Thursday, June 23, 2016

The Woman Who Walked into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home


First Line: A vase of blue African lilies, Diana's favourites, filled the church alcove.

Does Cal McGill really want to be the "Sea Detective"? Soul-weary from unceasing requests from bereaved parents begging him to locate the bodies of their children lost at sea, Cal has come to a remote area on the northwest coast of Scotland to reevaluate his life. There he sees a young woman standing on the beach, staring out to sea. 

Soon he is compelled to investigate the twenty-six-year-old mystery of another young woman who stood on that very same beach, then walked into the sea and was never seen again. Cal's going to be brought face-to-face with a tight-knit coastal community that's hellbent on keeping its secrets.

I'm glad to report that The Woman Who Walked into the Sea did not meet my expectations-- it exceeded them. Expecting to read the second book in a mystery series featuring the same cast and location as in the book before it, I found something new. Yes, Cal McGill is still with us, thank goodness, but he's set down in the midst of a brand-new locale and a secondary cast filled with memorable characters. 

The author brings his setting to life, so much so that I could almost smell the sea air and hear the crash of the waves and the cry of the birds. With the village being promised new life due to a proposed offshore wind farm, there's an ecological element to this second mystery, too, reminding those of us who have read The Sea Detective of Cal's strong beliefs on the subject. 

Douglas-Home is so very adept at weaving together a complex story without bogging down the pace or the readability. He explores many questions relating to a complicit village whose residents always seem willing to believe the worst. He shows how secrets can twist in upon themselves and fester, and with surgical precision, he shows how love can be unbelievably cruel. 

This complicated tale is carried on the strong shoulders of a vivid cast of characters: the heartsick Cal, Violet who wants an end to secrets, Mr. Anwar who only wants to do what's right, the malevolent Mrs. Anderson, the vibrant little Anna, and Ross Turnbull-- perhaps the most surprising character of them all. The setting, the story, the characters, are all woven together so tightly and so beautifully... definitely one of my best reading experiences so far this year. 

Since the author seems to be avoiding any real kind of formula for writing his books, I can't wait to see what he's done with book number three: The Malice of Waves. How lucky I am to have found these books!
    

The Woman Who Walked into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home
ISBN: 9781405923583
International Edition
Penguin Books © 2016
Paperback, 384 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #2 Sea Detective mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from the Book Depository.


13 comments:

  1. They're brilliant aren't they? I thought the evil Mrs. Anderson was an inspired character! I think I liked this second book slightly more than the first one and I too can't wait to read book three.

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    1. I agree. I would say that this book is slightly better than the first... and that's saying a lot!

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  2. Oh, I can't tell you how glad I am that you liked this, Cathy. It can be very difficult for an author to recapture the magic of the first book in the second book. Good to hear you thought it happened here.

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  3. I loved this book! Your review took me back to when I read it.
    My favorite quote from the book is "For Mrs. Anderson, vengeance was an overdue visitor and it did not come as a horned, horrible creature but as a glorious butterfly."

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    1. Yes... Mrs. Anderson is a true gem. One I would wish never to see upon my doorstep!

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  4. Brrr. I haven't read this yet, but am scared already about Mrs. Anderson.

    I have this book, but haven't read it yet. Will now push it forward on my TBR list. I liked The Sea Detective, especially the descriptions of life on the Scottish islands. I felt cold and wet during those sections.

    Do you ever not finish a book you are bored with? Am now in such a dilemma.

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    1. I feel no obligation whatsoever to finish a book that is boring me. I don't post about books I don't finish, and I know that gives everyone a false impression.

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  5. A friend says deduct your age from 100 and that tells you how many pages to give it before you decide to stop reading.

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    1. There are all sorts of formulas for knowing when to stop reading, like the 50-Page Rule. Me? I go with my gut. Sometimes my gut has led me to stop reading on page 8, sometimes on page 175. It all depends on the trigger.

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  6. Yes, it's different, but the friend worries as she ages, she can't easte reading time, as there are so many good books to read, so she just gets rid of the ones she doesn't like and moves on.
    I think I give myself too much time. On the other hand, I gave myself 100 pages to get into Nevada Barr's latest book, Boar Island, and I ended up laughing through most of it. So it was fun, although eeks at a plot device that writers are probably told not to do in Writing 101. It's still fun though, and I love Anna Pigeon and Mount Desert Island.

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    1. I love Anna, too. I'll be reading Boar Island soon.

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  7. You will be stunned at the plot device and the complicated history behind it. I just laughed and emailed a friend in amazement about it, as she had read it.

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