Gerri Hill

Gillette Park, a sleepy town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, harbors a secret. Twenty-three years ago, a young girl went missing. Two days later her body was found lodged beneath the footbridge over Boulder Creek. The murder shook the town but they soon found it was only the beginning. A serial killer hides among them--a serial killer who strikes twice, sometimes three times a year. Mason Cooper couldn't wait to leave Gillette Park. At eighteen, she headed off to college and the bright lights of Los Angeles, thinking she'd never return home to the broken family and forgotten friendships she'd left behind. But being a cop in LA lost its charm and--after a breakup--Mason heads back to her hometown. The serial killer still haunts Gillette Park and she becomes consumed with catching him. Dr. Grace Jennings has what some call a gift. She "sees" things. She "hears" things. Running from that gift was useless so she's learned to embrace it instead. Now the FBI has solicited her help in catching the serial killer. Not everyone in this mountain town has embraced the idea of bringing in a psychic, including Mason's uncle and boss, Sheriff Cooper. Mason is tasked with being the go-between and she soon finds herself with a front row seat as Dr. Jennings discovers the dark--and well hidden--secrets of Gillette Park. As Mason and Grace's friendship grows, so does their attraction. But safety lies only with each other, as they battle the evil that lives in Gillette Park.

Gillette Park

Jude Silberfeld

I’ve been a big Gerri Hill fan for a very long time now, but unlike most reviewers I know, I like her romance novels best. At Seventeen is one of my all-time favourites. I don’t remember when or why I stopped reading her thrillers, whether that happened when I took a break from anything violent (I mentioned that here a little) or if it was before. I don’t remember if the style was the problem – I can’t imagine how that would be since I love it in romance – or if they were too gruesome for me.

Either way, Gillette Park is my first Hill thriller in many many years. And I loved it. I had to shut my mind at times against what the victims went through, but once I had managed to distance myself from that part, it allowed me to enjoy everything else.

For the last twenty-three years, children have been disappearing from the small town – now small city – of Gillette Park. Between May and October every year, at least two kids, sometimes as many as five. Most are found dead a few days later, a couple never showed up.

Mason Cooper was ten when the first victim, one of her school friends, was killed. That same year, Mason’s father left. Mason’s mother turned to alcohol and the young girl found a family at her uncle Alan’s. Today Alan is the Sheriff of Gillette Park, and both Mason (after a few years in Los Angeles) and her cousin Brady are deputies. This year, the chief of police and the FBI have convinced Sheriff Cooper to bring a psychic in. And the task of keeping an eye on her falls to Mason.

The mystery itself is gripping, the paranormal elements simply make sense. As much as Mason tries to not believe at first, they’re undeniable. Gerri Hill ties up all the loose ends and the few questions I have been left with have more to do with human nature than with the plot she conceived.

If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I’m very character-driven. Which is probably why I enjoy romance novels so much, I love when an author makes me care about their characters, their well-being, their happiness. Mason and Grace, and to a lesser extent little Faith, are an enormous part of why I enjoyed this book so much.

Mason is both no-nonsense and open-minded. She’s thorough and considerate. Despite her parents’ desertions, she never lacked love as a child but every family has its secrets. Grace’s experience of life is very different. Almost as soon as she became aware of her “gift”, she learnt to hide it. From her own family at first, lest they thought her crazy. Later from would-be friends or lovers. Anytime she tried to let anyone close (with one very notable exception), it backfired and she’s now convinced she’ll never be seen as anything other than a freak.

One of the things I enjoyed the most is the way Grace and Mason interact and how that changes as they learn to see beyond each other’s façade. That Mason isn’t as laidback and together as she seems, and how that might explain why she’s not completely closed to the idea of… something other than reality as she knows it. That Grace is not only able to talk to dead people but is also witty and funny. How natural they feel together, be it fate or just life doing its job.

I’m not shying away from Hill’s thrillers anymore after this excellent one. I might even go back in time and see what I’ve missed.

Megan Cooper

This was a really well balanced mix of paranormal, romance, drama and mystery. Obviously Ms Hill has been writing for a long time and her skill and experience shine through with how well the characters, plot and pacing integrate into a really satisfying read. 

For the last 23 years, children have been murdered every summer in Gillette Park, Colorado. The police, sheriff and FBI have had no luck in finding any evidence or clues - just the bodies of the missing children. As a last resort, the FBI engages Dr Grace Jennings, a psychic, to see if she can find anything to explain why this is happening and who is behind it. Partnered with Mason Cooper, who was a child when the disappearances began and has returned to her hometown as a sheriff's deputy, Grace is drawn into something more malevolent than just a child killer.

I really was impressed with the pacing - there was a lot going on with the book but I never found it bogged down with extraneous detail or slow. The mystery surrounding the 23 years of murders, Mason's own personal issues and Grace's past all melded together into a cohesive story with just the right amount of ominousness. 

The two lead characters - Mason and Grace - they were both well developed and were easy to connect with. I usually cringe at the word "soulmate" but it worked in this context - there wasn't an instalove, the love came later, but the two fit one another and the build up of trust and acceptance as the investigation progressed was believable and the romance element didn't feel contrived or forced into the larger mystery. 

From a paranormal perspective - there's no doubt there was paranormal content (ghosts all over the damned place) but it wasn't a full-on horror story. The ghosts were tragic (and I loved that each of the children were so distinctive and real, made their deaths that much more poignant) and the underlying evil was more ominous than terrifying. This helped keep the story grounded and not go over the top. Mason's uncertainty/anxiousness with the idea of what Grace was doing worked particularly well. Mason wasn't able to see/hear, but her fear was palpable and reasonable as was her determination to keep pushing ahead with the investigation and to listen to Grace with an open mind. It was a great balance - letting the reader and Mason learn to suspend disbelief.

It's really interesting the way that Ms Hill portrays the town's reaction after 23 years of murders. Those who have been around don't talk about it - its like there's a malaise that enshrouds the town, with the knowledge of what has been happening and will continue to happen being like the elephant in the room. This inability to admit or confront what is so apparent continues on with Mason's relationships - she continues in the broken pattern with her mother, never facing the potential of her parentage and never really forming any kind of strong bond with her old friends/co-workers at the sheriff's office. 

With Gillette Park, Ms. Hill masterfully weaves the mystery, drama, romance and paranormal elements into a cohesive and enthralling story.

Alex (They/Them)

Renee

Carol Bailey

Tess

Gillette Park, a sleepy town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, harbors a secret. Twenty-three years ago, a young girl went missing. Two days later her body was found lodged beneath the footbridge over Boulder Creek. The murder shook the town but they soon found it was only the beginning. A serial killer hides among them—a serial killer who strikes twice, sometimes three times a year. Mason Cooper couldn’t wait to leave Gillette Park. At eighteen, she headed off to college and the bright lights of Los Angeles, thinking she’d never return home to the broken family and forgotten friendships she’d left behind. But being a cop in LA lost its charm and—after a breakup—Mason heads back to her hometown. The serial killer still haunts Gillette Park and she becomes consumed with catching him. Dr. Grace Jennings has what some call a gift. She “sees” things. She “hears” things. Running from that gift was useless so she’s learned to embrace it instead. Now the FBI has solicited her help in catching the serial killer. Not everyone in this mountain town has embraced the idea of bringing in a psychic, including Mason’s uncle and boss, Sheriff Cooper. Mason is tasked with being the go-between and she soon finds herself with a front row seat as Dr. Jennings discovers the dark—and well hidden—secrets of Gillette Park. As Mason and Grace’s friendship grows, so does their attraction. But safety lies only with each other, as they battle the evil that lives in Gillette Park.

Gillette Park

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