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A review by richardrbecker
Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The second installment of the Stillhouse Lake series feels decidedly different than the Stillhouse Lake opener I enjoyed so much. Something was lost in transition as author Rachel Caine elevates her wife of a serial killer on the run, Gina Royal, for a serial killer hunter, Gwen Proctor.
The net result is a slower pace upfront, a little less action, and a lot less intrigue, placing the book around 3.75 rounded up. The principal issue is that there is no question about who might be on protagonist Gwen Proctor's side, even if the book's characters might sometimes wonder. I didn't wonder along with them. The pitfalls placed in Killman Creek don't have any chance to fool the reader. We're in on it, start to finish, with mo "ah-ha" moments along the way.
Instead, expect to shake your head as almost every character in the book blunders about bad decisions and roller coaster loyalties because they aren't bright enough to see the noses on their collective faces. Gwen Proctor's children are the worst, with Conner edging out Lanny (Atlanta) in the dumb move department. After the lessons learned in Stillhouse Lake, age alone can't explain away their rashness in suddenly wanting a relationship with the man who wants them and their mom dead.
Gwen's principal confederate, Sam, is the same. His relationship with the wife of a serial killer who killed his sister heats up until the thinnest misdirection causes it to crash down cold turkey. The turnabout is so abrupt that one wonders if realizing his 'whoopsie' will be enough to salvage anything. His only saving grace is that he is not alone. Everybody turns on Gwen at times and indirectly helps her kids turn against her, too. And since the story is told from the perspective of Gwen, Sam, Conner, and Lanny, we have to wade through what they are thinking the whole time.
Killman Creek is a journey into the most horrible side of the dark web possible, one filled with child pornography, torture, and snuff films. Some people will appreciate it for the thriller it is, but something feels off without the twists and turns that made the initial novel a pageturner.
The net result is a slower pace upfront, a little less action, and a lot less intrigue, placing the book around 3.75 rounded up. The principal issue is that there is no question about who might be on protagonist Gwen Proctor's side, even if the book's characters might sometimes wonder. I didn't wonder along with them. The pitfalls placed in Killman Creek don't have any chance to fool the reader. We're in on it, start to finish, with mo "ah-ha" moments along the way.
Instead, expect to shake your head as almost every character in the book blunders about bad decisions and roller coaster loyalties because they aren't bright enough to see the noses on their collective faces. Gwen Proctor's children are the worst, with Conner edging out Lanny (Atlanta) in the dumb move department. After the lessons learned in Stillhouse Lake, age alone can't explain away their rashness in suddenly wanting a relationship with the man who wants them and their mom dead.
Gwen's principal confederate, Sam, is the same. His relationship with the wife of a serial killer who killed his sister heats up until the thinnest misdirection causes it to crash down cold turkey. The turnabout is so abrupt that one wonders if realizing his 'whoopsie' will be enough to salvage anything. His only saving grace is that he is not alone. Everybody turns on Gwen at times and indirectly helps her kids turn against her, too. And since the story is told from the perspective of Gwen, Sam, Conner, and Lanny, we have to wade through what they are thinking the whole time.
Killman Creek is a journey into the most horrible side of the dark web possible, one filled with child pornography, torture, and snuff films. Some people will appreciate it for the thriller it is, but something feels off without the twists and turns that made the initial novel a pageturner.