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Saturday, November 14, 2020

Review: Heartbreak Bay by Rachel Caine

Heartbreak Bay 
by Rachel Caine

Thanks so much to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this advanced copy.


Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publish Date: March 9, 2021
Kindle Edition
Series: Stillhouse Lake #5
Genre: Thriller, Crime Fiction

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.

My Review:



"There's no time in a woman's life that isn't dangerous, and that's just a fact of life."

I have missed Gwen, Sam and their family.  Their past has come to haunt them again... but really it's their continuous present and inevitable future.  I feel so hard for this family.  In this continuation, we also get to learn more about Kez and now we have two very strong female leads with their amazing supporting men and I truly love all their dynamics.

"I'm a suspicious bitch, but I've found it works for me."

I figured some things out fairly early on.  Sometimes it's disappointing to find out you were right but other times, like here, it gave me that *head nod, smirk, mm-hmmm* moment while still feeling this intense ANGER at what was happening on behalf of all the characters being tortured. Feel me? And I felt a LOT of things while reading this one. 

It's really hard for me to review this as it has elicited a lot of emotions.  I truly fell in love with these characters... all of them... and this was a roller coaster of a read.  So I'll just leave it as the below.

I've loved this series since the very first book - it is most definitely one of my favorite thriller series and I'm saddened to hear of the author's passing.  I highly recommend this series and will definitely be looking into her backlist.  If you love a good thriller series where the very first book has the main character losing control of her car so it crashes into her own garage where a girl her serial killer husband is keeping captive is unintentionally found.... surprising the hell out of her and her kids.... well..... yeah, you're gonna need to read these.  I truly wish there were more. 

In the Author's notes, Caine states, "If this is the last of Gwen's story, then I hope you feel it was worthwhile.  I do."  I do, too...  RIP Rachel Caine - you will be greatly missed. ❤

★★★★★








BITTER FALLS





Rachel Caine is the NYT, USA Today, and #1 WSJ bestselling author of more than 50 books in several categories and genres, including adult thriller and adult urban fantasy/SF as well as books for young adults ages twelve to eighteen.

She is the winner of several national awards, and most recently was a finalist in both the International Thriller Writers awards and the Killer Nashville awards for her debut thriller novel Stillhouse Lake.

Rachel is available for school and library appearances, as well as professional conferences and convention appearances. Please use the contact form to request appearances, charitable donations, or for any correspondence.

Please go check out all her work HERE.


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