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A review by outsmartyourshelf
The Girls in the Water by Victoria Jenkins
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
DI Alex King is called out to a scene where the body of a young woman has been found. The woman was obviously killed elsewhere & dumped in the river in a local park, & there is evidence of torture. The victim is identified as Lola Evans who had attended a local self-help group, but they can't find any viable suspects or a reason for her death. When a second victim is found, the pressure is really on to crack the case. Meanwhile, one of her team, DC Chloe Lane, comes to her to ask about reopening the case into the death of her brother's girlfriend. Luke's girlfriend was killed & Luke was blamed on circumstantial evidence, & he ended up committing suicide. Chloe is certain that Luke wouldn't have killed his girlfriend & she's not entirely sure he would have killed himself either.
This starts off quite well but soon gets bogged down. Alex King is the usual 'police detective with a broken relationship' & is in fact sleeping with her ex-husband who turns out to be cheating on his present girlfriend with Alex. Chloe Lane meanwhile comes across as more of a stroppy teenager than a young woman with a promising career. The plot itself is okay but nothing different to what has already been done a thousand times before. You can't always tell from the first book though as characters can grow on you, so I intend on reading the next one, just to see if things have improved.
This starts off quite well but soon gets bogged down. Alex King is the usual 'police detective with a broken relationship' & is in fact sleeping with her ex-husband who turns out to be cheating on his present girlfriend with Alex. Chloe Lane meanwhile comes across as more of a stroppy teenager than a young woman with a promising career. The plot itself is okay but nothing different to what has already been done a thousand times before. You can't always tell from the first book though as characters can grow on you, so I intend on reading the next one, just to see if things have improved.