Erin, a documentary filmmaker, and Mark, an investment banker, are deeply in love. When they marry, they embark on the honeymoon of their dreams to the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora. While scuba diving, they find something. Something that requires a decision-- and their decision triggers a chain of events that will change their lives forever.
This review is going to be rather short and sweet because I don't have all that much to say. Something in the Water is a well-written example of domestic suspense, the type of novel that's come in on Gone Girl's wave of popularity. Therein lies the rub: I was so not a fan of Gone Girl that I couldn't finish it. At least Catherine Steadman's characters aren't as obnoxious as those in Gillian Flynn's book, and I stuck with it to the very last page.
As I read the book, I could admire the writing, the characters, the story, and the pacing... but I simply could not care for the book. This review has more to do with me than it does with Steadman's work. I am tired of domestic suspense. I'm tired of reading books in which you can't trust any of your nearest and dearest. Just give me a simple murder and a dedicated cop to solve it. If you are a fan of Gone Girl and the domestic suspense subgenre, Something in the Water should be something that you will really enjoy. As for me, I'm going to steer clear of Domestic Suspense Circle and head for Harry Bosch Boulevard.
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
ISBN: 9781524797188
Ballantine Books © 2018
Hardcover, 352 pages
Thriller/Suspense, Standalone
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine
Love it! Your explanation I mean. I have also become rather weary of domestic thrillers. I still read some of them, but I'm definitely sandwiching in other types of books. I suspect the trend will wane at some point, but there are so many other types of mysteries out there. And I love me a good police procedural or a good historical mystery (which is where my eye is roaming just lately).
ReplyDeleteMy eye is even roaming outside the mystery genre.
DeleteI can hang out on Harry Bosch Blvd a long time. At least you found the characters to be likable in Something in the Water. I'm reading a suspense mystery now where I don't like anyone in the book, but I'm trying to complete it because it was a gift.
ReplyDeleteI keep away from domestic noir, general. I've made a few exceptions, but then I figure out the plot line quickly. And do I really like being inside the head of someone who is a murderer or lives with one? The Widow (although well-done) upset me for weeks, thinking about real women who live in this situation.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a murder or two, then a police or private detective investigating and finding the killer(s). Lawyers, too. Enjoy legal mysteries. Forest rangers, too, like Anna Pigeon. But the investigation is what's fun to read about, not psychological suspense about one's family members.
And I've ventured outside of crime fiction this year quite a bit and will keep that up, although I do return to mysteries.