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angelahayes's review
4.0
The Girls In The Water (Detectives King and Lane, #1) by Victoria Jenkins is a book I am still mulling over how to rate and review. Tossing up between a 3 star and 4 star- and still digesting the story. Not sure how I really 'feel' about it yet. So stay tuned for my full review.
leona_omahony's review
5.0
From the start I just knew this was going to be a total page turner and I sure wasn’t wrong . Great well developed characters and a storyline that will keep you enthralled all the way through . I loved it .
meggyroussel's review
3.0
Cover love, here we meet again! I have a thing for anything red. Shoes, blood, titles. And this beautiful contrast of blue and red grabbed my heart. And for once, I was starting a detective series with the first installment! What more could I ask for?
When you read as many crime as I do (or more for some of my blogger friends!!!) you discern a certain pattern. A gripping prologue, complicated detectives, grisly murders. This is what you are looking for. Welcome to The Girls in the Water! The book checks off all the boxes!
And you know what? It adds something more. Something that makes you coming back again even when a niggle appears. Something you are keen to explore. I’m talking about the relationship between the two detectives working together on this wet case!
I’m used to strong characters with complicated lives, and neither Alex nor Chloe escape this description. One older, one younger, both plagued by a past that is clinging at their heels.
While we do get a real team effort here and get to meet different persons, the focus is definitely on those ladies and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
It wasn’t hard imagining them grabbing something to it, discussing the progress they were making, but beyond this was building a stronger connection. Alex, as a DI, had decisions to make and Chloe, young and promising DC, was the fresh breeze and clear eyes every intricate inquiry requires. Subtly, the author hinted at a relationship that was stronger than one of simple colleagues’. Alex’s need to protect Chloe, Chloe’s will to find answers by herself without disrespecting her superior. The way some things were natural between them and others so difficult reminded me of the bound between a mentor and a student. That pride, that fear to disappoint, that protective feeling, that need to prove oneself. The trust, stuck between the work, the heavy background of each women, and their personalities. It is absolutely refreshing to find such a female friendship in a crime series!
The fact that this special and original point completely blends into the investigation and adds to it one thin layer after another makes this story so compelling. I will admit that while the plot was interesting and well-crafted, my attention was captured by the characterization and an unhealthy curiosity as to what was going to happen to those women!
Weirdly, none of the facts you learn about her make them very likeable, but as I neared the book, I found I was being less harsh on them. Yes, I still did find Chloe a little bit childish, but her intentions were good. I warmed up a little to Alex in her big house, all alone. Loneliness is something their career often brings, but there are different kinds of loneliness and Alex and Chloe were both stuck in a glass bowl for different reasons. So I can’t say I love them, but I do admire what the author managed to do and I am so thankful to see women sticking together instead of hating each other!
I might have noticed something happening, catching a hint here and there about where the story was going, but I was far from discovering what the author had planned. The investigation dragged a little at some point and I remember thinking Alex King did not really act as a seasoned detective, but at least she wasn’t jaded with her job! The victims and the killer took a backstage place for me, as Chloe’s own thread took more and more room and nothing seemed to progress until a certain point was reached. Still, the stories were believable, the cruelty and blood very present, and the case was good enough to satisfy readers looking for a crime story that doesn’t require too much work on their part!
The Girls in the Water is a promising first book in a series that brings a refreshing and needed angle on its detective characters.
I would like to thank Kim at Bookouture for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour!
jennamorrison's review
4.0
There have been many great series' featuring female detectives released recently, and I think this is going to develop into another one. This first book certainly shows promise.
As the first book, this starts a little slow as we have to be introduced to the characters as well as setting the story for the murders. Both main characters, Alex and Chloe, are often pretty frustrating and sometimes unlikeable in the beginning. However, as the story continues and we learn more about them this changes.
Overall, the book shows a lot of promise and I look forward to reading more from Victoria Jenkins as she develops the characters further over future novels.
3no7's review
3.0
The detailed background descriptions of the geography around Cardiff give the story a sense of place and realism. The characters are well developed, and there is ample background information about them in the narrative that we know them, love them, and hate them. We empathize as they struggle with the ordinary and extra-ordinary problems of life, both past and present. The characters themselves are the real heart of the story rather than the search for the killer.
I received an advanced copy of “The Girls in the Water” from Bookouture, Victoria Jenkins, and NetGalley in exchange for my impartial review. I enjoyed reading the book, but gave it three stars because this is not a book for faint of heart. Readers should be advised that there are some graphic descriptions and gruesome passages as part of the plot development. .
undertowsoul's review
4.0
Normally I guess who the murderer is well before the end of the novel but this one kept me on my toes going back and forth guessing. The suspense was very well set up. Also I enjoy reading police and forensic procedures but I find many get bogged down when there's too much of it. I think that the author has succeeded in getting a good amount but far from too much (in fact, personally, I'd love to see more). Finally, the pacing of the story was better than I expected from a first published novel. At times it felt a tiny bit slow or rushed but those were mostly in areas that added to the story as the characters were feeling like the case was stagnant or all coming together at once, respectively. Overall, an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the next in the series in the hopes the author can keep the momentum!
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
nazeerah's review
3.0
First off, I must say that I liked the fact that the author chooses to use two female main characters as opposed to having one male and one female lead detective in most other procedural crime novels.
A body of a female is found in the water in a park on a cold winter morning. There aren't any leads and identifying the body is not easy as it has been partially decomposed. Detective Alex King and Chloe Lane are called in to investigate. They had not made much headway and another body turns up. I don't want to give too much away, but the investigation starts picking up the pace soon after that. It became quite nail-bitingly intense towards the end. I loved it.
I was not very fond of either of the two females, but what I did like is that they are 'real' and have some real issues. I think that is a promising start to what could be a very exciting series. I am excited to see what the author will do with the development of the main characters and what will happen next. I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.
jessicamap's review
4.0
When Bookouture comes out with another thriller, and one with this line to the start the synopsis: "The first one had been an accident. He had never intended to kill her. But as he looked down at her body, he knew there would be a next one…" how could I not read this one? This was a fantastic debut for Victoria Jenkins, THE GIRLS IN THE WATER is a great thriller will have you turning the pages.
Detective Alex King and her new recruit, Chloe Lane, are called to a crime scene - the body of Lola Evans is found in the river of a local park. Now the pair of female detectives must track down the killer. A few days later a second body turns up, and under similar circumstances. They're all found in water - a river, lake, etc. and the connection is made that all of these women were apart of the same support group.
As Alex and Chloe are racing to find clues and catch the killer, Chloe's personal life begins to interfere. She comes across her brother's cold case file and begins to dig back into his murder. She quickly finds out that these are secrets someone would kill to keep hidden.
I thought this was a solid debut thriller! Bookouture hasn't let me down yet! While the murders seem like they would be center stage in this book, Chloe's backstory and her brother's cold case begin to emerge as the focus. There was definitely a twist thrown in at the end that I wasn't expecting!
I look forward to seeing how Alex and Chloe develop in coming novels!
I give this one a solid 4/5 stars!
mvptp's review
3.0