Deep Water
Emma Bamford
320 pages
Gallery/Scout Press
published May 31, 2022
The dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple reveals their daunting experience on a remote island to their rescuers – only to realize they’re still in the grips of the island’s secrets – in this intense and startling debut.
When a Navy vessel comes across a yacht in distress in the middle of the vast Indian Ocean, Captain Danial Tengku orders his ship to rush to its aid. On board the yacht is a British couple: a horribly injured man, Jake, and his traumatized wife, Virginie, who breathlessly confesses, ‘It’s all my fault. I killed them’.
Trembling with fear, she reveals their shocking story to Danial. Months earlier, the couple had spent all their savings on a yacht, full of excitement for exploring the high seas and exotic lands together. Jake and Virginie start at the busy harbours of Malaysia and, through word of mouth, they learn about a tiny, isolated island full of unspoiled beaches. When they arrive, they discover they are not the only visitors and quickly become entangled with a motley crew of expat sailors. Soon, Jake and Virginie’s adventurous dream turns into a terrifying nightmare.
Now, it’s up to Danial to determine just how much truth there is in Virginie’s alarming tale. But when his crew make a shocking discovery, he realizes that if he doesn’t act soon, they could all fall under the dark spell of the island.
My Review
I am still thinking about this one. While people died throughout the book, I didn’t feel the intensity you usually feel in a thriller. I’d almost deem it a psychological suspense novel as opposed to a thriller. It reminded me a little of Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. Being in the US, Maylasia and Africa is exotic to me, the isolation, relying on others, the island and the relationship woes.
I was very invested at the start of the book. I kept waiting for the naval vessel to be duped, but then we flash back to how the couple they rescued got to that point. This part, the majority of the book, is a slow burn setting the scene for Virginie and Jake’s relationship, the island they lived at for months and the relationships they developed with the others and just a tad on the history of the island, which I would have liked to have a little more of.
I think those that love the slow burn of a flashback unraveling and those that were fond of Reckless Girls will really enjoy this one. And while this is not on my top books of 2022, everyone that knows me knows I don’t have the patience for a slow burn, I would really like to see what else the author produces. She has all the pieces for a breakout hit.
About the Author:
Emma Bamford, a freelance journalist, is working on an MA in prose fiction at University of East Anglia, UK. She is the author of Deep Water and the memoirs Casting Off and Untie the Lines. Find out more at www.EmmaBamford.com.
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