Scan barcode
A review by shecamefromouterspace
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
4.0
This was a wild ride. At points, it certainly pushed the boundaries of believability, particularly towards the end. But regardless, this is a very intense and gripping thriller. And readers who pick this up should know that it is also very gory.
Gina Royal is your typical suburban housewife. She is happily married to a man named Melvin, with whom she has two kids. One day, she comes home from picking her kids up from school, and her house is surrounded by police. Come to find out, a drunk driver has crashed into her husband's garage, revealing a torture chamber with a dead young woman inside. Melvin is a serial killer, a fact to which Gina was completely oblivious for all the years she has been with Mel.
Gina then flees the state, taking her two kids with her. The three of them must move house and change their identities multiple times to escape from the people who want them dead: internet trolls who think Gina helped Melvin kill, and of course, Mel himself.
This story reminds me a lot of the BTK killer. In recent years, his daughter has come forth to the media to talk about her experience when she found out her father was a serial killer. Poor girl had no idea, just like Gina. And just like Gina, she received ruthless backlash from the media and the internet, people pointing fingers, passing judgement, and espousing hatred, even death threats. The "Sicko Patrol" (as Gina/Gwen calls them) in this novel feel so real to me, because people are godawful and quick to judge, especially when they can hide behind the anonymity of the internet. And with the technology we have nowadays, it would be so easy for an angry internet mob to incite a witch hunt.
That being said, there were certain events towards the end that seemed way too convenient for the plot. Gwen does something completely out of character, which is a catalyst for the book's climax. It felt wrong and didn't really make sense considering her thoughts and actions throughout the first 3/4 of the book. BUT. I still really enjoyed this. A fun, nasty little thriller.
Gina Royal is your typical suburban housewife. She is happily married to a man named Melvin, with whom she has two kids. One day, she comes home from picking her kids up from school, and her house is surrounded by police. Come to find out, a drunk driver has crashed into her husband's garage, revealing a torture chamber with a dead young woman inside. Melvin is a serial killer, a fact to which Gina was completely oblivious for all the years she has been with Mel.
Gina then flees the state, taking her two kids with her. The three of them must move house and change their identities multiple times to escape from the people who want them dead: internet trolls who think Gina helped Melvin kill, and of course, Mel himself.
This story reminds me a lot of the BTK killer. In recent years, his daughter has come forth to the media to talk about her experience when she found out her father was a serial killer. Poor girl had no idea, just like Gina. And just like Gina, she received ruthless backlash from the media and the internet, people pointing fingers, passing judgement, and espousing hatred, even death threats. The "Sicko Patrol" (as Gina/Gwen calls them) in this novel feel so real to me, because people are godawful and quick to judge, especially when they can hide behind the anonymity of the internet. And with the technology we have nowadays, it would be so easy for an angry internet mob to incite a witch hunt.
That being said, there were certain events towards the end that seemed way too convenient for the plot. Gwen does something completely out of character, which is a catalyst for the book's climax. It felt wrong and didn't really make sense considering her thoughts and actions throughout the first 3/4 of the book. BUT. I still really enjoyed this. A fun, nasty little thriller.