A Review of Wolfhunter River — Stillhouse Lake Series Book 3
Written by Rachel Caine
Thomas & Mercer, 2019
Rachel Caine is why I started reading suspense.
I’ve only been reading mystery and suspense novels for the past couple years, and it’s all Rachel Caine’s fault. I’d read a handful of books from this genre over the years prior, and they were always eye-roll inducing with predictable plots and awful female characters who were so one dimensional they were practically transparent.
Then I stumbled on Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake series with main character Gwen Proctor and I was hooked. Gwen is complex and real and totally believable and relatable. I love everything about her.
After that, I’ve been hooked on suspense that features strong female leads and have been devouring novels by Sue Grafton, Nevada Barr, and Ruth Ware, to name a few.
But I’ll always credit Caine with opening up this world in a way that I truly appreciate and respect, and her latest book, Wolfhunter River, is a prime example of why. Complex, gritty, heart-pounding, and un-put-downable, Wolfhunter River picks up where Killman Creek left off, with the same level of non-stop action and unpredictability.
Gwen Proctor’s serial killer ex-husband is dead, but if she’s hoping that means life will return to normal, she’s dead wrong. Proctor still has to contend with the internet vigilantes who remain convinced she helped her husband murder all those women, and as if dealing with them online wasn’t bad enough, the main woman behind it all suddenly steps from the shadows to announce a documentary she’s developing which will tell the “truth” about Gwen. Suddenly, Gwen has camera crews following her and her kids’ every move.
Then, Gwen becomes embroiled in a mystery centered around the tiny town of Wolfhunter, and something is seriously wrong in this place. A woman reaches out to Gwen for help, and then is brutally murdered. But she’s not the first and she won’t be the last if Gwen doesn’t step in and try to unravel the town’s darkest secrets.
This book was seriously impossible to put down and I kept having to remind myself to breathe because I’d realize I’d been holding my breath for pages at a time.
I just did a quick Google search and saw that there’s a fourth book, Bitter Falls, scheduled for release next year, and that makes me so happy. I feel like Wolfhunter River left off in a really great place for Gwen, and Caine could take this in several different directions. I’ll just have to remind myself to keep breathing until then.
This review originally appeared on NetGalley. I received a free Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review of this title.
Alisa Williams is the managing editor of SpectrumMagazine.org. She blogs at alisawilliamswrites.com, tweets at @AWWritesStories, and bookstagrams at @AllyWritesStories.
Photo by Alisa Williams.
#recommendedreading #books #bookreview #newfictionbooks #newmysterybooks #newsuspensebooks #stillhouselakeseries #stillhouselake #rachelcaine #killmancreek #wolfhunterriver #killmancreekstillhouselake #wolfhunterriverstillhouselake #rachelcainestillhouselake #mysterysuspensebooks #womensuspensewriters #womenmysterywriters