‘The Rising Tide’ -Sam Llyod
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sam Lloyd does it again! After his sensational debut of thriller ‘Memory Wood’ in 2020, I squealed with excitement when his latest offering became available on Netgalley. Forsaking all other books, I picked this one up and started reading emphatically.

Reading a Sam Llyod novel is like teetering on the edge of a precipice; waiting anxiously for your footing to faulter, plunging to the freezing depths below. The anticipation is heady and addictive. Llyod is a master puppeteer, pulling on empathy to gauge raw emotion from the reader.

The plot was charged and harrowing, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Incredibly investable, at times this book was unbearably heartbreaking to read as Lloyd did such a stellar job of weaving the characters deep into the reader’s heart. The atmospheric description was perfect. The personification of the malevolent ocean added another layer onto this already incredible novel. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC.

In Sam Lloyds own words he is truly a "Storyteller Extraordinaire". What can I say about this book apart from it grabs you by the throat and sucks you into it's pages. I really can't say how much I enjoyed getting lost in these unforgettable characters lives and my emotions were all over the place.. I loved Sam's first book "The Memory Wood" but this one exceeded all my expectations. It's PHENOMENAL. I didn't want to it end but I couldn't get to the end fast enough to see who was behind all the mystery and to find out who the tormentor was. This book takes revenge to a whole new level. I was laughing in parts especially when DI Abraham Rose was talking to Bibi Trixibelle Carter and she said she had to take Marjorie to get her anal glands emptied, Bibi's response was so bloody funny I had tears in my eyes. I had tears and a huge lump in my throat when Billie was found, she was such a compassionate character and she really cared about conservation and she wanted to go and work for Sea Shephard, which is such a good conservation charity. I found the bludgeoning of the Dolphins a bit hard to take but it's sadly what happens and I have seen the Sea Shephard on TV and the work they do to save as many whales, dolphins is out of this world. Sam Lloyd knows how to pull at your heartstrings. This book plays mind games with you because I had no idea what was going to happen next. It has plenty of twist, surprizes, gut wrenching suspense and it gave me serious goose bumps. The characters are brilliant and the plot is out of this world, very consistent and all the characters had depth. I was so happy Fin survived, I was praying and hoping he would make it. I was sad when DI Abraham Rose committed suicide, he was a giant bear of a man with a big heart. If I could give this more stars than five then trust me I would, it's one of the best books I have ever read and I am going to shout it from the rooftops. Sam Lloyd is a master of suspense. I can't wait to see what he writes next.

This book is full of intrigue and suspense with many nail-biting moments that made me keep turning the page. However I must admit I found that some of the characters and scenes didn't seem particularly realistic. Abraham's religious ramblings certainly seemed unnecessary and why on earth didn't he have a tissue to hand for his frequent coughing bouts, instead of regularly spraying the windscreen in a disgusting manner. The heroine did seem a bit too heroic at times as she battles the elements and her motorbike with broken ribs.

Wow wow wow! What a read! Thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was exciting, haunting and terrifying but so enjoyable.
The author kept you guessing all the way through and what an ending! A must read, a real page turner!

Sometimes you read the description for a book and then when you’ve finished it you think ‘whoever wrote that description wants shooting’. You’re left feeling seriously disappointed - the writing wasn’t particularly good, and it certainly wasn’t the gripping on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller you’d expected. This one said ‘The new pulse-pounding thriller … beautifully written, evocative and dramatic, you will read it with your heart in your mouth.’ Oh … my … goodness, someone was not joking! I started reading this yesterday and finished it today – and it left me feeling completely drained, and in tears. Everything about it touched my heart strings and in parts I was quite literally gasping for breath. I lived through every agonising minute with Lucy in her attempt to find, and save, her missing husband and children. We’re in the present, then just when we’re expecting something explosive to happen we’re taken back in time for a while where we’re given a bit more information and things start to become a little bit clearer and make sense. We think we have answers, but then we realise we’re wrong and have to think again. It’s one of those books where you just have to race to the conclusion because you can’t bear the suspense any longer. You know how you want it to end and you’re just hoping and praying for that ending. You fall head over heels for some of the characters because they have been described so well that you feel as if you know them. In my case these were Jake (give that man a star) and Detective Inspector Abraham Rose who should appear in every crime book! The writing was pure descriptive brilliance and I was totally immersed. Sam Lloyd, you are a genius.

This book certainly deserves the title of thriller! It is cleverly constructed, and a real page turner. It was a mystery as well as thriller, so many twists and turns, but having said all that, I found it a very bleak read, with no ‘lighter’ moments, and this made it ‘not a book for me’. I’m sure however that it will be very much enjoyed by many readers as it is a great ‘who dunnit’!

3.5

This certainly packs a punch,with surprise after surprise coming.
Moments of pure tension,both human and weather related. You can never go wrong with a huge storm.
Some of the why fell a bit flat for me,but over all it's a great paced story that has you on edge of seat.

Oh my God. Wow. For a thriller it sure packs an emotional punch!

The start was very strong and it had me gripped but then things started going to slow go my liking.

The plot twist though! Woah! The saying comes to mind "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" but with a twist!

A face-paced thriller from Sam Lloyd. I enjoyed it more than his first thriller, The Memory Wood. Very well written, full of good characters, action and emotion. Had me guessing for quite a while. Recommended.

Life can change in a heartbeat. Lucy has everything she could wish for: a beautiful home high on the clifftops above the Devon coast, a devoted husband and two beloved children. Then one morning, time stops. Their family yacht is recovered, abandoned far out at sea. Lucy's husband is nowhere to be found and as the second's tick by, she begins to wonder - what if he was the one who took the boat? And if so, where is he now?

This book is full of twists and turns and is a perfect thriller that keeps you guessing throughout. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Lucy and Daniel Locke live by the sea with their two children Billie and Fin. It is an idyllic life but slowly it has been turning sour. Daniel's business is under threat because of the actions of his partner and so when his empty boat is towed back to shore after a distress signal, some start to assume he has gone missing deliberately. But then it's found out that the children are also with him.

I liked this book at the beginning. The descriptions of the storm coming in and the desperate search for the three missing people were very well done. The detective, Abraham Rose, who comes to investigate is a great character and worthy of a series. But then it all starts to go downhill. There is twist after twist, more red herrings than Rick Stein would know what to do with and I just didn't feel invested in it after that. The more complicated the plot became the more distant I felt. Add to that some grotesquely violent scenes towards the end and I switched off completely. This book was not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

My thoughts about this brilliantly written gripping thriller that packs a punch was fantastic loved every bit of it be it its hardhiting suspense or the characters I would like to say thank you to Hodder books for kindly giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding thriller ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

An all-action psychological thriller from the viewpoints of an enigmatic woman and a seriously ill detective. Well-written with exciting descriptions of sailing in extreme weather. Good twists. Ideal for TV adaptation..
With thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

Hang on to your life belt this is a nautical roller coaster of a book! Unputdownable! A missing husband followed by missing children, a terminally ill detective and our heroine Lucy is at the helm! A promiscuous past catches up with her but how and who? The Devonshire town get behind her and the search is on! The pace was such that I found I was speed reading towards the end and felt quite drained at its conclusion! There were tears too! Sam Lloyd has done it again - The Memory Wood was good, this is even better!

I loved The Memory Wood so when I got the opportunity to read this I dropped everything and got stuck in.

The way the author writes draws you right in, they have a lovely turn of phrase and there’s always just enough detail.

The characters are well developed and you care about the story.

Read if you like a good thriller.

What a fabulous book. Kept me on the edge of my seat all the time & I simply couldn’t put it down until I finished it sobbing my heart out! Thoroughly recommend

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK - Transworld Publishers, for the ARC.

Excellent reading! I thoroughly enjoyed Sam Lloyd's previous book Memory Wood, another psychological thriller, and The Rising Tide is as brilliantly constructed as that.

Set on the coast of Cornwall around Skentel where Lucy and Daniel Locke have been together for 9 years, building up their businesses - Daniel was in partnership with his best friend from childhood, Nick Povey, forming Locke-Povey Marine; Lucy has built up a local venue serving food and drinks alongside displaying artists' work and championing live music at the Drift Net on the quay. They live in a sprawling cliff-top house overlooking the beach and harbour. Daniel's business is failing because Nick decided to sell his shares to another major company. As Lucy desperately tries to make sense of the company's balance sheets her friend Bee delivers the news that their boat, the Lazy Susan, was spotted drifting off-shore. Where was Daniel? why did he take the boat out?
A massive storm is brewing in the Atlantic and a huge search and rescue effort is launched by the Services,, as well as the local population. The boat has been found empty, but Lucy's real nightmare begins as she discovered he must have taken their 2 children with him. It's a race against time - hope and fear mingle. Nothing makes sense.
As the narrative unfolds with Lucy's flashbacks and memories of her life and that of her family, and intermittent writing from the mind of the perpetrator the nightmare continues and builds pace. Daniel loves her and she him, he loves the children. He wouldn't do anything to harm them - would he?
DI Abraham Rose is the assigned detective - he believes he has incurable cancer and being religious is beginning to accept his mortality - but he is determined to find out the truth for Lucy's sake - but, he believes there is evil out there..

This is extremely atmospheric and, indeed, harrowing. The reader has to be well into the book before certain realisations dawn - the red-herrings, the twists and mis-direction; great plotting.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. Having read The Memory Wood by this author I was very much looking forward to this book, and it didn’t disappoint. A very different story but no less enthralling, it certainly kept me guessing and I wasn’t prepared for the outcome. A definite must read.