Part 5 of one of the most suspenseful series in print today! Rachel Caine is on the top of her game!

It's not a secret that I feel the Stillhouse Lake series has had some ups and downs - the premise of the first book is just really good, and it can be hard to follow up on that, no matter how good future books are. This story did a great job of involving all of our favorite side characters while still maintaining Gwen as our primary POV, and these people were all further developed without losing any of what makes them essentially themselves - which is both a pro and a con, since it seems these characters will still do *literally ANYTHING* to feel as though they're protecting people, which basically means making terrible choices and keeping secrets.

The only flaw for me in Heartbreak Bay was that for avid thriller readers, the big reveal becomes very clear around the 40% mark. If this is a genre you read often, it's pretty obvious. For those less familiar with the drama (or who just aren't swayed in any way by knowing who the antagonist is in advance), this is a great, very twisty reveal with lots of layers.

Overall - good read! I'd recommend reading others in the series before this one.

Rachel Caine has done it again. In what looks like will be the final book of the Stillwater Lake series, Caine does not disappoint. Suspense, terror, and thrill all collide in this latest installment of the series. Our story begins with an abandoned car found in a rural lake. Inside are the lifeless bodies of two little girls, strapped in their car seats. Their mother is nowhere to be found. Kezia Claremont, with Gwen Proctor's help, begins investigating the case that hits a little too close to home. Where is the mother? Is she responsible for this tragedy? Or was foul play involved? After all, what mother would hurt their own children?
As Gwen and Kezia become involved with the investigation, more deaths begin to occur. It appears that there is an evil force at large here, and they will stop at nothing to reach their ultimate goal. The story culminates with Kezia and Gwen playing right into the hands of a sadistic killer.....a killer who will stop at nothing to ensure that they will make their victims pay.
Another "on the edge of your seat" thriller that had me voraciously flipping pages. Caine's latest masterpiece is not short on suspense, thrill, or gore, and as always, left me wanting more. I highly recommend not only this book, but the complete Stillhouse Lake series.

Heartbreak Bay is the 5th book in the Stillhouse Lake series. Although I didn't love the first book in the series, I've been entertained by the others. Maybe I simply had to accept certain implausible and often bizarre elements of the plot in Stillhouse Lake.

The books are fast-paced and yes, pretty far out, but once I tried the second book, I became accustomed to the unrealistic elements and went with the flow.

This one started with interest, but ended with a completely off- the-reality-charts conclusion.

In between, I was engaged, but the conclusion was enough to make me wonder if I'll try another one in the series. Perhaps this series has run it course for me. I may like Gwen, Sam, the kids, and Kezia, but their adventures have become a bit frustrating.

Read in September; blog post scheduled for Feb. 15, 2021.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Thriller. March 9, 2021.

Full disclosure: I was given a free ARC for my review on Net Gallery Shelf. Below is my honest and spoiler free review.

My review for Heartbreak Bay is a bittersweet one because it will be the last Caine will ever write as she’s in a hospice. Not only had Caine has written a truly empathetic and raw character in Gwen, the books are nail bitingly enticing in the action, brilliant in their development of relationships, and really explore the complexity of such a situation. The series has also shone a stark light on the damage “cancel culture” and unchecked hate can be on those who are indirectly affected by infamous actions of another. It promotes empathy and compassion without a single lecture. It is all the more powerful for it.

Heartbreak Bay is a fitting end to the series. The villain is an excellent foil for an examination of stepping outside the law and vigilantism. The cat and mouse within the book kept me on tenterhooks. Gwen’s complex relationships with the few connections she’d been able to make with her history are further deepened and explored. The PTSD that Gwen continues to wrestle with and prevent bleeding into her relationship with Sam, I’m sure will help others know it’s OK - that it’s a process. Her continued attempts to protect her children are a source of push and pull. Most of all, I loved getting to know Kezia’s hopes and dreams and see things from her perspective while she tries to catch the unsub (Unidentified subject of an investigation).

I am sending Rachel hugs, and love. I hope the love from fans of the characters you created give you some small comfort. Thank you for your creativity, your commitment, and an opportunity to visit the worlds in your head.

Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine is the 5th novel in the Stillhouse Lake series. Gwen Proctor, ex wife of serial killer Melvin Royal, continues to hunt killers, with the help of her friend, Detective Kezia Claremont. When a car is pulled out of a remote pond, the police find two bodies of twin 1 year old girls strapped in their car seats. Even more puzzling is where the mother of the two girls are, did she murder her children and disappear, or is she a victim of the disturbing crime as well?

Gwen’s life was finally starting to fall into place, she has two great kids, a loving supporting partner, and a career as a private investigator to keep her busy. Everything seems almost normal, until she becomes involved in helping Kezia figure out the mystery surrounding this recent tragedy. Gwen can never run far enough away from her past, she is still hunted by victims of her ex-husbands crimes, although she is innocent, most people believe she had a part in his vicious acts. As more people involved in this case end up murdered, and some of the evidence links Gwen’s past to this current killer, both women put everything, including their own lives on the line to find this monster before they strike again.

Heartbreak Bay is so well written, the main characters in this book have developed and evolved so much since the first in the series, Stillhouse Lake. This is not a stand alone novel, I would recommend reading them in order so you can understand the entire process the Proctor family has gone through. I assure you, it will not be a disappointment. Gwen’s character is so bad-ass, a little reckless at times, but she’s such a strong female role model to her kids, she’s a fantastic main character. The storyline unfolds in a high paced, nail-biting manner, so you can’t put it down. Totally Team Gwen yet again!

As I have said, this is a series favorite of mine, and this book is really good. Rachel Caine never disappoints, it’s always amazing to see where she will take you next on a Gwen adventure, and each time I’m surprised at how well she outdoes herself. At the end of this book, Ms Caine added an author’s note, she is fighting a health battle currently, and I am keeping her in my thoughts and prayers. I would like to thank you for bring Gwen and her family into my life. I look forward to book #6 in this series, you are a fighter!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer Publishing and Rachel Caine for another fabulous novel in the Stillhouse Lake series. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller that includes psychopaths, sickos and bad ass heroines!

I absolutely adore this series and recommend it to everyone! The characters are complicated, smart, difficult, and make their ways into your hearts- I am invested in all of them. This installment is tense, exciting, and scary. The killer is truly horrifying and the way that the group comes together to solve the mystery is satisfying. If you're already a fan of the series, you're going to love this one and if you haven't started it yet RUN and get a copy of Stillhouse Lake!!!

This series just keeps getting better and better! I held my breath at so many times because it was so scary! Ahhh!

As always Rachel Caine delivers another phenomenal book. The Stillhouse Lake series is a favorite of mine and Heartbreak Bay didn’t disappoint. Well written, fast paced, and interesting all the way through!

Oooooooohhhh I love this series and was so happy to read an advanced copy! I just love the character of Gwen Proctor and her family, This latest in the series is not to be missed, no spoilers here! I hope the series continues!

I loved this very much! The characters, the actions and even the plot itself! Very inspiring for my own book too!

I love everything Rachel Caine writes. I have read the first 4 books in the series multiple times (and listened to the audiobooks!) and this next installment did not disappoint. It may have been the most gut wrenching beginning of the series but it was a wild ride from start to finish. 4/5 stars.

Wow! This is the first book I have read not only in the series but by this author, and I have no idea why I waited so long!

While this is part of a series I found that I was able to not only keep up but I am so intrigued and cannot wait to dive into the entire series.

Very suspsenful! This is the first book I've read in this series. Out of order, I know. Quite graphic at some points and slightly drawn out at others. The push and pull in this novel had me tearing through the pages

This series is SO good! I've gotten all the books so far on Netgalley! The storyline gets better with each book, and the crime novels are big right now! !

So I have faithfully read each book in the Stillhouse Lake series, the third one I found slow and almost gave up. I know Rachel Caine knows how to write a series, she can revive any characters and weave a new and better story (Morganville Vampires anyone?) the point is, this book is great! I love this series and I’m so glad Gwen is back helping others while protecting her family! The pace was quick and it was hard to put down.

Heartbreak Bay left me gasping for breath as not one but TWO mothers fight for their children's lives. I loved how Gwen's family continues to strengthen their bonds despite hardships. I'm torn between wanting peace for Lanny/Connor and also wanting to have more Gwen Proctor tales! This story had some gruesome and terribly sad details. It's hard to read about bad things happening to kids. I guess the reason Heartbreak Bay has so much power behind it is that Gwen has so much to lose.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me through NetGalley. This book was just absolutely wonderful. It was just so easy to get lost in and I just couldn’t put it down. I just lost myself within this amazing story. I most definitely will read more by this author.

This is my first book by Rachel Caine. Though this book was the fifth in the series, I found it eminently accessible, though there was a strong sense of character history that I was just getting the cliffnotes for—I found this balanced immersion well. I found the character dynamics broadly interesting, but at times repetitious. It spoke true to the experience of rebuilding trust after major trauma and upheaval—it's repetitious, it takes a long time—but Gwen spent a lot of time with her anxiety, the word "damage" was used a lot, Sam invited Gwen to trust him too many times. I loved Kezia unreservedly, and it was so nice to see Sam as a good partner and father figure: I had a real sense of warmth and trust from him that I thought was well cultivated. Given the depth of the character exposition and the time spent on dynamics through the book—it was the only time the book felt remotely bloated, though not often—the end felt sparse with details: we spent time in Sam and Kezia's point of view, but broadly didn't wrap up with them at all. Ultimately they felt like accessories to Gwen's story, and that weakened the book for me altogether.

Ableism was my biggest complaint. The culprit is revealed to be a man with a brain injury severe enough that his head is misshapen, with no affect or empathy and who has killed upwards of 20 people. There is literally no reason for this serial killer to have a brain injury. The point of the story, as Gwen deftly points out at the climax of the action, is that regular people are capable of doing terrible things out of selfishness without really needing anything wrong with them at all. This is especially underscored when it's revealed this man was a monster before his accident. Maybe this was meant to underscore the message of the book—the brain injury wasn't relevant after all—but the physical nature of the brain injury had the effect of incorporating a sense of the grotesque, as is often done in ableist thrillers, while the psychological effects of the brain injury—lack of affect and empathy—perpetuated harmful narratives about fearing people with disability. As noted, maybe Caine attempted to wrap up those harmful threads by noting what a monster this guy was to begin with; maybe that was supposed to underscore the "regular people are awful" theme of the book. But given the incorporation of the Angels plot, there was no reason not to make this guy a regular piece of work and save us the harmful tropes.

Finally, I broadly enjoyed the writing; it had a definitive feel of the noir genre, and I thought she pulled it off. I read thrillers mostly not to notice the writing, and this delivered—for the most part. Every once in a while, a scene would end with Kezia, for example, using a cliche version of a line that would commonly show up in a noir novel: this is not a direct quote, but think "This case was serving up a meal, and I was about to sit down to dinner" as euphemistic for "she's about to start the investigation." I laughed aloud at a couple of these. Structurally, she needed a last line to wrap up the scene, I agree, but this was a silly way to do it. The writing was noticeably great in other places, and broadly flowed like water. I also thought the way she weaved her plots together was deft and impressive. I'd definitely read another thriller by Rachel Caine.

These books never fail to keep me on the edge of my seat. My blood almost always races as I turn the pages of the Stillhouse Lake series and this book was no exception. I would say that getting to know these characters makes the stakes of each novel even higher and watching each character grow as they face each heart pounding situation head-on is exciting.

I will say this one needs to come with a trigger warning with regards to dead children, specifically toddlers. I almost stopped reading myself because the criminal plotline in this made my stomach churn and greatly bothered me. If this was my first book in the series, I absolutely would have stopped reading. That said, I had grown to know these characters and was invested so I powered through past the beginning.

Was it worth it? I think the payoff is good if you care about these characters, but I also think this is the darkest book in the series that is already dark. The last lines of this book stuck with me however, and it sums up the series so well. If this is the last book in the series, I think it ended on a note that just emphasized what the Proctor family is all about. I think these characters will long stick with me and I am so glad I picked up these books on a whim one day.

Thank you, Rachel Caine, for creating characters that will long stick with me!