I read this without realizing it was part of a series, but it was still an enjoyable read! It was a quick read full of characters with a classic murder-mystery style. I will definitely be reading the other books in the series!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* rather long imo, probably would not read again but would recommend to a few people

This book was brilliant from the beginning until the very end, and I can't wait for the next one in the series. Recommended.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

Terry Lynn Thomas is the author of a couple of historical mystery series one featuring Sarah Bennett, and one with a protagonist named Cat Carlisle. The Drowned Woman, first released under the title of Neptune's Daughter, is the third in the Sarah Bennett series but is completely stand-alone. Sarah is an excellent heroine, The Drowned Woman is a compelling story I am pleased to refer to friends and family.

Sarah is receptive to the approach of ghosts. She cannot hear them, but they appear to her with regular frequency and she keeps a pad and pencil handy. This story takes place in California in the spring and summer of 1943. America is at war, food, gasoline, and tires are rationed, meat is almost impossible to find and Sarah and Zeke Caen are newlyweds working in San Francisco. Zeke returned from the war, his brother William, a widower, didn't. Sarah works for and with a psychiatrist, and Zeke works with Wade Conner, a detective of some sort and a childhood friend from their home in Millport, about 6 hours north of SF.

Zeke and Sarah are in danger from a crimelord Zeke and Wade have had previous dealings with, and Wade needs them to get out of town - fast. Zeke sees this as a perfect opportunity to introduce his new wife to his family back home, and check up on his baby brother, Simon, a very spoiled young man addicted to gambling and see how things are going at the family-run mill. Traditionally they manufactured velvet for drapes and upholstery, but they have retooled to produce parachute silk for the war effort.

Also residing in the family home, Simon, his wife Daphne and young son Toby, the Grandmother to the three sons of William Sr, and an intolerant William Sr, a real dragon of a man. We also have a couple of live-in home aides. And of course, Rachael, the deceased wife of war fatality William Jr. Rachael appears to both Sarah and Toby and she wants Sarah to uncover her murderer. But as the clues to Rachael's death unfold, they seem to point directly to brother-in-law Simon. And it becomes obvious that the cause of her death was not suicide.

Both Sarah and Zeke want to solve the mystery behind the death of Rachael, and clues are beginning to surface. Some of the unique jewelry Rachael was wearing on the night she drowned has turned up at a shop in Washington state. Someone is systematically stealing expensive jewelry from their circle of friends even to this day. Someone in the know - who knows what to steal and where to find it. And Simon was recently able to pay off some long-standing gambling debts. Every day it looks more like poor Toby will have to grow up without the Dad he adores.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Terry Lynn Thomas, and HQ Digital. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this novel. This is my honest opinion of this work.

Sarah and Zeke have to go into hiding as they have been threatened. They go to Zekes homeplace and Sarah gets to meet his family. But they have their own secrets. Zekes sister in law was found dead in a lake and it was assumed she committed suicide. However a very expensive emerald necklace went missing at the same time and now one of the emeralds has turned up. Sarah, helped by a ghostly presence, tries to solve the mystery. Throw in a cat burglar, a very nasty father in law and trouble at the mill and it makes for a good story.
This is book 3 in a series and although I had not read the other two books I had no problem picking up the story. I enjoyed this story, it was an enjoyable read with lovely characters

An exciting storyline from beginning to end! 4★'s!

"A blast of cold air on the back of my neck told me that my ghost had joined me. She stood by my small writing desk, holding the tablet that I had left for her to write on. When I moved close to her, she disappeared. Her writing was schoolroom perfect. I am Zeke’s sister-in-law, Rachel Caen. You must find the emeralds to discover who killed me.
Rachel had dumped all the sweaters I had packed onto the bed, and was now replacing them with cotton blouses and light-weight summer clothes. She folded the clothes and placed them in neat stacks inside my case. When everything was properly stowed, she snapped the latches in place with a resounding click. The smile she gave was a sad one. She pointed to the tablet on the table one more time before she disappeared. New handwriting had replaced her prior message. Be careful. And just like that, she was gone."

*********
The Drowned Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas is book three in the Sarah Bennett Mystery Series but it was easy to read and enjoyable as a stand-alone novel. I could tell there were events that had taken place in the first and second installments but it had little bearing on the storyline in this book. Right from the start there is a ghost who appears to Sarah which made me hesitate as I'm not normally a reader of paranormal or Gothic genres but I need not have worried. While there is a ghost who plays a part in the story, this book reads more like a mystery than a paranormal or Gothic novel. I enjoyed the unique beginning to the story where Rachel's ghost appears to Sarah with a clue that will lead Sarah to bring to light the events that lead to Rachel's death. Terry Lynn Thomas is a author who is new to me and having finished this book in one sitting I'm intrigued enough go back and read the previous two books in this series.

With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, HQ Digital, and Terry Lynn Thomas for this digital copy to read and review.

Title: The Drowned Woman

Series: Sarah Bennett #3

Pages: 300

Rating: 5


December 1937.

When Zeke’s sister-in-law Rachel Caen was found dead on Christmas Eve, her family assumed that she had taken her own life.

Now five years later, one of the emeralds that Rachel was wearing at the time of her death is discovered at a stonecutter’s house in Portland, Oregon.

With his brother Simon under suspicion for Rachel’s murder and stealing the emeralds, Zeke and Sarah are under pressure to clear his name.

But with troubles of their own and in need of a place to hide, the duo return to Zeke’s hometown where a spiritual force helps Sarah find another emerald…

All the fingers are pointing to Zeke’s family; how far will they go to protect their secrets? And will Sarah uncover the killer before it’s too late?

This book was previously published as NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTER



My thoughts

Wow this was way better than then the first 2 , it showed more of Sarah and Zeke's future together , and shows Zeke's family , and you get to see how much they've both grown from the first book, you also find out there there's been a murderer and it involves one of Zeke's sister in-laws and as your reading the question comes up was it a murderer or a suicide , and where was the emeralds all this time ,and if it was murder who killed her and why , this one just grabs you from the very start and doesn't let go until the very end , and it didn't let me down at all , in fact I would say it's probably my favorite out of the three , with that said I want to thank Netgalley and HQ Digital for let me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

I was given a copy of The drowned women by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in the series by Terry Lynn Thomas, I have previously read the first 2 but the book can be read as a stand alone book. In this Story Sarah must move with her husband Zeke to his family home. Sarah begins to see his sister's ghost who had drowned in a suspected suicide along with the disappearance of Emeralds. Sarah must found out what happened to Rachel and the emeralds.

Although this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone. This was my first time reading the series and I had no troubles following the storyline. I definitely enjoyed the book and am tempted I to checkout the previous 2 (even though my tbr pile is out of control)!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

Five years after Zeke’s sister-in-law’s, Rachel, body is found her ghost comes to visit Sarah. One of the emeralds that Rachel was wearing the night she died (and went missing) is found in a stonecutters shop in Oregon. When Simon Zeke’s bother becomes a suspect of Rachel’s death, Sarah and Zeke have to clear his name. Can Sarah get information from Rachel’s ghost? Can she and Zeke solve the murder after all these years?

The book definitely deserved earning an IndieBRAG Medallion. The book is well written. Sarah’s character has grown over the series, she is much more confident now. The relationship between Sarah and Zeke is good and they are there for one another no matter what happens. The mystery is full of suspense with several well placed red herrings. The story drew me in and held my attention the whole time, I finished this book in one day. I recommend this book to mystery, history, and paranormal lovers.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

THE DROWNED WOMAN is part of a series though I don't think this was made clear in the book synopsis. Nevertheless, this was an interesting novel set from 1937 onwards.

When Zeke’s sister-in-law Rachel Caen was found dead on Christmas Eve, her family assumed that she had taken her own life. Now five years later, one of the emeralds that Rachel was wearing at the time of her death is discovered at a stonecutter’s house in Portland, Oregon. With his brother Simon under suspicion for Rachel’s murder and stealing the emeralds, Zeke and detective Sarah are under pressure to clear his name. But with troubles of their own and in need of a place to hide, the duo return to Zeke’s hometown where a spiritual force helps Sarah find another emerald…

All the fingers are pointing to Zeke’s family; how far will they go to protect their secrets? And will Sarah uncover the killer before it’s too late?

The plot and story-line had me hooked from the first few pages which were full of family secrets, intrigue and mystery. The setting was idealistic and I enjoyed Terry Lynn Thomas' writing style which was extremely readable, however, I found that I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. My advice for this one is to try it for yourself!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Having read the previous book before this one where I first met Sarah and Zeke, I knew without a doubt that i wanted to read the next book to this entertaining series. Plus it was another gorgeous book cover which i fell ib love with.

So I thoroughly enjoyed reading this tale from beginning to end, was so great getting reaquainted with Sarah and Zeke. I found it to be haunting, chilling and suspenseful in equal measures not to mention the ghostly encounters.

I loved the mystery to the story which certainly had me guessing throughout trying to figure out how it would all end. There were also historical elements throughout, such as mention of war, soldier's, rationing of food and other material things. I found it all added to the enjoyability of the story.

The whole story was very well written and all of the characters were brilliantly described and portrayed throughout the story. What I liked about this story was that there were a few surprises and twists along the way.

Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read the “The Drowned Woman” In exchange for a honest and fair review.
I did not realize this was part of a series....I must have missed this information in the synopsis. I would like to reread the books IN ORDER. Not knowing the backstory, you really are at a loss about the characters and story development.
I do recommend reading this series....in order.

The Drowned Woman
by Terry Lynn Thomas
HQ Digital

General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 16 Apr 2019

I am reviewing a copy of The Drowned Woman through HQ Digital and Netgalley:

Family secrets can’t stay buried forever.

December 1937 when Zeke’s Sister in law Rachel Caen was found dead that Christmas Eve, they believed it was suicide.

But after five years had passed one of the emeralds Rachel had been wearing the night of her death was found at a Stonecutters house in Portland, Oregon.

Now that his brother Simon is under suspicion for Rachel’s murder as well as for stealing the emeralds. Both Zeke and Detective Sarah find themselves under a lot of pressure to find out who really murdered Rachel.

The problem is they have troubles of their own and need a place to hide, so they end up going to Zeke’s hometown where a spiritual force leads Sarah to another Emerald.

Everything points to Zeke’s family but how far will they go to protect their secrets? Will Sarah uncover the killer before it’s to late?

I found The Drowned Woman was full of Intrigue and Suspense and is worthy of five out of five stars in my opinion!

Happy Reading!

Thank you NetGalley, HQ Digital and Terry Lynn Thomas for the advanced copy. First, I was not aware that this was a part of a series, so I would have liked to have read the previous books in order to know the main characters better, but overall not a problem to follow along with the book. This book was great. It was mystery, thriller, love, and crime all in one. The story keeps you entertained and invested in all the characters. Not to give anything away, but you will be surprised with how the lives of each character turns out. I was really surprised with the biggest “who done it” as my guess was wrong the whole time. Definitely a book I will recommend to others.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I decided to give this series another go. I had read the second book and was disappointed with it. I am disappointed with this one as well. Sorry I think this is just not my type of book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

"The Drowned Woman" by Terry Lynn Thomas

Every family has secrets...
A good short read, well written with good characters.
I liked it but it is not my favorite book this year. I thought it would have been a scary thriller, it felt like a mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book from the beginning. The plot and story line had me hooked from the first few pages. I would definitely recommend this novel to a friend and look forward to more from the author.