Identity

Stillhouse Lake #3.5

by Rachel Caine

Free with preorder of Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake #4)

Takes place before events in Bitter Falls

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Short Stories, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary, Suspense

48 pages, ebook

First published January 21, 2020

About the author

Rachel Caine was a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell

Her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelcainef...

Her Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelcaine...

Reviews

[Lackof_shelf_control · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrary to what I said recently about novellas not adding much to a series, this one completely surprised me. While I could easily imagine this story stretched into a full-length novel, it felt perfectly wrapped up as a short read. I got all the answers I was looking for—without the plot feeling rushed or leaving big gaps.

✨ Final Takeaway: If you’re already a fan of the Stillhouse Lake series, this novella is a must-read 🔪📖. I’d recommend reading it in order though, since it does reference events from earlier books.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/ 5 stars

Identity was such an amazing short story. I absolutely loved it!

This novella is a short story in the Stillhouse Lake series. I read it after Bitter Falls. But it can be read before or after book four.

The narrator is Gwen. A woman calls her asking a question about Melvin. This leads to a really strong and meaningful story. It didn't feel like it was too short. It was really enjoyable.

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel Caine lo volvio a hacer, me absorbio totalmente y me tuvo con el corazon en la garganta, y eso que Identity es una novella muy muy breve ( por desgracia ), ahora tengo aun mas ganas de continuar con el siguiente.

En resumen, Identity me supo a poco, sin embargo, extrañaba a estos personajes y fue increible volver a leer sobre ellos.

3 Estrellas!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Identity
Stillhouse Lake, Book 3.5

I Picked Up This Book Because: Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Media Type: eBook
Source: Author
Dates Read: 7/29/24 - 7/30/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s):

The Characters:

Gwen:
Same:
Lainy, Conner, Javier

The Story:
I didn’t realize this short was a thing until recently. I found it to be okay but too quick. About a chapter more oh the hunt would have been a more satisfying adventure/mystery but we got what we got and I’m grateful for a little dip back into Gwen’s world.

[EbsO · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have been psyching myself to read this book for over a year and now that i have read it, i am so confused why. it’s literally the shortest book in the series. i guess i can finally read the next book in the series but i probably won’t because i think i am a bit over her writing. it’s not that it’s bad, i just don’t think i necessarily enjoy it but tbd

[Felicia Hilliard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect fix for my “Stillhouse Lake” craving. Gwen Proctor and her family just can’t catch a break but I am HERE FOR IT. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Reina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this series, I believe, back in 2020. A couple of years ago, I had stumbled across a Facebook post from her fan page that there was a short story in the series on her website; I saved the post so I wouldn’t forget to read it. Of course, I had completely forgotten about it until I was scrolling through my saved posts this morning! I have yet to read the 7th book, but I plan to own the whole series. I just wish this one could be on paperback so it would be a complete set! This story is one wild ride! There is so much action, suspense, and of course…thrills! It is by far my favorite thriller series! I’m definitely going to start the series over!

R.I.P. Rachel Caine 💜

[Alyssa Ricklefs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve genuinely loved this series—Gwen’s journey has always felt layered and compelling. But this book threw me off. Elisa Rahm’s storyline feels abruptly inserted, with no real buildup or emotional tether to the rest of the series. It’s not that the themes—especially around identity—don’t matter. They do. But the way they’re introduced here feels disjointed, almost like a detour rather than a continuation. I wanted to feel connected, but instead I felt like I was reading a side story that hadn’t earned its place.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I liked it, love these characters.
But it was a short little side-story and I just want more :)

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick short story that takes place between books 3 and 4. i do not think it is an absolute necessity to read because it did not add a lot of new information, but it gives more from the back stories for the main characters and it also introduces a few new characters. elisa is one of the new characters introduced in this story and targets gwen because she is linked to the 'lost angels' network who blamed gwen for not being punished because they all believed she was an active accomplice who helped her husband melvin commit all of the murders. thankfully despite her wreaking havoc, they manage to prevail and things seem to calm down by the end of the story. since i am not sure if there will be references to it further along in the series i wanted to read this before continuing on to the fourth book. it was a quick read and worth reading if you are enjoying the series.

[Mary (m_lockreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so nice to go back to Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake universe. I have one more novel left in the series, but this is the last entry written entirely by Caine before she passed away. This is a VERY short story that can be read in about 10-15 minutes. I did notice a few small errors and a plot point I think may have been left out in edits as when it was referenced I didn’t recognize it even though it supposedly happened the page prior. This was a free pre-order bonus originally, available now when signing up for Rachel Caine’s newsletter.

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good short story - first time I’ve ever read one as part of a series (you can find it on the authors website for free). The ending made me question some things as it’s not clear to me.. unfortunately too few people have read it for me to find an explanation.

Short additional story - irrelevant to the book series’ progression.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story that can be found on Rachel Caine’s website:

https://rachelcaine.com/adult-books/s...

This was a quick read that had plenty of suspense. Despite its shortness, it felt like a complete story.

[Alcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throwing a short story in in the middle of this series was random and, of course, I could only find it via PDF on my phone.

Overall, this was good and had an impressive twist for a short story. It just felt a bit random and unnecessary.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, but it was a true short story. I’m glad the next book is out.

[MissSusie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great short story that had a powerful punch! A great addition to the Stillhouse Lake Series!

[Andrea Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short sweet tease of what wonderful writing Rachel Caine did. I am so grateful the team was able to release this to the public. I am forever grateful.

[Denaiir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwen's family is targeted all the time and that's completely unbelievable, but it sure makes for good stories!

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved reading this story, it was a really fantastic mystery and such a quick and easy read!

[Siga · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good short read

[Lisbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante.

[Ally Chelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able to find it by emailing here and asking if there was a way to read the copy! We can’t share or post it, but it can be sent for individual use!

rachelcaineassistant@gmail.com

[Miranda Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all surprised that Rachel Caine managed to fit such a good twist into such a short story. I’m very grateful to her assistant for sending me this.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little novella that was tense and entertaining. It introduced a whole different world that I’d love to read more about, but was also satisfying as a standalone short story.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical novella between books. Nothing amazing but also not horrible. 3.5 rounded up as I wasn’t expecting much but even though this was short there was oddly enough still a twist.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick dip back into Gwen’s world. It is quick and still manages to bring some tension and drama.

[maswal · Rating 3 out of 5]

… excuse me?

[Molly Zybowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to see if the still house lake series is for you, this free little short story on her author page is what the books are exactly like, and why I can’t help to put them down.