I struggled, at first, to get into this story. I really struggled with a horrible detective - who drinks on the job and constantly jeopardizes the whole investigation. I was so distracted by her drinking, withholding information from her partner, and going rogue and investigating the murder all alone. It was frustrating and I think I'm done with stories about really bad cops.

The other MC, Neve, was equally meh. She had the persona she put out to the world and the one she was when no one was looking. She felt superior, because she wasn't like that one girl who blackmailed people, but she was still pretty awful to those around her.

The plot, however, was interesting. I had a pretty constant finger pointed here and there. It did take a minute for more of the cast to appear but the story was quick once the detective started working and not just drinking. The twist was interesting, one I was just beginning to guess, and I liked the surprised. All in all, I liked it but I wish I'd been able to roll with the bad cop storyline.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Well that was surprising! Another page turner from Christina McDonald, albeit a very different one. A fast read, you will want to keep reading to see what happens next.

Neve and her daughter have come to stay in Black Lake after they were involved in a home invasion. Neve spent summers here in her mothers holiday house so what better place to get away. But when they arrive, a body has been found in the lake, and it is a childhood friend of Neve’s. We soon discover that Neve’s last summer here was one that she has been trying to forget for years. The lead Detective, Jess Lambert, is back at work after a family tragedy, but is she ready? She can see that Neve is hiding something, but you will never guess what.

I look forward to reading more about Jess and her journey. My heart broke for her and what she was going through. This was a compelling read, definitely one I will recommend.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer me NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on October 1st.

I had a really hard time getting into this story, I didn't like any of the main characters and the plot just wasn't pulling me in. As the story moved along I had considered the twist as a possibility but I didn't fully commit to that. I'm glad that I stuck with it as the end brought it all together.

Thank you Christina McDonald, Net Galley and the Thomas & Mercer for providing me an ARC of this novel.
I really enjoyed the night Olivia Fell, Do No Harm fell a bit flat for me, but this book has brought Christina McDonald back to my must reads authors.
Neve, after suffering a home invasion brings her daughter to Black Lake where she spent her summers as a child. As soon as they arrive, weird thing begin happening to Neve that bring back memories from bad times when she was young that she has buried for years.
This story was so different and surprising. Christina found a way to bring in mystery, psychological thriller, and paranormal in to one story that kept me turning pages late in to the night.

After a terrifying home invasion leaves her daughter Ash injured, Neve takes her to her old summer home at Black Lake. Hoping for a new start, she is horrified when a body is pulled from the lake on their first morning there. Meanwhile detective Jess has her own demons of being the driver in the car accident that killed her daughter. Will she be able to solve the mystery of the body in the lake?

Phew! This book was not what I was expecting at all! Little bit of murder, throw in some paranormal, this book will fuck with your head! I did figure out part of it while reading, but it did not take away from my enjoyment of the book! I felt so much for both Jess and Neve and the trauma they were both trying to overcome, however, I still found myself needing to know why someone had invaded Neve’s home, and also who killed Bailey (the woman found in the lake.) this was a fast paced, and super twisty book you will not want to put down!

These still waters grips you from the first word till the last page. Neve Maguire survives a traumatizing home invasion but it leaves her feeling vulnerable. Neve decides to take her daughter Ash to her summer home growing up to help heal from the trauma of the invasion. From the moment they arrive at the summer home the intense suspenseful drama and mystery begins. Jess Lambert is a bada** detective that is struggling with her own internal struggles since losing her baby girl in a car accident. Jess Lambert thinks she is going crazy and falling apart. Jess starts to see things that aren’t making sense to her. Through These Still Waters Jess and Neve compete to figure out what is happening in the quiet town of Black Lake. Will mysterious stuff that happened the last summer that Neve was in town come to light or will deadly secrets stay hidden. When body counts start adding up will Jess be able to solve the mysteries in time or will the killer get away?

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 1, 2023
Christina McDonald, author of “Do No Harm” and “The Night Olivia Fell”, among others, dips her feet into the police procedural genre with her new novel, “These Still Black Waters”. “Waters” is the first novel in the Jess Lambert series. As a huge fan of McDonald, I was intrigued, and was definitely not disappointed.
After a brutal home invasion, Neve returns to her family home with her teenage daughter, Ash, hoping to start fresh. Although Neve hasn’t returned home since a tragic accident in her adolescence, with the exception of an occasional visit to her mother who is in a nursing home, Neve hopes that the familiarity of her childhood home will be a comfort. But the comfort doesn’t last long when Neve gets a visit from police detective, Jess Lambert, after the body of Neve’s neighbour, and childhood friend, is found in a nearby lake. Jess knows Neve is hiding something, and Neve refuses to let the secrets of her past surface, and will protect her daughter, no matter the cost. But both Jess and Neve continue to be haunted by secrets from their past- and their secrets may bury them both.
“Waters” is narrated by both Jess and Neve, in alternating chapters, with a few italicized chapters narrated by an as-of-yet-unknown character. Jess and Neve are both recovering from their own traumas, in different ways, and McDonald’s character building is on point. Both women are relatable and likable, even though they appear very different, and it is easy to develop a quick rapport with both protagonists.
Just before the halfway point, I had a literal “aha!” moment when I figured out the first twist. This did not dampen my enjoyment however, but merely served to increase it, and I couldn’t wait to see how it played out. The final twist I also figured out before the end of the novel, but McDonald’s writing is so immersive and engaging, I still couldn’t stop reading.
“Waters” is far more than a murder-mystery. In true McDonald fashion, it is a tale of heartbreak and healing, secrets and lies and the deep love between a mother and a child. Right from the beginning, the story pulled me in and I was left gasping until the final pages. I am desperate for more Jess Lambert, and can’t wait to see where McDonald goes next!

There is nothing quite like a small-town murder mystery where it is abundantly clear that everyone has dark and nasty secrets.

I will admit that it took me longer than I would have liked to get into this story as Neve seemed decidedly unlikeable and Jess being an alcoholic cop felt a bit cliché. I will also say that I am not really the biggest fan of books where we have a cop POV so there will be some bias on my part there.

Around the halfway mark, things started snapping into place and when that lightbulb moment occurred, I suddenly realised how cleverly crafted this book was and immediately wanted to go back to the start and see where the breadcrumbs had been laid. It wasn't until a fair chunk later into the book when this reveal was confirmed but I didn't feel like the book was trying to dance around the reveal, more the characters didn't realise the truth because they didn't have the same information as the reader.

The identity of the killer seemed fairly obvious from the time that this particular character was introduced HOWEVER I am not convinced that this was not deliberate on McDonald's part as the story felt a bit more like a cat-and-mouse plot whilst setting-up who Jess Lambert is.

Despite the slow start, I really enjoyed the direction that this story went in and definitely didn't see it coming. The final few pages could have been a little tighter however they made sense when this book is viewed as primarily serving the goal of introducing this character.

I am intrigued with where this series will go next as the same reveal isn't likely to work in subsequent books but I get the impression that we will get similar plot devices (sorry, trying very hard not to spoil in any way).

Omg, I am seriously such a fan of Christina, I don't think she could ever write a bad book. I loved this one so much. The post twist was incredible, and I absolutely loved the ending!! I cannot wait for her to write another book. Let's she how she can top this one.

I really enjoyed this read. In particular, I loved messed-up but sharp detective Jess Lambert, with her cane, motorbike, problems with alcohol and PTSD. Jess is the lead on a case involving the death of real estate agent, Bee. The murder takes place in Black Lake, a small town dominated by the eerie lake, blackened by tannin. When Bee is found dead, the police swing into action, questioning those who knew Bee, and lived nearby. One of these is Neve Maguire, who’s moved to her mother’s home in the area with her daughter following a home invasion. This sets the scene for a gripping tale complete with mystery, age-old secrets, threatening messages and the desire for justice. It’s fast-paced, full of unexpected surprises and had me gripped.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Ultimately, I rounded up from 3.5 to 4 stars because while I felt tricked as a reader, it was a pretty good twist I wasn't expecting.

This book centers around two women, Detective Jess Lambert and Neve Maguire, a veterinarian and mom of a 15 year old daughter, Ashley. There's a murderer in Black Lake, a sleepy tourist town in an unknown part of the east coast. I pretty much guessed the murderer at one point somewhere in the middle, but I didn't guess the big twist until it was revealed. There is an unreliable narrator trope and some paranormal stuff mixed in with the murder that Det Lambert and her partner Will are investigating. The flashbacks take us to Neve being a teenager and spending her summers at Black Lake. She's not so much unlikeable as she is....surprisingly devious.

While I kept reading because of the suspense, and it was well written, I wanted to see more of Detective Lambert, and it seems there might be more books with her.

TW for cheating, affairs, drugging, sexual assault, murderer, and paranormal activity. 3.5->4☆ out 10/1/23

𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I don’t want to say too much as to not give anything away, but…

• the connections between the characters were creative
• the way the big twist was done usually wouldn’t be for me, but there was something about this one that worked perfectly and I loved it
• this is the first book in the Detective Jess Lambert series
• the ending of this suspense novel made me CRY. When has that ever happened with a psychological thriller?!?!

I have loved all of Christina McDonald’s books and this one was the best yet and the beginning of a series so I am hooked. She truly knows how to write a psychological thriller and bring out the emotions while twisting the story in directions you don’t see coming.

This story is told from multiple points of view, even the killer’s. Like her other books it takes on the topic of motherhood and the challenges that brings while totally drawing you in with suspense of what will happen next. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to @NetGalley and #Thomas&Mercer for an advance copy of THESE STILL BLACK WATERS in return for my honest review.

In the first book of the Detective Jess Lambert series, Neve and her teenage daughter Ash escape to her childhood summer house in Black Lake after a violent home invasion.

When their next door neighbour’s body is discovered in the lake, their lives become intertwined with Detective Jess Lambert, who is struggling with her own personal demons.

💭 Both Jess and Neve are working through their relationships with their daughters as flawed and unconditional loving mothers. If you’re a parent, this one will hit your crying bone, so bring the tissues. 🤧

The first half of the story felt a bit repetitive were many not-so-subtle references to past events. And while this story had similar vibes to “His & Hers”, I wish that the main characters were more developed. Since this is the first book of a series, I would love to learn more about lead detective Lambert.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I prefer my thrillers without a side of paranormal. So even though this one wasn’t a hit for me, I think a lot of people will love to solve this mysterious thriller!

Now…did I predict the twists?
Yes! There were many, and you will love trying to solve them as you read.

While this book was not the police procedural thriller that I was hoping for, it was an engaging read with lots of twists and turns!

Read this book if you like…
🧠 Psychological thrillers
👩‍👩‍👧 Multiple perspectives
🤥 Unreliable narrators
👮‍♀️ Troubled cops
🛶 Lakehouse settings
🤫 Dark childhood secrets
👻 Paranormal twists
👯‍♀️ Mean girls
🤧 Tear jerkers (for moms)

Has Neve Maguire made a mistake by returning to her home, Dullahan House, with her daughter Ash? Ash just wants to go back home, but Neve can’t bear to be there since the home invasion when Ash was injured. She just wants to keep Ash safe. The real estate woman who was to meet them with the keys is a no show, but they access the home with the code. Her family home is a little worse for wear as it has only been used as a rental. The next morning a body is found in the lake behind the house, but Neve doesn’t know the woman, or does she? Detective Jess Lambert, who is dealing with her own health issues, has been assigned the case, but there are more secrets hidden in this small town and someone is out for revenge, but who and for what? The story was okay, but I never felt that connected to the characters. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

These Still Black Waters by Christina McDonald is her new psychological thriller and it is a must read!!! It has been a while since her last book but this was definitely worth the wait!! I have read all the books by this talented author and she does not disappoint. This is an amazing thriller you will not be able to put down. Told in multiple point of views, including the killer and it will give you goosebumps!! It is a suspenseful, fast paced story filled with secrets and revenge. The characters are very well developed and thought out! This one will keep you on the edge of your seat and when you get to that unexpected ending….it may just drop you off that seat!! I am so excited this is the beginning of a series, I look forward to her next one!

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and Christina McDonald for another thrilling book to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley. #thomasandmercer. #christinamcdonald. #thesestillblackeaters. #arc
#jesslambert#1. #psychologicalthriller

Absolutely loved this book from the minute I started reading !!! It has such a creep factor 💀
From the overall story to the creepy house that I want , I was picturing The Munsters house in my head .
Halloween in August ? 🎃🤘
There's sooo much going on in this book but it all just works & comes together.
I love both Neve & Jess , idk who I enjoyed more . I love reading both their stories!

Again such a good book !!
#TheseStillBlackWaters suck u in !

Thank u #NetGalley for another amazing Arc 🖤

Wow! LOVED this!! The writing is excellent. Easy to follow, suspenseful. I could not put this down and finished it all in one day! Great characters; I cannot wait for the next detective Jess Lambert book! I could really understand both her pain and frustrations as I kept reading the story. Plot was thrilling and kept me guessing (why I had to finish in one day!). This was a great start to a new series I hope continues on and on!!

Master storyteller, and bestselling author (a favorite), Christina McDonald returns following Do No Harm (2021), Behind Every Lie (2020), and The Night Olivia Fell (2019)—all five stars— with the introduction of her riveting new knock-out series, Detective Jess Lambert thriller #1, THESE STILL BLACK WATERS.

Emotionally complex, two mothers (detective and victim) struggle with past trauma and dark secrets while a mysterious killer is out for revenge in a race against time in this enthralling twisty whodunit new series with a sympathetic, highly relatable MC you will root for!

"Lyrical, immersive, hauntingly beautiful, atmospheric, and suspenseful with a sprinkling of supernatural. Top Books of 2023! You will anxiously await the next in this riveting Jess Lambert series." (Aug 2024) I loved THESE STILL BLACK WATERS!

There is a Boston home invasion (and gunshot wound) at a picture-perfect address of Neve Maguire (veterinarian, wife of successful Eli-husband, and mother of a teen daughter, Ash (Ashley Rose).

Suffering from trauma, guilt, and post-traumatic stress, Neve decides to take Ash away from the home setting to offer protection for her and her daughter, get her therapy, and move to the small lakeside community in Black Waters with a lake for the summer: A charming town (now a dead tourist town after the pandemic) and hiking trails. She will take a job as a local vet helping with larger farm animals. She leaves her husband and pets in the family home, thinking it will benefit them.

The large Victorian home is her mother's home (handed down from her grandmother), where Neve spent many summers. Her mother is now is suffering from Alzheimer's and in a memory care unit facility. It has been rented out as a vacation rental.

However, there is a dark past at the mysterious Dullahan House, and Neve will not enter the basement. A summer long ago with three best friends: Neve, Sandra, and Bee (boyfriend, Zach). What happened that night long ago? Things happened that can never be taken back. There are no do-overs. No one knows what happened, but do they? Nothing is as it appears.

Someone knows and is out to get REVENGE, one by one.

The day after they move in, there is a murder next door. The woman who owned the property management company for her mother's house. No wonder she did not show up, so they used the code to get in. The deceased is Bailey Nelson. Neve knows her but denies it when asked. It was her summertime best friend. She was manipulative and evil.

Did she make a mistake bringing her daughter her? How can they be safe here or at home?

Meet Detective Jess Lambert— assigned to the case. (husband NY criminal defense attorney, Mac, now separated after the accident). Jess has long dark hair, rides a motorcycle, and limps, walks with a cane. She experienced significant trauma in a car accident after drinking and driving, and her eight-year-old daughter Isla was killed.

She is a functional alcoholic to numb the physical and mental pain, the demons that haunt her daily; she is tortured—the guilt, regrets, remorse, the poor choices she made that fatal night, and grief she experiences daily from the death of her beautiful daughter. She cannot forgive herself.

Her boss is giving her a shot at this case, and she needs the distraction to keep her mind off her past as she goes through the motions with her partner Will. However, Will is concerned about her drinking, and she is seeing her daughter and talking to her. Is she losing it?

The investigation starts with the usual suspects of the husband and the neighbors, and then, when the body is examined, a strange message is carved into the victim's tongue. (M1237) There are also clues of photos of the victim and two other girls with friendship bracelets.

Is Neve a victim or murderer? Prey or hunter?

The past will not stay buried, and then a second woman is found dead with the same message (tongue), and Neve and Jess have more in common than they know. Jess feels like she is losing it, and her boss removes her from the case for desk duty, but she is so close —determined to save one girl since she could not bring back her own. The secrets of Black Waters are slowly unraveled!

In life, there are Debtors and Collectors. The people who want others to owe them. They will keep your secrets and do your dirty deeds, but only so you will owe them. They will own you. Bee was a collector. Manipulative, bold, powerful.

THESE STILL BLACK WATERS is told from alternating POVs, Neve (mother) and Jess (mother/detective) and the creepy, mysterious unknown killer’s chilling voice (in italics). The two women have a fierce love for their daughters and are haunted by the past.

The chilling voice of the killer is cleverly interspersed between Neve and Jess's POV, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, flipping the pages to determine the identity (whodunit and whydunit). You will be DYING to solve the mystery of the killer! I guessed wrong.

A big theme throughout the novel is CHOICES
Choices have consequences.
"That's all life was: a series of choices. That is what it all came down to in the end. It didn't just happen. We made our choices. The good. The bad. The mundane. Free will. We made choices every day, both knowingly and unknowingly...Some choices we regret. Some we are proud of. Losses. Gains, Successes. Failures. Friends. Enemies. We have the power of choice. The only inescapable thing is the inevitability of choice. In other words, the past may be dead, but it is our choice if we bury it."

WOW! The author's writing is lyrical and hauntingly beautiful, with vivid descriptions, thought-provoking messages, clever plot twists, and well-developed characters. I bookmarked many pages. If you have read Christina's previous books, you know you are in for a rare treat! Trust me, set aside the time before you start reading, as it is unputdownable! I could not sleep and got up and had to finish it!

The author is a pro at writing and weaving complex mother-daughter relationships (her signature), and she dazzles in THESE STILL BLACK WATERS. Her best yet!

A killer out for revenge and two mothers desperately trying to protect their daughters—dark past secrets, demons, addiction, guilt, grief, regrets, poor choices, and remorse on the way to hope forgiveness and redemption. Gripping and thought-provoking, an ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions.

GENRES: From literary, psychological suspense, women's domestic, coming of age, detective, cop procedural, family drama, mother/daughter, sleuthing, serial killer, crime thriller, and supernatural, among others.

TOPICS: Choices, obsession, revenge, religion, grief, guilt, abuse, trauma, PTSD, divorce, marriage, motherhood, mothers/daughter, remorse, manipulation, psychological, sleepwalking, jealousy, privilege/class, addiction, alcoholism, and more.

This will be a top thriller of 2023. McDonald's fans will devour as well as new fans. For fans of Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, Heather Gudenkauf, Kimberly Belle, B.A. Paris and Mary Kubica.

INTERVIEW: Stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A with Christina on pub day, where we go behind the scenes of THESE STILL BLACK WATERS and this mega-talented author.

Thanks to the author and Thomas & Mercer for a gifted ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
Oct 2023 Must-Read Books
Top Books of 2023

These Still Black Waters is a magical blend of thriller/paranormal with the emotional losses experienced with grief as an overwhelming presence throughout. Told from alternate points of view the story moves from the past to the present with revelations along the way. It was easy to identify with the two main characters, Jess and Neve, both dealing with grief in very different ways. I also felt the dark and brooding presence from Black Lake.
Not wanting to give anything away to future readers my very favorite takeaway from this story is the powerful descriptive writing of Christina McDonald. These are two powerful examples of the very many I noted throughout this read.
“I’m moving away from her now, the light and warmth and color of my body slipping away into a billion particles, like stardust or rainbow mist or the light scattered from a crystal.”
“And then I am glowing light, sharp and beaming, slipping through gaps in our world to the next, where I become dreams and memories and soft words and gentle tears tied to the hearts of those I loved and who loved me in return.”
This read kept me up for hours past my bedtime seeking answers to the many questions I had. The ending left me wanting to know more. Hopefully Jess will return in a sequel.
Many many thanks to Christina McDonald, Thomas &Mercer, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this read, to be published on August 8th.