#Review - Darkwater Lane by Rachel Caine, Carrie Ryan #Thriller #Suspense #Mystery

Series: Stillhouse Lake # 7
Format: Kindle, 378 pages
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Publisher: Rachel Caine, LLC
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

It’s time for Gwen Proctor to bury her past—before it buries her.

For years, the Lost Angels have hunted Gwen, blaming her for the murders committed by her ex-husband, Melvin Royal. Now, they’ve found a new a viral true-crime podcast that drags Gwen and her family back into the spotlight—and into the path of a deadly new danger.

Then the FBI arrives with a chilling someone is killing Gwen’s enemies, leaving behind a twisted signature that links the crimes to Melvin. The evidence points to the last person Gwen ever expected—Sam Cade, the man she’s come to trust with her heart.

With her family’s safety at stake, Gwen returns to Stillhouse Lake for a final confrontation. But as the bodies pile up and the doubts about Sam grow, Gwen must face the one question she’s been running She trusted the wrong man once before…

What if she’s about to do it again?

Darkwater Lane is the Seventh and final installment in a series created by Rachel Caine, and finished by Carrie Ryan after Rachel's death a few years ago. Published by Rachel Caine, LLC, this novel concludes the intense journey of Gwen Proctor, a woman relentlessly pursued by the shadows of her serial-killer ex-husband, Melvin Royal, and his rabid fans, known as the Sicko Squad. Darkwater Lane delivers a high-stakes, emotionally charged finale that blends psychological suspense, family drama, and relentless action. 

Darkwater Lane centers on Gwen Proctor, who has spent years hiding from the fallout of her ex-husband Melvin Royal’s horrific crimes. Living under constant threat from the Lost Angels, a group blaming her for Melvin’s murders, created by Sam after the loss of his own sister to Melvin, Gwen faces a new danger: a viral true-crime podcast that thrusts her family back into the public eye. The stakes escalate when the FBI delivers a chilling warning—someone is targeting Gwen’s enemies, leaving a signature that mimics Melvin’s methods. 

Suspicion falls on Sam Cade, Gwen’s trusted partner, forcing her to question whether she’s once again placed her faith in the wrong man. As the body count rises, Gwen returns to Stillhouse Lake for a final confrontation, battling both external threats and her own doubts to protect her children, Lanny and Connor. The narrative weaves a taut web of suspense, exploring whether Gwen can finally bury her past or if it will consume her. Gwen Proctor remains one of the most compelling protagonists in modern thrillers. Her transformation from Gina Royal, a naive housewife, to a fierce, weapon-savvy protector is complete in Darkwater Lane. 

Her paranoia, strength, and unwavering commitment to her children make her both relatable and admirable, a “fierce mama bear” who embodies maternal love under extreme pressure. Sam Cade’s arc introduces a heartbreaking layer of complexity, as Gwen grapples with doubts about his loyalty, adding depth to their relationship. Lanny and Connor, now older, are more active participants, their growth reflecting the series’ focus on family dynamics under duress.

The antagonists, including the Lost Angels and the shadowy killer, are chillingly effective, though the villain’s motivations could have been fleshed out further. Darkwater Lane explores themes of trust, redemption, and the inescapable weight of the past. Gwen’s struggle to trust Sam mirrors her broader battle to reclaim agency after Melvin’s betrayal, making the novel a meditation on the cost of survival. The true-crime podcast element feels timely, critiquing society’s obsession with sensationalizing trauma, a thread that resonates with modern media culture. 

In the end, readers should be happy that Carrie Ryan stepped in to finish the final two books of this series so that Gwen, her kids, Sam, and her friends can finally get the closure they deserved.

 

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#Review - Trapper Road by Rachel Caine, Carrie Ryan #Mystery #Suspense

Series: Stillhouse Lake # 6
Format: Ebook, 426 pages
Release Date: August 2, 2022
Publisher: Rachel Caine, LLC.
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Mystery / Suspense

Sometimes danger comes from the most unexpected places.

Gwen Proctor has always been willing to do anything it takes to protect her kids. But there are some things even she can’t protect them from. When a violent incident at Connor’s school brings the press to Gwen’s doorstep, she agrees to take a case out of town hoping to keep her family out of the crushing media spotlight.

The case is that of a missing girl, last seen getting into a truck with a stranger before disappearing. Gwen has a reputation for finding those who are lost, but this time something is wrong. Her instincts are off, and every clue she uncovers only raises more doubts, not just about the missing girl and the circumstances of her disappearance, but also about the fragile safety Gwen’s created for her family.

The closer she comes to uncovering the truth, the more she unwittingly puts those she loves at risk. Someone from Gwen’s past doesn’t appreciate the new life she’s built for herself and is willing to do anything it takes to tear it apart. Except this time it isn’t Gwen in the crosshairs, but her partner Sam. Without her instincts to rely on, how can Gwen protect those she loves against an enemy she never sees coming?

Trapper Road is the Sixth installment in the Stillhouse Lake series created by Rachel Caine, and now written by Carrie Ryan after Rachel's death in 2020. This book alternates between every member of Gwen's family as well as Detective Kez Claremont. As the story begins, Gwen is finishing up on her rehab after nearly dying in Heartbreak Bay thanks to yet another of Melvin Royal's sick followers. She's doing her private investigation job at her desk while she heals. When the family of Juliette Larson asks for Gwen's help through her employer, it would mean a road trip to Gardenia, North Carolina.

Gwen has a reputation for finding kids lost forever, but this case might be her undoing. When a violent incident at Connor and Lanny’s school brings the press to Gwen’s doorstep, she agrees to take Juliette's case hoping to keep her family out of the crushing media spotlight. Gwen takes Connor as well as Vera (Vee) Crockett who Gwen took in. While Gwen is digging into Juliette's disappearance, she finds out that her friends Mandy and Willa were the last to see her alive jumping into a stranger's truck. The details are vague & the local sheriff's department found no evidence of foul play but refused to call it a cold case because there's no body. 

Now with Gwen on the case, she's hoping she'll be able to shed some light on what happened to Juliette as well ensuring the family gets closer. Gwen's family has been continually targeted by a group known as Lost Angels. They now claim to have solid proof that Gwen knew that her ex-husband was a serial killer and did nothing to stop him. While Gwen was found innocent by a jury of her peers, stalkers still believed that she literally got away with murder and deserves to pay. Gwen's new stalker, a man named Leonard Varrus, is ready to release a story to the media called The Truth about Gina Royal. 

Sam Cade has learned the hard way what it means to open his heart to Gwen, Lenny, and Connor and be targeted by Royal's followers. One year ago, Connor and Sam were kidnapped by a cult leader who believed all the sick, vile nonsense that was posted online and in dark web chat rooms. In fact, Sam was once a member of the Lost Angels who now considers him to be a traitor and open game over his relationship with Gwen and her kids. While Sam believes he is safe taking Lanny to a university, he soon finds out that nowhere is safe as long as Leonard is loose.

I'm not a fan of Connor's after this book. For years, Gwen has repeatedly warned the family about allowing anyone to brainwash or groom them to become like their father. She warned them about the dark web, and the sicko patrol. Gwen’s need to control her children’s lives, and hyper-vigilance proves 100% accurate once again. Connor endangers his family by doing really stupid things behind his mother's back as well as not warning anyone about his friends destructive behavior which lead to a school shooting. He and Vera really have my scorn after this book.

I am glad that Rachel left behind a transcript for Trapper Road which was then picked up by Carrie Ryan who does a pretty good job of understanding who these characters are. While it is extremely sad that we lost Rachel, she's no longer suffering and is hopefully in a better place. After 6 books, I am kind of sick of the constant threat by outsiders to Gwen and her family. If Leonard and his sycophants wants war, well I say please set Sam and Gwen loose to do what they do best. Protect the family. 

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#Review - Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine #Thrillers #Suspense

Series: Stillhouse Lake (#5)
Format: Paperback, 336 pages
Release Date: March 9, 202
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Psychological

They’re hunting a killer so silent, so invisible, that his unspeakable crimes are the only proof he exists.

A car submerged in a remote pond. The bodies of two girls strapped into their seats. The mystery of their mother, vanished without a trace, leads Gwen Proctor and Kezia Claremont into dangerous territory.

On the surface, Gwen’s life is good—two children approaching adulthood, a committed partner, and a harrowing past dead and gone. But that past is attracting the attention of someone invisible…and unstoppable. Trouble’s just beginning. So is the body count in this backwoods Tennessee town.

As threats mount and Gwen’s hunted by an enemy who pulls all the strings, Kezia has her back. But working to solve these vicious and unreasonable crimes will expose them both to a killer they can’t for the life of them see coming.

 

 

Heartbreak Bay is the Fifth installment in author Rachel Caine's Stillhouse Lake series. The story is once again told in multiple narratives: Private Investigator Gwen Proctor, her significant other and flight instructor Sam Cade, and Detective Kezia Claremont. This story begins with a heartbreaking scene. After a car is found submerged in Stillhouse Lake, Detective Claremont gets the call. For Kezia, this is especially heartbreaking when she learns that twin baby girls are still strapped into their car seats and their mother is nowhere to be found. 

The scene would be harrowing and emotional experience for anyone to deal with let alone a trained professional. But Kez just found out that she's pregnant and hasn't had time to tell Javier yet since he's off with the Marine Corp on training maneuvers. As the car is dragged out of the lake, Kezia puts a name to the person she needs to find immediately. Kezia realizes right away that something is horribly wrong. There’s nothing normal about two drowned innocent children. After learning the name of the mother of the twins, the question now becomes whether or not she was abducted and needs saving, or is she perhaps criminally responsible for the girls’ deaths? 

With help from Gwen, who has moved her family to Knoxville to be closer to her job, Kezia searches for the mother of the babies only to be lead to a missing person search where yet another body is found. Are both cases connected, or a false lead to throw Kezia off the trail? For Gwen, as a mother on a 17-year-old (Lanny) and a 15-year-old (Connor) who has been through literal hell over the course of this series, she can't help feeling emotionally distraught. Her children are slowly becoming adults, especially Atlanta who seems ready to go out on her own and out of her mother’s control. The kids are constantly targeted by trolls and vindictive people who want to hurt them because of who their father was.

For a long time now, Gwen has lived in a state of hypervigilance and for obvious reasons. She’s tried to track down the trolls who have been trying to make her life miserable and has done a good job overall. She didn’t realize what a real monster Melvin was and how many people thought he was innocent and that she was the guilty one until she starts getting unwanted letters, kids writing disgusting stuff on her home, kids making her own children’s lives miserable, and even the local police not trusting Gwen fully. The author then raises the stakes when Gwen is once again targeted by a menace to society who believes she is just as guilty as her former serial killer husband and he intends to make sure she pays for what he claims she did.

Even though Gwen has been arrested several times now, she's never formally been charged with murdering anyone. While Gwen is trying to protect her family from another menace, she discovers that her ex, Melvin, has many different acolytes just waiting to pick up his call for action and make Gwen's life unbearable. Forget the fact that her children are innocent in all of this. This time out, Gwen and Kezia must face almost certain death alone to end the vicious campaign from a man who has nothing to lose and everything to gain if he is the one to finally bring an end to Gwen being an innocent.

Sam is not only training pilots but is now the adoptive father of Lanny and Connor. Sam isn’t exactly unscathed by the events of Gwen’s past. When a mysterious caller asks him how he can live with a serial killer’s wife, Sam has choices to make. He can stand with Gwen or dig deeper into the caller’s agenda and reason for singling him out or walk away forever. Unless we’ve forgotten, Sam was once one of the worst aggressors against Gwen, until he met her and the kids and realized nothing is what it seems, and now it seems as though their relationship is even stronger than before.

Heartbreak Bay is a bittersweet ending to the Stillhouse Lake series as the author passed away back in November of 2020. She was fighting cancer, and her assistant and publisher knew that if she lived, the series would live as well. Unfortunately, she didn’t. I have no knowledge whether or not the author was able to finish writing other stories before her death. All I know is that we, as fans and readers, should be prepared that this is her final piece de resistance. In many ways, the title of this book is perfect. It is not only the culmination of where the story ends, but where the story takes Gwen to fight her final battle.

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