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An Amazon Charts and USA Today bestseller.Gina Royal is the definition of average―a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor―the ultimate warrior mom.With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake―and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed―or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop. Read more
Publisher : Thomas & Mercer
Publication date : July 1, 2017
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 299 pages
ISBN-10 : 1477848665
ISBN-13 : 61
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
Book 1 of 7 : Stillhouse Lake
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
This was so good! This is only the second book by Rachel Caine that I have read so while I had heard it was good, I didn't really know what to expect. This book ended up being fantastic listen. I was hooked by the story from the very beginning. When I wasn't listening to this book, I was thinking about it. Could this really happen? How well do we really know those people around us? My husband and I had a couple of conversations about it. In other words, this book really stayed with me throughout my day. I listened to it pretty quickly and really enjoyed the story it told. At the beginning of the book, we meet Gina. Gina is just a mom picking up her kids on a completely normal day. The day doesn't stay normal. When she returns home with her kids, she finds that a driver has crashed into her garage and police are all over the place. Gina doesn't understand why she is being treated like a criminal since she is obviously the victim in this situation. Gina had no idea what kind of secrets her husband was keeping inside of that garage. Fast forward a few years, Gina is now Gwen and her ex-husband is in jail. She is no longer the same person. She is a fighter and has learned to take care of herself and her kids. Gwen and her kids have had to move around a lot in order to stay safe and avoid being recognized. They have a little house at Stillhouse Lake and hope to stay put for at least a little while. They start making connections and things seem different here until a body is discovered in the lake. I liked Gwen a lot. She has had to overcome a whole lot to get to the point she is at. She is smart, tough, and willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep her kids safe. She is no longer the clueless woman that was married to Melvin Royal. She no longer trusts easily and has had to learn the hard way that innocent people sometimes are blamed for things they didn't do. I liked both of her kids as well. They have been through so much and really do seem to be good kids despite a few more normal acts of teenage rebellion. This was quite the page turner. I was hooked by the story as soon as that car hit the Royal family's garage. I wasn't sure what was going to happen at Stillhouse Lake but I quickly became invested in the characters and couldn't wait to find out. I had a hard time trusting some of the characters Gwen and her kids came in contact with even when I wanted to trust them. As the book progressed, I found that the story became even more intense. This was my first experience with Emily Sutton-Smith as a narrator. When I first started the book, I honestly wasn't sure what I thought of her narration but she quickly won me over. I think she did a great job of bringing this story to life. I think she did a great job of bringing Gwen to life with a wide range of emotions. She had a very nice reading voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time. I would highly recommend this book to thriller fans. I liked that this was a different kind of serial killer story with the focus on the murderer's family. I plan to listen to the next book in this series very soon.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2018 by Carole Wooten
Format: Kindle
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Wow! All I can say is wow! Even though I wanted to yell at Gwen (Gina) for being stupid at times, overall this story was great. It had a decent pace and moved quicker when the action got going. The story that follows Gwen, the ex-wife of a convicted serial murder, Melvin Royal. She constantly moves to keep herself and the kids safe, until one day her new home turns into a copy-cat Melvin’s playground. How will Gwen stay safe and keep her children safe, especially with the police watching her? Overall I give this book a rating of 4.5 books out of 5. Who’s Who: The Lovable and the Unlovable -Gwen Proctor (Gina Royal) -Main character. -Mom to Lanny and Connor -ex-wife of Melvin Royal -dubbed “Melvin’s Little Helper” -acquitted of presumed crimes -crazy, mistrusting, paranoid -Lanny -Oldest child -Daughter -Wants to learn to protect self -Connor -Youngest child -Son -No friends/bullied -Lance Graham -Police with 2 sons (bullies to Connor) -Javier -Gun range owner -Sam Cade -ex-military -Neighbor -Helps rebuild home -Prester -Detective -Absalom -Creator of new ids/new places to hide -Kezia -Female officer -Melvin -Serial murderer -Gwen’s (Gina’s) ex-husband They Did What? (Spoilers) Gwen is on the run from the threats, taunts, and torments on her and her childrens’ lives because of the atrocious acts committed by her ex-husband, Melvin Royal. Ever since the day his activities were found out and she was dubbed “Melvin’s Little Helper.” She had done nothing wrong, but still went through a year of trials and jail before being acquitted. Now, with the knowledge of the torment he did right on the other side of the garage door to numerous women, he is on death row, and she is on the run. Her contact, Absalom, makes it possible for her to get new ids, new home, new backstories to start over again when things are unsafe in their current location. She ends up in Stillhouse Lake, a small community with majority of its residents being life-long and generation-long members. She goes to the gun-range to stay ready and has alarms constantly engaged at home. Through it all, her paranoia forces her to do what she deems as the Sicko Patrol every morning to see if there are any new serious threats out there. When she begins to feel uncomfortable in her new home, she starts looking for a way out and realizes there is van for sale. Upon reaching out and going to see the van, she realizes it is the property of Javier, the gun range owner. She buys it from him, but when something happens and she has to get home, she leaves the van with him and takes her jeep back to trade later to finish the deal. Connor is constantly bullied by the police officer’s children and when he is brought home one day by the neighbor, Sam Cade, Gwen finds someone who wants to help her fix up the place. Gwen realizes this means staying more permanently. A body is discovered and Gwen realizes she needs to take her kids and run, but when she reaches out to Javier to finish the trade, she is instead surprised by him and a detective at the door learning that he is a reserve police officer. Gwen is then taken down for questioning for hours, until even though she knows nothing and has done nothing, they can’t keep her any longer no matter how much they want to blame her for the copy-cat Melvin Royal crime. Gwen begins to get comfortable around Sam and her kids do to, helping him fix up the house and learning along the way. Gwen decides she needs to go visit Melvin, for the first time. When she sees him, she realizes the beating she had ordered via Absalom went through, but Melvin is still Melvin, cold-hearted, and threatening, even behind the glass. She returns home shaken, but feels firmer in her decision. She reveals her true identity to Sam and he disappears on her. The next morning, another body is found. This time she is taken down again, but while there she sees Sam being led through in handcuffs as well. Both are cleared, and both are sent home. She grabs her kids from the breakroom, where they were taken, and upon returning home, sees the red painted messages across her home. Melvin calls Gwen at home on her burner phone and it shakes her to the core, because now all the threats are directed towards her and the kids. She gets Kezia to watch her kids under the guard of the alarm, and goes down to the gun range to let off some steam and stress. She returns home only to be stopped by Sam Cade and the two reconcile, only in time for Gwen to save him from getting his skull blown to smithereens. When she returns home, the children are missing and there is blood everywhere. A new nightmare begins. She returns to the police station, being questioned as a suspect as well as a concerned mother. When she is finally released, she wants to join the search, but no one will take her until Lance offers to take her out there. She accepts and the two start driving out in the torrential rain. She begins to feel uneasy with his actions and Sam texts asking where she is, as he is at the station. She realizes that Lance is lying and that Lance is responsible, she tries to text Sam to tell him, but can’t as Lance takes her phone and smashes it. She flees out of the car after injuring him and tries to run in the wooded area during the rain. She ends up overpowering him, using Melvin’s knowledge of stalking his prey and using that to her advantage, but not without some severe injuries to herself. She finds the hiding place of her children and is finally safely reunited with them, only to be told of news of an outbreak at Melvin’s prison and Melvin’s escape. They Said What? This is not a book for teens. It is okay for young adults, but I would still be careful there. Definitely a college-aged book because of some themes and things discussed. This book is graphic in detailing some of the threats that Gwen gets and discusses what Melvin did to his victims. It has graphic imagery in those aspects. There is violence in here with guns, battery, as well as grotesque imagery involving children. Extra! Extra! Just a heads up- this book is definitely a thriller and has some focus on the battered woman (physically, mentally, emotionally). It also shows Gwen’s need of survival while on the run. Writer’s Heads Up! This book does a great job of showing how to build suspense, how to build suspicion in even the most likely characters, and is a great example of a thriller. Last Call Overall this book is a fantastic read. The sequel comes out in December! I have already pre-ordered mine!
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Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2017 by Ella
Format: Paperback
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine is a fast-paced psychological thriller that grabs you early and doesn’t let go. The story follows Gina Royal, a woman whose life implodes when her husband is revealed to be a serial killer. Years later, she’s still living under an assumed identity, constantly on the move, trying to protect her children from both online harassment and very real physical threats. What really makes this book work is its tension. The novel explores how violence ripples outward, affecting not just victims but families and how public judgment can be just as terrifying as a knife in the dark. Gina’s evolution from a terrified, reactive character into someone more hardened and resourceful is one of the book’s strongest elements. The writing is straightforward and cinematic, making it an easy, binge-able read. While some secondary characters are thinner than others, the pacing more than makes up for it. The twists feel earned, and the story raises uncomfortable questions about guilt, identity, and whether it’s ever possible to escape the past. Overall, Stillhouse Lake is a gripping thriller that blends survival horror with psychological suspense. I’m a new reader of the author, Rachel Caine, and I will be purchasing more of her books.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2026 by Squirrels Like Nuts
Format: Kindle
I had Stillhouse Lake on my reading list for years, and I remember hearing a lot about the novel. I don't read horror very often, but I enjoy mystery/thriller books, and this was one of the best I read this year. Stillhouse Lake has you hooked from the first sentence; the moment I read it, I had a bad feeling, but it was not what I expected. From the first chapter, I knew I had to find out what would happen. I couldn't put the book down; as the story progressed, it became more dramatic and suspenseful, making it difficult to put down. It kept me on the edge of my seat until near the end. I wondered who was to blame for the bodies in the lake several times, but another twist had me questioning everyone once again. I cannot image what Gwen was going through. I cannot image realizing that her husband was a serial killer, especially given where it happened. I despised the way everyone treated her and felt she played some role in the deaths. I see why they felt that, but they didn't give her the opportunity to explain; they assumed. My heart broke for her, and I was scared for her. I did not blame her for wanting to leave. I was hoping that Stillhouse Lake would be a place where Gwen could start fresh without running; I knew her children were tired of running. However, I felt her children didn’t know everything and weren’t aware of the danger. I loved how fierce Gwen was and the lengths she went through to protect her children. It was hard not to love her. This book's descriptions were so realistic that I could visualize them. I could picture myself at Stillhouse Lake and sensed Gwen's suspicion and fear. Most of the book was full of action, but the second half was the most suspenseful. I read for hours before bed to see what would happen. I read Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series years ago and loved it. I'm excited to see what happens in the next book, Killman Creek especially with that end. It may be my next read.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2025 by Jenia.
Format: Kindle
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. GO BUY IT. NOW! Ahem. I really liked this book. Yea, I so did. And I want book two now but sadly the release date is December of this year. Sigh. So, what did I love? Pretty much everything. "Stillhouse Lake" has tight plotting, excellent characterization, strong storytelling, and no lack of twists and turns. Yes, I guessed at a few of the twists but there were several that took me by surprise and shook me. The ending wraps up the major threads in the book but introduces a doozy for the next book. I felt like I should have seen it coming. The book grabbed me right from the start and didn't let go. I read it in one sitting and other than some social media breaks and necessary breaks, I didn't put it down. I kept swiping my Kindle (I didn't read the paperback), desperate to see what would happen next. It was thrilling and heart-breaking and the pace never let up. It's very much a contemporary thriller, making use of current technology and addressing the mob behavior of people online, and the ease of stalking thanks to online sites and cellular technology. Caine also looks at the damage done when someone is arrested and tried for a crime they didn't commit. It was an honest mistake but that doesn't ameliorate the damage. The vitriol from neighbors and total strangers, the threats, the lack of police assistance are chilling and if anything, Caine downplayed them. It certainly went a long way towards explaining Gwen's actions. I liked Gwen. She was hard but cared passionately about her children; she was cautious but had an optimistic streak; she was smart and clever and brave and vulnerable and fierce. I didn't always agree with her choices but I usually understood them and can't really say what I'd have done in her place. Her prime directive was the safety of her children, always. It's hard to argue with that though you could argue with her methods. It comes to me with ruthless clarity that I've been far too militant with my kids. We've finally settled in a nice place, surrounded by peace. We don't have to act like hunted animals now. There are eight broken trails between the address the troll discovered online and us. Eight. It's time to stand down from red alert, before I damage my kids irreparably. The other characters were well-written and utterly believable. I wanted to believe the best of all of them but knew that couldn't last and sadly, I was right. I was left with conflicted opinions about some of them after their actions in this book and can't wait to see what they do in the next book. There was one thing that bothered me but it's a style problem, not a story problem. Thomas & Mercer's house style for books calls for the names of the branches of the US military to be written lowercase i.e. army for Army, marine for Marine, etc. This is, of course, incorrect, just ask any military protocol officer. Plus, names are capitalized. This was a frustration for me, both as a freelance copy editor and proofreader, and as a proud US Air Force brat and Army sibling. It's disrespectful to the military. Nor does it make sense. "marine" means 'pertaining to the ocean' while "a Marine" is a member of the military branch known as Marines. So, if you say "He was a marine" you are saying "He was a pertaining to the ocean". It makes no damn sense. Anyway, this bothered me enough that I marked the book 4 stars instead of 5. Don't let that stop you from reading "Stillhouse Lake". It's a powerful, fascinating, enthralling story that will excite you, grab you, and make you think. I purchased the Kindle book and received a print book from the publisher for review.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017 by Bea
Format: Kindle
***WARNING SPOILERS*** The premise of this book is sooo good that it’s a shame it falls apart on execution. Any story, no matter how farfetched, can be told believably. The author just has to create a world in which what they’re saying could actually happen. Unfortunately, Cain did not create this world for us. She tried to fit her story into our world and that was about as successful as fitting a square peg into a round hole. The garage issue could have been so easily explained by establishing some reason why no one would likely enter. Maybe her husband was a scientist who worked from the garage and special chemical suits were required before entering? Maybe he surprised her once a month with a new furniture piece and she never wanted to ruin the surprise? Or maybe the husband was a clean freak and she DID go into the garage every now and then but it was meticulously clean every time (he couldn’t have been killing 365 days a year). It doesn’t matter what the reason was, there just needed to be a reason. It would have made more sense for Gina to have gotten off on a technicality than be acquitted. Would explain why so many people doubt her innocence. Also, since I’ve never actually heard of anything happening to the family of serial killers, it would have been more believable if there were one or two crazy people trolling after them four years later, not the hundreds the book alludes to. The story would have been more interesting (and believable) if they’d kept their actual names, couldn’t get law enforcement or the community to rally around them, therefore took matters into their own hands (learning to shoot, monitoring the Sicko Patrol, setting up cameras, alarming the house, etc.). There is no way that two children could seamlessly assume new identities every year. I can’t even get my son to remember to say “thank you” most of the time, nevertheless call himself a whole new name. If they were in their original community, it could be possible that the husband had built a network of accomplices ready to do his bidding from jail as a contingency plan (like hiding the money). It’s ridiculous to think that he has authority over people all over the country. Also, having established relationships based on years of experience with neighbors would explain why being as paranoid as she was, she’d leave her kids with others so often. But more than those points which just require the reader to accept a little lunacy. The real problem with this book is that we never know WHY characters make the crazy decisions they make. Why would Gwen buy a house if she was still so paranoid? Speaking of that, why was she so paranoid (as far as I know, there have been no actual crimes committed against family members of serial killers… ever…)? Why does someone so concerned about the safety of her family keep a relationship with a known stalker? Why, when she’s trying to separate herself from her husband, does she go through the very public process of visiting him in jail? Why does she continually leave her kids with almost strangers (but won’t trust her own mother with trivial info)? Why does she suddenly think her daughter is ready to be clued into the Sicko Patrol? Why does she reward her daughter with cake after being suspended from school? Why doesn’t she ever share the files she’s been keeping with law enforcement (especially when she’s being questioned)? Why do the villains at the end choose to work with her husband? Why does Conner choose to keep a secret that he knows will put them all in danger (we know he understands that because he says so at the end)? Why is her husband so focused on her (by her account, she’s done nothing to him, not even testify against him)? This is the problem with writing in the first person. The reader knows what the characters do, and what the protagonist thinks, but it’s impossible to transmit true motivation since most of our actions are done without even our own conscious thought. It also gets redundant because most people don’t have many original thoughts. We think and feel the same ways often. Because of that, I wouldn’t classify it as a “psychological” thriller because there is very little psychology in it. It was more of a quick summer read and I’m not invested enough in this world to really care about the cliffhanger or subsequent books.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017 by CapitolQT
Format: Kindle
I LOVED this book! Rachel Caine knows how to spin a tale for sure. From the first sentence to the last, the suspense builds and builds to a dynamic and satisfying ending. I did figure it out -- eventually -- and the author does drop a few subtle clues if you're paying close attention. Reader, take note. When Gwen Proctor finds out quite by literal accident that her [now] ex-husband was a serial killer, a series of events puts Gwen and her two children on the run from victims' families as well as from vigilantes. They traverse the country under false identities until Gwen's mysterious contact, Absalom, warns her that their cover may soon be blown. Absalom then provides them with new identities, for a price, then they're on the lam yet again. Gwen thinks this tiresome and nerve-wracking cycle might finally end after things seem to settle down for them at Stillhouse Lake in Tennessee . . . but are things what they seem? Can she really let down her guard, even for a moment? Gwen's two children, a teenage daughter and a younger son, are frightened, withdrawn, and often rebellious. Their life in hiding and pulling up stakes to run time and again have taught them to trust no one. The gnawing fear that grips their mother is forever a part of their existence, and they resent her for it, as well as for robbing them of normal lives. Gwen is obsessed with keeping them all safe, but at what cost to her own mental health and to the well being of her kids? But can she afford to relax, even at tranquil Stillhouse Lake? The suspense in this book kept me eager to turn [scroll] the pages. If you don't have time to read it in one sitting [I didn't] then most certainly you will be eager to get back to it. The relentless theme builds and builds until all the pieces finally fall into place. A thought came to me as I read this story: there may be thousands of real people just like Gwen Proctor who really are living under assumed names to protect themselves and their families from the kinds of menace described in this book. At one point Gwen says that there is no witness protection program for them. It's thought-provoking and a little disturbing. Also, Stillhouse Lake is a gruesome story told without much gore or gruesomeness. There is some profanity, but it's not littered with it. That's a BIG plus for me. No way would I spoil this terrific read for others by giving anything away, so I will just tell my fellow readers to enjoy it. I don't think you will be disappointed. I finished it last night, and I'm a little sad that I don't have it to read again tonight. Enjoy. Stillhouse Lake
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2017 by Southern Gal
Format: Kindle
What would you do if somebody close to you turned out to be a serial killer? How would you react when the world, and the Internet, found out and turned its gaze on you? How would you protect yourself and your kids? Who would you become? What kind of life could you build? Stillhouse Lake introduces readers to a woman who has to learn the answers to these questions the hard way. The main part of the story begins four years after the murders, once the main character has begun to relax a little and build something of a life. She's learned to hide, having dealt with harassment and death threats for years and having been discovered numerous times. She's had to pick up and leave a number of homes, a number of identities, but each time she learned to hide a little better. And now, maybe, she and her children can start to live again, on the shores of Stillhouse Lake. Of course, this wouldn't be a thriller, or much of a story, if the plot ended there. Bodies turn up. High jinks ensue. Gwen finds her safety, her freedom, and her newfound life in danger once more. She needs every skill she's picked up in the preceding four years to try to get herself and her children out alive. If you're looking for a whodunit that will keep you guessing to the last second, this may not be it. I figured out most of the major players fairly early on, though I did get one surprise toward the end. The mystery aspects are not the most important part of the book. Where Stillhouse Lake really shines is in the character development. It's a psychological thriller, leading you through the twists and turns in the mind-set of a woman who, once a victim, has vowed never to be one again. In many ways, it's a coming-of-age story, although the character is coming of age when she's already well into adulthood. Gwen begins as a frightened child too submissive to even look into the garage that her husband has sectioned off from the house, and from there she grows into a strong, capable woman who can take care of her own and who will never stop fighting—against her husband, against her nightmares, against the Internet harassers, against the world if need be. And she manages to do so without becoming too unrealistic a character, keeping her fear, her emotional vulnerability, and her trauma. Those don't just disappear in real life, and they don't disappear in this book. That's a refreshing change from many stories. Stillhouse Lake is decently written. Rachel Caine writes with a rhythm and a sound that are easy to fall into. The main storyline is in first person and present tense, which I usually dislike, but the prose and story were good enough that my usual discomfort with the point of view and tense faded, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There's enough detail to allow the setting to come to life, and a sprinkling of poetic phrasing throughout the text, enough to give the prose true voice but not enough to distract from the story. If you dislike cliffhangers of any sort, you may not like the ending. The main plot points wrap up nicely, with a satisfying conclusion to the current dangers and immediate questions, but the book definitely leaves room for a sequel, opening up a new danger at the very end. If you're looking for "And they rode off into the sunset, happy forever after," you're not going to find it here. That said, the book as a whole is satisfying, and I look forward to any future installments.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017 by Corrin Dunn