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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I didn’t enjoy this book, I was bored half way through I think it kept me entertained the frustration of how dumb the main character was. The big secret was underwhelming, the storyline felt 🫠I felt compelled to finish the book however I wouldn’t be reaching for it again. However for people divulging into this kind of style this book might be a good taste. Just writing style and plot wasn’t for me and rarely kept me engaged wanting more. A little disappointed
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t my favourite by Mark Edwards but i still really liked it. It kept me hooked and i really enjoyed the plot. The only negative i have to say is there was quite a few charterers, like side character that were hard to remember who is who. It was still really good though.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He’s done it again! The King of domestic horror is back with another sinister story fueled with adrenaline. Just make sure you don’t have other plans, because you’ll be cancelling them to read this once you’ve started. I inhaled it in one sitting; shackled to the pages by the scalpel-sharp tension and my desperate need for answers.
The body of local recluse Leo James is found on a beach in the Lake District buried up to his neck and left to drown. The shocking murder rocks this small, idyllic village to its core and puts its new detective, Imogen Evans, under pressure to find the culprit quickly. It is soon clear that some of Elderbridge’s residents are hiding dark secrets. But which of them will kill to keep it that way?
Mark Edwards never misses and The Darkest Water showcases why his books are a highlight of my reading year. Expertly written, shrewdly choreographed, and darkly atmospheric, this was a masterclass in misdirection. As part one came to a close I was sure I had it all figured out. But I was wrong. Moving between the dual timelines, dark secrets and surprising connections were unveiled piece by piece until the full, shocking picture emerged.
The story is told by multiple narrators, one of whom is a blast from the past for fans of this author. Detective Imogen Evans, first seen in Edwards’ book The Lucky Ones, is the detective charged with solving Leo James’ murder. I loved revisiting a loved character in a new world as it felt like the ideal mix of standalone and series; some familiarity for fans but also not excluding new readers. The characters are all compelling and richly drawn, however briefly they appear on the pages, and you get a real sense of community in this picturesque village, which was the ideal backdrop for this story. Idyllic but also isolated and bleak, Elderbridge has a sense of danger simmering under its surface, while foreboding hangs in the air. Its idyll is fractured by the crime and the horror is compounded by the reminder that these things can happen anywhere, even in the most beautiful and seemingly safe places.
A dark and brooding thriller filled with breath-sucking tension, The Darkest Water is a must-read for fans of this genre.
The body of local recluse Leo James is found on a beach in the Lake District buried up to his neck and left to drown. The shocking murder rocks this small, idyllic village to its core and puts its new detective, Imogen Evans, under pressure to find the culprit quickly. It is soon clear that some of Elderbridge’s residents are hiding dark secrets. But which of them will kill to keep it that way?
Mark Edwards never misses and The Darkest Water showcases why his books are a highlight of my reading year. Expertly written, shrewdly choreographed, and darkly atmospheric, this was a masterclass in misdirection. As part one came to a close I was sure I had it all figured out. But I was wrong. Moving between the dual timelines, dark secrets and surprising connections were unveiled piece by piece until the full, shocking picture emerged.
The story is told by multiple narrators, one of whom is a blast from the past for fans of this author. Detective Imogen Evans, first seen in Edwards’ book The Lucky Ones, is the detective charged with solving Leo James’ murder. I loved revisiting a loved character in a new world as it felt like the ideal mix of standalone and series; some familiarity for fans but also not excluding new readers. The characters are all compelling and richly drawn, however briefly they appear on the pages, and you get a real sense of community in this picturesque village, which was the ideal backdrop for this story. Idyllic but also isolated and bleak, Elderbridge has a sense of danger simmering under its surface, while foreboding hangs in the air. Its idyll is fractured by the crime and the horror is compounded by the reminder that these things can happen anywhere, even in the most beautiful and seemingly safe places.
A dark and brooding thriller filled with breath-sucking tension, The Darkest Water is a must-read for fans of this genre.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He finally has achieved all he ever wanted…
In the small village of Elderbridge in the Lake District, Calvin Matheson has opened his own bakery/coffee shop called Therapy. His wife Vicky provided the support, both emotionally and financially, for him to take the professional leap and start his own business. It hasn’t quite caught on, though, and he is worried that his dream will be over quickly. Vicky and Tara, the local whom he has employed as an assistant, urge him to create a social media account to attract attention to the business, and though he is initially reluctant he goes along with their advice. A quirky post catches on, and soon Calvin has developed a following both online and in the shop, including a local baking enthusiast named Mel. Calvin and Mel exchange some DM’s which might fall into the slightly flirty category; when she sees them Vicky finds them off-putting and warns the somewhat naive Calvin about the dangers of an online presence. All of that pales in comparison to the discovery on nearby Drigg Beach of a dead man, Leo James, buried in the sand with only his head visible. DI Imogen Evans, who had relocated to this part of Cumbria to escape the notoriety she achieved when she brought a serial killer to justice a few years earlier (in author Mark Edwards’ The Lucky Ones), is called in to investigate this unusual case. Imogen has to find out not only who killed Leo, but who Leo actually was. Meanwhile, Tara is attacked in the bakery, Calvin accidentally hires Mel to take her place, and VIcky disappears. Social media is fickle, and Calvin goes from being the cool and trendy Chef Calvin to a husband who clearly must have killed his wife while having an affair with his employee. Could secrets from Calvin’s past surrounding the death of his younger sister Freda decades ago shed light on the current crimes? Who was Leo James? Is Mel a stalker of the Fatal Attraction variety? What has happened to Vicky? As more people turn up dead, there is no shortage of suspects, just a lack of tangible proof…can Imogen or Calvin discover who is behind the crimes before more lives are taken?
The Darkest Water starts out with a jolt, with a local man stumbling upon Leo James’ exposed head on the beach early one morning. Then the story turns to Calvin, an average guy trying to make a go of his business. It’s clear that he has some emotional baggage, but he and Vicky seem to have a solid and supportive relationship, and its amusing to see Calvin trying to make sense out of the brave new (for him) world of social media. As a reader I, like Vicky, had my doubts about Mel and had her on my watchlist of potential suspects. But from the local miscreant to the vicar, there were soon others who seemed like they were popping up too often for it to be a coincidence…although coincidences do happen, so determining who was genuinely up to no good and who was a red herring was hard to suss out. The characters were appealing, and the slow intertwining of Isobel’s case and Calvin’s troubles intriguing. Not until late in the book do past events start to come into focus, and then the game is afoot. It is a well-paced book and an enjoyable read for those who like a good psychological thriller, including fans of authors like John Marrs, Mary Kubica and Araminta Hall. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercier for allowing me early access to The Darkest Water
In the small village of Elderbridge in the Lake District, Calvin Matheson has opened his own bakery/coffee shop called Therapy. His wife Vicky provided the support, both emotionally and financially, for him to take the professional leap and start his own business. It hasn’t quite caught on, though, and he is worried that his dream will be over quickly. Vicky and Tara, the local whom he has employed as an assistant, urge him to create a social media account to attract attention to the business, and though he is initially reluctant he goes along with their advice. A quirky post catches on, and soon Calvin has developed a following both online and in the shop, including a local baking enthusiast named Mel. Calvin and Mel exchange some DM’s which might fall into the slightly flirty category; when she sees them Vicky finds them off-putting and warns the somewhat naive Calvin about the dangers of an online presence. All of that pales in comparison to the discovery on nearby Drigg Beach of a dead man, Leo James, buried in the sand with only his head visible. DI Imogen Evans, who had relocated to this part of Cumbria to escape the notoriety she achieved when she brought a serial killer to justice a few years earlier (in author Mark Edwards’ The Lucky Ones), is called in to investigate this unusual case. Imogen has to find out not only who killed Leo, but who Leo actually was. Meanwhile, Tara is attacked in the bakery, Calvin accidentally hires Mel to take her place, and VIcky disappears. Social media is fickle, and Calvin goes from being the cool and trendy Chef Calvin to a husband who clearly must have killed his wife while having an affair with his employee. Could secrets from Calvin’s past surrounding the death of his younger sister Freda decades ago shed light on the current crimes? Who was Leo James? Is Mel a stalker of the Fatal Attraction variety? What has happened to Vicky? As more people turn up dead, there is no shortage of suspects, just a lack of tangible proof…can Imogen or Calvin discover who is behind the crimes before more lives are taken?
The Darkest Water starts out with a jolt, with a local man stumbling upon Leo James’ exposed head on the beach early one morning. Then the story turns to Calvin, an average guy trying to make a go of his business. It’s clear that he has some emotional baggage, but he and Vicky seem to have a solid and supportive relationship, and its amusing to see Calvin trying to make sense out of the brave new (for him) world of social media. As a reader I, like Vicky, had my doubts about Mel and had her on my watchlist of potential suspects. But from the local miscreant to the vicar, there were soon others who seemed like they were popping up too often for it to be a coincidence…although coincidences do happen, so determining who was genuinely up to no good and who was a red herring was hard to suss out. The characters were appealing, and the slow intertwining of Isobel’s case and Calvin’s troubles intriguing. Not until late in the book do past events start to come into focus, and then the game is afoot. It is a well-paced book and an enjoyable read for those who like a good psychological thriller, including fans of authors like John Marrs, Mary Kubica and Araminta Hall. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercier for allowing me early access to The Darkest Water
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Finished reading: April 3rd 2024
"It was rare for any British cop to encounter one serial killer in their career, let alone two. Imogen had spent the last few years hoping bad things didn't really come in threes."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Mark Edwards' thrillers haven't failed me yet, so of course I had to add his newest title The Darkest Water as soon as I first heard about it. I liked the sound of the premise, with the murder investigation as well as a social media/stalker angle... And I've been looking forward to dive in. While I do have to admit that it took me a little while to properly warm up to the story, in the end I was hooked and I literally read it in one sitting! Another successful psychological slash crime thriller indeed.
The Darkest Water is set in the Lake District, and the small village and sea setting made for such a great backdrop for this story. I liked how the setting actually played a role in the plot, as it offered easy opportunities for certain events to take place... The plot itself uses a multiple POV structure, and there are quite a few characters in play. There seems to be a main division between the murder investigation with Detective Imogen Evans in the lead, and the more psychological thriller focused social media/stalker angle with mainly Calvin and his wife in the spotlight... Although you will find other POVs along the way as well as flashbacks to 1995.
I'm going to keep this review short to avoid spoilers, because this is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind. The various plot twists and new angles will just hit better this way, and especially the second half is extremely fast-paced. Things can be said about the credibility of certain aspects of the plot and you definitely have to suspend your disbelief, but it sure made for an extremely engaging read. A true pageturner! I do confess that the beginning was a bit slower than expected, but it is more than worth it to keep going and once the ball starts rolling it is very hard to put The Darkest Water down.
I hadn't realized that Detective Imogen Evans actually appeared in one of his previous books, The Lucky Ones, which I still have to read myself. This story works perfectly as a stand-alone though! I quite liked her character, so I will definitely be going back myself to see what the references to her past work were about. I wasn't too charmed by Calvin though, both because he made some very stupid mistakes and because he was way too gullible. I also wasn't too sure how credible his whole 'instant social media addiction' was... But since there are quite a lot of characters to distract you, and things soon start spinning out of control, you don't exactly have a lot of time to stand still by all this.
If you are looking for a lightning fast psychological thriller with a stalker/social media angle that also includes a murder investigation along the way, The Darkest Water is a more than solid choice. The plot maybe isn't 100% credible, but there is no denying its entertainment level!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
From the prologue to the very last page this is a perfect thriller. At the beginning you'd be forgiven for thinking there are 2 different storylines but it becomes apparent that the stories are linked in a chilling way. From past buried secrets to stalking to the power and negative side of social media.
I've read a few of Mark Edwards books and this is my favourite so far. Fast paced and tense this is everything I look for in my favourite genre
I've read a few of Mark Edwards books and this is my favourite so far. Fast paced and tense this is everything I look for in my favourite genre
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Calvin’s dream is to open a Bakery/Coffee shop, so with the help with his wife’s Vicky’s savings he does just that in a small town called Elderbridge in the Lake district. But business is not going as well as he hopes. So, he turns to social media and opens account and shows everyone the delicious things he bakes to drum up some business. But as soon as he does that, he is bombarded with messages especially from one woman. Vicky warns him not to devolve personal details about himself, or he will get himself a stalker. Which just so happens a woman walks into the café and reveals herself to be Mel that he has been messaging on the internet.
In the meantime, a body has been found on the beach and the Police are finding it hard to identify him. The man has been living off gird thirty years in a cottage in a remote part of town. Who is he and why was he murdered?
I can confess that I have not read many books from this author. But I found this to dark gripping thriller. Or have I read the previous book in this series, but it was okay as you can read this without no problem.
The story involving Calvin set in two timelines present day and 1995 where an incident happened that change Calvin’s life and played on his mind ever since and connects his time with his stalker and the body on the beach.
This is a twisty thriller that I mostly enjoyed except for me personally got overwhelmed with all the different characters near the ending of the story. 4 stars