Monday 11 December 2017

Review: Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

Killman Creek (Stillhouse Lake #2) by Rachel Caine
Publication date: December 12th 2017
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
My rating: 2.5 Stars
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33199875-the-good-daughter
Every time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.

Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…

You’re not safe anywhere now.

Her refuge at Stillhouse Lake has become a trap. Gwen leaves her children in the protective custody of a fortified, well-armed neighbor. Now, with the help of Sam Cade, brother of one of Melvin’s victims, Gwen is going hunting. She’s learned how from one of the sickest killers alive.

But what she’s up against is beyond anything she feared—a sophisticated and savage mind game calculated to destroy her. As trust beyond her small circle of friends begins to vanish, Gwen has only fury and vengeance to believe in as she closes in on her prey. And sure as the night, one of them will die.
 


My Thoughts:
Melvin Royal is out and on the hunt for Gwen and the kids.  Keeping safe and hidden is almost impossible with Absalom assisting Melvin at every turn.  So, Gwen and Sam decide to go on the offensive, while leaving her kids, Lanny and Connor with Javier and Kenzia to keep safe.

There’s no doubt that Killman Creek was an exciting, on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of read, I read this in one day because I couldn’t put it down.  I can’t really say I enjoyed it, though, because it was gruesome in parts and pretty intense.  Also, I wasn’t happy with the characters.  Evidence conveniently surfaces that again casts doubt on Gwen, was she Melvin’s Little Helper after all? Instead of waiting to see if it was fabricated, there was an immediate rush to judgement.  After all they’d been through in the last book, their quick loss of faith in Gwen was super disappointing. 

I don’t know if I could’ve forgiven Sam for what he did in the end.  It was a complete betrayal that was just swept under the rug in the end.  To me, there should’ve been a lot more talk on the subject and a lot more groveling, maybe I could’ve come to terms with it then, but the way it was quickly shoved aside and forgotten didn’t sit well with me.  Gwen was amazing, but I thought she accepted that crappy treatment way too easily. I suppose it was from the lingering guilt of feeling like she should’ve known what her ex-husband was up to when he was killing all those women, but still.

There’s a third book coming in the series, not sure what it’ll be about since things are wrapped up here, but I would like to see Sam, Gwen and the kids in the future. Maybe some of my lingering disappointment with the characters actions and reactions will be put to rest then.  It’s hard to rate this since I had big time issues with the characters, but I can’t ignore that it was a compelling thriller, one I didn’t want to put down.  I think it’s somewhere between 2-3 stars for me. 


16 comments:

Kindlemom said...

Ah man, I'm so sad that this wasn't the read for you and you didn't like it as much as the first. I do like that it was wrapped up. I do wonder what the third book will hold considering how this one ended.

Hope your next read is a better one!

Jennifer said...

I am very surprised that you didn't like this one. I absolutely loved it.

Nick said...

Aww! That sucks that you were disappointed in this one, Rachel because you liked the first one. I haven't read this series but I was curious about it since a lot of friends like it. I'll have to think about it now.

Rachel said...

I wouldn't say I didn't like it, since I was riveted to the book for one day and couldn't put it down, and that's why I didn't give this a one star rating. It was really hard to rate this when I was disappointed by the majority of the characters. 2.5 stars is between "okay" and "I liked it".

Not every book is going to effect every reader the same way, but I'm happy to hear you loved it, Jennifer! :)

Rachel said...

Thanks! I was so torn about this one, because I was glued to the pages, but I really expected more faith from Sam and the others. I hope the third book makes me love him again. :)

Rachel said...

I know, Nick! But I'm the oddball readers here. Most reviewers I've seen give this a 4 or 5 star rating, so you'll probably love it. I hope you do! :)

Blodeuedd said...

Eh, no thanks to this one

Angie Elle said...

Oh wow. This premise sounds amazing! I'm sorry it didn't work out as well as you'd hoped.

Great review.

Greg said...

I was curious about this one because Stillhouse Lake grabbed my attention with that moody, atmospheric cover. I never got to it though and then this came out! Sounds like it has a fair amount of issues though, sorry it was a bit disappointing. Maybe I'll wait for the third one to get a feel for the series as a whole...

Nice review!

Bonnie said...

I have yet to read Stillhouse Lake (soon!) but it's really too bad this was a disappointing installment. Hopefully the third ends on a good note.

Karen said...

I've had the first book on my Kindle and I'm really looking forward to reading it. Is this a direct sequel - same characters?

I'm sorry you didn't like it but I can see why.

For What It's Worth

Lily B said...

oh no this breaks my heart </3 I really loved the first one, just got the second one and now I am a little scared

Rachel said...

It is a direct sequel, basically picks up where the story left off in the last book. You might like it better than I did, Karen, I see most giving it 4 and 5 stars on GRs so who knows? The first book was pretty good, and I do plan on picking up the last book. :)

Rachel said...

I really enjoyed the first book, too, Lily, that's why I was even more disappointed by how things went. The character's actions and reactions is what sank this read for me. Hope it turns out better for you! :)

Rachel said...

Thanks Greg! I love to wait until all books are out with a series and then read straight through. It might make it more enjoyable in this case if the third book is really good. :)

Carina Olsen said...

Ugh, I'm sorry this book was so awful :\ But I'm glad you enjoyed the thriller part of it at least :D Yay. But yesss. Impossible to enjoy a book when you do not like the characters :\ They sound awful. Sigh. But pretty cover, at least :) Lovely review Rachel. <3

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