Bea Reviews Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

Series: Stillhouse Lake #2
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 12th 2017 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

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.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK!!!!

My Thoughts:

Buy it. RIGHT NOW. Don't wait, don't ask questions. BUY IT.

Buy this series. Seriously, right now. GO BUY THIS BOOK AND THE FIRST ONE.

Okay, fine. I'll tell you why you should buy it.

I loved the first book, Stillhouse Lake, and was both excited and apprehensive to read this one. I mean, the first book was so damn good I didn't see how the second could possibly measure up. Happily, I was wrong.

Like the first book, "Killman Creek" is intense, suspenseful, and heartbreaking. People can be such shits to each other. Gwen's ex-husband Melvin is still tracking Gwen and the kids, and their life is chaos again. After the events in "Stillhouse Lake", they are again on the move, rootless. They have allies but the alliance is weak, and with one exception, doesn't hold when the crap hits the fan.

In "Stillhouse Lake", the story was told purely from Gwen's POV but in "Killman Creek" we get four POVs - Gwen, her daughter Lanny, her son Connor, and their ally Sam. While both books give us a look at the family of a serial killer and what their life is like after his capture, this book takes that up several notches with the POVs of the children. I said in my review of book 1 that Gwen made hard choices where the well-being of her kids were concerned and in this book, we get to see first hand the effects of her actions and those of their father. My heart broke for the kids even when I wanted to yell at them they were being stupid. The alternating POVs added layers of depth and emotion to the story, and it was particularly interesting to see things from Sam's POV since his sister was a victim of Gwen's ex-husband Melvin.

Caine gave us a hard-hitting, engrossing story full of twists and turns and a hard look at what people are capable of, both good and bad. The storytelling is rich, detailed, complex, and a delight. It's not a happy story, though it has moments of happiness, and humor, but reading it filled me with joy. While Caine wraps up the major plot points, there is a third book coming next year and I'm already counting down the days. "Killman Creek" is a top-notch thriller and one of the best books of 2017.

My review of book 1, Stillhouse Lake