. Killman Creek is the sequel to Stillhouse Lake and takes off where the first book ended. Gwen Proctor, who was reviled as the wife of serial killer Mel Royal, has been on the run with her two children, forging new identities to protect them from internet and real life trolls who believed her to be his accomplice. At the end of Stillhouse Lake, Mel escaped prison and is coming after them.

Many thrillers rely on nonstop action with less emphasis on character development. While there’s plenty of action in these stories, Caine does a great job of making her characters real and human, with the emotional peril as gut-wrenching as the physical. The reader feels Gwen’s desperation to protect her children while she and other characters face betrayals and uncertainty about whom to trust. There were some details of the story which I found inconsistent or illogical, but I was so invested in the characters and their plight that the minor missteps didn’t matter. Caine wraps it all up with a satisfying conclusion.

I hope she writes more thrillers, because I definitely would buy them.

Added bonus: Pay attention to her “soundtrack,” a list she includes at the end of songs that inspired her as she wrote. I’ve discovered some real gems, including the extremely talented Joe Bonamassa, from her.

Killman Creek, by author Rachel Caine, is the sequel to Stillhouse Lake. Picking up about 2 weeks after the end of Stillhouse Lake, Gwen Proctor's worst nightmare has come to bear. Her ex-husband & convicted serial killer Melvin Royal has broken out of prison and is now free to continue his reign of terror against innocent women. His number one target just happens to be Gwen, formerly Gina Proctor who tried to stay hidden from Melvin and his supporters who have made her life nearly unbearable.

Gwen, along with Sam Cade, (the brother of Melvin's last victim before he was caught), have chosen to go on the hunt for Melvin. To protect her kids, Lanny & Connor, Gwen would lay down her life for them. But, Gwen is up against a mastermind with lots and lots of assistance from a group called Absalom. Just when you think that Gwen would get closer to her goal, she is set back in a horrifying way. Everyone starts to look at her differently and her allies shy away & all but disappear.

Her only choice is to set herself up as lure for Melvin. But, nobody could have guessed what would happen next or how the story would conclude. My heart was breaking to pieces and nearly shattered as Gwen was struggling with a reason to stay alive. I especially didn't appreciate the kids who have been protected from a monster for years, only to have them abandon Gwen when she needed them the most. The author really overwhelmed me with feelings of helplessness, and anger towards those like Sam, Javier Esparaza and Kezia Claremont who she trusted.

I was just reminded that there was a recent TV show called The Following. The Following was about a serial killer who mutilated & killed over a dozen women before being caught. Melvin is very similar to Joe Carroll. He's connected to a group called Absalom which one could call a cult of believers, or you could just say that they are a bunch of sick, and twisted people who are deeply involved in child pornography, torture, and snuff films. Melvin is also charming, smart, and cunning as a snake in the grass.

I dare say that Killman Creek is one of the darkest books of the 300 plus books I've read this year. It explores the deepest, darkest reaches of the dark web, while putting Gwen in a net she has no opportunity to escape. Caine goes to great lengths to show how internet trolls have the capability of ruining a person's life with a flip of a script, or creation of a faux videos to ruin a persons life. The one thing that is different this time out is that there are several other narrators including Sam, Lanny, and Connor.

Phenomenal ! Nail-biting and extremely thrilling !!

Was it up to my expectations from this book? Maybe, maybe not. It was dark, very dark. It was heart-breaking. It was gut wrenching. It was sadistic. I felt so helpless most of the time. The book began where it ended in Stillhouse. Gwen is on the run with her kids and Sam, with Mel following her like a ghost. He has got eyes and ears everywhere. Those calls are creepy and scary !!

So, Gwen decides to face the battle head on! She takes Javi and Kez's help to look after her kids while she and Sam follow the digital bread crumbs to different people related to Absalom. The trail leads them to several evil people and they have to battle for their lives almost each time. I admire Gwen's need to protect her kids at the cost of her life. But, it makes me feel so helpless. Specially, when everyone including her kids are just looking for excuses to lump her along in Mel's crimes. I was so angry at everyone halfway through the book. I mean, surely your heart knows that the female is literally sacrificing herself !! Are you guys blind ?? And as much as I adore Gwen's children, I felt so disappointed with them. I know they are kids and traumatized ones at that, but somehow I feel they betrayed Gwen when she needed them the most.

The scene where Sam gives up Gwen, broke my trust and heart. I don't think I can recover from that. The fact that he was just using her as a bait and felt extremely guilty about it, did not ease my heart break. I was not okay with Gwen forgiving Sam so easily at the end. Maybe I am trying to see all black and white in such a grey scenario, but I guess that is what this story highlights. Everyone is grey. Ofcourse people like Mel are thoroughly black. But most people trapped in this cross fire are grey and it's easy to be judgemental towards them. So, maybe I will put my judgements on hold. Gwen's emotions when the man wearing Mel's mask kidnapped her, was emotionally exhausting. I felt the most helpless at this point !

"If I'm already dead to the people I love, I might as well die for them."

And I cannot even fathom the darkness that Mel is. His final plan for Gwen was terrifying and inhumane. The plot also highlights how internet and the online world have become a means of livelihood for so many people, increasing the level of sick things people are ready to do for money. And people with inevitable circumstances become victims.

The book was a 4 star material. But the darkness was so deep and Gwen's fight for her kids was so impressive, so thrilling, that I am going to give it 5 stars.

Kudos to the author for penning down such an impressive psychological thriller !! Though, I'd wish Gina could have had the last laugh, literally !! Though figuratively she did have the last say, she did put down the rabid dog, didn't she ?? And all on her own at that !! You go woman !!

I finished the first book in the series (stillhouse lake) yesterday and loved it! I wasn't looking forward to waiting for the release of the sequel and was thrilled to see there was an advanced copy available. It did not disappoint, I read each book in less than a day. Amazing storyline and character development. You can really feel the emotions in the characters, and the plot was interesting and engaging throughout. Read this series if you love a good thriller!

After completely devouring the first book in this series, I was very excited to find the second as Read Now book on NetGalley. I could get straight onto it!

I won’t do much a summary here to avoid spoilers for the previous book, but rest assured that this instalment in the Stillhouse Lake series is just as gripping and nasty as the last. It delves into the world of the darknet, corporate greed, and the way a single seed of doubt can be sown so easily. I will say this: this book is not for the faint-hearted. If you have a weak constitution, you might want to find another book to read. By the time I reached the end, I needed to go seek comfort in a beloved childhood book for a while.

Unlike the first book, which is all from Gwen’s POV, this one also has chapters from Sam Cade’s, as well as the two Proctor kids, Lanny and Connor. At first I was a bit wary, as I’m often not a fan of mulitple perspectives, especially in first person, where they can all start to sound the same. I needn’t have worried, though; the way the narrative unfolded made perfect sense.

The first quarter or so of the book felt a bit road-trippy, with nothing really happening. But then as things started to be revealed, as wires got crossed and characters’ loyalties to each other were tested, I found myself just as hooked as I had been on the first book. I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what had happened to the characters, and whether or not they were telling the truth (it wasn’t always easy to tell, even when I thought I knew them).

The book wraps up this particular story, though there was the slight suggestion of other things to come. If this series does continue, I’ll definitey be checking it out, but I was definitely left feeling satisfied at the end of this one.

This is the second book of this two book series. I was so pleasantly surprised with the first one, Stillhouse Lake which I happened upon as a "Kindle First" for Amazon Prime readers. I went in blind and that first chapter left my mouth hanging open! I was hooked at that point!

This book was just as good as Stillhouse Lake. Gwen no longer wants to be hunted by her crazy serial killer husband who just happened to escape prison. No more running, she is done. She decides to fight and go after him before he can get to her.

Melvin Royal is a sick and twisted monster who wants nothing more than to find Gwen and torture her like his other victims. She was relentless in her pursuit to protect her children from him. Poor Gwen, I truly felt for her as a mother.

This book got a bit dark exploring the dark underworld of the web/social media and graphic video content. Very scary what is actually out there! I very much enjoyed this series and am sad to see it end. I was looking forward to this book and had it on my wish list on Amazon when I just so happened to browse the "Read Now" books on NetGalley and saw this as a Read Now. I was so excited and downloaded it right away. A big thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book!

I devoured the first book Stillwater and have had Killman Creek on my preorder so when I saw I could read it I was so excited!! This book is just as amazing as the first. I was not disappointed as I am sometimes with sequels. There’s so much action and suspense. I was on the edge of my seat. I read it in a day. Edge of your seat thrill ride. I’ve always been a huge fan of Caine and I hope she continues to write in this more adult psychological thriller genre!!

I couldn’t wait to read this book. I couldn’t put the first one down and this one was no different. When the climax of the book begins, it doesn’t stop rolling until the end. I have no doubt that some of these sick things actually happen somewhere in the world, what would you do? The author did a great job showing “Gwen” at the end of her rope. It was very heartbreaking after fighting for so long. I enjoyed this intense series and would recommend these books.

I loved this book. The author is absolutely fabulous. Can’t wait to read more.

This was such a captivating game of cat and mouse that I was drawn in immediately. Having not read the first in this duo, I was worried that I would not be able to understand this story, however that is not the case. If anything, this story makes me want to go back and read the first one as well.

I loved everything about this story. The characters were well developed, including all the little quirks that made them seem real. The alternating points of view not only gave you insight into what was happening when the characters weren't together, but also as to in some instances, why characters did the things they did. Then there were the times when the characters did things that were so completely unexpected that I was completely floored.

But what really sold this as a five star read for me? The fact that I could see this being a movie, or even a television mini-series. It was that good. It was one of those rare reads that keeps you on the edge of your seat at times wondering just who (if anyone) can be trusted, and the ending? The ending was a beautiful culmination of the story, and honestly I don't think a better one could have been planned.

Overall, I am sure this story will definitely appeal to those who enjoy a well written thriller novel. I will read more from this author!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

After being surprised by its predecessor, Stillhouse Lake, I was really hesitant to read its sequel, Killman Creek. I imagined the plot and scare-factors had been all used up, and that this would be a rehashing of events. I was wrong. Caine surprised me again, and though I was put-off at first with the rotating narrators, I ended up realizing that it was a sound decision and added an extra layer of suspense. Plus, it prepared you for the ultimate rock bottom Gina/Gwen experiences.

The complexity and suspense are just as present, but this sequel adds an extra layer of nastiness. The rock bottom I mentioned before is ringed in desperation, fear, and betrayal. This book comes at Gwen with everything it has...I could not put it down.

Thrilling conclusion to Stillhouse Lake! The writing is just as strong as it was in the previous novel. I thoroughly enjoyed these characters.

I had high hopes for this second book in the series written by Rachel Caine. I was a little disappointed in the fact that it was a little predictable-- but over all this was a solid good book for people who like to read thrillers. I would still recommend as the characters are developed further and the story line is fast paced.