Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This is the 2nd book I’ve read by this author. Whilst her books are in a series they can also be read as stand alone books. I really enjoyed reading this story, and felt the two main characters were likeable and worked well together. A woman is found in water beaten up and is too scared to help the Police and give evidence against the person who had done this to her. For one of the officers investigating this became a very personal case and a reminder of an unhappy childhood which led to horrifying repercussions where the author dealt with a very sensitive issue sympathetically and with care. The Police know who is behind all this, yet no-one is willing to come forward to make a statement or give evidence and the victim takes matters into her own hands. I felt this was a compelling read, and couldn’t put it down. There were unexpected twists and turns in the story and an ending I never saw coming!! Will be looking at authors other books in series and also to see how the next book goes and hope it sorts out unresolved storylines left over from this book 😀

I very eagerly anticipated the release of Truth or Die earlier this year and thought it would be another year before the next book in the series came out. I was super happy to discover that Woman in the Water was also publishing this year. While I did enjoy it, I have some mixed feelings about it, as well.

I don’t know if it’s because the book was maybe rushed to release this year or if it’s because of a new editor (in the Acknowledgments the author mentions a former editor, so I’m assuming the editor of this book was different than the others), but the quality didn’t seem quite as good as the other books in the series. The dialogue felt a little awkward sometimes, there was a lot of repetition, and the mystery left a little to be desired.

That said, I love Adrian and Imogen and I was just happy to spend time with them. I knew since they finally got together in the previous book that there would have to be something to throw a wrench into their relationship this time around. And there is. First, Adrian loses his head a bit during the investigation, as it brings up a lot of bad memories from his childhood. Then, he ends up having something very traumatic happen to him. It’s hard to talk about without having spoilers, but it was very hard to read and most the rest of the book focuses on him trying to come to terms with it. In true Adrian fashion, he deals with it in the least emotionally healthy way possible, which includes lying to Imogen and pushing her away. While that was frustrating, I do think Adrian’s reactions were authentic and it is definitely an important topic.

I thought the mystery was intriguing and had a lot of potential, but it kind of failed to reach it. We’re told over and over how evil Reece is and I kept expecting something big to be revealed, but he was kind of your run of the mill bad guy. We never really get the motivation behind his particular brand of villainy and the big reveal at the end seemed tacked on for shock value instead of being a satisfying or shocking twist.

Overall, I loved spending more time with Adrian and Imogen, but Woman in the Water was not my favorite book of the series. The subject matter of what happened with Adrian is important and I thought it was pretty well done, but I wish a little more development went into the central mystery. The story ends with some big changes going forward and I’m eager to see how those develop. Though I didn’t enjoy this book as much I hoped to, I’m still a big Katerina Diamond fan and can’t wait to read more from her.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

This series gets better and better. Diamond is the Queen of the dark and twisted detective novel and in this one really lets her characterisation shine. Tough subject matter, sensitively handled. Highly recommended.

This was my first Katerina Diamond novel that ive read even though I have a few in my "to be read pile" so I didn't really know what to expect. The book twisted and turned like a normal police drama "who dunnit" but this is far from the norm. It tackles an uncomfortable subject and tells a really good story. Very will written and all consuming.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last. It was a fast read with the storyline keeping your attention with a twist I did not see coming.

I really thought I knew how this would end about three-quarters of the way through, but I was so wrong!
The ending is a 5 star for me, but overall, I thought the story needed tightening up and a general edit, which is why it gets a 4.
For once this police procedural demonstrates just how long it can take to solve a murder. The intricacies of police procedures that must be followed and the fact that people don’t always work through the night, but go home at 5 and come in at 9 even when they are trying to solve a murder. Much more realistic.

This book explores domestic abuse and a physical attack on a male and how it affects their focus on life. Well written and it was great catching up with Adrian and Imogen. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

I loved this psychological domestic thriller! It had me hooked from the beginning and I just couldn’t put it down. Such great crazy characters. Some I loved and some made me so MAD!!! I was totally engrossed in this whole story. Great twists and turns throughout the book. Never ending surprises. Can’t recommend enough!!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of Woman in the Water, the sixth novel to feature Exeter based DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles.

Adrian Miles is returning home when he is stopped by something in the water. Getting closer it is a woman’s body and she is barely alive. Recovering in hospital the woman doesn’t know who she is or what happened but Imogen isn’t so sure, especially when the woman disappears after hearing of another body found near her.

I enjoyed Woman in the Water which is not so much a whodunnit as a how can they get enough proof to convict him novel. It is a violent novel with much emphasis on the psychological damage of domestic violence. This is done by interspersing the investigative narrative with the first person thoughts of the victim. I’m not expert enough to know if these are authentic but they are interesting and convincing in terms of the plot. The plot is full of twists and turns but also full of Imogen and Adrian’s troubles with their new relationship. I don’t feel that the author got the balance quite right as this latter became a bit tedious over time and throughout the novel I was thinking 3* until the explosive ending and the final twists and they easily raised it up to 4*.

I’m not one for navel gazing so while Adrian’s introspection is necessary in terms of the plot Imogen’s efforts to reach him just got annoying and somehow seem out of place, not just in a crime novel but in terms of her strong personality. She even admits to being needy.

Woman in the Water is a solid read.

I’m really excited to have been asked to be part of the blog tour for this book. The kindle version will be released on the 11th of November 2019. My blog will be published on the 8th of December 2019. My blog will be on www.pinkanddizzy.com.
I received a copy of the book in advance via NetGalley in return for an honest review as part of my blog.
This is a book full of intrigue, suspicion and truly shocking occurrences.
We are following DS Miles and DS Grey on the investigation into a woman found almost dead in a river. The discovery of the Jane Doe leads to the finding of a body, this time not as fortunate as the woman. The more the detectives investigate the complicated and more perilous the situation becomes.
DS Miles feels an affiliation to the woman, as he is the one to have found her, but will the need to protect her get himself into trouble?
There are a few scenes that were very difficult to read. It was very unexpected and very graphic. However, they were well executed and hard-hitting. I’m glad the author didn’t gloss over what was happening and went straight for the vivid depiction. It is this part of the storyline that really gripped me. I needed to know how and if they were able to overcome what had happened. The events were life-changing, and I felt that the aftermath was treated with care and perfect compassion.
I read a lot of crime books, and I’m more used to the detectives being thorough and confident. They usually work well as a team, and even though there is a personal element, a balance is found. I thought, however, that the detectives in this book were a little too insecure and needed too much reassurance. They also didn’t seem to be covering all basis when questioning suspects or witnesses. This isn’t just the case between DS Miles and DS Grey but with other relationships within their team. It was a little off-putting as I didn’t feel like the victims were in good hands. I thought it made the book into more of a drama rather than a crime and thriller fiction. If it hadn’t have been for the powerful and compelling storyline mentioned above, I would have felt as if this book was lacking something.
I didn’t realise when starting it that it was part of a series, as unfortunately, this isn’t mentioned on either NetGalley or Amazon. I did accept that I was missing out a lot on the detectives’ history. A lot of what has occurred prior to this investigation is acknowledged, including the relationship between DS Miles and DS Grey. So I would definitely recommend reading those before this instalment. I am tempted to go back and catch up as I would very much like to read the next in the series to see how the main characters are getting on.
Overall, a captivating and at some points a very distressing story; it was superbly written a solid four-star read.

"People warn you about strangers, but no one warns you about the people you love, the people who say they love you."

Fantastic character building enhanced this story for me. The characters were relatable and written with great depth that this book can easily be read as a standalone even though it is part of a series. I was so angry on behalf of a couple of the characters and I fast became engrossed in this story.

There are several topics covered that can be quite distressing, domestic violence, depression and PTSD following a trauma and rape. However Diamond has clearly researched these extensively. People who have never experienced domestic abuse do not understand the reasons why victims don't leave their abusers or the time it takes them to find the courage to leave. There are parts in this book that explain this expertly.

It was a hard story to read in places, but it was full of twists and it became very personal to me for several reasons. I've found another favourite author. Very very highly recommend Woman In The Water.

I am a big fan of the Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey series by Katerina Diamond and I think this might be the best one so far. The Woman In The Water is a dark and gritty police procedural with real characters and storylines. The twist at the end had me stunned, I really did not see it coming at all.

It is a hard book to talk about the plot without spoilers. I will say that there is a really tough scene to read in this book. I felt quite ill and upset reading it. But it is fantastic writing and makes you feel very emotional. DS Miles pulls a woman out of a icy cold lake and is stunned when she is alive. But she claims to have no memory and then disappears from the hospital. And then another man is pulled from the lake, this one is dead though. What is the connection?

This book should should really coming with a warning as there are some horrific events and they are quite graphic.

Imogen and Adrian are still trying to work out what their relationship is and where it is going. But he is keeping a really big secret from her and it threatens to destroy their friendship as well as their love. It is fantastic book and a great addition to the series.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Upon starting this book, I realized I had read the one before this in the series, but none of the others. The intriguing - and horrifying - premise of the book is that the perpetrator of horrible violence is known to all concerned, but no one dares to speak out and so it's impossible to act against him, legally.

So that's the premise, but the execution... well. I felt the story dragged, moving at a glacial pace mainly through much too much focus on the relationship between the two main characters (Detectives Grey and Miles). And astonishingly enough, at the same time, the author managed to make neither of them likeable and after a certain point I just felt annoyed by the focus on them rather than the crime.

I felt the story could have been much better with more stringent editting, and a change in the focus. The crime, and its resolution, were well-done.

This was an original storyline which became much more complicated as you read through the chapters. Without the horror that Adrian suffered this would have been a run of the mill, not quite so thriller. I thought the author handled that aspect of the book extremely well, I expect she had done extensive research which showed. Imogen just didn't come across as a real person even though she was present in most scenes. She seemed to be lacking any real personality apart from being somewhat irritating while Adrian was trying to recover from his ordeal. I felt that a partner would be a lot more caring than she was and she lacked the insight, even though she was a police officer, to know when she wasn't wanted instead of just turning up at Adrian's flat all the time. Everything tied up very well and there was a definite denouement which no one was expecting. More books with Adrian and Imogan would be good but both of them need to be much more rounded with fuller, deeper realistic personalities which they lacked at times, certainly Imogen.

I have read and, up to the last book, enjoyed all the books in this series. I felt the last one focused too much on the two main characters' relationship and hoped that this was a one off. I gave the series a second chance, hoping that it would get back on track but sadly, for me, once again the crime took a back seat compared with the shenanigans happening between Miles and Grey. Yes, I know the point of reading series books is character development along the way but, with crime books, the crime should always be front and centre for me. Unless things take a swift turn in the next episode I think I might be all done with this series. Shame really cos books 1 through 4 were all cracking reads.
Miles is in the right place at the right time when he stops to see what is going on and is told that there could be a dead body half submerged in a river. On closer inspection, it appears she is not dead and he swiftly calls for help. The woman is taken to hospital and claims she has no memory of who she is or what happened. Further investigation of the scene reveals the body of a male. It doesn't take much to connect the two but wanting to question the woman further proved impossible as she has absconded from the hospital. And so begins a rather intriguing tale which unravels swiftly but leads them nowhere with prosecution. From the start we know the bad guy an the book basically deals with the long and winding task of proving it and taking him down. A task that is compounded all the more by the relationship between the two cops investigating. And their behaviour throughout. Boy, how they have both still got jobs on the force is beyond belief!
It's a shame that this stuff overshadowed the case as I did find this to be interesting, especially with how things developed along the way and imploded at the end. But my smooth journey with this was littered with superfluous stuff that I could have done without, especially with what happened to Miles; the fallout from which just made things worse between him and Grey. There was also another nasty incident that happened in the book and I am not sure that these weren't included for shock tactic rather than being wholly necessary to the plot. Apart from fuelling the relationship woes that is!
All in all, a series that has gone so far off the boil that it now deserves to be in the freezer. I will keep an eye out for the next book and read the reviews to see if normal service has been resumed. The way that this one ended I have a suspicion that it might, just might, be able to get back on track. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm out. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Detectives Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey are now in a relationship, though that’s not common knowledge at work. However, on this case things come too close to home and it has serious repercussions for both.
On his way into work Miles stops as some women think their children saw a body in the water. Upon investigation, it is a woman...and she’s alive. Someone wanted her dead, but there’s no signs of robbery or sexual assault. It becomes a matter of some urgency to work out what on earth happened when the beaten body of a young man is also found nearby.
Before we know it we’ve been pulled into a very dark place. This isn’t a ‘whodunnit’, but a trying to pull it together to prove they did it kind of story.
We focus on Angela Corrigan, the much younger wife of local businessman Reece. Nobody will speak out against him, and though we’ve strong reason to believe he’s been up to all sorts of things nobody will talk, and there’s no evidence.
It’s testimony to the bullishness of these two Detectives that we get anywhere. However, it comes at awful personal expense.
Adrian Miles suffers in the course of this investigation in a way that you cannot begin to imagine. It’s brutal, totally demeaning and the disgust I felt as we learn the extent of the wrongdoings against not just him but so many others was upsetting.
While it was a dark story that was not, in any way, enjoyable to read, I am intrigued at the potential for where this might go next.
Thanks to Diamond and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was an excellent read. There were some very unexpected parts of the book and some very uncomfortable parts and the book worked on a variety of levels rather than just a stand alone thriller. Can't say much more without giving things away.

I always enjoy British police procedurals! Although this had some unexpected graphic violence, it was a great story. I really like the detective characters and look forward to the next story!

Again another thriller to strongly recommend. Great story, a page turner and spellbound until the end.

I discover another polar series with the character DS Imogen Grey and I love it. cannot wait to dive into the previous ones from the serie

The Woman in the Water held a lot of promise especially reading some of the praise for Katerina Diamond. The opening chapters of DS Adrian Miles rescuing the woman in the water were a good hook and enjoyable but it went drastically down hill from there. I doubt any decent copper would act like he did afterwards and the team around him too. So unprofessional and unbelievable. However, and there is a however, the plight of Adrian in the van and his subsequent feelings were well written and accurate. The revealing of the relationship between Reece and Angela at the finale went some way to explain the hold he had over her and smoothed over some of the cracks in the story. Sadly we were left not knowing how the broken Miles tried to rebuild his life and his relationship with Imogen. More novels to follow I’m sure.

On a technical note, a hand held Doppler radar device detects changes in velocity. How that can be used to detect buried objects is beyond me.