Description from Amazon:
When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London
houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the
troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his
grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family
member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the
police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who
are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Who are, whether they know
it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge,
even good people might be capable of terrible deeds. How far might any one of
them go to find peace? How long can secrets smolder before they explode into
flame?
I really enjoyed The Girl on the Train, so I figured
this would be as psychological and as twisty. I was wrong. It started out
interestingly enough but fell short very quickly and was so slow in getting to
where it needed to go. And the big reveal was pretty obvious.
There is a story within a story here and you have to
understand how the timelines and characters fit together. The problem is that
you know how both stories are going to end as one goes forward and the other
backward (it’s not hard to figure out whodunnit) but you keep reading to see if
anything good comes up and it’s slow going. It felt like taking a really bad
decision and then trying to explain it with very thin reasons. A bunch of plot
lines that vaguely tie together and a character that undergoes so much violence
it’s crazy. I finished this book a while ago but didn’t write the review
straight away as I’ve been swamped with editing and beta reading. That being said,
the book made such little impact on me that I remember the overall story but don’t
remember the intricate details and that’s the sign of a book that hasn’t delivered
a memorable experience.
Based on this and other reviews of Into the Water, it
seems Paula is now off my reading list too, and that’s a shame. It’s average,
so read it if there is nothing else available.
*SPOILER*: If you are a dog fan, you might want to skip an
awful section. Authors, please note that violence to dogs does not endear you
to readers!
