Killman Creek (Stillhouse Lake Book 2) – Rachel Caine

If Stillhouse Lake was “suburban mom discovers her husband’s a serial killer,” Killman Creek is “same mom goes full Liam Neeson.”

We pick up right where the chaos left off: Melvin Royal has escaped prison (because of course he has) and Gwen Proctor — formerly Gina Royal, full-time trauma magnet — decides she’s done running. She’s hunting him this time.

Her plan? Use herself as bait. Because apparently therapy isn’t an option in this universe.

She leaves her kids, Connor and Lanny, with her trusted friends Javier and Kezia while she and Sam Cade — yes, the same Sam whose sister was one of Melvin’s victims — hit the road. They’ve got shared trauma, unresolved sexual tension, and absolutely no chill.

The duo tracks down a very rich, very suspicious man named Ballantine Rivard, who’s been “researching” Absalom — that creepy underground network from book one. Rivard shows them a grainy video of Gwen supposedly helping Melvin abduct a woman. Spoiler: that “woman” was Sam’s sister.

Sam’s faith in Gwen wobbles harder than a Dollar Tree table. Gwen claims the footage is fake, but the damage is done. And because Melvin’s brand of evil always involves family trauma, he sends the video to Connor’s secret “dad” phone. The kids see it, freak out, and basically tell Gwen to leave. Brutal.

So now she’s lost her kids, her reputation, and the one guy who actually liked her — all thanks to a serial killer’s group chat.

Determined to prove the video’s fake, Gwen doubles down on her plan to use herself as bait. But then Absalom calls Sam directly with an offer: hand over Gwen, and they’ll give him Melvin. Sam, being the morally tortured man he is, takes the deal with plans of tracking the whole ordeal — but things go sideways when the tracking device disappears off the map.

Gwen wakes up in a plantation house in Louisiana (because villains can’t ever pick normal places), realizes she’s being held for a literal pay-per-view murder event, and immediately decides she’s not dying quietly. Girl goes full chaos mode — kills a guard, wounds Melvin, and grabs a gun.

Meanwhile, Sam and FBI agent Mike have gone off the rails. They realize Rivard is Absalom’s leader, so they torture him (don’t worry, he deserves it), and he confesses everything: Melvin plans to kill Gwen on camera for an audience. Like, some twisted “MurderTube Premium” nonsense.

Sam and Mike storm the house, Gwen fights her way out, and for one glorious second it looks like the nightmare’s over — Melvin’s down in the hallway. But this man’s survival rate is like 99.9%. He pops up again, lunges at Sam, and Gwen finally ends it once and for all. One perfect shot. Bye forever, creep.

By the end, Gwen reunites with her kids, moves back to Stillhouse Lake, and finally lets Sam move in. Peace, quiet, stability — all things she’s never actually experienced. But because Rachel Caine loves to toy with our blood pressure, Gwen gets one last letter from Melvin in the mail. Which is impossible because he’s dead. Someone else sent it.

She drops it into the lake, because we are not doing this again.

🗝️ Final Thoughts:
Killman Creek is pure adrenaline — no filler, no breaks, just trauma, trust issues, and gunpowder. It’s darker, bloodier, and somehow even more emotional than book one. I didn’t get a huge twist, but I didn’t need one; the story evolved exactly the way it should.

Gwen remains one of my favorite thriller protagonists — strong, flawed, and one bad day away from burning the world down. And Sam? Walking orange flag with a hero complex. OTP.

The ending is exactly what I wanted: Melvin finally dead, Gwen alive (barely), and the kids safe. If we ever lose one of them, I’m rioting.

My Rating: ⭐ 4.9 / 5

👉 Click here to grab Killman Creek on Amazon.