This is my second book by Sam Lloyd, I read The Memory Wood and absolutely loved it so could not wait to read The Rising Tide.

I was not disappointed in The Rising Tide either, Sam Lloyd has done it again. We meet Lucy, who seemingly has a 'perfect life' with her husband Daniel.

The story takes off from page one and we Lucy hears that their boat has been found but no sign of Daniel on the vessel.. There is a huge angry storm that is taking place and getting worse by the minute. The next major event that Lucy finds herself faced with is that her children are both missing when they should have been at school, Daniel picked up their son with the tale of "he had an appointment, but Lucy knows, as many mums do that he did not. Lucy is plunged into a terrible situation that is made worse by her children being gone. As a mum myself I found it quite difficult and really felt sympathy for Lucy. This in turn kicks off the very well plotted, edge of the seat story that does not stop giving. There are many twists and turns in the novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to Sam Lloyd and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

What a fantastic read, action packed, unexpected and with the wow factor I found this totally engrossing. I held my breath for at least two chapters.

A tense, dark thriller. Well! This certainly keeps you on the edge of your armchair, a story in my favourite county and about the sea, what could go wrong? I started hoping for an escape from my own reality and ended up so invested in the lives of the Locke family ( irony...my own Lock family is going through tense times but this family certainly put that in perspective!) that at time I was in tears, others so tense I could hardly breathe and somewhere in the middle’ish I simply had to read the last chapter to check the outcome. I wish I hadn’t as I was even more scared, what on earth has happened? I then had to go back to where I left off and read even faster, and I can read very fast, and was devastated! In fact I still feel a little queasy, how could this have happened? Why did he do it? Why did nobody spot that and do something? As you can see, this is a story that will completely engross you and I hope become a book club staple. Thank you so much, Sam Lloyd, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

One morning Lucy realizes that all her family members are missing. And their boat is drifting on a sea, empty, emergency raft unused. And storm is fast approaching. And their businnes is in trouble...And and and!
Where are they and what happened?

The author sets the pace in such a manner that reader cannot put the book down. Atmospheric, complex and with interesting end.

Regrettably, this title is not for me, the story twists and turns its way to its conclusion in a manner that I would normally have enjoyed, not least because it is set in an area which I know well and love (and which is beautifully realised in the book). However, it is largely written in the present tense, and that is just a no-no for me. Of all the books I've read in my life, I have only ever enjoyed one title written in such a way, and unfortunately it wasn't this one. That said, if you don't suffer the same blinkered vision that I have, the plot and the characters will almost certainly draw you in.

However, it would be unfair to mark a book down just because I have a personal grudge against a particular aspect of it and my score is based on character development, which is good; the writing, which is tight and professional and the twists of the plot, which are piled on one after the other. I do think, though, that perhaps in certain instances less would be more and for that reason I have given four stars rather than the maximum five.

Certainly worth a punt if you enjoy this type of thriller.

This is a very fast paced novel which has so many twists that I found myself going back to check if I had missed anything. I think maybe the amount of twists might have been too many for one novel and I did find the ending disappointing but it is well written and I would definitely try another by this author.

The Rising Tide is a tense, fast paced and twisty thriller, set in a small sea side village and most events happen during a raging storm. Nothing in this book as it seems at first, with plenty of red herrings, some more obvious than others. On the whole, I enjoyed reading it but there was just too much of everything - over explained events, over described characters, over done twists, over dramatic descriptions. Sometimes it felt that things happened or were mentioned just for the shock factor. This was my first book by this author and I’ll definitely give the next one a go.

From the book description I thought that this book would keep me engrossed to the end. Unfortunately it took until I was halfway through before i decided it was not a book for me. I am sure that I am in the minority and reading other reviews on this book, the majority of readers have found it to be a good read.

One of my favourite reads in a while! Very fast-paced, and got me more and more involved as I found out more. Great characters and setting. An excellent thriller.

After reading the premise for this book I was hoping for great things but sadly it didn't live up to its promise.
I thought it started well , although quite slowly but then became too fixated on providing "twists". There were so many twists and turns, some didn't really seem to connect with the plot and seemed almost arbitrary. This resulted in the book becoming confusing and hard to follow. Suspension of belief is definitely required. Ultimately it's a an old story that has been done before with added (unnecessary) gore. Shame

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Random House U.K. for this early E-Arc.

I read Memory Wood last year before it was released and recommended it highly. It was fresh and added something different to the numerous “thrillers” on the market.

I was therefore thrilled to be approved for The Rising Tide.

This is a heck of a page Turner. Completely different to Memory Wood, it has numerous twists and turns and some proper “Jaw dropping moments”. The writing is still excellent and draws you in. This was a book I wanted to race through to get to the end.

I was a tad disappointed by the conclusion and wasn’t as blown away by this one, as I was by Memory Wood. However it’s still a great read and I would recommend.

Having read and enjoyed The Memory Wood, I was keen to see what this latest book from Sam Lloyd was like. It certainly didn't disappoint! In fact I think it's better. Lucy lives in a village on the Cornish coast with her husband and 2 children. She seems to have the perfect life. Then one day the family boat is recovered at sea and Lucy's family are missing. A once in a generation storm hampers the rescue operation. I don't want to spoil the story, so I will just say this is a real page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Absolutely loved this book. The plot was very entertaining and kept good pace. Also a good who dunnit to keep the reader guessing.

I should not have stated this book late at night because it was a situation of one more chapter, just one more chapter and before you know it, it's the early hours of the morning and my eyes are hanging out of my head

Wow. I’ve read some excellent murder/crime/thriller books over the last year, but this one has to take first place. The storyline is incredible, and I was so hooked that some sad parts reduced me to tears; I really felt that I knew the characters. There were many ‘I wasn’t expecting that’ moments, too.

Lucy, Daniel, Billie, and Fin Locke live a happy life in a seaside town. Lucy had her daughter, Billie, before she met Daniel and she has a past but that’s all behind her now. Daniel also has a past but his childhood best friend, Nick, is still in his life as they are partners in a marine company.

The story begins with the business in trouble and Lucy frantically searching through computers and documents. Her friend turns up at the door to tell her that the family’s yacht has been found drifting in the sea with nobody on board. Where is Daniel?

DI Abraham Rose is the investigating officer and we get to know him well. He’s a very likeable but realistic character. Can he solve the case before his health overcomes him?

I’m now going to download Sam Lloyd’s first book as I’m sure it will be as gripping as The Rising Tide, and I’m looking forward to his future books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, and Transworld Publishers for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

A well thought out plot that was a tad slow at first but soon picked up the pace and turned into a suspenseful and dark in places thriller. The characters were relatable. It’s every mother’s worst nightmare when her children go missing and it just shows the lengths a mother will go to for her loved ones. I really enjoyed this and will look to read more by this author.

This one started a little slowly but then picked up the pace and turned into a twisty and intriguing read. Suspension of disbelief is required at times but the story was interesting enough to carry it, especially the breakneck pace towards the end. I didn't love it as much as The Memory Wood, possibly because I didn't entirely connect with the main character, however, Sam Lloyd is definitely now on my list of authors to watch out for. Thanks Netgalley.

Lucy Locke is worrying about the financial troubles of her husband’s business when she receives the news that her husband is missing at sea. How can it get worse? Well, it can and does.
This book is a real slow burner of a tale that on a number of occasions actually made me gasp out loud. A complex story that makes you feel the waves of the sea and empathise with Lucy and what she is going through. A real thriller of a book.

Lucy Locke’s happy life in the coastal town of Skental changes on a dime when her husband Daniel maydays from their boat. The events that follow are the stuff of nightmares. DI Abraham Rose is the lead place investigator.

Having been utterly blown away by Sam Lloyd’s debut The Memory Wood I awaited this one with eager anticipation and I’m so not disappointed!! This is a fast paced, suspenseful, heart pounding, jaw dropping, mind blowing chiller of a thriller. It has a complex plot full of fascinating elements as the author creates an atmosphere that compliments and enhances the plot line. Here the sea and weather are magnificently utilised as portents of tragedy, with monumental waves, malevolent skies making it feel like Armageddon. The perpetrator who creates the revengeful mayhem is a cruel Lucifer type figure and to me DI Rose feels like Aslan or a crusader knight with his biblical quotes, he’s the source of good in this battle of good versus evil. I love his character. The characters are flawed apart from Lucy’s children Billie and Fin who light up the pages especially Fin with his creative imagination, he’s just a delight. Lucy is an enigma, you can’t tell if she’s good as people in Skental think she is or whether she’s bewitched them. I like how the author has continued the fairytale element in this thriller and we ain’t talking Disney here but full on Grimm. The inclusion of philosophy especially the idea of purging, purification and renewal though suffering is an interesting angle. This is an extremely well written novel with evocative and creative descriptions, some original metaphors and similes which are particularly strong when using natural features to highlight the disaster occurring. The end is so tense and emotional at times as you will the characters on. I love that a lot of this is set at sea which adds its own unique dimension.

Overall, another compelling and powerful novel of someone’s living nightmare with descriptions to match, its impossible to put down. I love it and it’s an easy five stars from me. Just suspend disbelief that Lucy can manage so much with broken ribs, the pain of which I can testify too!!!

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld, Bantam Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A very good read, hard to put down, despite it eventually feeling overlong. To be critical, I felt the denouement was sprung on me at the last minute, and as a result the story became increasingly difficult to be convincing. The build up and the tension were really good, the ending was a let-down for me.