Scan barcode
namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
Gina Royal leads a comfortable life with her husband Melvin and two kids. But it is all shattered one day when a drunk driver accidentally crashes into a neighbor’s garage and Melvin’s secret life as serial killer is discovered. Even though Gina is proved innocent of his crimes not everybody believes it especially the internet trolls who have labeled her Melvin’s little helper. Running for her and her kid’s life Gina finally becomes Gwen Proctor and settles down in a small town near Stillhouse Lake. But the peace does not last long as she starts receiving threatening letters and then bodies start turning up in the lake near her house killed exactly in the same way as Melvin killed his victims . Can Gwen ever escape the nightmare and keep her children and herself safe?
Let me start by saying that going in this book I did realize it was part of a series. The suspense was good and the characters well developed. The author did a good job of expressing the fear Gwen lives with and how far a mother will go to protect her kids. I just wish the book did not end in a cliffhanger as I will have to wait for the next book in the series to see where the story goes.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
rachel_gordon's review against another edition
4.0
Look me a while to get into this one. A lot of set up (didn’t feel like all of it was needed), but once it got interesting, I was hooked. Similar to the main character, it’s hard to know who to trust.
saccm4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying and Body horror
Minor: Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Car accident
plotspawspinot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookish_withsky's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Lets start with the negatives, because there aren't that many. There is a friendship/relationship in this that is a little hard to see or understand. I'm nearly positive there's no way it would work out realistically - fortunately this is a book and that isn't an issue. Second, Gwynn is very, very paranoid and constantly changing her mind on whether certain people can be trusted or not. It can get a tad annoying. However, that's not much of a complaint because it does seem like something someone in her shoes would go through as well.
Now that's over with, lets talk about how good it was. While the audio did take me some time to get into, it picked up pretty quickly and kept my interest. I listened to 90% of the audio in one day, which isn't common for me to do. The final twist, while shocking, wasn't bad either. It could feel sinister, but I was expecting something worse, so I just felt okay with it. I loved the ending and pretty much immediately went into the next one. As a mom myself - and a single mom previously - I go absolutely feral over books with strong/protective mothers who will do anything for their children. So I naturally loved this. Gwynn is badass and so strong. She avoids the stereotype of being completely stone-like though. She's still human, she gets scared. She shows it differently, but still. It was so good.
Lets start with the negatives, because there aren't that many. There is a friendship/relationship in this that is a little hard to see or understand. I'm nearly positive there's no way it would work out realistically - fortunately this is a book and that isn't an issue. Second, Gwynn is very, very paranoid and constantly changing her mind on whether certain people can be trusted or not. It can get a tad annoying. However, that's not much of a complaint because it does seem like something someone in her shoes would go through as well.
Now that's over with, lets talk about how good it was. While the audio did take me some time to get into, it picked up pretty quickly and kept my interest. I listened to 90% of the audio in one day, which isn't common for me to do. The final twist, while shocking, wasn't bad either. It could feel sinister, but I was expecting something worse, so I just felt okay with it. I loved the ending and pretty much immediately went into the next one. As a mom myself - and a single mom previously - I go absolutely feral over books with strong/protective mothers who will do anything for their children. So I naturally loved this. Gwynn is badass and so strong. She avoids the stereotype of being completely stone-like though. She's still human, she gets scared. She shows it differently, but still. It was so good.
tishywishy's review against another edition
5.0
Suspenseful psychological thriller that was entertaining from start to end. It was extremely interesting to explore the perspective from the ex-wife and kids of a serial killer and to feel the constant scrutiny, implied guilt and need for constant vigilance from those who want enact 'revenge'.
This was my Amazon Kindle First June Pick.
This was my Amazon Kindle First June Pick.
vfreeman2000's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with rating 2 or 3 stars but decided to round up because I did really enjoy a good chunk of the book. The premise is interesting and laid out well. The author ramped up the tension and kept me engaged up until around 170 pages in. After that, I had a mess of problems with what was going on. I'll be vague so I don't give anything away...
My biggest problems were with how blind Gwen seems to be and the insanity that was the local police/detective investigation and treatment of Gwen and her family.
I was screaming at Gwen for two of the big things that end up being pretty dang important and felt fairly obvious. So either the author laid the foreshadowing on too heavily for the reader, made her protagonist intentionally dense, or I'm incredibly smart. I don't think it's the third option.
As for the investigation, the way the detective in charge dealt with Gwen and the investigation had me yelling BS. I won't even go into the holes in situation with Kez. There's about 50 or so pages between the 170 and the end of the book that made me want to toss my kindle in the trash. But that's ridiculous because it's my kindle... But I held on, cursing internally.
The exciting climax was good and calmed me down a bit but, ultimately, I don't care enough to keep going with the sequel.
My biggest problems were with how blind Gwen seems to be and the insanity that was the local police/detective investigation and treatment of Gwen and her family.
I was screaming at Gwen for two of the big things that end up being pretty dang important and felt fairly obvious. So either the author laid the foreshadowing on too heavily for the reader, made her protagonist intentionally dense, or I'm incredibly smart. I don't think it's the third option.
As for the investigation, the way the detective in charge dealt with Gwen and the investigation had me yelling BS. I won't even go into the holes in situation with Kez. There's about 50 or so pages between the 170 and the end of the book that made me want to toss my kindle in the trash. But that's ridiculous because it's my kindle... But I held on, cursing internally.
The exciting climax was good and calmed me down a bit but, ultimately, I don't care enough to keep going with the sequel.
spookybookclub34's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0