Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Up the Creek (Culver Creek, #1)” as Want to Read:
Up the Creek
(Culver Creek #1)
by
An unsolved murder. Disturbing dreams. A missing child.
Caitlin Walker hasn't had a dream in nine years. Nightmares torture her son Adam and awaken in Caitlin buried memories and a dark secret. Her husband Lance has a secret of his own, one that his son's nightmares threaten to reveal.
In Culver Creek newly hired detective Sage Dorian works to unravel the small town's notori ...more
Caitlin Walker hasn't had a dream in nine years. Nightmares torture her son Adam and awaken in Caitlin buried memories and a dark secret. Her husband Lance has a secret of his own, one that his son's nightmares threaten to reveal.
In Culver Creek newly hired detective Sage Dorian works to unravel the small town's notori ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 356 pages
Published
January 2021
by Glitter Pigeon Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Up the Creek,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Up the Creek
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Up the Creek (Culver Creek, #1)

Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
UP THE CREEK (Culver Creek Book #1) by Alissa Grosso is the start of a new crime fiction/mystery series. This introduction to the series intertwines past mysteries and crimes to the present lives of the three characters focused on in this story.
Detective Sage Dorian is recently hired by the Culver Creek PD and he has a specific reason for seeking employment in Culver City. He wants to work on the small town’s notorious cold case.
Ca ...more
UP THE CREEK (Culver Creek Book #1) by Alissa Grosso is the start of a new crime fiction/mystery series. This introduction to the series intertwines past mysteries and crimes to the present lives of the three characters focused on in this story.
Detective Sage Dorian is recently hired by the Culver Creek PD and he has a specific reason for seeking employment in Culver City. He wants to work on the small town’s notorious cold case.
Ca ...more

Great book! It was very alert from the beginning. A little girl is found dead and even after many years they did not find the killer. Adam is a cute boy who has nightmares, and his mom can see he is like her. They can see violent acts in their dreams. I don't want to tell more because is nice to find the truth by reading the book.
Well, I knew it from the moment Adam was insisting in keeping the door closed. 🤐
Thank you Netgalley gor this Arc, definitely I am going to read more from Alissa Grosso. ...more
Well, I knew it from the moment Adam was insisting in keeping the door closed. 🤐
Thank you Netgalley gor this Arc, definitely I am going to read more from Alissa Grosso. ...more

Right from the very start it had me hooked and wanting to know all of the secrets that everyone seemed to be keeping and what really happened to the young girl and who killed her and why, other thing I loved was how complex the characters was and how the plot seemed to flow with the story and made it easy to get lost in, and the pace also help it wasn't to fast or slow it was just right. But the biggest win for me was how it was a murder mystery, a thriller and suspense all wrapped up into one e
...more

Jan 05, 2021
Vikki Vaught
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
american,
arc,
contemporary,
dark,
mystery,
net-galley,
suspense,
thriller,
vikki-s-musings
4.5 Stars
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Up the Creek by Alissa Grosso. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this book prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.
Up the Creek is an exciting mystery with complex characters and a gripping plot. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept me enthralled until the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and trying to discover how it was all connected.
Caitlin Walker i ...more
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Up the Creek by Alissa Grosso. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this book prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.
Up the Creek is an exciting mystery with complex characters and a gripping plot. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept me enthralled until the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and trying to discover how it was all connected.
Caitlin Walker i ...more

I received a free electronic copy of this novel on December 9, 2020, from Netgalley, Alissa Grosso, and Glitter Pigeon Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Alissa Grosso writes a tight, compelling story that grabs hold early and doesn't let go. I am pleased to recommend this author to friends and family.
In her youth Caitlin was traumatized again and again by nightmares of horr ...more
In her youth Caitlin was traumatized again and again by nightmares of horr ...more

Callie has had nightmares her whole life , but found a over the counter medication that helps her, her young son is having nightmares and the same ones she has had, her husband has to have the bedroom door locked or he will end covered with blood and somewhere strange, Sage the new police detective in culver creek
Takes on a cold case, how do they all tie together?
Takes on a cold case, how do they all tie together?

I'd previously enjoyed Grosso's In the Bag, so I picked this one next, and I liked it for the most part. The couple at its center suffers from secretitis, that annoying affliction wherein mystery/thriller characters will not share secrets, even with their life partners, but it's tolerable in this book. And I'd like to know what happened to Sage's sister.
...more

Sometimes families keep secrets from one another because they are embarrassed, sometimes because they don’t want to even have to face the situation again themselves. And sometimes people go so far to hide a secret that secrets end up threatening or ending everyone’s relationship.
Caitlin suffered from a horrid trauma at a young age and begins to realize her son is having nightmares for a reason. As parents she and her husband think the nightmares their son has are something he’ll outgrow. But wi ...more
Caitlin suffered from a horrid trauma at a young age and begins to realize her son is having nightmares for a reason. As parents she and her husband think the nightmares their son has are something he’ll outgrow. But wi ...more

This is a very interesting novel about past secrets and keeping those secrets hidden within a marriage. The plot centers on dreams, experiencing them, medicating to not experience them, and what they can mean. The wife and son are the characters who experience or have experienced prescient dreams, ones that reveal a possible future but also place people in danger. The husband is a bit different in that he sleep walks yet that night time activity figures greatly into the plot too.
The narrative ha ...more
The narrative ha ...more

Up the Creek by Alyssa C. Grosso, is the first book in a new series based in and around the small town of Culver Creek. The story introduces Caitlin Walker who hasn't had a dream for nine years, but her son Adam suffers from terrifying nightmares which awaken buried memories in Caitlin and a deep secret. Her husband, Lance, also has a secret and Adam's nightmares are threatening to reveal that secret. At the same time, Sage Dorian, the newly hired detective at the police department, starts work
...more

Bottom line: couples should not keep secrets from each other.
Bottom line two: this was a great introduction to a new series! But with such an emphasis on the Walker family, it was hard to see that Detective Sage Dorian will be the going forward center of the series.
Caitlin had prophetic dreams/nightmares as a child. When her son starts to express his, Caitlin is startled and worried. Her husband, Lance, is worried but for a different reason. It is the combination of these worries that propels th ...more
Bottom line two: this was a great introduction to a new series! But with such an emphasis on the Walker family, it was hard to see that Detective Sage Dorian will be the going forward center of the series.
Caitlin had prophetic dreams/nightmares as a child. When her son starts to express his, Caitlin is startled and worried. Her husband, Lance, is worried but for a different reason. It is the combination of these worries that propels th ...more

Up the Creek by Alissa Grosso was an excellent read. It is my kind of book. A mixture of mystery, thriller, and suspense. It kept me invested from beginning to end.
This is my first read bu Alissa Grosso, and it most certainly won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style.
I liked the alternating perspectives. It really drew interesting connections between the characters, and made them feel more realistic.
Overall, Up the Creek was a good read that I would recommend to others.
*I received a f ...more
This is my first read bu Alissa Grosso, and it most certainly won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style.
I liked the alternating perspectives. It really drew interesting connections between the characters, and made them feel more realistic.
Overall, Up the Creek was a good read that I would recommend to others.
*I received a f ...more

This book is a murder mystery, a thriller and suspense all wrapped up in one exciting book. As you read you find connections with various characters that weren’t obvious in the beginning. I don’t want to spoil the book so I can’t get into what parts I liked or didn’t like without ruining it for you.
The characters were well developed and it was easy to feel what they were experiencing. The story was told through various characters eyes so you get to see different perspectives of the situation wh ...more
The characters were well developed and it was easy to feel what they were experiencing. The story was told through various characters eyes so you get to see different perspectives of the situation wh ...more

Secrets, lies and murder. What role do dreams play in solving the nineteen year old unsolved murder of Lily Esposito? Caitlin drugs herself to prevent herself from dreaming, Lance wonders what he’s done during the night that he can’t remember and their son Adam wakes screaming from the nightmares he’s having.
The story is told from alternating perspectives, Caitlin’s, Lance’s and Sage Driscoll, the detective investigating the unsolved murder. Each of them experience flashbacks of events that occ ...more
The story is told from alternating perspectives, Caitlin’s, Lance’s and Sage Driscoll, the detective investigating the unsolved murder. Each of them experience flashbacks of events that occ ...more

Slow start, with a can’t put down middle to the end.
Up the Creek by Alissa Grosso was a very good thriller with engrossing characters and an unusual plot. The book starts out a bit slow, and I’ll admit, I almost gave up on it, but then boom.....it took off, and I had a hard time putting it down. The story had several twist and turns, as the author built up to a satisfying ending. I would definitely read another book by Alissa Grosso.
Up the Creek by Alissa Grosso was a very good thriller with engrossing characters and an unusual plot. The book starts out a bit slow, and I’ll admit, I almost gave up on it, but then boom.....it took off, and I had a hard time putting it down. The story had several twist and turns, as the author built up to a satisfying ending. I would definitely read another book by Alissa Grosso.

Full of secrets and lies, this one will keep you guessing until the end. It's a bit confusing at the beginning trying to keep all the characters and timelines straight. Keep with it though because about a third of the way through it turns into a page-turner.
This is the first in a new series. While the case revolving around the past and the current case are resolved, there are a few threads left undone. While we will definitely be seeing more of Sage it's unclear if we will see the other charact ...more
This is the first in a new series. While the case revolving around the past and the current case are resolved, there are a few threads left undone. While we will definitely be seeing more of Sage it's unclear if we will see the other charact ...more

Up the Creek by Alissa C. Grosso is an interesting thriller that left me with mixed feelings. Overall, the concept is particularly good because frightening dreams can be a problem that is not easily solved. All three of the main characters, Caitlin, Lance, and Adam., have night terrors or active dreams.
Caitlin Walker thinks she has found a solution to avoiding her physic dreams. She drugs herself each night with an over-the-counter sleep aid that has recently been discontinued. As I read how de ...more
Caitlin Walker thinks she has found a solution to avoiding her physic dreams. She drugs herself each night with an over-the-counter sleep aid that has recently been discontinued. As I read how de ...more

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read this ARC. This book started off great!Right away I started caring about Adam, poor kid. As the book went on, I got confused because there was so much going on and it was frustrating that so many people had secrets and stories, many of which did not seem to be resolved. I guess that's why this is only book one. However, I think the other stories distracted from the main story that was actually great. I would have enjoyed it more if the
...more

In Up The Creek, book one of the Culver Creek Series, author Alissa Grosso takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting thriller as Culver Creek Detective Sage Dorian tries to solve a nineteen year old unsolved cold murder case, while Caitlin and Lance Walker deal with deep dark secrets and disturbing dreams that has an affect on their four year old son Adam.
Up The Creek is a riveting thriller that easily draws the reader in from the start. The author provides the reader with a fascinating, ...more
Up The Creek is a riveting thriller that easily draws the reader in from the start. The author provides the reader with a fascinating, ...more

Up the Creek is an interesting mystery that looks at something most of us rarely consider: our loss of control while sleeping. What if prophetic nightmares and dangerous sleepwalking take over our sleep, and the consequences start controlling our waking hours?
I enjoyed the premise of this story. My heart broke for young Adam, whose realistic, torturous nightmares were destroying his childhood.
I didn’t like either parent. The choices they made along the way made me want to smack them both. Also, ...more
I enjoyed the premise of this story. My heart broke for young Adam, whose realistic, torturous nightmares were destroying his childhood.
I didn’t like either parent. The choices they made along the way made me want to smack them both. Also, ...more

I was very close to not finishing this book, but I decided to persevere and give it a chance until the end. I should have DNFed it.
Very disappointing story, plagued with ridiculous details in its plot, the development of the characters, and the ending. And it is very difficult to explain everything that is wrong with this book without revealing spoilers. So I'm just going to say that most of the conflicts in this book would have been less problematic if the main protagonists communicated more an ...more
Very disappointing story, plagued with ridiculous details in its plot, the development of the characters, and the ending. And it is very difficult to explain everything that is wrong with this book without revealing spoilers. So I'm just going to say that most of the conflicts in this book would have been less problematic if the main protagonists communicated more an ...more

Being the first book of a mystery/thriller series, I have to say WOW! There was a lot going on that opened the doors to an endless supply of secrets. Secrets that threaten to unravel lives, changing everything the characters have built around themselves.
My heart ached for Adam -- and his parents. There is a hard lesson within all of this -- secrets, no matter how dark and sinister, are never worth the potential loss if they aren't shared.
As a child, I experienced sleepwalking episodes and my ow ...more
My heart ached for Adam -- and his parents. There is a hard lesson within all of this -- secrets, no matter how dark and sinister, are never worth the potential loss if they aren't shared.
As a child, I experienced sleepwalking episodes and my ow ...more

Up the Creek is an exciting read, filled with lots of twists and turns. From the first chapter this book kept me turning the page, this is one of my favorite genre of books and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Caltin and Lance both have been keeping secrets from the other, which is never good in a marriage. As their young son Adam begins to have nightmares constantly, all sort of things begin to surface. You can't delve deeply into the storyline, or I would be giving away the storyline and how t
...more

Most people have heard that old saying about being up a creek without a paddle. A bunch of people in this book are up that creek.
There are too many people with nightmares and secrets. It’s up to Sage Dorian to unravel those secrets. But can he unravel his own?
Guilt also abounds. Sage understands that, too. He also has to deal with coverups and police incompetence.
I really didn’t want this book to end. There’s more I want to find out. That’s why I’m looking forward to Book 2 in the Culver Creek s ...more
There are too many people with nightmares and secrets. It’s up to Sage Dorian to unravel those secrets. But can he unravel his own?
Guilt also abounds. Sage understands that, too. He also has to deal with coverups and police incompetence.
I really didn’t want this book to end. There’s more I want to find out. That’s why I’m looking forward to Book 2 in the Culver Creek s ...more

Up the Creek by Alissa Grosso a five-star read that will grip you and never let you go. This is number one on the Culver Creek series and I am excited to read number two as well as more by this author, I don’t know what to write to tell you to read this story as I am terrified that I may give you a tiny hint that as you read may reveal something to you. All I will say is if you are looking for a gripping mystery with characters that will keep you guessing as well as make you care then this is a
...more

This is an interesting book about murder and sleep disorders. I don't like Caitlin Walker because she is selfish.
I received an ARC from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for an honest review. ...more
I received an ARC from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for an honest review. ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Related Articles
If you ask us, it's always the perfect time to lose yourself in a page-turning mystery. To help you sleuth out a new read, we asked the...
93 likes · 84 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »