This was a fast-paced, action packed thriller about a dive instructor with a propensity for solving crime. I'll definitely be looking for the next installment after reading the first in the Jessie Madison series.

Terry Shames could write about a telephone book - and find a way to make it intriguing! In PERILOUS WATERS, though, Shames has a much easier task as she begins a new series with a dynamite main character.. Jessie Madison escaped to the Bahamas when a bad decision got her dismissed from the FBI training program. Just as she's about to get her life back together . . . hey, if you want to know all the trouble Jessie gets into when she and a friend take a boat ride (and, believe me, you do!) get the book. You won't be disappointed.

This exciting and dangerous adventure is set in the Bahamas and its surrounding waters. It is a fast-paced story featuring the lead character, Jessie Madison. She was trained in the USA for an FBI position but was dismissed when aspects of an unsavoury home background became known. Her drug-addicted sister killed her lover/drug dealer. Jessie was advised that she could apply to other law enforcement branches but is now resting at a posh resort while working as a dive instructor. She tends to make bold, impulsive and reckless decisions, but her bravery and resourcefulness cannot be denied.

She finds herself in great peril as the murdered drug dealer's brother seeks revenge, and ruthless jewel smugglers lead to adventure and terror on the high seas. At one point, she is left at her hotel without her documents, clothes, and money and has no idea who to trust. If she can solve and survive her tremendous problems, this will make a terrific series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC, and I hope to read more of Jessie's incredible adventures in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Severn House for this arc.

This was the first time that I read a book from this author and it didn't disappoint. I really liked the story, the setting and the character development. I'm excited to read the next books in this series and to see more of Jessie and Nick. If you're looking for a quick thriller read, set in the Bahamas, this one is for you!

A twisty and fast paced thriller, I thoroughly enjoyed Perilous Waters! Definitely recommend this well-crafted story, set in paradise for those looking for action, adventure, mystery, and attempted murder.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The adventure starts pretty quickly for our heroine. Her tale becomes one of disbelief at how unlucky one person can be but her resilience and gung-ho nature soon win us over.
Set in the Bahamas, this is a great holiday read for someone who wants more than just a romance and craves some excitement.

This is a completely implausible thriller on so many levels. Jessie makes one bad decision after another. I was disappointed because I've liked Shames' work in the past. Others might enjoy but it's a pass from me.

The stay at the resort known as “Trophy Cay” should be a fun time for Jessie Madison and her roommate, Shelly. It better be as it took four hours on the high-speed ferry from Nassau. For Jessie, who is 23 and has worked as a dive instructor in the Bahamas the last three months, it is one final fling before she goes back to the mainland and deals with the wreckage of her life as the first book in a new series, Perilous Waters: A Jessie Madison Thriller, by Terry Shames begins.

Soon Jessie and Shelly run into Jean “Johnny” Durand, a local boat captain, and his friend, Nick Garnier. They spend the rest of the day hanging out together. While Jessie sees that Johnny and Nick clearly have something going on, even possible criminal activity, she continues to spend time with them. Johnny and Jessie have a bit of a flirting thing going on and soon wind up on the catamaran that Johnny is piloting for wealthy clients. After some strangeness on the dock as they are being watched, Johnny, pilots the boat out of the marina at the resort and takes it to a nearby isolated cove.

What should have been a quiet intimate night is soon interrupted by armed gunmen. While Jessie and Johnny do their best to resist, they are outmanned, and outgunned. Things quickly go from bad to worse and soon Jessie is in a desperate attempt to stay alive.

What follows is a read that is far different from the very good Samuel Craddock Mystery Series by the author. So different, in fact, if not for her name on the book, I would have thought it was written by somebody else. I grant that as a 62-year-old male, who has seen a thing or three, I am most likely not be the right audience for this book.

The 23-year-old heroine, Jessie, is incredibly ingenious and can create almost anything from various items at hand. She has incredible stamina and persistence. She has a lot of personal baggage which is gradually revealed over the course of this first book in the series. She’s personally complicated and can survive anything and everything.

What she does not have is a shred of common sense. She continues to put herself over and over again into situations that even at 23, she should know better. Even if the reader accepts that, her refusal to contact law enforcement of any type, after the first of her near-death experiences, and tell them what happened to her is very problematic. That refusal to contact law enforcement is complete unbelievable as she was, at one time, as noted on the book description, enrolled in the FBI training program. In fact, she does not tell anyone. Instead, she recovers from her first near death experience, and then starts her own investigation. That fact alone made it very hard for this reader to stay with the book.

What clearly does work is the author’s love of the islands and sailing. According to the bio, the author has considerable experience on the water and it shows. The settings are vivid and are done well.

It is several other elements, including the heroine refusing to do basic common-sense things for no good reason, that this reader had issue with through the entire book.


My reading copy from the publisher, Severn House, as an ARC by way of NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Did not enjoy this book. Incredibly slow, didn’t like the FMC. Had the potential to be great but fell short.

Dive instructor Jessie Madison was kicked out of the FBI training program because she chose to cover for her addict sister when she killed her boyfriend, a drug dealer. She's been in the Bahamas for three months, and wants one more fling before she goes home to jumpstart her life. She's on a boat with Johnny, the captain, when three men come on board, and physically abuse Johnny to learn where he hid a backpack. Jessie and Johnny are chained together and thrown overboard. It's only Jessie's dive training that allows her to breathe in the water, but she has to entangle herself from Johnny's body. She can't entangle herself so easily from the three men, international jewel thieves, or from the drug dealer connections who want to kill her because of her sister. Jessie tries to escape by stealing a boat, hiding from the criminals, and contacting the police. It takes all of Jessie's ingenuity, and help from a friend of Johnny's, a man she isn't sure she can trust, to escape.

:The Jessie Madison adventure is a huge change for the author of the Macavity Award-winning Samuel Craddock mysteries. The fast-paced novel featuring a resourceful young woman will appeal to fans of "McGyver". However, I just didn't care much for the main character.

Propulsive thriller set in Caribbean. It was so good and had wonderful plot and story. I’ll be reading more by this author
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher

Terry Shames is without a doubt one of my favorite authors, I love the Samuel Craddock mysteries. Perilous Waters is a brand new series introducing Jessie madison. She was dismissed from the FBI and are currently working as a dive instructor in the Bahamas when some people try to kill her. Why? Well the book is in store on April 2nd then you should buy it and find out. Although I personally prefer the Craddock series I will still recomend this new one and I will continue and read the next installment when it arrives. Shames has once again created some fantastic characters and a great setting. I must thank Netgalley and Severn House for letting me read this book.

In you're in the mood for a propulsive thriller set in the Caribbean region and featuring an intrepid young woman, take a look at this quick, entertaining read by a seasoned author.

Jessie Madison was fired from her FBI training course because of her sister's involvement in her drug dealer's death. Jessie was able to secure a job as a dive instructor in the Bahamas, but she is just about to resign and return home to the United States when she is unexpectedly caught up in a deadly conflict that leaves her and a boat captain chained together and tossed overboard. Jessie managed to survive, but now she's engaged in a dangerous situation involving smuggling at sea. And not only are local criminals--and police--looking for her, but her sister's deceased drug dealer's brother wants revenge on Jessie as well.

This is a fast-paced book that will appeal to thrill-seekers and those who prefer to get their thrills on the page. Narrated by Jessie, the action scenes are skillfully portrayed, and the suspense is palpable. I would have liked more personal background and nuance to be able to engage more with Jessie's character, but my tastes run more toward Terry Shames' long-running Samuel Craddock mystery series. Both are well worth your time.

My thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

This story took a bit of time to get going, but when it did the action was non-stop. Jessie is definitely a character I look forward to reading and learning more about, and hopefully the relationship with Nick will continue in subsequent books. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.