Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheDrowning

This is the first novel I’ve read by J.P. Smith, therefor the writing technique cannot be evaluated comparatively to previous works. While novel offers a dark, mysterious feel the pace of the story alters too much to give the anxiousness that is a true suspense novel.

An eight year old boy goes missing from summer camp. One of the guidance counselors responsible for his care is lying. Twenty one years later, the same guidance counselor starts having very eery things occur to dishevel his perfect life.

The story alternates between past and present in addition to character perspective. However, it’s all told in this third person voice that is also used to summarize rather than develop a storyline further. I found all this very distracting. The way in which it is written takes away from character development. I found it hard to get invested in the book. 3 stars.

Enjoyed the bulk of this mystery/suspense novel. It’s a page turner with some interesting twists. Dragged a little at about 2/3 through, but picked back up pretty quickly. I could easily see this being adapted into a movie!

3.5 stars. I liked this one, but felt a bit unsatisfied by the ending. Well, it was satisfying in one way, but left some frustrating loose ends as well.

We start out 21 years ago, when Joey Proctor disappears at a summer camp, after being left on a raft by Alex Mason. The way this happened gave me a similar feeling to the last book I read about a summer camp--do the people who write these books know how camps work!? I worked at a Girl Scout camp for three summers and there was no way I could EVER have lost a kid for hours without noticing. Sure, they could have snuck out at night, but during the day, especially when leaving one activity for another, I was always counting them. And if someone didn't return from the waterfront in particular, it would have been a huge deal, as everyone had to tag in and out, and if there was a tag left, it was treated as an emergency and potential drowning (like, they blew an airhorn and we all had to run to the lake and jump in and sweep the bottom). However, I guess there are likely to have been camps with less strenuous rules than mine, so I did my best to suspend my disbelief, but it's a bit mind boggling.

After Joey's disappearance, we fast forward to the present day Alex Mason, rich and successful and not suffering any lasting guilt about what he did to Joey. At least, not until some strange and threatening things start to happen to him and he begins to fear that Joey has returned to seek his revenge. Alex is not a character you root for, but I was still sucked in to the terror he was experiencing, while still wanting to see him receive his comeuppance, especially as his own actions escalated.

This was a engrossing thriller and a worthwhile read if you're looking for something fast paced and suspenseful, and don't mind a somewhat ambiguous ending.

The Drowning by author J.P. Smith is a really dark mystery with a lot of character!! I enjoyed this one, seriously the mystery is amazing in this!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Drowning in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

This book has flashbacks that help to explain and enhance the main story.

Joey Proctor is eight-and-one half years old and is small for his age. He reluctantly attends summer camp for the first time. His parents are always fighting anyway, so he might as well go. Of course he is singled out by the older boys and he is bullied. He befriends a camp counselor named Steve. Another camp counselor Alex Mason is an arrogant (and just plain mean), college boy who is the swimming coach. He doesn’t like Joey at all and wants to scare him big time. So he throws him in the deep lake and then leaves him on a raft in the middle of the lake.

Joey disappears. No sign of him has ever been found. A detective named Mike Farrelli, retired after seven years have passed since Joey’s disappearance, can’t let the case go. He keeps looking for answers.

It’s now twenty-one years later and Alex is a successful multi-millionaire business man with a wife, daughters and an expensive home.

Strange things begin to happen to Alex. There is trouble in his marriage and odd things are occurring at his hotels. There is blood in his swimming pool and later a home invasion happens. Alex just knows it is Joey. He begins to look askance at his own employees. He is positive that he knows who Joey is pretending to be.

The situation is escalating. Alex’ life is falling apart and he is slowly self-destructing. Fearful and filled with anxiety, he makes one blunder after another.

All is revealed on nearly the last page of the book. It’s delicious.

This book is very well written and plotted. It is filled with twists and stunning surprises. I didn’t care for the main character, Alex, but it hardly mattered. The reader gets to see what happens to him. This book is a very interesting psychological study of what happens to a guilty man when the past comes back to haunt him. Ghosts from the past? Perhaps so… The author has done a wonderful job in writing this novel. This is my first JP Smith book, but it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look for others of their books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

This was a very good horror story thank you to net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read it

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This was an 80s horror movie of a novel, and even though it is decidedly lowbrow it was well-crafted and I loved every minute of it.
Perfect late-night escape.