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peacockbookreviews's review against another edition
3.0
I was not impressed with G R Hallidays first book in this series. I was hoping this story would be an improvement. I am pleased to say it was, and I would be glad to recommend it.
We are back in the highlands of Scotland with DI Monica Kennedy who after her last murder case had transferred to traffic.
Det. Supt. Fred Hately calls asking her to come back to MIT after a man's body is found in the river with some limbs missing.
She returns and once again teams up with DC Connor Crawford and DC Ben Fisher to investigate.
I want to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing the author for a pre-publication copy to review.
We are back in the highlands of Scotland with DI Monica Kennedy who after her last murder case had transferred to traffic.
Det. Supt. Fred Hately calls asking her to come back to MIT after a man's body is found in the river with some limbs missing.
She returns and once again teams up with DC Connor Crawford and DC Ben Fisher to investigate.
I want to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing the author for a pre-publication copy to review.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A good noir with a great setting and a gripping plot. I liked what I read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
gemmiejewel's review against another edition
4.0
Plot
Annabelle loves to drive. It helps her escape her world, her past. Speeding on a mountain road in the Scottish Highlands, she sees a little girl step out in front of her. She swerves to avoid her. The next thing Annabelle remembers is waking up in a dark, damp room. A voice from the corner of the room says ‘The Doctor will see you now’.
Scott is camping in the woodlands in the Scottish Highlands - but in the middle of the night, he hears something outside his tent. When he goes out to have a look, a little girl is standing among the trees, staring right at him. Scott is never seen again.
When a dismembered body is discovered, DI Monica Kennedy gets called to the scene immediately. After six months away from the Serious Crimes team, they need her back on board.
As Monica searches for the murderer, another body is found. Monica knows the signs . . . She’s on the hunt for a serial killer.
Review
This is the second in the Monica Kennedy series and as far as I’m concerned they are definitely getting better.
In this instalment we find out how the events of the first book have affected everyone involved and Halliday does a good job of dealing with the traumatic aftermath for each of the characters. We also find out a lot more back story and how their personalities came about.
There is a nice edition of a new detective Maria Khan and I am looking forward to seeing how she develops as I feel she has the making of a strong character.
The “villains” are even more hideous and that’s where I’ve knocked a star off. Sometimes the graphic descriptions were hard to read sometimes and I found myself putting the book down just to try and get them out of my head.
Overall though, this is a good second instalment and I look forward to how it develops going forward.
Rating
4 stars
Recommend
Yes - beware some triggering scenes that may upset some.
This book was very kindly gifted by the publisher in exchange for an honest review as part of a Blog Tour.
Annabelle loves to drive. It helps her escape her world, her past. Speeding on a mountain road in the Scottish Highlands, she sees a little girl step out in front of her. She swerves to avoid her. The next thing Annabelle remembers is waking up in a dark, damp room. A voice from the corner of the room says ‘The Doctor will see you now’.
Scott is camping in the woodlands in the Scottish Highlands - but in the middle of the night, he hears something outside his tent. When he goes out to have a look, a little girl is standing among the trees, staring right at him. Scott is never seen again.
When a dismembered body is discovered, DI Monica Kennedy gets called to the scene immediately. After six months away from the Serious Crimes team, they need her back on board.
As Monica searches for the murderer, another body is found. Monica knows the signs . . . She’s on the hunt for a serial killer.
Review
This is the second in the Monica Kennedy series and as far as I’m concerned they are definitely getting better.
In this instalment we find out how the events of the first book have affected everyone involved and Halliday does a good job of dealing with the traumatic aftermath for each of the characters. We also find out a lot more back story and how their personalities came about.
There is a nice edition of a new detective Maria Khan and I am looking forward to seeing how she develops as I feel she has the making of a strong character.
The “villains” are even more hideous and that’s where I’ve knocked a star off. Sometimes the graphic descriptions were hard to read sometimes and I found myself putting the book down just to try and get them out of my head.
Overall though, this is a good second instalment and I look forward to how it develops going forward.
Rating
4 stars
Recommend
Yes - beware some triggering scenes that may upset some.
This book was very kindly gifted by the publisher in exchange for an honest review as part of a Blog Tour.
janpd24's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second Monica Kennedy book I tried, and this was a definite improvement (couldn't finish the earlier one). It is set in one of my favourite places in the world, the Scottish Highlands, even though the grimy side of it portrayed is not at all awe-inspiring. There is a dark, twisty mystery at the centre, and plenty of characters in the story. I would love to see how this series evolves.
There is a lot of repetition in the narrative, for example, the multiple references to the traumatic events of the previous book. I think I got it after the first dozen times. We never get to know what exactly happened, perhaps a bit not to spoil it for readers who aren't reading in sequence.
(Review copy from NetGalley)
There is a lot of repetition in the narrative, for example, the multiple references to the traumatic events of the previous book. I think I got it after the first dozen times. We never get to know what exactly happened, perhaps a bit not to spoil it for readers who aren't reading in sequence.
(Review copy from NetGalley)
ellie_94's review
4.0
This is the second book I've read by G. R. Halliday and it's managed to leave me even more unnerved and creeped out than the last. This book is brutal. I was hooked from about 30 pages in and struggled to put it down again until I'd come to the gritty conclusion. G. R. Halliday books certainly have an element of horror to them and this leaves me feeling unnerved long after I've finished reading. I wouldn't say this was for the faint of heart. My only criticism is that the pace slightly slowed towards the end and this made it feel like it dragged on slightly and was longer than necessary, however it was still enjoyable and quick to finish since it was only the last 20 pages or so. Overall a great second installment and I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for further books from this author.
ajane13's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
5.0
caomhin's review
3.0
This is the second book about Detective Monica Kennedy. There was an earlier book, the first, which I've not read, but it had another case. A horrific and shocking case that changed everything for Detective Monica Kennedy and her team. I don't know what that case was or what happened, but I do know something happened and it was big. Okay, I'm being a bit sarcastic because in truth I didn't actually need to know anything about the previous book, but I did get a bit tired of the constant mentions of this unspeakable case of which I, as a new reader, knew nothing about. And had I read the first book I would've known and probably not needed to be told about it either. Yes, it's a minor gripe really but it did hinder my ability to get drawn into this book early on, and I suspect that in turn stopped me feeling truly engaged with a story I suspect I could've enjoyed much more. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent enough read. It's just that it never quite hit the spot for me.
The main characters have a realism that I enjoy - they're capable without needing random superhuman abilities. They're even a little rough around the edges to make them nicely imperfect. They're three dimensional, if not super deep - there's just enough to them to make them relatable, and not so much that the story gets lost in unimportant details.
And the story is basically interesting and quite clever - mutilated bodies washing up in the Highlands are undoubtedly a good place to start, and the creepy legends of the mountain folk add a nice hook. It ticks a number of boxes and it's well constructed, slowly slotting the pieces together to show the full picture. I just never sank into it the way I'd hoped. The basic ingredients scream a dark and brooding noir novel; something that swallows my imagination and eats away at me. In truth, it never quite delivered that. At times it felt more horror than it did mystery, which made me feel I missed out on the book I was expecting.
All of which is probably more about my expectations rather than the book itself. I can see a lot of good aspects. The disappointment for me is that I wanted different. I came away feeling that this book could've given me more. "Darks Waters" just wasn't dark enough for me. For all the remoteness I never felt it in anything more than references to phone signal dropping out. I never felt on edge. I never felt engulfed.
Ultimately, I like the characters and I'd read the earlier book, and probably a few that may follow, but only with a shift in my expectations. It's a decent police story - nothing too taxing, and actually quite rewarding once you embrace that.
The main characters have a realism that I enjoy - they're capable without needing random superhuman abilities. They're even a little rough around the edges to make them nicely imperfect. They're three dimensional, if not super deep - there's just enough to them to make them relatable, and not so much that the story gets lost in unimportant details.
And the story is basically interesting and quite clever - mutilated bodies washing up in the Highlands are undoubtedly a good place to start, and the creepy legends of the mountain folk add a nice hook. It ticks a number of boxes and it's well constructed, slowly slotting the pieces together to show the full picture. I just never sank into it the way I'd hoped. The basic ingredients scream a dark and brooding noir novel; something that swallows my imagination and eats away at me. In truth, it never quite delivered that. At times it felt more horror than it did mystery, which made me feel I missed out on the book I was expecting.
All of which is probably more about my expectations rather than the book itself. I can see a lot of good aspects. The disappointment for me is that I wanted different. I came away feeling that this book could've given me more. "Darks Waters" just wasn't dark enough for me. For all the remoteness I never felt it in anything more than references to phone signal dropping out. I never felt on edge. I never felt engulfed.
Ultimately, I like the characters and I'd read the earlier book, and probably a few that may follow, but only with a shift in my expectations. It's a decent police story - nothing too taxing, and actually quite rewarding once you embrace that.
annarella's review
4.0
A good noir with a great setting and a gripping plot. I liked what I read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
Dark Waters is the second instalment in the Detective Inspector (DI) Monica Kennedy series set in the stunning surroundings of my favourite place on earth, the Scottish Highlands. This is a potent mix of the crime thriller, police procedural and horror genres and is gritty as well as gruesome. After the near catastrophe that happened in her previous case, forty-something single mother Monica has taken a break from MIT and has accepted a transfer to the traffic division but after eighteen years experience investigating serious crimes this is more than mundane to her. Luckily, she receives an almost panicked call from Detective Superintendent Fred Hately who informs her that they've just discovered a dismembered body at the site of a hydroelectric dam near Beauly. Kennedy then assembles her old team in order to begin investigating and identifying the male victim and the circumstances of his demise. Then a second body with the same nausea-inducing MO is found.
Annabelle is speeding along a road connecting Inverness and the West Coast in her BMW when she is startled by the sudden appearance of a girl in the middle of the road causing her to swerve and crash into a nearby tree. She awakens from unconsciousness to find herself trapped in a dark and dingy place with a man named Marcus who mentions the elusive ’doctor’ who will be ’treating’ her. Canadian Scott also sees a young girl whilst camping in a remote area and is never seen again. This is a nightmarish and unbelievably creepy read with a spine-chilling plot and where the setting of the Highlands is used to great effect creating a bleak and deeply sinister atmosphere. It is one of the most terrifying books I've ever picked up and there is grit, suspense and intrigue aplenty throughout. We learn more about the highly likeable Monica and her personal life too. Highly recommended but not for the faint-hearted! Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.
Annabelle is speeding along a road connecting Inverness and the West Coast in her BMW when she is startled by the sudden appearance of a girl in the middle of the road causing her to swerve and crash into a nearby tree. She awakens from unconsciousness to find herself trapped in a dark and dingy place with a man named Marcus who mentions the elusive ’doctor’ who will be ’treating’ her. Canadian Scott also sees a young girl whilst camping in a remote area and is never seen again. This is a nightmarish and unbelievably creepy read with a spine-chilling plot and where the setting of the Highlands is used to great effect creating a bleak and deeply sinister atmosphere. It is one of the most terrifying books I've ever picked up and there is grit, suspense and intrigue aplenty throughout. We learn more about the highly likeable Monica and her personal life too. Highly recommended but not for the faint-hearted! Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.
booksteacupnreviews's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
*** Note: I received e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Mia @vintagebooks for tour invite and providing review copy. ***
4.5 Stars
Dark Waters was dark and disturbing crime thriller, second novel in Monica Kennedy series that revolved around another serial killer case. It was about juggling work and family life, haunting and unsettled past and history, unsolved and mysterious murders, and real demons of the world-humans.
This is not for squeamish readers or those who feel claustrophobic by reading tunnels and caves under mountains. Author did amazing job with tension, suspense, and twist and turns. Suspects were few but yet I couldn’t guess who the killer was until around 40% of the book and yet I couldn’t connect the dots and figure out why these particular victims.
Overall, Dark Waters was clever, horrifying, fast paced and well written sequel with vivid and gruesome description and beautiful yet dangerous setting.
Read full review on my book blog by following this link - https://booksteacupnreviews.com/2020/07/07/dark-waters-monica-kennedy-2-by-g-r-halliday-darkwatersbook-harvillsecker-gr_halliday/
4.5 Stars
Dark Waters was dark and disturbing crime thriller, second novel in Monica Kennedy series that revolved around another serial killer case. It was about juggling work and family life, haunting and unsettled past and history, unsolved and mysterious murders, and real demons of the world-humans.
This is not for squeamish readers or those who feel claustrophobic by reading tunnels and caves under mountains. Author did amazing job with tension, suspense, and twist and turns. Suspects were few but yet I couldn’t guess who the killer was until around 40% of the book and yet I couldn’t connect the dots and figure out why these particular victims.
Overall, Dark Waters was clever, horrifying, fast paced and well written sequel with vivid and gruesome description and beautiful yet dangerous setting.
Read full review on my book blog by following this link - https://booksteacupnreviews.com/2020/07/07/dark-waters-monica-kennedy-2-by-g-r-halliday-darkwatersbook-harvillsecker-gr_halliday/
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