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.

Bitter Falls is the fourth in the Stillhouse Lake series. Things have moved forward and Gwen is now working as a PI. The town has turned against her family and they are all being shunned or worse, bullied. A paramilitary drug dealing family, the “hillbilly mafia”, has taken a particular vendetta out against them for bringing unwanted attention to the area.

Gwen is investigating a cold case - the disappearance of a young college student three years ago. We know from the prologue that he was the victim of a religious cult.

As before, each chapter is told from a different family member’s perspective. I appreciate this approach as it gives the reader different views on the same events and works to move the series along at a fast pace. And it’s definitely a fast paced book. It seems like something scary is happening to the Proctors or Sam in each chapter. And there’s never any escaping the press or the trolls.

Caine definitely paints a convincing picture, especially when it comes to the adolescents and their mood swings and defiance. Anyone who's dealt with teenagers is going to get it.

A lot of series you can pick up the latest and be ok. This is not one of them. There’s so much backstory, you really need to read them in order.

My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

I love this series and this was the most intense yet. Gwen catches a case and it becomes more than she bargained for. Her family is once again under attack. Sam is facing consequences of his own. The relationships between these characters are what make these books so good. A read by this author is always an emotional rollercoaster. The ending is a good one. However, it left me wondering if this will be the last book. If it is, it's a satisfying conclusion. If not, I will happily devour the next.

Fantastic! Rachel Caine continues to push this story line into depths unforeseen. While this is the fourth book in her Stillhouse Lake series, it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone but one begs to question why? Each and every book in this series leaves the reader speechless. Her characters are brought to their knees over and over again but still get up swinging. Love that this is a mystery/thriller but also offers a brilliant portrayal of the strength and love of a non-conventional family. 5 stars


Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #BitterFalls which was read and reviewed voluntarily by Tarrah Marie (@wayward_readers). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After the ending of Wolfhunter River, I was hoping that the mysteries and danger would become less personal to our. Aim character, but that didn’t happen. While I also couldn’t put this thriller down, I found myself wishing that for. Change, her kids weren’t on danger, that she was a little more removed from the actual danger. However, it was a great thriller, and I could not put it down. I hope there will be more! Definitely purchasing for my library.

This is the fourth book in this series and, it breaks my heart to say that, unfortunately, it is my least favourite. I absolutely loved the first two books and book three was good too, but I personally think that the underlying story has run its course. I still love the characters but the story just seems so repetitive now. Maybe be it's time for the author to call it a day and try to give Gwen and her family a happy(ish) ending.

I like this book but I think the cult thing has overstayed its welcome in this series.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I've been a fan of this series ever since the first book came out, and the first two books are on my list of all time favorites. Book number three, while solid, didn't have that same wow factor for me and I was hoping that missing spark would be present again in book number four... But unfortunately I'm starting to think that maybe this series has been going on for too long, and maybe it's just better to leave things as it is? Don't get me wrong, I still think this series as a whole is brilliant and Bitter Falls is without doubt another solid read. BUT. I guess you can only have that many bad things happening to the main characters before it starts becoming REALLY unbelievable.

Like I said, I still think the writing itself is brilliant and Bitter Falls is without doubt an intense, twisted and thrilling ride. I still devoured every single page and the story once again had that unputdownable vibe, but I also started looking a bit more critical at certain aspects of the plot and that is never a good sign. Basically book four, like book three, misses some of that spark that turned the first two books into all time favorites for me. With everything that has happened already to Gwen, Sam and her kids, it is extremely hard to put together another believable plot and create a new life threatening situation they have to get themselves out of. The plot of Bitter Falls and its cult element is without doubt intriguing and definitely has that disturbing and twisted feel. It links back to things that happened in the previous book and gives us another backdrop for a story that will have your heart racing the whole ride. BUT. Like I also said, I started wondering about the credibility of it all and especially the ending felt a bit over the top. I'm still on the fence as to what to think of the second half of Bitter Falls... It was without doubt highly entertaining, filled with action, suspense and a lot of disturbing scenes, but unfortunately once again that wow factor I was hoping for wasn't present for me.

In short: I had a great time reading Bitter Falls and it is without doubt a solid and simply thrilling crime thriller, but sadly didn't live up to the sheer brilliance of the first two books. If you are a fan of Gwen Proctor and the other main characters and keep those expectations in check, you will find yourself having a great time though! A little note: this is one of those series that has to be read in order, because you will be missing out on too much background information and character development otherwise... And trust me, you definitely don't want to miss out by not reading the first two books especially!

Bitter Falls is a solid addition to the Stillhouse Lake series, though not my favorite. Readers who haven't yet started the series should definitely check it out immediately!

This is number 4 in this series and I feel it's a good stopping point. The book was good but not as good as the first 3. I love the relationships and how they've evolved.

I loved this series, but there is a time an author needs to let go and wrap it up. The time is now. This could be a book 3 slump which is normal, or a sign the series is slowly dying.