Thank you so much for the early copy.
I must say this book was amazing. I enjoyed it a lot, It toke some time to get to know the writing style because this is the first book I read from this author. It is a not that short for a thriller/Mystery book, in my opinion it was perfect.

Secrets can follow you wherever you go. Mark Edwards latest thriller was a fast paced entry into the "everyman dilemma" type thriller and I really enjoyed this book. Edwards has made the move from supernatural novels to straight thrillers but has retrained his talent for interesting characters and creepy plots. In this book Calvin has just opened a bakery/coffeeshop which was his long time dream. His wife Vicky runs an animal shelter and the couple are happy even though the bakery doesn't have many customers. At the suggestions of their young staffer Tara, Calvin makes some social media posts and draws the attention of a lot of people including a woman named Mel who begins sending him personal messages. At the same time, a man is found buried in the sand and drowned, and Inspector Imogen Evans is under pressure to find out the identity of the man and identify the killer.

As things start to become strange around Calvin (his business is broken into, he fears he was drugged one night, threatening messages etc) we see flashbacks to his life as a teenager when a tragedy happened involving Calvin's sister Freya. Is there a connection between Calvin's past and present?: When Calvin's wife Vicky goes missing both Calvin and Inspector Evans have to search deep to find out what is going on who is responsible. I found this a quick read and really liked Calvin and Vicky and was glad to read about a happy couple for once. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author Mark Edwards for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book was easy to read! It kept me hooked throughout the book. I’m hoping they start a series from this book. I love a good thriller.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this ARC.
Mark is back to his best. This was absolutely brilliant, I couldn’t put it down.
Characters were great, storyline was back to Mark’s best and I only started to guess towards the end - no spoilers from me.
Absolutely recommend but what do I do now as I’ve read all of Marks books.
5 🌟

When I started reading the book I wasn’t sure if this was a psychological thriller, or a murder mystery - there seemed to be two completely different stories running in parallel. But kudos to the author for tying it all together so well! This book is well written, fast paced and kept me engaged till the end, and the epilogue was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and definitely recommend it.
Thank you to the publishers Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of the ebook and giving me a chance to review it.

An excellent read. Very hard to put down and a clever plot woven perfectly. I would sat that this is one of his best.

A jaw-dropping start to my 2024 reading year!

In a small coastal village in the Lake District, a local man makes a grisly discovery on the beach – a man buried up to his neck in the sand, death caused by the incoming, unforgiving tide. Remember the 1982 movie Creepshow?

Nearly in the town of Elderbridge. Calvin Matheson is struggling to keep his newly opened café – Therapy – afloat. His wife Vicky suggests a series of social media posts to promote and attract customers. At first Calvin is reluctant, but as his followers grow, and business improves, he relishes the benefits and rewards. But newfound notoriety brings unwanted attention, and Calvin has a lot to hide, secrets from his past that are about to threaten his professional and personal reputationin life-altering and harmful ways.

As a longtime fan of Mark Edwards, I instantly requested The Darkest Water without even reading the synopsis as this author never fails to deliver well-crafted plot twists, and a final sentence that is prone to leave me reeling in shock. And I’m thrilled to report that Mark Edwards latest novel of domestic drama and mystery combined with psychological suspense did not let me down.

I desperately tried to unravel how the body on the beach connected to Calvin’s story arc, to no avail, not even when the clues started rolling in. It sure made for a tense and nerve-wracking final act. You may recognise DI Imogen Evans from Mark Edwards, The Lucky Ones – I didn’t, as I haven’t read it yet, and even though there were minor spoilers in this book, if anything it has me even more intrigued to bump that one up my tbr. Which brings me to my next point, in that there’s a police procedural element to The Darkest Water, from Imogen’s POV, as she and her new partner, Steve Milner, first identify, and then investigate the beach murder victim.

Pre-order The Darkest Water in preparation for release day 16th April 2024, as I read it over a day, which clearly underscores how unputdownable it was.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Mark Edwards for the e-ARC.

Life is looking up for Calvin. His wife Vicki believes in his new bakery and knows that a push on social media will help bring in the customers. She isn’t thrilled about his new employee though. There is just something about Mel that disturbs her. Social media might bring in a lot more than new customers, it can bring some odd people too.
Detective Imogene Evans left her old job after the fame associated with her capturing a notorious serial killer became too much to handle. She has moved to this quieter town, and never would’ve imagined what she will be investigating next. When a man is found dead, killed in a horrific way, she knows she must figure out this puzzling crime and quickly. Then Calvin reports that his wife is missing, and Imogene doesn’t give it her full attention. Soon though Calvin seems linked to the murder. Has Imogene missed a crucial piece in this perplexing puzzle?
How are these two very different events related and does Calvin hold the key to unlocking the mystery? Told from Calvin and Imogene’s POVs, it took me almost to the author reveal to have even an inkling of how these crimes were related. The characters were engaging, there were numerous twists, and a detective I wouldn’t mind seeing again. As always with this author’s writing, it was an enjoyable page flipper.

I have read quite a few novels by Mark Edwards and I always enjoy them, this one was no different, it managed to keep me hooked throughout.

For me, this is Mark Edwards back to his very best! I'm a big fan of the author, my favourites of his being Here To Stay and The Magpies, as they are just about regular people in the most STRESSFUL situations. This book was very much in the same vein as these books, as we follow Calvin as things just go from bad to worse for the poor bloke.

The pacing was really good in this book and as always, I loved the writing style. There were quite a few strands to the story and it was fun trying to connect all the dots as the reader. I would definitely recommend this.

A good thriller. Tense, fast-paced, lots of dodgy characters, impossible to know who to trust. Plenty of twists. Some likeable characters. Typical book of Mark Edwards really, well written and easy to follow.

I always thoroughly enjoy Mark’s writing style. It’s easy to understand and his characters are always relatable. “When bad things happen to normal people” tends to be his MO.

This storyline felt a bit far fetched. How all of the characters came together at the end seemed a bit odd and not realistic. I did however, enjoy the touch of social media and going viral and how it could potentially end badly.

That epilogue though! Mark always ends with a twist. I’m not normally a detective thriller reader, but Imogen Evan’s is enjoyable. Luckily, there were more chapters from Calvin’s perspective.

Mark loves his pets so there were a lot of mentions of dogs and cats. My favorite part of this is that nothing bad ever happens to the pets! Thank you, Mark!

All in all, this was, as usual, a great read. Not one of my favorites from Mark, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Always s brilliant read when it comes from Mark Edward's, great suspense and terrific ending wrapped this book up into a winner!!

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Mark Edwards has managed to produce another hit! This thriller drew me in quickly and kept me guessing the full way through.
I’ve read all of his books, and this is definitely one of my favourites.
It’s fast paced, with intriguing characters and plenty of twists.
It certainly more than deserves 5 big fat stars!

This is an interesting quick thriller with a very intriguing web of characters and experiences that weave so well together.
You meet Calvin and his wife Vicky. Calvin recently opened a local coffee and bakery but it’s not taking off like he hoped. After a lot of pushing he is convinced to use social media to gain interest and new business. What could it hurt … him becoming an instant local social media sensation overnight? Turns out a lot when you have a twisted secret from your past you want to keep quiet.
Alternatively you also learn of the local murder of a man that has the police , especially new Detective Imogen scrambling and locals on edge. How do these stories connect ? In a twisted web of lies and madness!!
The author did a good job with character development, but I will admit at times there were a lot of side characters popping in to keep up with. This was an easy read with some twists and ultimately all the pieces come together well in the end! I enjoyed this book and it kept me interested.

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC!

Any book that starts with a man buried in the sand up to his head and left to the tides is a book for me. After that gruesome start, we meet Calvin, a bakery owner whose new business isn’t doing as well as hoped. His wife, Vicky, convinces him to advertise on social media, and with a little help from some sassy elderly fans, he goes viral. Now he has the opposite problem – he’s too busy and his only worker is hurt during an attempted robbery of the bakery. Enter the woman who has started messaging Calvin, much to Vicky’s dismay. He’s a bit naïve about the timing and nature of her communications, so when they discover she’s the walk-in that he hires on the spot, Vicky is livid. But business is booming, and he doesn’t want to disappoint any customers, so he doesn’t fire her.

There aren’t any leads to body in the sand, except that he lives in the woods off the grid and is spotted occasionally by the locals in town. But the detective in charge of the case, Imogen Evans, soon realizes he’s living under a fake name, and no one can figure out his true identity. If you’re a fan of this author, you may recall her from one of his previous stories, which is a fun inside tidbit. But what’s not fun is when Imogen and Calvin cross paths due to terrible circumstances. What is going on in this previously quiet unassuming little town? Will the madness be stopped before anyone else gets hurt?

I enjoyed the sections from Imogen’s point of view, but not so much Calvin’s. The man is clueless, and you’d think he'd listen when every person in his life (which isn’t many at all) gives him the same advice regarding his obsessive fan-turned-coworker. It shouldn’t take a life-altering event to make him realize he’s made too many bad decisions from trusting the wrong people. But I’d rather a character be too much of a nice guy than an unrelatable jerk, so it didn’t bother me that much. It’s a fun story that you’ll find yourself breezing through, waiting to see how it all comes together. A sure new hit for this author!

This was a nice easy read, it was different from other Mark Edwards books that I have read, this one wasn't as scary it was more wanting to work out where the strands fitted together. Saying that I just devoured it in one sitting as it was easy to read. What I am really looking forward to as it has all the hallmarks of setting up a new series for the detective which will work quite well. I seem to be seeing a lot of police procedurals set in the Lake District right now - has something happened.

Everything got resolved in the end, yes so many coincidences but sometimes that is life.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
This book was terrific, I enjoyed it so much. The protagonist, Calvin was likeable and the fact he embraced social media for his cafe, despite his misgivings, endeared him to me. Even though it ended up biting him in the rear!
Fast moving, well written with a terrific plot, I highly recommend this read. I will definitely jump on the bandwagon and start reading more of Mark Edwards' books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book to be amazing.

The story is deep and complex, yet easy to follow. The characters are relatable and interesting.

If you love numerous good twists, endless suspense and a whole pile of mystery, this book is highly recommended!

Now if you'll excuse me, I am craving some carrot cake.

Mark Edwards' books are pure escapism and undeniably readable. As far as I can make out, this is the second book in a series featuring DI Imogen Evans, following The Lucky Ones (which I haven't read). I was a bit confused by a reference to the Magpies' Lucy Newton, but maybe this relates to another book I haven't read. To be honest, though these are enjoyable stories to read they are not ones that tend to stick in my mind for very long.

Anyway, the story concerns coffee shop owner Calvin, his wife Vicky, the body of a man found on the beach, the disappearance of a woman, a social media witch hunt, a possible stalker, and a bit of Britpop. It's an engaging read with some effective misdirection. I didn't feel that DI Imogen - a bit of a celebrity due to her previous case - was overly prominent for a returning character, but it did make me want to go and read the first book in her series. In fact I've already downloaded it.

A good, undemanding read. Mark Edwards has written a lot of books now and I've had mixed feelings about some of them, but I do think he's improved as a writer and is definitely better than a lot of other popular writers in this crowded genre.