A review by shelleyrae
The Lost Swimmer by Ann Turner

4.0

The Lost Swimmer is a low key psychological thriller from debut author Ann Turner.

University department Head Rebecca Wilding is under extraordinary pressure both professionally and personally. Accused of embezzlement by a hostile colleague and fretting about her husband's increasingly odd behaviour, she hopes that she can resolve both situations during a long planned overseas trip. Instead, Rebecca finds herself in the midst of a crisis when the she becomes the target of the fraud investigation and then she is suspected of murder when her husband disappears without a trace.

I've been trying to write this review for three days but somehow can't quite find the words. This is not a reflection on the novel which I really enjoyed, but I have to move on, so here are some scattered thoughts:

* Told in the first person, the narrative is immediate and tense, and I was never quite sure whether I could trust Rebecca or not.
* I felt there were some inconsistencies in the characterisation of Rebecca, she didn't always behave in ways that made sense.
* I'd guessed the identity of the person framing Rebecca fairly early on but still had doubts all the way through given the multiple red herrings, any of whom would have been reasonable suspects.
* Stephen's disappearance has less relevance to the story than I expected from the synopsis.
* The pace is steady and Turner builds the suspense throughout the novel. I read it quickly gripped by the spiraling tension.
* The descriptions of landscape and sea are vivid, especially those of the Amalfi Coast.
* An atmospheric debut exploring the themes of trust, betrayal, loss and love.

"Truth was growing increasingly elusive and I was contributing; if I went down that path I could get tangled in my own lies."