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Owl Creek #1
Smoke over Owl Creek
Valerie Fisher came to Owl Creek looking for a fresh beginning. What she finds could tear the small town apart.
After her husband's tragic death, Val returns to her childhood home with her seven-year old daughter, hoping to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. But the sleepy logging community isn't as safe as it once was. Wildfires rage in the hills and Val is convinced that someone is prowling around her property. She looks for help from Joel, an old high school friend who's distinguished himself as a local detective.
Together Val and Joel are pulled into a dark tale of jealousy and murder as they uncover the truth behind the most infamous murder trial in Owl Creek's history. When they find a body in the woods near Val's house, one thing is clear:
Someone has a secret they're willing to kill to protect.
After her husband's tragic death, Val returns to her childhood home with her seven-year old daughter, hoping to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. But the sleepy logging community isn't as safe as it once was. Wildfires rage in the hills and Val is convinced that someone is prowling around her property. She looks for help from Joel, an old high school friend who's distinguished himself as a local detective.
Together Val and Joel are pulled into a dark tale of jealousy and murder as they uncover the truth behind the most infamous murder trial in Owl Creek's history. When they find a body in the woods near Val's house, one thing is clear:
Someone has a secret they're willing to kill to protect.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2021
577 people are currently reading
1015 people want to read
About the author
Caren Hahn
19 books231 followersCAREN HAHN is an award-winning fantasy and suspense author best known for the Owl Creek, small town suspense series, and Hatched, a dragon adventure series. She discovered at a young age that the only thing more thrilling than reading fictional adventures was writing them herself, though it took the disruption from a global pandemic before she was driven to share her stories with the world.
Caren has a passion for writing intense stories without explicit content so they can be enjoyed by a wide audience. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.
Caren has a passion for writing intense stories without explicit content so they can be enjoyed by a wide audience. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 15, 2021
“Now she was back in Owl Creek, but it certainly didn’t have the feel of second chances. More like desperate irony.”
Read full review in the 2021 Holiday issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2021 Holiday issue of InD'tale Magazine.
May 26, 2025
A small town full of mysteries…
What a great story that had a strong sense of mystery and suspense sprinkled in with a little romance. I love small town thriller stories, and this one did not disappoint.. And that ending?? No one can tell me they saw that coming. I’m excited to dive in books 2 and 3 of this series. Val and Abby stole my heart from chapter 1 and I’m excited to see more of them.
What a great story that had a strong sense of mystery and suspense sprinkled in with a little romance. I love small town thriller stories, and this one did not disappoint.. And that ending?? No one can tell me they saw that coming. I’m excited to dive in books 2 and 3 of this series. Val and Abby stole my heart from chapter 1 and I’m excited to see more of them.
November 30, 2022
I won't spoil the surprise except to say that I didn't guess who the killer was before it was revealed. Nice job. This was a good mix of small town gossip, suspense, and romance.
June 26, 2022
An exciting page-turner with a shocking twist and a thrilling conclusion. Five delighted stars!
Holy smoke! What a surprising treat! This book contains many essential ingredients for an exciting murder mystery. Here's the recipe.
(1) Start with a mysterious prowler near an old house in an Oregon forest. The house is occupied by a vulnerable young woman and her little girl.
(2) Add a missing person with connections to another missing person/murder case, and a badly mutilated body.
(3) Toss in a snoopy reporter and a hunky detective, both of whom compete for the attentions of the vulnerable young widow. Add a dash of romance.
(4) Include several red herrings to confuse the reader.
(5) Surround these ingredients with several raging forest fires, one of which is rapidly approaching the young widow's house.
(6) Unmask the murderous villain when the book is nearly done, satisfying your hungry readers with a terrifying final confrontation and a shocking twist they never saw coming!
(7) Frost your creation with a sweet ending filled with hope.
You'll find flawless proofreading, no f-bombs or other profanities, and no sex scenes (just a few kisses). Grab a copy of this delightful treat and enjoy!
Holy smoke! What a surprising treat! This book contains many essential ingredients for an exciting murder mystery. Here's the recipe.
(1) Start with a mysterious prowler near an old house in an Oregon forest. The house is occupied by a vulnerable young woman and her little girl.
(2) Add a missing person with connections to another missing person/murder case, and a badly mutilated body.
(3) Toss in a snoopy reporter and a hunky detective, both of whom compete for the attentions of the vulnerable young widow. Add a dash of romance.
(4) Include several red herrings to confuse the reader.
(5) Surround these ingredients with several raging forest fires, one of which is rapidly approaching the young widow's house.
(6) Unmask the murderous villain when the book is nearly done, satisfying your hungry readers with a terrifying final confrontation and a shocking twist they never saw coming!
(7) Frost your creation with a sweet ending filled with hope.
You'll find flawless proofreading, no f-bombs or other profanities, and no sex scenes (just a few kisses). Grab a copy of this delightful treat and enjoy!
October 19, 2021
This was a great mystery ride. Very descriptive and I love that it is set in the beautiful PNW!
October 11, 2021
This mystery, thriller had me up night after night needing more. I felt like I'd been plunked down right in the middle of Owl Creek with Val, and was moving through the days and nights with her. The clean romance is a rare gem! It gave added depth and complexities to the relationships, and made it so much more real. Because aren't most relationships multi-dimensional?
My mom heartstrings were tugged on throughout the book, which really sucked me in! If you're looking for a great read, and way to spend your time, you've arrived at the right place! Just make sure you don't have any early morning appointments, because you'll lose sleep with this one! ;)
My mom heartstrings were tugged on throughout the book, which really sucked me in! If you're looking for a great read, and way to spend your time, you've arrived at the right place! Just make sure you don't have any early morning appointments, because you'll lose sleep with this one! ;)
January 6, 2022
Such a great book! I really enjoyed the well-rounded characters and suspense in this book. I liked and disliked all of the characters at one point or another, which made them seem a lot more like real people. The plot surprised me a couple of times, which was fun, and I love the atmosphere created by all of the wildfires. Perfect for a mystery novel. It was also great not having to jump over sections that were too graphic or full of obscene language. Really a good read!
September 16, 2022
FREE PRIME READ.
OWL CREEK DOSEN'T SEEM LIKE YOUR AVERAGE QUAINT SMALL TOWN, IT'S REALLY KINDA CREEPY. EVERYONE IN THAT TOWN IS CREEPY, SHOULD BE CALLED OWL CREEPY. I DID FIGURE OUR PART OF THE MYSTERY, THE STORYLINE HAS TWIST-N-TURNS. IT HAD ME THINKING TO MUCH ABOUT THE WRONG THING. THAT STORY ENDED BUT I THINK MORE MIGHT BE IN THE NEXT BOOK, SINCE IT IS A SERIES. NOT SEXUALLY EXPLICIT. ;D
OWL CREEK DOSEN'T SEEM LIKE YOUR AVERAGE QUAINT SMALL TOWN, IT'S REALLY KINDA CREEPY. EVERYONE IN THAT TOWN IS CREEPY, SHOULD BE CALLED OWL CREEPY. I DID FIGURE OUR PART OF THE MYSTERY, THE STORYLINE HAS TWIST-N-TURNS. IT HAD ME THINKING TO MUCH ABOUT THE WRONG THING. THAT STORY ENDED BUT I THINK MORE MIGHT BE IN THE NEXT BOOK, SINCE IT IS A SERIES. NOT SEXUALLY EXPLICIT. ;D
March 24, 2024
Thrilling page turner.
January 16, 2024
i shipped a CANON ship i actually can’t believe myself and it’s not even a toxic one like what is actually wrong w me (ik im saying this with a the notebook pfp but wilbur knows who i am).
but on a real note this book was very blah, i knew who the killer was, the extra twist amounted to nothing, was boring ☺️ 3 stars
but on a real note this book was very blah, i knew who the killer was, the extra twist amounted to nothing, was boring ☺️ 3 stars
December 7, 2021
Fantastic! Would you believe that I’m really not much of a fiction reader and picked this one up only because the author is an old friend of mine? I was completely blown away by how much I enjoyed this book! I could not put it down! The characters are engaging, the story is well-written and full of intrigue. You won’t regret picking this one up!
October 28, 2021
From page one, this book draws you in. You seriously won't be able to put it down until you're done! Recommending to everyone I know.
October 24, 2021
So good! I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for the next book!
March 16, 2022
I love a good mystery. But I especially love a good small-town mystery. This one did not disappoint!
Hahn's writing is evocative and hard to put down. And it's clean, which is really rare to find in a good mystery/thriller. Can't wait to get my hands on the next book!
Hahn's writing is evocative and hard to put down. And it's clean, which is really rare to find in a good mystery/thriller. Can't wait to get my hands on the next book!
December 29, 2023
4.25 stars—is that a thing? :) I just found my new favorite mystery author. I can’t recommend this book enough if you’re a fan of mysteries set in rural areas. Anyone who is from a backwoods town will understand and relate to many aspects of the FMC’s experiences in Owl Creek—the condescension and insecurity of “coming home” when you’re not as successful as the folks who stayed was SO on point. Though the book is set in the PNW, I felt a lot of “southern gothic” themes from this.
Enough of my rambling and on to the actual “fun” stuff—the thrills! The plot had many twists and turns. Near the end as things were unraveling, I wanted to smack myself for missing the various “ties” that the author sneakily wove in throughout the book. I’m not marking this as 5 stars only because I felt that the ending was convenient, if not a little abrupt. I think there could have been more “fleshing out” done in the end stages. That said, I LOVED this and will be checking out the sequel, as well as her other books. Well done!
Enough of my rambling and on to the actual “fun” stuff—the thrills! The plot had many twists and turns. Near the end as things were unraveling, I wanted to smack myself for missing the various “ties” that the author sneakily wove in throughout the book. I’m not marking this as 5 stars only because I felt that the ending was convenient, if not a little abrupt. I think there could have been more “fleshing out” done in the end stages. That said, I LOVED this and will be checking out the sequel, as well as her other books. Well done!
September 18, 2024
Quick read with a lot of action. Val and her daughter, Abby, have retreated back to Val‘s parents home after the loss of her husband, Jordan, who committed suicide after committing crimes of fraud against elderly people. There’s a fire going on. It goes dangerously close on her property. There is a shady man with a shady history that keeps coming and taking stuff from the garage from an agreement he made with Val’s parents, he blatantly ignored her requests for communication and permission to come on her land. Ali there’s an incident with taking Abby!
There’s an unsolved murder still happening in the town and a local man associated with. It has also gone missing with the help of vows, detective friend and future love interest, Joel, they run into a cougar whose made a snack of the missing man.
There’s a comic that everyone in the town is obsessed with, Robert Apocalypse. This comic helps break the missing girl case and relieves the truth about what happened to her and her killer who is much too close to Val and Abby. Val managing to escape being his next victim.
There’s an unsolved murder still happening in the town and a local man associated with. It has also gone missing with the help of vows, detective friend and future love interest, Joel, they run into a cougar whose made a snack of the missing man.
There’s a comic that everyone in the town is obsessed with, Robert Apocalypse. This comic helps break the missing girl case and relieves the truth about what happened to her and her killer who is much too close to Val and Abby. Val managing to escape being his next victim.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2025
An ok story
Smoke over owl creek by Caren Hahn.
For me this story did not work. There is a lot of showing how circumstances have an effect on the characters. The main character Val is portrayed as a person with severe anxiety prone to panic attacks who sees herself as a victim and behaves accordingly, by having angry outbursts. She temporarily moves into her parents house supposedly to help it get ready for sale. She is living rent free with her young daughter in near poverty after her husband, who is the son of a state senator, was involved in a large scale financial fraud case, who drove his car off a cliff rather than face the consequences of his actions. She is spending a lot of time wallowing in her misery and as a result, I found it hard to like her. There is a wild fire getting closer to the town, a missing firefighter, an old friend who is a reporter, an old friend who is now a detective, a cold case of a missing person. A second chance for love. 2 and half stars.
Smoke over owl creek by Caren Hahn.
For me this story did not work. There is a lot of showing how circumstances have an effect on the characters. The main character Val is portrayed as a person with severe anxiety prone to panic attacks who sees herself as a victim and behaves accordingly, by having angry outbursts. She temporarily moves into her parents house supposedly to help it get ready for sale. She is living rent free with her young daughter in near poverty after her husband, who is the son of a state senator, was involved in a large scale financial fraud case, who drove his car off a cliff rather than face the consequences of his actions. She is spending a lot of time wallowing in her misery and as a result, I found it hard to like her. There is a wild fire getting closer to the town, a missing firefighter, an old friend who is a reporter, an old friend who is now a detective, a cold case of a missing person. A second chance for love. 2 and half stars.
November 18, 2025
2.5 STARS
Val was an irresponsible parent and it was hard to root for her. She left her seven-year-old daughter alone multiple times! She was prone to feeling sorry for herself and her new circumstances and that made her rude to people at times.
Joel and Val were childhood friends, that had the possibility of more when they were teenagers. There are still feelings there, but also a bit of a love triangle with another childhood friend, and I found the romance angles rather meh.
The mystery part of the book was the strongest. There's a twist regarding Val's past that had the opportunity to be a major storyline, but it kind of fizzled out. Maybe it will be revisited in the next book, but I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
Val was an irresponsible parent and it was hard to root for her. She left her seven-year-old daughter alone multiple times! She was prone to feeling sorry for herself and her new circumstances and that made her rude to people at times.
Joel and Val were childhood friends, that had the possibility of more when they were teenagers. There are still feelings there, but also a bit of a love triangle with another childhood friend, and I found the romance angles rather meh.
The mystery part of the book was the strongest. There's a twist regarding Val's past that had the opportunity to be a major storyline, but it kind of fizzled out. Maybe it will be revisited in the next book, but I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
January 1, 2024
This held my attention and kept me reading. Lots of clues--some of them true, some misinformation or speculation. Plenty of suspects. Lots of jumping to conclusions and then having to form new theories. Unreliable narrators--some truthful, some deluded, some intentionally lying. Plot twists galore as we go from one scary situation to another. A little potential romance thrown in just to keep things interesting. A vulnerable woman and young child in danger. I confess I absolutely did not see the ending coming, and yet it was entirely believable. Wow! What an adventure.
September 9, 2025
This was a pretty cute read. Seemed to be more YA; it was very clean, no foul language, etc. Some of the writing was over simplified in my opinion; there were scenes I felt rather talked-down to, though again with how clean it was, this may have been written for a younger audience. It was a relatively short book that occurred within a 2-3 week time-frame, so there was not much opportunity for character development.
I did like the false leads we had along the way, and I was wrong in my assumption of who the killer was, so that was very well done. Cute mystery with an HEA.
I did like the false leads we had along the way, and I was wrong in my assumption of who the killer was, so that was very well done. Cute mystery with an HEA.
February 19, 2024
Nice!
3.5 stars(I wish Goodreads let you do halves!)
The first few chapters in, I was nervous I wasn’t going to like the book. But the mystery kept drawing me to the end!
I did notice at least one editing error (Portand instead of Portland).
Anyway, while it’s not a new all time favorite, I did find it to be an enjoyable book. I definitely think I’ll give some of the other authors work a try.
3.5 stars(I wish Goodreads let you do halves!)
The first few chapters in, I was nervous I wasn’t going to like the book. But the mystery kept drawing me to the end!
I did notice at least one editing error (Portand instead of Portland).
Anyway, while it’s not a new all time favorite, I did find it to be an enjoyable book. I definitely think I’ll give some of the other authors work a try.
January 20, 2026
In the vivid setting of a small town in Oregon during wildfire season, Caren Hahn weaves together the aftershocks of an old crime and the fear evoked by new crimes, creating multiple layers of tension. The characters are interesting and likeable, many of them struggling with their own baggage. The pacing of the story is excellent and there are some startling twists and turns that I absolutely did not see coming. A very compelling mystery!
May 31, 2023
It was an exciting read with a shocking twist and ending. It had an unknown bad guy, a person that disappears, and a murderer. What else would you need in a book. I loved the small town setting and the well developed characters. The author does an outstanding job creating a suspenseful atmosphere with a conclusion that you didn't predict. I will definitely read more from this author. I recommend.
December 29, 2023
Never guessed the killer would be who it was. I really liked the characters, especially Val and Joel. The comic book part was a necessary part of the storyline and tied everything together, but it’s just not something I am into. It was a little corny. Other than that, great plot, great ending, and great writing. Good twists for sure.
February 14, 2024
Absolutely captured by Smoke Over Owl Creek from the very first page. I was hooked on this gripping thriller by the incredible Caren Hahn. Superb settings and characters were so real I felt and visualised I was there. WOW! The ending, I honestly never expected that, I was totally thrown off course going in the wrong direction with this story. Outstanding book. I thoroughly recommend it.
February 16, 2024
Great story
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the series. Hahn builds relatable characters and spins an exciting story. The Oregon setting is the icing on the cake and it's obvious she's well versed in Oregon's fire season procedures. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the series. Hahn builds relatable characters and spins an exciting story. The Oregon setting is the icing on the cake and it's obvious she's well versed in Oregon's fire season procedures. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
March 22, 2025
With its blend of mystery, suspense, and emotional weight, Smoke Over Owl Creek is a must-read for fans of small-town thrillers and slow-burning suspense. Hahn masterfully crafts a story where every shadow holds a secret, and every truth comes with a price. Perfect for readers who love a story that keeps them guessing until the very end.
January 28, 2026
This took me longer to get through than the last suspense book I read, however - I’m glad I stuck with it. I really enjoyed the characters, the story (even though it was a bit slow), and I even called “who dun it” before the ending came (which isn’t a bad thing, it’s fun to me)! I got this book for a TikTok I planned on making called “Letting Amazon pick my next read” and I’m glad I found it!
January 2, 2024
I thought the story was very slow. I actually had a hard time wanting to finish when u was towards the middle. It took a while for me for the romance bit to get there. The mystery definitely got there in the end, but personally I struggled through a lot of the pages and wasn't super invested.
January 9, 2024
An awesome book!
Caren Hahn can tell a story! She uses words that pull you into the town, and the people. The mystery that underlies the town of Owl Creek leads you to more and more mystery! A full 5 star book for sure!
Caren Hahn can tell a story! She uses words that pull you into the town, and the people. The mystery that underlies the town of Owl Creek leads you to more and more mystery! A full 5 star book for sure!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews