#Review - Killman Creek by Rachel Caine #Psychological #Thriller

Series: Stillhouse Lake Series # 2
Format: Paperback, 348 pages
Release Date: December 12, 2017
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Fiction / Psychological

Every time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.

Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…

You’re not safe anywhere now.

Her refuge at Stillhouse Lake has become a trap. Gwen leaves her children in the protective custody of a fortified, well-armed neighbor. Now, with the help of Sam Cade, brother of one of Melvin’s victims, Gwen is going hunting. She’s learned how from one of the sickest killers alive.

But what she’s up against is beyond anything she feared—a sophisticated and savage mind game calculated to destroy her. As trust beyond her small circle of friends begins to vanish, Gwen has only fury and vengeance to believe in as she closes in on her prey. And sure as the night, one of them will die.

Killman Creek, by author Rachel Caine, is the sequel to Stillhouse Lake. Picking up about 2 weeks after the end of Stillhouse Lake, Gwen Proctor's worst nightmare has come to bear. Her ex-husband & convicted serial killer Melvin Royal has broken out of prison and is now free to continue his reign of terror against innocent women. His number one target just happens to be Gwen, formerly Gina Proctor who tried to stay hidden from Melvin and his supporters who have made her life nearly unbearable. 

Gwen, along with Sam Cade, (the brother of Melvin's last victim before he was caught), have chosen to go on the hunt for Melvin. To protect her kids, Lanny & Connor, Gwen would lay down her life for them. But, Gwen is up against a mastermind with lots and lots of assistance from a group called Absalom. Just when you think that Gwen would get closer to her goal, she is set back in a horrifying way. Everyone starts to look at her differently and her allies shy away & all but disappear.

Her only choice is to set herself up as lure for Melvin. But, nobody could have guessed what would happen next or how the story would conclude. My heart was breaking to pieces and nearly shattered as Gwen was struggling with a reason to stay alive. I especially didn't appreciate the kids who have been protected from a monster for years, only to have them abandon Gwen when she needed them the most. The author really overwhelmed me with feelings of helplessness, and anger towards those like Sam, Javier Esparaza and Kezia Claremont who she trusted.  

I was just reminded that there was a recent TV show called The Following. The Following was about a serial killer who mutilated & killed over a dozen women before being caught. Melvin is very similar to Joe Carroll. He's connected to a group called Absalom which one could call a cult of believers, or you could just say that they are a bunch of sick, and twisted people who are deeply involved in child pornography, torture, and snuff films. Melvin is also charming, smart, and cunning as a snake in the grass.

I dare say that Killman Creek is one of the darkest books of the 300 plus books I've read this year. It explores the deepest, darkest reaches of the dark web, while putting Gwen in a net she has no opportunity to escape. Caine goes to great lengths to show how internet trolls have the capability of ruining a person's life with a flip of a script, or creation of a faux videos to ruin a persons life. The one thing that is different this time out is that there are several other narrators including Sam, Lanny, and Connor.   

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