Wow, wow, wow. I absolutely love this author and this series of books. I started halfway through with the angel then realised there were more books with Adrian Miles and imogen grey so I went back to the start and read them 1 by 1. They are all fantastic but this one really stood out for me. It's a sensitive subject matter but it's written wonderfully. I really can't wait for the next instalment and I hope there are many more books to come. Absolutely fantastic.

Here comes my first review of a book by the kind and famous Katerina Diamond!

After a chilling prologue, my meeting Adrian Miles was wet and scary. There was an undercurrent in the novel that I spotted right away. This uneasiness never left me. Sometimes was wrong. In fact, many things were wrong, and I was pulled into Imogen and Adrian’s lives by an invisible hand probably called ‘insane curiosity.’

The title is a literal reference to what DS Miles goes through quite early in the novel and I had the feeling I was under water throughout the entire novel. I could barely see where I was going, where the characters were going. I had the feeling the case was heavy on my chest and whenever I thought I could catch a spark of light, the author threw me a good punch to pull me back under the water!!!

Adrian and Imogen’s relationship is new to me, but their bubbles of sweetness turning to something different as they were first learning to dance on a different rhythm and then faced with a crossroad was both engrossing and painful to read. I like it when an author created characters I root for, and those two didn’t leave me cold!

The plot did nothing to keep my head over water! I imagined myself found half dead, then disappearing… What would drive someone to leave a woman in such conditions? What happened? Why won’t she give her name? What can she remember? I couldn’t figure out if she was to be trusted. Being left in the dark is my favorite thing… At least in books!!!

When suspicions are strong, but evidence is invisible, it can be infuriating and frustrating! Oh, how I wanted to see the main suspect fall from his homemade stage and be trampled on by elephants.
Graphic and violent scenes burned my eyes but they were relevant and the author dealt with them in a realistic way, only to bring the readers closer to the team.

If you enjoy tricky investigations, bad guys you’d like to kill yourself, and a winding path between what’s private and what’s professional, take a look at Woman in the Water!

Guys I read this book I think 3 or 4 books ago and it has taken me til now (and a few re writes) to get my review down. If you haven't read the previous books in the series please do as 1. you are missing out on great books and 2. the back story and character(s) I think are more meaningful if you have been through the previous books with them.

Detective Adrian Miles comes across a body in the water, a crowd are gawking and he calls it in only to discover the body is actually still alive, barely. The woman is beaten, has no recollection of what happened or how she got there and Adrian is really affected by this woman's plight. He and his partner (in more sense than one) Imogen Grey are on the case investigating. With reluctant witnesses and leads drying up, folk would rather go to unthinkable extremes than cooperate with the police.

Oh guys this is a hard one to review without going into spoilers which I never do. The story has multi dimensions to it, Adrian and Imogen's relationship, the investigation such as it is, their mystery woman, what happened to her and everything that follows once they pull her from the river. We also hear from the woman herself, her thoughts, revealing snippets as the book goes on, adding to the mystery.

The case has a huge impact on Adrian, domestic violence is something he grew up with and survived so something about this case, this woman, gets under his skin. Adrian has been known to react on emotions, behaving recklessly but he is a good cop and until now has always came out on top, his hunches pay off. The problem with things like this, the more you play with fire the likelier you are to be burned.

The case proves to be their hardest yet and has ramifications for both Miles and Grey, will Adrian's past spill into the present and can his and Grey's relationship survive this case? There are quite a few harrowing scenes in the book, domestic abuse is a huge part of it, violence, sexual abuse, coercion, murder and it is really hard hitting. If you have ever been in a domestic abuse relationship or loved anyone who has, the book evokes raw emotions, hence still thinking about it X amount of books later. Manipulation, power, the darker side of humanity - it is hard going and I think the reason it packs such a powerful punch is because we all know just how real this kind of "power" and abuse is. I don't think there will be one reader who hasn't been touched by some of these issues, either personally or by someone close to them. Hearing from the victim, seeing the actions and consequences it really makes you think about what exactly people go through and the long reaching impact traumas/experiences can have on us. Compelling, dark, emotive are just a few of the words to describe this roller coaster of a book, 4.5/5 for me this time.

The synopsis is easily found, so I won't summarize, but I will say that I didn't realize that this was a late book in a series. (That part was not in the synopsis.) Even so, while I'm sure I missed a lot of the backstory and (hopefully) a lot of the character development, the story itself didn't require the first handful of books in the series.

There was also a very graphic depiction of a violent rape in the middle of this book, which I wasn't expecting and didn't find enjoyable to read. (And if you're not reading a mystery/thriller for enjoyment, then what's the point?)

The antagonist was a really bad person -- really, really bad person -- and you had to suspend disbelief a bit to have someone that evil get away with illegal actions for so long, but the part of the ending that dealt directly with him was satisfying. Without saying too much, though, the rest of the ending leaves the reader hanging with a lot of unanswered questions while attempting a quick wrap-up.

However, it was a very quick read, and it drew you in and made you want to find out what was going to happen next, which is just what you want in a mystery/thriller. This would have made a fun summer read, and I did like the main characters enough to want to go back and read the series from the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for my review. It has not influenced my opinion.

This is the first book by Katerina Diamond and it was amazing. The story is well written describing the emotions of two police officers and the woman in the water. I have never read a book that described so graphically male rape and the after effects from this event. The main character is a despotic evil man out of all thinking proportions and the story involves making him pay for all his past deeds and trying to help the woman in the water who DS Adrian Miles rescued finding her half dead and he became heavily involved with her case as he could relate to his mother being abused by his father.
The book has made me shudder feeling the pain for DS Miles. I thought the ending was totally unexpected and loved the final twists.
I can’t wait to read of this series.

Wow!! This novel really packs a punch. Hard hitting, gritty and sometimes brutal, the subject matter is not for the faint hearted.
When a woman is found in the water barely alive it is up to the investigative team of DS Adrian Miles and DS Imogen Grey to discover who put her there and why. What they can’t anticipate is how this particular case will test their partnership both in and outside of work. The question is can they survive the harrowing events that follow??
As the investigation gets underway, it is clear who is to blame for the woman being found in the water. Meet Reece Corrigan, head of Corrigan construction. Evil through and through, he is the one to catch, but he proves to be one slippery fish, somehow always managing to evade the law. There is a wall of silence that surrounds this man. Can Grey and Miles infiltrate these defences and bring him to justice or will their efforts continually stall??
The writing is powerful, sometimes graphic as the storyline encompasses all kinds of evil from murder, physical violence,sexual assault and domestic violence so be warned! Whilst some scenes are quite difficult and disturbing to read, the tone is full of empathy for the characters that are mostly affected by the perpetrator at the centre of this storyline. Primarily the focus is on the woman found in the water, but much attention is paid to the character of DS Miles. He is laid bare as dealings with the Corrigan family unfold, exposing his vulnerability, his weaknesses, and a difficult childhood so that I became totally engrossed in how events affected him. I found his partner to be quite distant and cold so I couldn’t really warm to her but her loyalty is unwavering especially as DS Miles becomes a liability, a loose cannon,with his life slowly falling apart. Obviously the two storylines are connected; if he hadn’t discovered the woman in the water then he wouldn’t find himself dissolving and unraveling until he no longer recognises the man he has become. Probably all sounds rather cryptic but don’t want to give away too many spoilers.
Despite the tough subject matter I found this gripping enough to carry on through the more graphic scenes and I would definitely recommend. I think the author tackles some difficult issues with much sensitivity. The ending is unexpected on two levels and I couldn’t help but feel there were no winners.
My thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Mature Adult Read.

This is a compelling, emotional, twisty thriller. Part of a series of detective stories featuring DS Mills and DS Grey. It reads well as a standalone police procedural, as enough backstory on the detectives is given to illuminate their relationship and the dynamic of the police investigation team.

The story begins with a drama and a mystery to be solved, then a murder which focuses on a local business empire. The story is primarily told from the two detectives point of view, with the woman in the water’s point of view solving bits of the mystery as the story progresses.

The turning point for the thriller occurs half-way through and involves a graphically described act of violence, which is unexpected in its ferocity. It alters the tone of the investigation and introduces an intensity not previously evident.

This is a pivotal moment in the story, but the description is brutal and horrible to read. Since this is my first book by this author, I’m not sure if her regular readers expect to read such gratuitous violence, I didn’t.

I read the second half of the story reeling from the previous violence. The ending has a few more twists, which I guessed. It still leaves loose ends, which will alter the focus of any books that follow.

An excellent story, which keeps you engaged, but the levels of violence will not be for everyone.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I didn’t realise this was part of a series but in my opinion it read well as a stand-alone. I found there were only a few call backs to previous books and these weren’t big, nor important to the plot of this book.

Adrian is heading home when he sees a group gathered around the river bank. He heads over, always on duty, and sees a woman in the water. Amazingly she’s alive, but when they get her to the hospital she claims she doesn’t remember who she is or how she ended up in the water.

This story is different as you know who the bad guy is so there isn’t the who is it element, there is however a when will they be caught!

There is an attack which is handled sensitively but may be a trigger for some readers.

I enjoyed the book and would look out for others by this author

Well, this one gets off to a really dramatic start and the drama only increases as the story progresses. Detectives Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey find that no matter how close they get to solving this really complex case, the further they get from bringing the perpetrator to justice.

There's some very dark aspects to the story, and there's a particular twist half way through the book which shocked me completely, and which turned the atmosphere in the story from dark to darker in just a few tense pages. To be honest it upset me, but I can understand why the author chose to take the plot in this direction, and whilst it was shocking, it was handled in a realistic way, which I think did justice to a taboo topic. There is so much I want to say about the plot, and believe me, this one has so many complications, but no matter how hard I try to add any detail, to do so would really spoil the overall effect, as this story is best read with absolutely no idea of what's about to unfold.

As always the plot is driven by the partnership between Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey, who as well as being lead detectives on this complex case of murder and abduction, they are also intimately involved which, sort of, complicates how they work together in this story. They're a complex duo, each have their own problems which at times threaten to hinder the investigation and in this story their growing connection to each other is tested to the absolute limit.

Woman in the Water is filled with dark and twisty motives for murder, and the chief suspect, who is as slippery as an eel, takes great delight in keeping one step ahead of the investigative team. The story ends on something of a cliff hanger, so I'll look forward to seeing what happens next for Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey in book #7.

Another great thriller!! Imagine you are out and about and come across a body in the water and they're miraculously alive! You're a detective and have made it your mission to help woman in danger because of experiences in your past. So this case ends up being personal to you. But how personal is too personal when working as a detective? How can you help those who can't be helped?!

A really good read although I had no idea it was the 6th in a series when I started to read it. It can be read as a stand alone but I feel I lost some of the background of the characters

But a good twisty and turny plot and I will go back and read the others in the series

Woman in the Water is the 6th book in the DS Imogen Grey series but can be read as a standalone.. I have enjoyed all the books in this series so far and this latest installment didn't disappoint.

A woman is pulled from a river by Detective Adrian Miles, barely alive, and unable to remember how she ended up there. Before the woman's identity can be established she flees the hospital. What seems like a straight forward domestic abuse case becomes so much more.

This book will appeal to readers who like dark, shocking, detective/police procedural books. Be warned though there are quite graphic descriptions of violent acts and the aftermath.

This is the sixth in the DS Imogen Grey series. It can be read as a stand-alone but, as always, it’s great to read the full series and this is a series that packs a few punches!

DS Adrian Miles pulls a body out of the water – a woman barely alive.

Then another body, a dead body is found just along the water from where the woman was found. She has disappeared from the hospital. She has told Grey and Miles very little – they don’t even know her name. The doctors say that she wasn’t only beaten and left for dead, she had old injuries too. Injuries that indicate long term abuse.

It’s difficult to investigate when there’s so little evidence but Miles and Grey are both determined to solve the murder and the mystery of the woman.

Their own relationship is moving on. At first I thought that there was too much about it and it seemed to be overtaking the investigative element of the storyline. However, Katerina Diamond isn’t about, or at least not just about, romance it’s necessary to the plot and the characters development.

As you read there is a lot of trauma, some quite graphic, to be had in this book. It twists and turns with the investigation and will leave you shocked and stunned. Katerina Diamond does not shirk from dealing with difficult circumstances, events but she does handled them very well.

This case gets to DS Miles because of his childhood experiences. Imogen has somewhat more perspective but is incredibly loyal to Adrian. What happens to them in this book will have far reaching consequences on their relationships. This storyline includes murder, abuse, rape and more which makes for tough reading at times but are a necessary part of what happens. The difficult scenes are handled sensitively.

The book also includes passages from the point of view of the woman who was found in the water which, in my opinion, are an important element of the story. We hear from both Imogen and Adrian with some very powerful scenes conveying just how evil the perpetrator is.

The characters are well drawn and the storyline is gripping. This book is a hard-hitting, dark and gritty story that highlights a number of situations which, whilst making this book a tough read, also makes it a compelling and worth-while read.

Thanks

With thanks to Sabah Khan Head of PR at Avon for the invite to join this astonishing BlogTour and to HarperCollins via NetGalley for an eCopy of the book.

Blog Tour

Do check out the rest of the Woman in the Water BlogTour…. (Details on my blog)

When I was offered this book, I had no idea it was the sixth book in a series. Although I found that it worked as a stand-alone for me, I know that I was missing background on both main characters: Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey.

Adrian Miles was on his way home when he noticed a group of women standing by a bridge, he pulled over to investigate and found the body of a badly beaten woman partially submerged in the water. She is alive and once she is treated at the hospital, she is interrogated and reports that she does not know her name or the circumstances which led her to be found in the water. Later the dead body of a young man is also found submerged in water. As the book progresses, it is evident that this investigation is hitting close to home for detective Miles.

I enjoyed the story telling and the sections told in italics. There we get some background on one character which helps shed more and more light on that character’s life. There is also one scene in the book which might be difficult for some to read.

I enjoyed this book but feel it failed to really hit its full potential. As I have not read the previous books in this series, I found that for people in a relationship, who are also best friends, there should have been more trust and willingness to put trust in that relationship. Having said that, I did appreciate how the Author showed how a victim of such a crime would feel afterward. I found the reaction to be realistic and believable.

Even though the reader knows who the bad guy is in this book, the Author still managed to pull off a reveal and twist at the end of the book. I did not see that one coming. Even with the twist and reveal this was lacking a little bit of something for me. Again, this could be due to not having read the previous books in the series. I really enjoyed some parts, and other parts dragged a little for me.



Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was yet another wonderful read from Katarina Diamond. Gripping from the start and kept me guessing theoughout. Look forward to reading more.

Woman in the Water is the sixth instalment in the riveting DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles series, based in Exeter. The long, exhausting working day has finally ended for Adrian Miles and he is on his way home for some rest and relaxation when he discovers something in the water. Eager to see what exactly it is he realises that it is a woman; she is in bad shape and barely hanging on but still very much alive. She is rushed to the hospital where she is questioned as to what happened to her and how she had gotten to the spot she was found in and she appears to have no recollection of any of it but more worryingly she can't remember her name or who she is but Imogen doesn't fully trust her word. When she is told that another body was found right next to her she suspiciously does a runner from her hospital bed. Has she herself got something to do with this or is she merely scared or in fear of someone? Only time will tell.

This is a riveting novel with a disturbing and unsettling subject matter which highlights the immense damage of domestic violence. As someone who has witnessed both the short-term and long-term effects of violence in the home, I can vouch for the authenticity of the portrayal; it is clear Ms Diamond has thoroughly researched the topic. It is an interesting and captivating story albeit an emotional, heart-wrenching one and the twists and turns are done superbly with a lot of surprises and reveals throughout. The ending was the very definition of explosive and one I certainly did not see coming. This series continues to go from strength to strength and this is up there with some of the most thrilling reads in the genre. If you enjoy dark, twisted and unputdownable crime thrillers then this is a must-read. I eagerly await book number six. Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

A woman is found horribly bruised in a river and moments after a man's body is also discovered close by. The team of experts, comprising of detectives Adrian Miles, Imogen Grey and their teammates, are working against time to solve the puzzle in order to protect the woman and avoid another murder.

The beginning of this book was exceptional. The first few chapters captured my attention and I was glued to the book as I read on, trying to understand why the mystery woman ran away from the hospital during a murder investigation. The plot thickened as the mystery woman was identified as Angela Corrigan and more characters were introduced who were later revealed to be enemies of her powerful and abusive husband, Reece Corrigan. The pace was steady and seemed perfect for this stage of the novel, with just enough details disclosed to pique the reader's interest.

Around the halfway point the story line shifted from the murder investigation to Adrian's and Imogen's relationship and it was at this point that I lost interest. Although I enjoy seeing snippets into the detectives' lives in a crime series, I felt that the author took it a little too far in this book as at one point the main crime appeared to be completely forgotten. A series of events lead to a tragedy in Adrian's story line and, although the author handled this with care and sensitivity, it felt too brusque and unnecessarily detailed. The constant interaction between Adrian and Imogen became stale and the reminders of how inappropriate their relationship is in their professional environment were too repetitive. I was completely invested in the Corrigan's connection to the murder investigation but had no desire to delve into the detectives' personal lives.

Several sensitive topics were discussed in Woman in the Water and the author handled them with care. I would have preferred a deeper focus on the crime and less of an emphasis on the recurring characters however I understand that this book is part of a series which also features the detectives so it is fair to bring up past character traits and relationships. An unexpected ending and shocking twist helped to assemble the last few lose ends in a fast-paced and exciting conclusion. Overall, Woman in the Water features a series of interesting characters and despite the few issues I had with this book it still remains a solid addition to the series.

This is the 6th book in the Grey and Miles detective series. It could be read as a stand-alone book but you would be missing out on some much of the background between the two main characters so, in my opinion, you should definitely read the whole series in order.

A woman’s badly beaten body is found in the river, she is barely alive and has no memory of how she ended up there or who she is. Further up the river a Man’s body is found, are the two connected ? Adrian Miles found the woman and due to his past he is heavily invested in the case but will this help or hinder ? And can Grey stop Miles from doing something he may regret ?

One part of the story is very hard to read, you will know it when you come to it, and I actually found myself shedding a tear or two. The writing in this section is fantastic, it is just right, enough detail for you to know what is happening and to feel for the character but not to dramatic that it’s over the top !!

A great read as always and looking forward to seeing what is next for Grey and Miles.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Detectives Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey return in Katrina Diamond’s sixth book in her crime thriller series. Katerina immediately establishes an atmosphere of fear, mystery and danger when a Woman in the Water is found and pulled from a freezing river. Adrian Miles is the first on the scene of what he expects to be a corpse and he drags the body onto the bank. As he stands over the body of a badly beaten woman she reaches out and grabs his leg. Jane Doe is taken to the hospital where she starts to make a recovery while claiming amnesia regarding her name, assailant or reason for her attack. She also refuses to give any blood or DNA samples and the marks on her body are consistent with a woman in an abusive relationship.

A dead male was discovered close by, his body badly mutilated. While Adrian and Imogen start to investigate his murder, Jane Doe absconds from the hospital, and they have no means of tracking her down. Their investigation leads them to the man’s employer and it isn’t too long before they recognise the woman, still bruised but pretending she doesn’t know them. They play along, although this strikes a chord with Adrian’s family past and he takes the crime personally.

The main suspect is an imperious man who over the years has built a belief that he is untouchable and has no boundaries in what he would do to protect himself. The investigation reveals a number of people who have crossed him before but are terrified to speak out or provide any statement on what they have witnessed or his activities.

Katerina Diamond is certainly an author that doesn’t shirk from horrific details in her thrillers. She is bold with vivid images of violence drawn in many scenes. One scene, in particular, affects one of the detectives and is extremely disturbing. This incident with the physical and psychological repercussions define a significant theme for the majority of the novel. While the narrative was disturbing it was compelling reading and it was a brave call to introduce this aspect to a main character’s background as we will progress through the series. I found myself wishing the incident didn’t happen but recognising that Katerina had totally drawn me into her story and the empathy I’ve developed for her main characters.

The focus of the story moved from being described as a police crime investigation to a distressing psychological exploration of the mental turmoil and coming to terms with a violent life-changing assault. I felt the story lost its anchor and drifted in the core focus, unsure what elements were the background and what constituted the main thread. The relationship between Adrian and Imogen took centre stage and provided the context of an unsettling personal crime and the coming to terms within oneself and relationships with those around. The consequence, of course, is that the investigation plot lacked her previous depth and surprises.

I would recommend reading this book and I’d like to thank Katerina Diamond, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

This was an excellent crime novel, that – apart from being a fast paced, riveting read – brings up some very disturbing subjects. You may forget the individual police characters (not that they are under-developed, or lacking in any way at all), but what happens in the book will remain with you a very long time.
A woman is found, severely beaten and nearly drowned in the water. Another body (not so lucky) is found nearby. She won’t tell the police who she is, who he is, or what occurred. She disappears from hospital – then pops up again, looking like nothing has happened.
You think you know what is going on – domestic abuse, bad husband, cop taking it all too personally – but that is not the half of it.
Throughout all the book is a pervading sense of fear. No-one will talk. The victims – and there are many – are broken by what they experienced (if they are still alive). They blame themselves: for not fighting back, for not taking warnings seriously, for not living up to expectations …. The horror of what the victims go through – not just the actual crime(s) which are thankfully not dwelt on so much, but the never-ending aftermath – is dealt with by the author with so much empathy, that you are forced to take part of it into your own being.
“Back then, I didn’t know the depths of R’s evil. I still had a rose-tinted view of him, as if somehow if I loved him enough that would change him, but it never did. All it did was change me into a person I can barely stand to look at. I am all but erased – changing a little each day to accommodate his demands but never being quite good enough”
The person behind the crime is one of the most evil people ever to appear in a crime novel. He believes himself to be invincible – and you feel that way too.
All though not everything is wrapped up at the end (could it ever be?), I could not have ever forgiven the author if she had not ended it the way she did.
An outstanding book – but a really distressing read.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review