Wow what a fantastic and enjoyable book that was to read. It really got me hooked from the off and I really didn't want to put the book down until I had read it. Great characters and a fantastic plot although I hadn't realised it was a book 2 so some of the references didn't mean too much - it wasn't enough to deter you from reading the book but things would have made more sense I think if I had read book 1. However, I am now off to download the first book from Amazon to fill in the gaps!

This author certainly shows some promise, with passages that are well-drawn and bring the narrative to life through the careful use of detail that isn't necessary but, equally, doesn't feel superfluous and instead gives a sense of authenticity. However, there are other times where the use of tired cliches and strangely inappropriate almost teenage-like sexual encounters and/or longings that seemingly render the lead character a sexually frustrated and intellectually challenged idiot bring the enjoyment of reading to a juddering halt. The ending, too, was a poorly structured denouement, relying on several implausible links to earlier clues'.That's fine if Mrs Blake is aiming simply for selling a middling number of books. But, given that the promise of much better writing is clearly there that would be a shame.

We become more persuaded of Cat as the story goes on - the urgency to find out what happened to best friend Sarah Jane allows the author to review Cat's past career- her work as police woman and championship fighter too. Starting off simply, events and characters unravel into a much more serious corruption that Sarah Jane in her burgeoning career as a journalist could not resist tracking down to source. Once we get launched into the story things speed up considerably - it always feels like Cat is very young at her job, but she pans out like a really experienced player. An earlier book tells the tale of her horrendous injury and it intriguing to look back ...

In deep water

The story starts in dublin .Sarah Jane and Cathy are best friends,they train in the gym together in .then one day Sarah Jane doesn't met Cathy at the gym,and Cathy I'd worried about her,it isn't like her not to show up.so she speaks to her friend in the police where Cathy works with a good friend O'Rourke,and he helped to try and find Sarah Jane,the last time she was seen was at the restaurant she worked at,Cathy and her team,gets a tip of about sex trafficking,that Sarah Jane was looking into being a reporter.cathy and O'Rourke try and but all the pieces together to find Sarah Jane,i wont spoil the ending,this book is well written,and i couldn't put it down till i finished it.

I especially enjoyed the setting in Ireland and the Garda environment. I liked the last half of the book best and the ending was suspenseful.. However I thought the first half of the book dragged a little and be labored the missing friend just a tad; it could have moved a little quicker, but the ending was satisfying. I wanted to read the first book in the series and would look for the next one.

Another great thriller. Lots of twists and bad guys who appear to be one step ahead of the police. This story deals with a very real life issue- human slavery. and how tprivate citizens must become involved to end it.

Fantastic book in the series. Can't wait for more. Complex twists and turns making this a great series.
Highly recommended read

In Deep Water is the second instalment in the Cathy Connolly series by Sam Blake and it's every bit as gripping as the first one.

When Cathy's friend Sarah Jane fails to show up for a boxing session, she immediately fears the worst. Sarah Jane is normally incredibly reliable. When Cathy checks out Sarah Jane's house and finds her room completely ransacked, she knows her best friend isn't only missing but possibly in serious danger. What was she working on that could have attracted the attention from the wrong people?

What starts as a seemingly straight-forward missing persons case soon turns out into something way darker and disturbing. With the clock ticking, can Cathy find her friend before it's too late?

Cathy is still struggling with the after-effects from events in the previous book. I really like how the author explores that and doesn't just gloss over the mental and physical scars. It makes Cathy so much more human and realistic.

I won't say any more about the plot, you'll just have to read the book for yourself. Suffice to say there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Gripping and compelling, it leads you through the streets of Dublin and its criminality. You'll end up wondering who Cathy can trust and you'll be rooting for her every step of the way.

In Deep Water is a worthy follow-up to Little Bones. Sam Blake has truly found her voice and I can't wait to see where she takes us next.

Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for my advanced copy, which I chose to review.

Fast paced missing person drama set in Ireland. The writing style really suits the storyline and adds to the telling of the story. Cat is a brilliant character and her search for Sarah Jane had twists and turns which made it a page turner and definitely worth reading.

‘In the world of missing persons every second counts, but with the clock ticking…’

In Deep Water is Book 2 in the Cat Connolly police/crime fiction series from Sam Blake. Published by Bonnier Zaffre on 6th April 2017 (today!!!), this was a book I had been eager to get my paws on for quite some time

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Little Bones, Book 1 in the Cat Connolly series from Sam Blake , I knew i could expect a good read with In Deep Water.

Cat Connolly is back on the force after an horrific crime-related explosion that nearly took her life. Refusing to let the trauma relating to the incident consume her, Cat is back in the gym, intent on regaining her position as a top kick boxing champion. Honestly, reading about the exercise regime of this woman would wear you out!!!! She’s a phenomenal athlete with steely determination and a drive to be the best at everything she does.

Reunited with her colleagues, Cat is readjusting to her busy schedule when she discovers that her closest friend, Sarah Jane Hansen, has gone missing. Her immediate gut reaction is that something serious is after happening. Sarah Jane is the daughter of a CNN journalist, Ted Hansen, a man who has travelled to some of the most dangerous locations in the world. After separating from his wife, Sarah Jane became the product of a broken marriage but she was not one to garner sympathy. She worked hard, always fighting against the image the world had of her and willing to prove, to herself and all, that she was just so much more than a pretty face. Cat knows, although at time scatter-brained, it was not like Sarah Jane to just disappear on a whim.

Cat confides in the one person she knows she can trust and who also knew Sarah Jane, her boss DI Dawson O’ Rourke. Initially O’ Rourke is skeptical. Sarah Jane is an adult. She has the right to disappear for awhile if she wishes.

But O’ Rourke and Cat have a very strong bond and he trusts her instincts. These instincts have been correct many times in the past, though with some dire consequences, yet O’ Rourke decides to take on board Cat’s concerns and starts to look into the possibility of Sarah Jane’s life being in trouble.

As they follow a trail that keeps leading them up a dead end, Cat and O’ Rourke begin to suspect that Sarah Jane has got herself involved in something that is way over her head. As they trawl through CCTV cameras and question those who were aware of her last known location, Cat begins to seriously worry about her friend’s safety.

In Deep Water is a book that will keep you completely immersed in it’s pages. With the backdrop of Dublin city and the hills of Wicklow, the reader is taken on a fast paced, seriously heart-thumping race to the finish. Cat Connolly is a gutsy heroine. She is a born fighter…'The Boss called it her fight instinct. The raw emotion – aggression, if they were truthful – that made her a winner. Fight and win. Kill or be killed.’

Sam Blake takes the reader on a journey revealing a very seedy, dark world that exists behind closed doors. The fear of some of the characters is palpable. There is a loneliness etched into many of the pages which you will have to read to understand what I mean. We are exposed to a cast of unsavory personalities who have little respect for a life lost. There are scenes in this book that will make your stomach turn, to think that there are human beings in our civilised culture capable of such acts of debasement and exploitation.

In Deep Water is a crime/police procedural but it is also more than that. There is a very human story running through the pages. Not alone do we get to learn a little more about Cat Connolly but we also get to learn more about the society that we have created today. It is a very frightening depiction and yet, unfortunately very real.

Brilliant just brilliant start to finish, when is the next one out? If you like Jane Casey and Claire Macgowan you will love this. So much brilliant Irish crime fiction around at the moment.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of In Deep Water, the second novel to feature Cathy Connolly of the Dublin Gardai.

Cathy has recovered from her injuries sustained in the previous novel, Little Bones, and is in training for the National Kickboxing Championship when her friend and sparring partner, Sarah Jane Hansen, doesn't turn up for a pre-arranged practice session and isn't answering her phone. This worries Cathy as Sarah Jane is very reliable and when she finds Sarah Jane's room ransacked she presses the alarm bell. Soon an unofficial enquiry is launched.

I thoroughly enjoyed In Deep Water. It is a well plotted, fast paced novel with plenty of twists and action. What starts as a missing person enquiry soon broadens out into much more and it takes Cathy all her time to keep up with developments as panic about Sarah Jane's fate threatens to engulf her. It makes for an interesting, absorbing read and I was glued to the pages wondering what was coming next.

Cathy kicks ass, both literally and as a protagonist. She is dogged and smart - many of the developments in the plot come from her clear thinking but she is also vulnerable after her trauma. She is a well developed, likeable character and her strong friendships bring a warmth to the plot that the subject matter doesn't.

In Deep Water is a great read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Still recovering from the physical and emotional trauma of her last case, police detective Cat Connolly is once again thrown deep into an investigation when her best friend, Sarah Jane disappears. Sarah Jane’s mother can only tell Cat that her daughter was involved in something suspicious before her disappearance. How is getting involved in a children’s project dangerous? Perhaps her disappearance can be linked to her job at a trendy Dublin restaurant, it was, after all, the last place she was seen. When a body turns up, everyone fears the worst, but it’s not Sarah Jane. It would seem that her friend’s disappearance is just the tip of the iceberg, worse is yet to come as Cat plunges headlong into another brutal case