A very character driven thriller that was a pleasure to read. From PI Charlotte"Charlie" Winters to the Carmichael siblings, it is impossible to say which character I liked better...at least until the murderer was revealed! Vargus and McBain always write excellent thrillers and with Charlie Winters they have a super entertaining series.

This book was so amazing!! I loved the mystery and the characters were so interesting I was on the edge of my seat the whole book! I would highly recommend this book to everyone! I will be reading more from this author!

I have enjoyed these two authors. They really do work well together. Their series will draw you in. Definitely recommend these thrillers

Girl Under Water is a classic mystery story with guaranteed entertainment! A PI is hired to find who is killing people and she better do it before she may be the next victim. There are a lot of possible culprits, money, luxury, and deceit. Who has done it? Good plot and characters that left me wanting more!

This is the first book that I have read in this series, but it is definitely not the last. I will be going back to read the first book in the series. Detective Charlie Winters is a hoot. She is tasked with solving a mystery for the Carmichael Family. Little does she know how ruthless and conniving the members of this family are, especially when it comes to money. Charlie works hard to put all of the pieces together, but will she solve the mystery before she finds herself in danger? Inquiring minds want to know. Pick up this book to find out the answer to that question. You won’t regret it. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed the introduction to Charlie Winters in First Girl Gone. I liked the unique “conscience” she had, and I liked her attitude. Naturally, I was excited for her next investigation. I wasn’t disappointed. She still has the voice of her sister to keep her company. Or to argue with. Or to provide wry commentary on the case at hand. In some ways, Allie is my favorite character. I very much enjoyed the spirit of this one. As with the first book, the authors did a good job of keeping the investigation lively and gave away clues (with a dash of a few red herrings) without giving away the entire plot. This is a great series. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Girl Under Water – LT Vargus & Tim McBain

Charlotte “Charlie” Winters has just arrived at her uncle’s PI office, “A1 Investigations” when a well-dressed young woman comes in, with a troubling story. Gloria Carmichael is seeking assistance in discovering who killed her father, and what has become of several hundred million dollars that is missing from the Carmichael estate. Gloria confides that she is one of six children, and that the family is not particularly close, with any one of her siblings possibly having an agenda where the missing money is concerned. There’s also the possibility of the man’s mistress being involved.

Intrigued, Charlie accepts the case, and begins by visiting the Carmichael estate, to see the murder scene, and to meet Gloria’s siblings. As she interviews each family member, it becomes readily apparent that they have had difficult relationships with their father and with one another. Meanwhile Dutch’s mistress, remains very elusive. Additional questions arise, including Dutch’s missing computer, and the whereabouts of Dutch’s will. Strangely, no one has been able to locate the document.

As Charlie digs deeper, the case suddenly turns deadly in the form of a hit and run accident outside of Charlie’s office - then Charlie too, finds her life in grave danger. More determined than ever to get to the bottom of things, Charlie sneaks into a gala at the local country club to confront Dutch’s former mistress, who knows a secret or two herself. Finally, an impromptu visit to a mountain vacation home inadvertently reveals a secret that will crack the case wide open…if Charlie lives to reveal it…

I love this new character, and the at times hysterical dialogue that she has with her deceased sister Allie, interspersed throughout the pages. The reader learns that Allie was a fairly recent murder victim, a crime as yet unsolved – hoping the authors take the series in that direction soon! If you love strong female protagonists, this is yet another book to add to your reading list! While you’re at it, be sure to look up this duo’s ‘Violet Darger’ series as well! Great reads, all!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Wow. This book was one roller coaster of a ride with suspense throughout. I loved the character of Charlie and her determination to help everyone. The author is a word artist who spins a great tale.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Girl under Water is the second book in the Private Investigator Charlotte Winters series. It begins with a chilling prologue that ends with the murder of a business mogul in his mansion. The seemingly obvious motive for the murder is money or perhaps greed…or both. With 5 children and a mistress set to benefit from an inheritance, there are plenty of suspects. The pool of suspects further widens with the reveal of more secrets about the Dutch’s life.

Once again, I had a great time following Charlotte as she investigated the case with her sister, Allie, who actually lives in her head. I was so curious about the Dutch’s death and couldn’t stop changing my mind about the suspects. The reveal was a shock because the baddie turned to be the one person who I never suspected. In addition, the answers were not as straightforward, there was a lot more going on that I never could have guessed.

My only little niggle with this series is the role that the PI plays. You know those action movies where the hero saves the day and just as dust settles, we hear the sirens and suddenly the police arrive? I had a hard time trying to figure out what the police were doing as they seemed always a step behind the PI. At some point, they even let her chase new leads and only ask to be kept updated. They also relied on her to get them answers. This dynamic is a bit odd for me. However, it still doesn’t take away my love for this series.

This is a captivating, well-paced, entertaining addition to the series. With a likeable MC, twisted case, family secrets and a large suspect pool, I was hooked from the first to the last page.

What a trip. I have a real soft spot for Violet Darger but with each book Charlie is really getting a spot right there with Violet. I’m loving getting to know Charlie more and this case was really something. It reminded me almost of an Agatha Christie mystery. A rich family with lots of secrets and twists. So great!

Really struggled to get into this. Wasn't a massive fan of Charles charter and i found her sisters voice in her head distracting from the story.

I really enjoyed this, I did feel like several story lines were left unfinished, I did guess 98% of the What, who, and why. I also started skimming again about 3/4 through, but sometimes the minute details just aggravate me and seem pointless. Nothing against the author or anything, I just get impatient probably. I would definitely recommend this series to a friend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the second book in the Charlotte Winters series; it is easily a stand alone book but I really enjoyed the first book and it gives a little more detail about Charlotte’s life. Charlottes little voice in her head, is the voice of her dead twin, whose death has never been solved; whether it is just her subconscious talking or whether it somehow is her sister’s spirit, it doesn’t matter, Allie adds the little bits of humour that make this detective book all the better.

In this book Charlotte is tasked with finding out how one of the areas richest men died and help find the will. Duke Carmichael’s six children are an odd cast of characters and any one of them or the girlfriend of the deceased could be the killer. When Charlotte gets a little too close, bad things start to happen including the death of one of the siblings; and Charlotte wonders if she is going to solve this crime or be killed in the process. It was a great book; edge of your seat thriller while I tried to solve the crime right alongside Charlotte. Cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Girl Under Water is the second chapter in the Detective Charlie Winters series, set in Salem Island Michigan. It begins with a prologue showing us the 77 year old founder of a successful hedge fund, Carmichael Investments, and self-made billionaire Randolph ”Dutch” Carmichael and one of his relatives seemingly patching things up. They hug it out in Dutch's lavish mansion. Dutch walks in front to lead the way, but no sooner has he reached the top of the stairs when he's smashed over the head and sent tumbling to the bottom where his motionless body now lies. Charlie is hired by Gloria Carmichael as the police have deemed the death a murder but haven't managed to make any progress with the investigation. She claims to also have found that about four hundred million dollars is missing from her fathers estate. Charlie has no clue what she is letting herself in for.
Gloria’s four siblings - Brandon, Marjory, Jude and Dara - are more interested in finding his missing millions than discovering what happened to him and who did it, which troubles Charlie from the start. The family members begin to argue and fight between themselves and Charlie realises she is in the centre of more than she first thought.
I loved Charlie's twin in her head, she provided quite a few funny moments for me throughout. A thriller based around a family that are all more concerned with the inheritance than who actually killed their father. There a quite a number of suspects that had the means, motive and even the opportunity and Charlie knows she needs to find who it is before they strike again.
I started to read and before I knew it I was knee deep in the investigation with Charlie. An absorbing story that had just the right pace for me and I am looking forward to another book with Charlie Winters.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book to give you my thoughts today.

When Randolph "Dutch" Carmichael, billionaire of Salem Island, is found dead at the bottom of his mansion's stairway, his six adult children decide to hire Private Investigator Charlotte Winters to find out who murdered him. The usual motive is, of course, money in these cases, but soon Charlie finds out that there is a lot more going on than greed. NO SPOILERS.

This is my first read of 2021 and I found it fast-paced and entertaining with a twist that surprised me despite my best guesses. I had read the first book in this series and was hoping this installment would make me a bit more attached to Charlie, but I still find myself incredibly annoyed with the voice of her murdered twin sister Allie interjecting comments throughout the narrative. I did like the plot of this more than the previous installment, so I may give future books a go. The overly long dramatic climax on the water could have been edited down and what is it with these women getting so beat up on all the time? Seemed to me like Charlie should have required hospitalization! But, I did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

What a fantastic addition to the series! Having read the first book, I was eagerly waiting to read Girl Under Water and I am impressed!
Engrossing, entertaining (Allie!) and a complete pager-turner. This is a new favorite in the series.
Excellent character development and the mystery behind the murder(s) keeps one on the edge of their seat. The authors are master storytellers and I am a fan of their writing.
The ending was a shocker (believe me, you will not see this coming!).
I am eagerly waiting to read the next book in this series.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the second book in L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain's new series and it was as good as, if not better, than the first book! I love crime thriller series and this is definitely going to be a fun, thrilling series to read.

Once again we have a fast-paced, suspense-filled read that kept me flipping the pages from start to finish. Yes, these books tend to be a bit on the longer side, but once you start reading them, you don't really notice the length as you become so engaged in what is going on and the twists and turns just keep you completely guessing as to what might come next. My favorite aspect of this series remains to be the voice that Charlie hears in her head. It happened in the first book and it continued to happened throughout this latest installment. I love this - I find it to be a unique part of the story. It is both humorous at times as well as quite telling in regards to Charlie as a character.

Charlie continues to have a lot on her plate. This time around she is dealing with the case she is working on, issues with her mother and issues with her new assistant. Luckily she has her best-friend Zoe to watch her back. I love Charlie - I find her to be a strong, fierce protagonist but she is also flawed and I love that about her. She makes mistakes and doesn't always think things through.

I loved that this case had a Clue-like feel to it. The big house, the big family, all the secrets and drama within the family. And then there was the issue of there not being able to locate the will after the father has been killed. And the further Charlie looks into it, the more questions she comes up with. It just pulls you in and you can't help but get wrapped up into trying to put all the pieces together, yet you know something is missing.

This writing duo is fantastic. They push the envelop, they take chances and they give an all-out gripping, exciting read. I am so excited to see what comes next for Charlie...and I really hope that at some point, we get some closure on her sister's murder that happened 20 years ago.

The super rich Carmichael family call in private investigator Charlie Winters when the patriarch is found murdered at the bottom of the stairs. She immediately suspects one of the six siblings is responsible but as she begins her investigation there are motives and suspicious behaviour everywhere. Then another member of the family dies in front of her...
Girl Under Water is the sequel to First Girl Gone but you do not need to have read the first book: there are no spoilers if you choose to go back and read them in the wrong order.
I love the quirkiness of the style of writing and the brilliant literary device of Charlie's ghostly or imagined sister Allie, murdered years before. The sibling bickering between Charlie and her deceased sister continues to entertain and adds a wonderful extra dimension to the characterisation. The emotional and personal side of Charlie's life comes to the fore as her uncle receives good news but her mum has mental health concerns.
The murder investigation itself is dramatic and kept me guessing until the end. Secrets and motives appear as the plot twists unfurl. Charlie's life is in danger as she searches for the truth and the ending was action packed.
Overall, Girl Under Water was an entertaining thriller with a wonderful lead character and witty writing style. The book is divided into short chapters (my favourite style!) so the pace is fast and keeps the dramatic momentum.

Girl Under Water by L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain is the 2nd book in the Charlotte Winters series, and my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. Charlotte, Charlie, Winters is a private Detective, who is hired by Gloria Carmichael to find out who murdered her father. There are six children, who seem to fight over everything, but is one of them a killer? This book kept me reading until the end, I wanted to know who the murderer was, and there were so many secrets in this family. I highly recommend this book is you enjoy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The authors have created a novel that is tense and intense. It is pacy, intelligent and compelling, and managed to keep me awake until long after midnight in my desire to learn the final denouement. You should not presume to know who is guilty!
I think I must nominate Charlie Winters as the best PI in crime fiction since Kinsey Millhone missed out on her final case with the sad and untimely death of her author Sue Grafton.
Quite brilliant storytelling.