I have not read previous books in this series - I did not have an issue keeping up with the characters, nuances, etc. It may have enhanced my understanding of Megan but did not hold me back.
Megan is called to the house of Marlena and her son Bennie - they have gone missing. The husband, Ben, called the police; due to a recent separation, Ben has been staying at the cabin. Not only does his behavior seem off to Megan, Ben can't pinpoint the day they could have vanished.
Together, Ronnie and Megan begin their investigation - Ben, the son of a wealthy businessman; Cyrus, Ben's father; Helen, Megan's mother; neighbors.
Marlena had few friends - typical in a controlling and possibly abusive relationship. Ben failed to mention Marlena is pregnant.
Great characters - I really enjoy Megan's blunt, make it happen regardless of the rules personality. Looking forward to the next in the series.

First, I want to thank Gregg Olsen, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

WOW!! Greg Olsen once again proves that he is the king of Psychological Thrillers!! I was ecstatic when I learned that he wrote his latest installment in the Detective Megan Carpenter Series!! The series gets better and better with each book he has written. However, Stillwater Island hands down is my favorite of them all! It was such a fantastic story that was incredibly dark, twisted, and utterly suspenseful. Stillwater Island is a book to put on your Christmas wish this year as it is a must read!

Gregg would like to dedicate this book to Rick and Jennifer for making the trek from Tennessee to Washington to solidify a life-lasting friendship.

If you have read any of the books in the Detective Megan Carpenter series you will recognize familiar faces. Gregg gives us an update on Dan and Megan's relationship. We also get to hear (read) some of the famous tapes that I love so much.

Stillwater Island is such an addictive and fast paced read that had me hooked from the first page.

We got to see a whole new side of Gregg we have never seen before within Dan’s story. I was a little shocked but in a good way!

Bennie pulled hard on my heart strings! He was just too cute and said the funniest things that just made me smile.

Stillwater Island by Gregg Olsen
I give this book 4.5 stars

She slumps against the cold concrete wall with her precious boy lying stretched out next to her, his little arm thrown over her thigh. Someone stirs in the deep shadows of the room, stands over them and whispers, “that’s right. Sleep. It will all be over soon,” before bolting the door shut.

Book 5 in a series but can be read as a standalone as mentions of the backstory are neatly sprinkled in.
Gregg Olsens writing style is addictive he draws you into each dark,twisted and suspenseful instalment of this police based series and leaves you wanting more.The characters relationships and their own stories and dynamics especially Megan and Ronnie are just as important to me as the crimes they are investigating!
A binge worthy series!
Thank you to Netgalley,Gregg Olsen and Bookouture for my chance to read and review this series

Detective Megan Carpenter is no stranger to cases of missing and/or kidnapped women, however her new case involves a missing woman and her 4 year old son. With her partner, Detective Ronnie Marsh, Megan begins the job of finding Marlena and Bennie Parker before it’s too late. The missing woman’s husband, Benjamin Parker, has not been living in their home, so he’s not a reliable source of information about their disappearance and becomes the primary suspect. Meanwhile, Marlene, who just found out recently that she’s pregnant, and Bennie are being held in a dark, damp place, with a bottle of water that has been tampered with, so they are in and out of sleep.

Various clues lead Megan and Ronnie to the wealthy Parker family’s private island which has many buildings on it, and it makes the search very difficult. There are many suspicious people introduced into the story, Ben’s secretary (and girlfriend), Lucia Simmons and Ben’s father, Cyrus. Author Gregg Olsen brilliantly adds in little bits and pieces of information and interesting characters throughout the book, which takes the suspicion from one character to another, in this exciting story.

“Stillwater Island” is definitely a book that I would recommend to my friends and family!

Gripping and dark police procedural that I read in one sitting. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters, and I love when there's some witty dialogue and dark cop humour. The awful estranged husband made for a great antagonist. There was enough detail that I didn't feel lost starting in the middle of the series. Now I have to read the first 3 books to fully appreciate Megan, Ronnie and the rest of the regular characters.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Stillwater Island (was originally to be titled Vanishing Point) by Gregg Olsen is the fourth in the Detective Megan Carpenter Tapes series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Megan Carpenter is a detective in Port Townsend, Washington.  Her childhood was a nightmare, with a mother who did little but lie, and a father Alex, who was a serial killer.  Her uncle, Michael Rader, was just as bad.  Her brother Hayden, who she tried to protect, joined the Army, and has never forgiven her for what she did.  She is re-living her childhood by listening to tapes made by a therapist, who is the only one who knows her full story. As a detective, she works under her friend and mentor, Sheriff Tony Gray, and now has a young partner Detective Ronnie Marsh.  


My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Marlena wakes to find her asthmatic 4 year old son Bennie laying next to her.  She has no idea where she is, but her thoughts keep going to the news of a few days ago, when the body of a pregnant woman and her two children were found hidden in a barrel.  Marlena is pregnant too.  

Megan and Ronnie are called when Ben Parker reports his wife and son missing.  This case hits a little close to home for her boss, as it is Tony's niece and nephew who are missing. 

Megan is determined to find them, but she is met with one lie after the next.  Ben Parker does not seem to be the loving husband and father that he tries to portray.  The neighbours report loud fights, there is talk of an affair, and his own father doesn't trust him.


My Opinions: 
I really think these books should be read in order.  Although Megan's background is repeated often (a little too often),  her relationships with others builds slowly throughout the different books.  I feel that reading them in order gives you a better understanding of her current life.

This was quite good, but I felt it was a little long.  Olsen can be a little long winded at times, and it was evident in this book.  The case brought back a lot of Megan's memories of her own life, so it often felt like I was reading two stories.   But overall, both stories were interesting.

I really like Megan, and love the banter between her and Ronnie, and her and Tony.  The dialog in the book is often light and "fun".   Megan's relationships with her co-workers are becoming closer, and I like the characters around her. 

The book showed how a first impression can sometimes create tunnel vision, and if you are stubborn (as is one of Megan's traits), it can create problems.   The book also delved into families, and how not every family is perfect.  I'm hoping a little honesty between Megan and her brother will surface soon....although I have wished that before.

Anyway, the twists were good (although a little predictable), and the overall plot was good.  As always, the writing was straight-forward.

I am looking forward to the next in the series!

BTW, not sure where the title came from?

“There were real monsters. Not just the ones hiding under the bed or in the closet. The ones that masquerade as people.”

Happy Publication Day to this tense, twisty and addictive thriller.

When Ben Parker reports his wife Marlena and their four-year-old son Bennie missing, the investigation quickly reveals secrets he’s keeping from the police, leaving them to wonder what else he could be hiding. As Detective Megan Carpenter and her partner Ronnie dig deeper into the picture-perfect couple, further cracks and dark secrets appear, leaving them wondering if Ben could be involved in the mother and son’s disappearance. Hoping to bring them hope safely, the team widens their investigation. But the more they uncover, the more questions they have, and Megan worries that time is running out to bring Marlena and Ben home alive. Will she find them before it’s too late?

This series just gets better and better. Once again I was hooked from start to finish, reading this in under a day. From the prologue the reader knows that Marlena and Bennie are being kept somewhere by an unknown kidnapper and the chapters from Marlena were some of the most memorable moments in the book. They certainly added to the heart-stopping tension as I knew if they were alive and I was on tenterhooks as I silently screamed at Megan and her team to find them before it’s too late. Ben is a fantastic villain. He’s instantly unreliable and unlikable and you feel sure he’s behind it all. As the story goes on he gets more and more sinister and detestable, making my skin crawl every time he appears on the page.

One of the things I love about a series is the familiarity of the characters, and with this being the fourth installment, we know them well. But these books are also able to be read as a standalone, with the author quickly and succinctly catching the reader up with past events. Our protagonist, Megan, is now in her first real relationship and trying to rebuild her relationship with her brother. But as always her dark past is ever-present, a spectre looming over her every thought and moment and influencing her decisions. But the actions she’s willing to take to punish the bad guys are changing, though she’s still the same feisty, tough and determined woman who we’ve come to love. This time we don’t get many new revelations about her past, but instead get to watch her character grow, which was fun to read and I’m excited about where the author will take her in book five.

Deliciously dark, suspenseful and unflinching, this is one I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys a well-written crime thriller.

I really like this series. Megan Carpenter is a character like none other and she has grown quite a bit during the series in addition to her partner and their relationship. This outing moves at a slower pace than the previous books, but I was still interested as the plot unfolded.

When a mother and son are missing, the investigation turns to the husband. Is he involved or just a red herring? Were the mother and son kidnapped or did something else happen? Can Megan and Ronnie solve the mystery before it is too late?

The only downside of this book was that Megan and the tapes with her psychologist are still a part of the story and they seem a little less important now. But this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. This is a noteworthy series for crime procedural fans.

I have throughly enjoyed this series and look forward to the next Megan Carpenter book. It opens with a bang that will have you holding your breath and gritting your teeth. Who has taken this woman and child. Where are they. What is going to happen to them. So much going on and to top it off Marlena, the victim, is pregnant. Bennie, the little four year old, suffers from asthma. Was it the husband and dad. Was it a stranger kidnapping for ransom. Or someone who had other motives. Who wanted Marlena and Bennie out of the way.

This book is the fourth book in the Detective Megan Carpenter series. I really like this one although some parts did get a bit under my skin. Megan would say something then it would have a thought almost every single time. Like she didn't say exactly what she meant but you got to see what she thought. While that was ok it did get a bit aggravating at times. She's an excellent detective and is training a young detective, Ronnie, while doing her job too. She has a lot going one in her life after managing to deal with the things that happened in her life. Finding out who her biological father was and dealing with a lying mother, she's made a good life for herself. Megan has had a lot on her plate and is doing good considering. She's had to take lives and keep her sanity. She's trying to make a life. She wants nothing more than for her brother, who she raised, to be close again but he thinks their mother is the greatest and Megan knows better.

This book makes you feel like you are running through the woods in places. In a damp dark place at others. Makes it hard to breath when you think about what is happening to Marlena and Bennie. Makes you wonder if the husband, Ben, can be trusted. I didn't like him and was a bit unhappy with how his character was portrayed. I think he could have shown some kind of emotion in the beginning. After all his wife and son are missing. He seemed to be very nonchalant when questioned about his wife and at times even his son. He lied at the drop of a pin yet when it came down to it he shed tears like a man who has lost everything. You'll suspect him throughout and then wonder if he really could be so cold and calculating. Does he have feelings or was his upbringing so bad that he has no clue how to truly love. I did like his dad, Cyrus. He seemed to be a very good and decent man. He is very rich. Owns an island. He's a bit of a loner but loves his daughter in law and grandson. He will do whatever it takes to get them back... Or will he? Does he know something that will help to find them before it's too late. You will have lots of questions and I promise they will all be answered. You'll get to know the characters and the people they are involved with. You won't be left hanging.

I did not figure out who did what and that is always a good thing.

Thank you # NetGalley, #GreggOlsen, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and I recommend it. You will enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read Stillwater Island; book 4 of the Detective Megan Carpenter series by Gregg Olsen. Megan and her partner Ronnie Marsh investigates when a mother and son go missing. Ronnie definitely is taking charge of this case and is growing under the guidance of Megan who continues to deal with her violent and troubled childhood. I enjoyed this book, but found part of the book a bit too long. It picked up at the end and I do recommend reading this book and the series in order.

Oh my! Megan is something else! I loved her character! I am becoming a fan of female detectives in book series and I am proud to say that Megan now makes the list. She is calculating, strong and smart. A perfect mixture of a heroine that I would totally root for. This is the book 4 of the series and I have to go back and read the first ones to know more about Megan Carpenter. I have to.

The plot itself was disturbing and scary. This could very well happen in real life. Someone goes missing, and all the eyes are going to be on the people close to them, even their family could be investigated. We can never really know a person no matter how long we've been with them.

I have tried figuring out who did it but the author has a creative way of writing tensions so I had a hard time keeping up. Overall, this is a decent book with many twist and turns that would entertain thriller lovers like me.

Cheers to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

It may that I haven’t read the first three Megan Carpenter thrillers, but I was not as impressed with this book as the author would like me to be. I think Megan is a decent main character but the story was sometimes hard to follow with all those complicated happenings in Megan’s past, followed by the even more complicated family issues with the other two families that play a large role in this story – the family from which Marlena and Benny are missing, and the family that plays a role in Marlena’s and Megan’s family. It is hard to explain without giving too much away. I kept going back in the story to try and remember who was who and which role they played in the past and the present. The book is not but it could have done with less characters or less complications in past and present.
I think it’s a very good book for fans of the series doesn’t work very well as a stand alone.

I always worry about reading a series if I hadnt read any of the others - didn't need to it - Although you can tell it is part of a series, it read as an amazing standalone, with enough hints to make you really want to read the other books.

This was raw and gritty - loved it.

The twists and turns were just perfect.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Another great book from a great author!! As in the other Megan Carpenter books, this one twisted into the unexpected. Just when I thought I wasn't going to be surprised, it took me on another hairpin turn and gave me a jolt that was so unexpected. Can't wait to see what kind of adventure Megan and Ronnie have next.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Gregg Olsen knows how to spin a story to draw the reader into the book. The opening chapter of the book is a 911 call from Ben Parker reporting that his wife and child are missing. When the patrol officers arrive at the residence to interview him, they have a feeling that something sinister is going on. The sheriff calls Detective Megan Carpenter to the scene. She is a fascinating character with a lot of history which makes her a great detective. You will learn some of her history from this book. (This is book 4 of her series.) She immediately suspects that all is not as it seems with Ben Parker. He is the son of a wealthy man, and he appears to think he is smarter than everyone else. All of their questions to him appear to be a nuisance. He does not seem distressed, especially considering his son and wife have disappeared. The entire story is built on the search for Marlena Parker and her son, Bennie. This is a story of secrets and lies. It appears that they have vanished into thin air. The character engagement and development will suck you into the story. It is full of drama and intrigue. The ending completely blew my mind! I really did not see it coming! I will definitely have to go back and read stories 1, 2 and 3 in this series. If you want to take a ride on the wild side, you will not be disappointed.

4.5 stars which I have gladly rounded up for the ending alone.

Megan and Ronnie are on the hunt for a missing mom and her young son.

They think they now who took them but can they solve it in time is anyone's guess.

I love this duo. I laugh with them, I cry with them and I certainly cheer them on.

Gregg Olsen never disappoints and Stillwater Island and the Detective Megan Carpenter series never lets me down.

Can't wait for Book 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a roller coaster of a read

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Stillwater Island’ previously entitled ‘Vanishing Point’ and written by Gregg Olsen, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Detectives Megan Carpenter and Ronnie Marsh are called out at 2am to investigate the disappearance of Marlena Parker and her four-year-old asthmatic son Bennie. Marlena’s estranged husband Ben is immediately considered to be a strong suspect as not only is he lying but he talks about his wife and son in the past tense as if he doesn’t expect them to be found. Now Megan and Ronnie have to find the missing mother and son before it’s too late.

‘Stillwater Island’ is the fourth in the Detective Megan Carpenter series none of which I’ve read, and although some prior knowledge of Megan’s background would have been helpful I don’t feel it’s been detrimental in any way to my enjoyment of this thriller. The story is well-written with a dramatic plot that got tenser the further I read and the logical suspect from the beginning became more untrustworthy, but as I approached the end of the book it got more complex until I’m not sure who I could trust. I’ve enjoyed reading about Megan and Ronnie who form a good partnership and I particularly like Megan’s humorous side comments/ thoughts written in italics that show how her mind works. This is an enjoyable and entertaining thriller that I can recommend and I now intend reading the previous three books in the series.

Gregg Olsen, has always been one of my favorite authors. I was super stoked to be approved to read and review Stillwater Island prior to its December 7, release date. I have read all three of the Detective Megan Carpenter books so I knew I HAD to get my hands on this one. Although this is the 4th book in the series, it can be read as a standalone..

This book will keep you up way passed your bed time! This is an edge of your seat, hold on for dear life, kind of thriller. Gregg Olsen, is a natural story teller and will have you feeling like you are right inside the book, feeling all the feels and scared at every corner! The suspense is out of this world!

Stillwater Island is my first introduction to the Detective Megan Carpenter series and author Gregg Olsen and once I got used to the pace and writing style I found it to be an engaging police procedural. That had plenty of twists as Megan and her rookie partner Ronnie search for a missing, possibly kidnapped mother and her four-year-old son. And with Megan and Ronnie laser focused on the estranged husband as the prime suspect this was an interesting read. Although it didn't really have me guessing, but I liked that the story built to an exciting conclusion and the characters were certainly intriguing, especially Megan who from what I picked up has a rather unusual background for a detective.

Gregg Olsen you’ve done it again!!

Lying against a cold concrete wall with her little son stretched out next to her, someone stands over them whispering “that’s right. Sleep. It will all be over soon,” before bolting the door.

Gregg Olsen has once again grabbed you into his psychological thriller labyrinth.

Marlena and her son Bennie have been kidnapped. Husband Ben reports his wife and son missing. Detective Meghan Carpenter and partner Ronnie are on the case. Sheriff Gray tells Meghan that missing Marlena is his niece.

At Marlena and Ben’s home, Meghan’s keen detective skills find that Marlena is pregnant, husband Ben forgot to mention that, and as things unfold there’s findings of domestic violence between Marlena and Ben, an affair, and Ben’s girlfriend who turns up dead in a car accident - yet with a bullet in her head.

Ben’s family is wealthy, having a guarded and private island - with connections in high place that may be interfering with the investigation.

Does the answer to who’s the killer lie on that island?

Can Meghan find the answers and bring Marlena and Bennie home alive? The killer is on the loose - who is it and; when, how does it end - IF it ends?

This is the 4th in series of Gregg Olsen’s Meghan Carpenter novels. This newest novel is proof once again that Gregg Olsen is the mastermind of psychological thrillers. Enjoy!