Shocking twisty thriller that switches between past and present, telling the story of two broken women dealing with the consequences of their past. I truly felt both of the main characters grief, but felt bonded with Jess the most. Jess is struggling to move on following the tragic death of her daughter, but keeps seeing and interacting with her. Instead of brushing that off, she delves deeper, learning the true meaning behind her visions. The author does a great job keeping us guessing, with some shocking twists towards the end!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out August 22, 2023!

Book Title: These Still Black Waters
Series: Jess Lambert #1
Author: Christina McDonald
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: August 8, 2023
My Rating: 3.3 stars

This is Christina McDonald's fourth novel and also my fourth ~ yep! I call myself a fan. I totally loved the other three and have been looking forward to reading this story.

This story is told from the POV of Detective Jess Lambert, Neve McGuire, and the murderer.
Neve Maguire seems to have it all - A successful career as a Veterinarian, she is married to Eli a devoted husband and dad; they have a fifteen year old daughter Ash who seems to be a great kid.
But after a violent home invasion, Neve returns with Ash to Dullahan House - Black Lake, her childhood summer home, hoping for a fresh start and where Neve is sure they will be safe. ‘Dullahan House’ is her mother’s home but currently is a rental as she has Alzheimer’s and is living at Trinity Manor a memory care home.
Yikes when a woman's body is found floating among the reeds in the lake behind her house, Neve fears she has made a horrible mistake.

The dead woman is Bailey Nelson, Neve denies knowing her. Bailey was Bee Naldoni in high school and yes she and Neve were high school friends.
I am sure Neve has denied knowing Bailey as Neve is still haunted by the secrets from her high school years.
Detective Jess Lambert has a past that is haunting her as well. Her young daughter Isla died in a car accident that was caused when a deer darted out in front of her car. Jess is still suffering from her injuries as well as the death of her daughter
Jess has been assigned this murder investigation, having just returned to work after the trauma of her accident. Many aren’t sure if she is ready to be back at work.

Story read like a Karin Slaughter story.
I read that Ms. Slaughter likes to put readers “out of their comfort zone”.

Although I was glued to this story I have to admit I was definitely ‘out of my comfort zone’!

I wanted to like Jess and I felt sorry about her situation but didn’t like her foul-mouth.

The two women killed so violently are both awful unlikeable characters.
In addition, to the foul language, horrible teenage bulling- it is just all round disturbing.
I am okay with paranormal stories and I like Isla and Ash.
I thought Jess as a detective should be solving this and not the supernatural.

I am curious about Ms. McDonald’s motivation for this story. - So sent her an email and she answered it!
She said shortly before the pandemic a friend of hers suffered a horrible break in. She was putting her children to bed, when a masked man broke down her door and threatened her
and her kids with a knife.
Ms. McDonald said this really impacted her and she couldn't stop thinking about it.
Thus her vivid imagination went into overdrive!

There is no doubt this is good but was tough to read.
I am hoping the real Christina McDonald returns as it appears her doppelganger may have come out in this story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 8, 2023

After a home invasion forced Neve and her daughter to flee their home they end up moving back to Neve’s childhood home on Black Lake. It’s their starting over place – their safe space place. But that serene feeling doesn’t last for long, a body is soon found floating in the lake. Then when another body surfaces, it’s clear this isn’t something Neve can run from. What is it that Neve is running from?

A compulsive read – I was hooked from the start. A well written story that will have you flipping the pages long into the night, full of raw human emotion and experience that poor out from this book. Cancel all of your plans! I read a lot mystery/thriller type books and can already tell that this is one book you’re going to want to run out and buy! A must read for anyone that loves the genre like I do.

I received an ARC of this book and leave this review of my own accord.
#NetGalley #TheseStillBlackWaters

Well… This was a crazy and emotional story about two broken women who get stuck in their dark pasts and are, desperately looking for their payback

Lots of twists and turns. A definite. UST read

Thanks Netgalley and publisher

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

Well… This is not only brutal crime thriller/revenge meets paranormal / psychological mystery, it’s also soul crushing, emotional story about two broken women who stuck in their dark pasts in self destructive way, desperately looking for their redemption!

I loved Neve! But I loved Jess more! She tries so hard to gather her broken pieces for being whole, functional human being but gnawing guilt feelings, self destruction, her long time grieving don’t let her move on!

Here’s quick summary of the plot:
After traumatic home invasion incident, Neve Maguire returns back to Black Lake where her childhood summer house located, alongside her sixteen years old daughter Ash who was shot in the head, miraculously survived.

Black Lake is the same place Neve had became part of a tragic incident. She wants to reach the realtor of their house for keys but the very next day she finds out their property realtor Bailey is found dead floating among the reeds in the lake. Bailey is the same woman: her childhood friend Bae she’s seen a night before! But how could she see and talk to her when she was already dead, floating in the lake?

Detective Jess Lambert is the head investigator of the case, who lost her daughter Isla, seeing her in everywhere even though she doesn’t believe in ghosts. When she interrogates Neve, she realizes Neve keeps things to herself. She has to dig out more to find out Neve’s connection with murder. But then another woman is found dead at another county as Jess slowly loses her ability to differentiate the thin life between reality and nightmares.

I could love this book more if I didn’t find out the big twist earlier ( I found out 70 pages earlier, I patiently waited the revelation chapter which made me bored)

The perpetrator is also predictable and I found the chapter that she’s captured far too long. There was so much unnecessary dialogues that slowed down the pace and turned the important scene into soap opera drama.

Overall: I was thinking to give 3 stars but I love Christina McDonald’s writing so much more and I easily connected with Jess. I decided to give 3.5 stars to round up 4 mysterious, paranormal, sentimental stars!

I hope she brings Jess Lambert back for new adventures in near future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

WOW. WOW. WOW. This was one of those books where I texted my friend about 20% in and said “this book is so so great, you HAVE to read it.” Then I texted her again about halfway and told her that it was “exceeding my expectations and that I hoped the ending lived up to the rest of the book”. I am now done with the book and it BLEW ME AWAY. First off, I am so so happy that it is going to be a series. I can not wait to see what is in store for these characters. They were AMAZING. Second, I will not tell you anything about this book as it just kept surprising me page after page. Just read this book. You will be so glad that you did.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this thriller that kept me guessing throughout the story! Interesting plot, intriguing characters, and fun twists! I am excited to see what the 2nd installment of the Jess Lambert series will bring!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Well, it took me a while to get into this one, like until the very end, but I finally did. The ending made the book for me. I was not buying the story for 3/4 of the book, but the final few chapters changed my view about it.

Not quite a mystery, not quite a thriller, this one falls more towards the paranormal realm. I didn't like most of it, but the ending made things a lot better.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely remarkable! A true testament to complicated relationships and, in particular, the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. The twists and turns kept me interested and guessing, as only Christina can do. She is such an accomplished author, and I absolutely look forward to anything she puts out into the world with bated breath! "These Still Black Waters" did not disappoint and, in fact, has risen near the top of my favorites of her books. Bravo!

This book was not labelled as having supernatural/paranormal elements. That is absolutely not for me. I would never have requested this if I had known.

What I did read and I am DNF at 20% was very repetitive and the characters are annoying and lack depth. The main character Neve is annoying and quite useless. Maybe it got better but I doubt it.

I think this will appeal to some but it’s not for me and I feel it should have been labelled correctly a bit of a swiftly if you ask me.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer, NetGalley and the author for an opportunity to read this in advance for an honest opinion.

Although the twists were obvious, I loved the storyline and authors writing style. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to find out what happened next and where the path was going to lead.

I had a few issues with this story but still rated it 3 stars cause the ending pulled through. My main problem was that the middle of the story lagged a bit and it was obvious that the narrative had details missing. I did really like Jess's character so maybe the next book will be better.

An alcoholic detective investigates a brutal murder where the witnesses are unreliable and the clues don't quite add up. It may sound like the average mystery, but this story has more to it than you may think.

The killer for me wasn't a question. I figured that out almost immediately after the first mention of that particular character, and even the motive seemed pretty obvious. The rest, though, kept me wondering if I misunderstood and made me want to flip back to previous chapters. The multiple perspectives allowed for some overlap in interactions but also permitted new information to come in organically so the reader could try to piece everything together.

Overall, I had a pleasant read and the twists made plausible sense. The "confess everything at the end" moments never hit for me (seems like lazy writing when the character can't help but walk everyone through their thoughts step-by-step), but I still appreciated the originality of a book that kept me reading voraciously.

Overall: 4/5 stars

I'll tell my students about: language, trauma, murder, alcohol, smoking, blood/gore/murder, physical violence, sexual references/sex toys, sex

**Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free ARC prior to publication. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I loved this story! Jess and Neve are real, raw and vulnerable. Both wanting to protect their daughters at all costs.

This book follows Jess, a detective as she tries to solve a recent murder in her small town. At the same time, Neve has recently moved back to her family's summer home with her daughter Ash after a terrifying home invasion.
A definite must read!!

Thank you netgally for the advanced readers copy.

This book has multiple intertwining POVs. The story begins on a bit of a slow burn until BAM, a body is found. It follows with multiple twists and turns throughout this very well written 'whodunit' thriller.

Neve and her daughter Ash return to Neves' childhood summer home while she figures out her love life back in Boston. The next thing they know, their backyard is a crime scene. Detective Jess is on the case and finds that Neve may not be as innocent as she claims. While she is hot on the case, Neve recalls her secret past leading up to mysterious texts and notes left for her and the recently deceased. Are they connected? Is Neve telling Detective Jess the whole story?

This is the second book I’ve gotten from Netgalley that is advertised as a thriller but is in reality a PARANORMAL “thriller.” I am not the target audience for this genre because I find the paranormal aspects a plot device. This is not a police procedural when the police are not actually doing any investigating but are just receiving information through paranormal means. I guessed the “twist” at 53% read and hoped to God I was wrong, but I wasn’t. I guessed the “murderer” at about 40% in. Granted I read a lot of thrillers and murder mysteries so I can see the writing patterns emerge.
I was also not a fan of the pedantic nature of the book and how it constantly switched between 1st person and 2nd person. There were moments in every chapter where the character slips into advice using 2nd person. I found this completely off-putting. The main character was not redeemable or moral or ethical, so why should the reader take life advice from her? I thought maybe I could excuse that if it was a character trait and explained or developed. However, there are three different POVs (Neve, Jess, and the murderer) and all chapters have moments like this.
I liked none of the characters. Even the police officer that is supposed to carry the series. She’s an alcoholic who injured herself while driving under the influence and yet she continues to drive drunk!! As a police officer! And her fellow officers know and don’t stop her!!
I can’t.
So I won’t be reading the rest of the series nor anything else by this author. Like I said, I am not a fan of paranormal. So if this were labeled correctly, I wouldn’t have requested it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for providing this ARC copy to read and review. All the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading the book.

Christine is amazing I love all her books and look forward everytime she has a new one pop up! This one was great! Highly suggest getting it asap!

Overall this was a story full of twists. I didn't personally love the "supernatural" part of the story and it did cause some confusion. The ending was so-so.... it wasn't my favorite Christina McDonald book but it was still a good read.

4.75 ⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! After seeing the cover & reading the description, I thought it would be a good read! Once I was about 50% through the book, I could not put it down!! I had to find out the truth of what happened. It was definitely a good thriller and I loved the plot-twists and surprises!

This book follows two main characters- Neve (a mother who is running away from her problems after a recent home invasion to help protect her daughter) and Jess (an alcohol detective that is desperate to run away from the grief that consumes her.) Whether the two women know it, they have a little bit in common.

When Neve arrives to Black Lake, she learns quickly that her neighbor was murdered. Is she next? Who did it and why? And how does her neighbor connect to Neve’s past? That’s what Detective Jess Lambert is working hard to find out!

This was a great read and I definitely recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book because I was already a fan of Christina McDonald's writing. This book did not disappoint! It's the story of a mother and daughter, Neve and Ash, who relocate to the mother's childhood summer home in Black Lake after a home invasion. As soon as they arrive, a woman's body is found in the lake behind their house. Jess Lambert is the investigator on the case and she can tell that Neve is hiding secrets from her past in Black Lake. Jess is also recovering after having a personal tragedy of her own and she also has her own secrets. The story alternates between the perspectives of Neve, Jess and the unknown killer. The writing style really kept my interest and I found that I couldn't stop reading. Towards the end of the book, there's a twist that I didn't see coming. This is a book where the reader has to suspend their disbelief which I sometimes have a problem doing but the author really made it work. This book is billed as Book #1 in the Jess Lambert Series and I can't wait to read more with this character and see where her story goes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Mercer Publishing and Christina McDonald for providing me the opportunity to read this ARC. The publication date for These Still Black Waters is August 8, 2023. I highly recommend!