Catherine Steadman: Something in the water (2018)
342 pages
English language
Published Sept. 8, 2018
Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. . . . Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. After all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events. . . .
I do not usually take the time to write reviews.
They say that comedy is tragedy minus empathy.
The main character is so inane, the only way that I made it to the end was choosing to read it as a dark comedy.
Oh well.
If rating this for myself, I'd give it two stars because I had quite a few problems with it:
- A string of terrible decisions
- Characters I didn't find sympathetic or compelling
- Blatant gaslighting
- A plot twist I saw coming from the earliest chapters
- Some plot lines felt a bit unresolved at the end
HOWEVER - I'm sensitive to not dragging down ratings and I can see how readers who enjoy books like Gone Girl, or In a Dark, Dark Wood would find this thriller to be right up their alley.
Just what I needed, a pretty good story that kept me entertained, the escapism I needed. I didn't find it dragging or too boring, wanted to read on and turn pages.
I can see this working well as a 2-3 episode TV drama to end the weekend on the sofa with :)
This book starts off in a highly interesting place. I mean, just because a woman is burying a man's body in the woods doesn't mean she killed him. Or does it? It can be so darn inconvenient to explain how he got so dead so far from civilization, whether or not one is the murderer. The tale unfolds at a very nice pace, finally leading us back to the beginning so we get our answers. There's a good blend of suspense, humor, and decent character building. Satisfying ending too.
