Cold Waters is the first book I have read by this author. Overall, it's an interesting plot with characters that are believable. The only thing was that at times it appeared to drag on longer than it should.

I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Nothing is normal in Normal. Violet's friend Ainsley disappeared 11 years ago and she was sent away. Now she's back and she's going to find out what really happened. It's a bit predictable but the atmospherics are good.

Cold Waters
By Debbie Herbert

4 stars

Herbert is strong in drama. The book reflects the high drama, twists and turns, with an engaging plot.

The main criticism of the book is that there are periods where the story starts to wander, becoming a bit long in places.

However, this is easily overcome with vivid characters and a plot that draws the reader in. The story follows fourteen-year-old Violet who murdered her best friend, Ainsley, sent to a psychiatric ward. When Violet returns to her hometown to claim her dead mother’s inheritance she experiences horrific flashbacks and twisted hallucinations while townsfolk spit accusations. Revelations and a fight for sanity follows as the terrible truth bursts from the cold, dark waters.

The book is an engaging and great read for a indoor weekend.

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This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

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I had high hopes for this novel, but it fell flat for me. Overall predictable and somewhat boring. 2/5 stars for me.

This isn’t my usual type of book. But it was good and I enjoyed it all the same. It was good to read and well written. It flowed well and was easy to read

I tried to like this book. I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into the writing. I thought Violet was abnormally whiny, and she stayed that way for the entire book. In the end I just couldn't get into it, I don't think I will be reading more from this author. Not a favorite.

A unique story set in a place called Normal. So, of course, nothing is normal. As a young woman recently released from a psychiatric hospital for her actions after her friend disappeared, Violet is trying to fit into a life where she thinks she can help her sister and father. As she starts to question the life she thought she knew, readers will find themselves holding their breath and pushing for her to succeed in her queries. A different kind of story that will leave you satisfied that justice was done!

in COLD WATERS, Herbert gives us a suspenseful tale about two sisters and the dead girl who was their friend. Back when she was a teenager, Violet's friend, Ainsley disappeared. She disappeared after meeting Violet by the river but Violet remembers nothing about that night. She emerged from the forest in a fugue state, unable to tell anyone what had happened. When her mother dies in a fiery accident just a few months later, no one tries to get Violet released from the psychiatric institution that became her home after Ainsley's disappearance. But years later, when Violet is released, she returns to her sister Delaney and her demented father, Parker. While Delaney appears nice on the outside, Violet quickly realizes that her sister maybe over-medicating her father and lying about a whole host of other things, including Ainsley's disappearance. Told through alternating character, Herbert weaves a suspenseful, intriguing, satisfying tale. If this is Book 1, I can't wait for Book 2.

What a page turner!
This book had oodles of good and bad. Good hearted Violet who is suffering from the guilt of an incident over a decade ago. She comes back from a mental health rehab to her hometown and wants to stand on her own two feet. But when she gets to Normal everyone around her is just evil. The only safe place for her was the institution she lived in all those years.
With everyone conniving around her, she has to prove her innocence. And somehow manages to do it.
The mystery of who committed the crime can be figured out early on in the book. The characters were quite well thought of and the writing was apt. It kept the pace easy to read for this book.
A quick and good read!

I throughly enjoyed reading this book, a real page turner from start to finish, at the end of the book all the mysteries came together

Enjoyable read and good start to a new series with room to improvement. Evil Delany, kindhearted Violet and an old murder mystery kept me reading, wanting to know what had happened and I enjoyed the twist in the end.

This was an interesting thriller for sure. Fair enough, I figured out rather quickly "whodonit", but with all the different narratives, both from past and present and the characters interaction with each other made the book worth readig.

Cold Waters by Debbie Herbert is a psychological thriller set in small town Alabama. A truly unfortunately young girl named Violet has her world turned upside down when she comes-to, wandering in a forest with no recollection of the previous events that led to her friend Ainsley's mysterious death. Despite her youth, the townsfolk pin the murder on her and she is sent to mental institution for the next 11 years. She is released and returns to her hometown of Normal, Alabama (an interesting pun, given what's about to unfold!) after her mother's death.

She is greeted with disdain and suspicion from the people of Normal, along with accusations of mental health issues and evil doings which have our main character questioning her own sanity. The story is wild, scandalous and engrossing - but the fact that it's largely told from the perspective of a character with a seemingly unstable mental state really has the reader guessing and questioning their own suspicions.

Cold Waters explores many fascinating subjects, including mental health, southern charm and small town politics and corruption. Overall, it was a great read that I really enjoyed, and it was truly difficult to put down.

A few small criticisms... some of the plot lines were a tad predictable, and sometimes felt meandering and over extended, while also seeming rushed in other moments. Another kind of unrealistic feature of the story is that almost all characters turn out to be malicious in one way or another - but maybe that's just the nature of a small town conspiracy! Nevertheless, these small gripes didn't take much away from my reading experience and I would certainly recommend it!

What happened to Ainsley all those years ago? Does Violet know? There are many unlikeable characters to speak of In this book Are any of them responsible? By the end, many mysteries are revealed. I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have you ever wondered what happens in Normal Alabama? Well it certainly isn't anything normal that's for sure! This is a great quirky book about a messed up family in a messed up town. Nuff said!! Would I recommend it, oh I most certainly would!! Thanks for a great read!

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

A mystery about a missing girl and her friend- who spent 10 years in a mental hospital after her friend disappeared. Violet returns home, after being discharged from the state mental hospital, to help her sister take care of her alcoholic father and face the past that she has been hiding from. Her sister hates her and is very manipulative. Violet begins to remember small bits about the night her friend disappeared. The people in the story are real and there are lots of surprises.

Cold Waters by Debbie Herbert is the first book of the new Normal, Alabama series. This one is a thriller that is told from multiple points of view throughout and then also different timelines.

Violet is the central character of this first book of this series with the biggest point of view in the book. Violet has just returned to Normal, Alabama to live with her father and step-sister after being away for over a decade, most of which was spent in a mental health care facility.

Years earlier Violet had been found wandering the woods in a state of shock and her best friend, Ainsley, was found dead. Many think Violet had murdered Ainsley and she herself isn’t even sure of what happened that night but she’s back to confront the past.

One thing I found out very early on with Normal, Alabama was that it really seemed to be lacking anyone actually “normal”. I had some suspicions early on but spent a lot of time guessing as this dark thriller played out. I do think it went a little slow pace wise building things from the past and present but not too bad overall leaving me at 3 1/2 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, if I am honest. Thankfully, I gave it a whirl, and I am happy to report I was right to do so! From less than two chapters in, I was hooked! Aside from the very random character names, the entire book was a pleasure to read. It took me less than two days to devour this story, and I emerged completely satisfied with the ending.

I did figure out what had happened… But not as early on in the story as I usually do with these types of books.

I liked this book a lot! I was able to figure out, "who done it" fairly early
but there was a lot I didn't expect. The book was written really well and
I liked the main characters and the way it ended. This story would make a
great movie.