Something in the Water (Book Review)

Title: Something in the Water
Author: Catherine Steadman
Publication: Ballantine, various formats, 2018
Genre: Suspense

Plot: Told in the first person, this is a chilling story of how one bad choice causes a ripple effect that irrevocably changes two newlyweds. Erin, a brilliant filmmaker, and her fiancé, Mark, a London banker, have the perfect life – until Mark loses his job and his self-confidence. Erin is busy on her first feature length documentary, following three individuals being released from prison, but takes a break to go to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. When she and Mark go scuba diving, they find a bag full of cash. They do try to turn it in to the authorities – but it comes back to their luxurious bungalow like some kind of fateful boomerang – and the next minute they are in danger that threatens to destroy their lives.

Audience: Fans of fast moving suspense – authors such as Harlan Coban, Ruth Ware, Sharon Bolton, and Tana French.

Author/Actress
Catherine Steadman

My Impressions: This was a dark and fast-paced novel that was hard to put down but full of “No, please, don’t do that!” train wreck moments that made it hard to conventionally enjoy as I was too busy being afraid of what would happen next. The book starts with a bang with Erin is digging a grave, then flashes back to three months earlier when Erin and Mark were enjoying a weekend in Norfolk, preparing for a fancy wedding, and we learn more about their history and relationship. The most intriguing character is Eddie Bishop, a notorious criminal Erin meets with in prison, prior to his release, so she can feature him in her film. Their relationship is terrifying – who knew making a documentary could be so dangerous? And Erin is not a good liar, or is she?

Author: Catherine Steadman is an English actress best known to American audiences from Downton Abbey, in which she played Mabel Lane Fox, an heiress who marries one of Lady Mary’s rejected suitors.  She is much prettier in real life, which is not surprising.   You may remember what Charles Audley says in Regency Buck: "I'm come home to try my luck with the heiress.  Where is she?  Does she squint like a bag of nails? Is she hideous?  They always are."

Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. Recommended for fans of psychological suspense and as fun summer reading – not necessarily for those who prefer the historical fiction genre provided in my Downton Abbey suggestions.