A tense and emotional read set in Cornwall. Lucy's apparently perfect life comes crashing down when her husband's boat is found empty during a terrible storm. More shocking news arrives and when the truth begins to unfold it chills you to the bone. Gripping right till the end.

Tragic! So,so tragic and also.......creepy! And all the emotions ranging from disbelief to horror.
Lucy is a mother of two, 18 year old Billie and 7 year old Fin. She’s happily married to David, living her dream life. But everything falls apart one day when the family boat is found at see and everyone of her family is presumed dead. And the culprit? David, her beloved husband.
This was one of those books impossible to put down. With every chapter I got drawn in more and more. I wanted so desperately for Lucy to get her family back and was shocked when things got more and more out of hand.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sam Lloyd and Random House UK, Transworld Publishing for the ARC of The Rising Tide.

Daniel & Lucy Locke and their two children live in Skentel - a small seaside village in North Devon and run successful businesses. Daniel - a marine business and Lucy her own cafe and art gallery called the Drift Net.

When Daniel's business partner pulls out their finances are in a bit of a mess, but they love each other and have faced worse challenges along the way.

One morning Lucy hears a frenzied knock on the door and her colleague Bee is alterting her to the fact the family boat The Lazy Susan - is adrift. With the biggest storm of the century imminent, Daniel and their kids are all missing - Daniel having collected Fin from school for a dentist appointment that didn't exist.

They're all saying Daniel has killed himself and the kids.... but Daniel wouldn't do that. Lucy knows the kids are alive she can feel it - but where are they and what is the truth?!?

The synopsis of this book really grabbed my attention but I found this a bit of a slow burn - the beginning is quite slow paced and as such I found myself willing for something for shocking to happen - it lacked some of the punch I look for in a thriller. That said, the second half of the book picks up pace considerably, with lots of reveals, twists and shocks. I did feel real tension and anticipation in the second half, but ultimately found the reveal a little far fetched.

The format of the book is also quite unique, with short snappy chapters -some of which are only a page long.

I enjoyed the book, but for me it was a steady 3/5,

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Ugh, my heart. Never before have I wanted to skip to the end of a book so quickly to see how these characters would fare. With an action-packed opening that both shocks and pulls on your heartstrings, The Rising Tide will have you gripped – hook, line, and sinker.

But although I wanted to race to the end, I never would have guessed what would happen in between. It’s difficult not to give too much away as there are many small twists along the way, but this book will have you completely engrossed and regularly mistrusting your instincts.

I haven’t been so emotionally invested in a book in a long time. I constantly had my hand on my heart, desperate to find out what was happening. And it pulls you in and deeper and deeper with every page.

With a storm brewing, Lloyd captures the North Devon landscape and the torrential weather exceptionally. You can really get a sense of the saturated atmosphere but also of the pressure of the water, both of which really enhance the chilling plot. With many tense moments, I genuinely had to catch my breath a few times.

Lloyd is a brilliant storyteller and this is definitely a story that’s going to stay with me for a while. I can’t wait to read The Memory Wood now and eagerly look forward to whatever’s to come next.

Wowzer!! That read left me buzzing like someone who downed 3 litres of coffee in 1 go! It was so good I wanted to read slower to make it last longer but at the same time, I wanted to rush through the pages to see what was actually going on! I love Sam Lloyd's style of writing. He is such a natural storyteller and is definitely 1 of my favourite authors. This book was very different from Memory Wood (1 of my top 3 reads for 2020) but it was as good and definitely 1 of my top reads so far this year. If you are a natural storyteller it doesn't matter what you write about and Sam Lloyd is definitely 1 of those.
There were so many misdirections that I didn't know what was happening till the end. I also love how well rounded all the characters were and found myself getting emotional at times.
It is a story of love and obsession. A story about how far you would go to protect your family and what sacrifices you will make for them. This is the story of Lucy, Daniel, Billie and Fin.

"This is a tragedy written entirely for your benefit"

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK, Transworld for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The Rising Tide, by the talented Sam Lloyd, will take your breath away. Suspenseful, atmospheric and tragic, this thriller is full of characters you will care about, places you will want to see and perhaps not the conclusion you would have chosen.

Daniel and Lucy Locke with their children Billie and Fin have the perfect life in Skentel, a small village by the sea in North Devon. Daniel has a successful marine business and Lucy runs the Drift Net, a favorite local bar/music venue/art gallery. Then one morning after Daniel leaves for work and the children for school, Lucy learns that their boat, the Lazy Susan, has been found abandoned at sea. It is the beginning of a nightmare that will make her doubt everyone and everything in her life. The investigation into what happened to the Lazy Susan is led by DI Abraham Rose, a complicated man who sees himself as a “blunt-edged tool” of God. As he tries to solve a case that becomes more convoluted by the hour, he reflects on his own life.

The Rising Tide, beautifully written and well plotted, is full of tension, twists and terror. I’m going to read The Memory Wood, his first mystery, and I look forward to his next. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Sam Lloyd for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Rising Tide, what a book! set in a North Devon fishing village it seems at first that the book is about Lucy Lockes husband who has disappeared whilst sailing his yacht but there is so much more to this story .It is full of intrigue ,fast paced ,suspenseful ,heart stopping at times and atmospheric I could almost feel and hear the waves crashing in the storm .All I can say is what a fabulous read I can't wait to read more from this Author. Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

Last year, Sam Lloyd’s first novel ‘The Memory Wood’, a nightmarish tale of abducted children and dark woods, raced up the best seller charts, a feat I anticipate will be followed by ‘The Rising Tide’. It is an intense and compelling thriller where a woman watches her life as she knows it is slowly destroyed and her family threatened.

Lucy and Daniel Locke are happily married with a young son Fin, as well as a teenage daughter, Billie born before Lucy met Daniel. Together they have built an idyllic life in the small fishing village of Skentel on the North Devonshire coast. While Daniel started and built up a successful marine business, Lucy opened a bar, The Drift Net which has become a community hub not only for food and music but also for local art. They live in a large house they rescued from dereliction, perched high on the cliffs of Mortis Point, with a bird’s eye view of the harbour and the township. The whole family loves the ocean, sailing or swimming whenever they can. It seems like they have the perfect life, but everything is about to change for Lucy in the blink of an eye.

It all begins when Lucy’s bar manager and friend, Bee hammers on her door to tell her the coastguard found their boat, the Lazy Susan, drifting out to sea. Daniel who Lucy thought was at work, had made a mayday call to say he was in trouble but no one was on board when the boat was found. Next Lucy discovers that she is unable to contact either of her children and has no idea where they are. With the mother of all storms approaching across the Atlantic, Lucy begs the community for help to find her family.

Lloyd’s writing is rich and evocative as impending doom and claustrophobia start to close over Lucy and her family. The monstrous storm and the ocean it whips up parallel Lucy’s torment as she struggles to believe her family will be found safe and well. It’s a storm the like of which has never been seen before, even on this windswept coast.

Into the midst of this chaos, strides DI Abraham Rose like a true avenging angel. Lloyd describes him as ‘God’s blunt tool, forged from the roughest clay’ - a loner of a man, stricken with a terrible disease eating away his lungs, who recites religious passages to drive himself and the investigation.

He knows there is something wrong with this investigation. Something that Lucy is not telling him but he can’t get a handle on why this is happening to her. Is she the vibrant force for good that everyone says she is or does she have a darker side, as suggested by events during her youth before she returned to Skentel. Daniel is also popular amongst the community, but he also had a rocky start to life, spending some time in prison as a teenager, so it’s no wonder neither of them trust the police. Abraham can’t tell if they are conspiring together or some outside monstrous evil has somehow wormed itself into their lives. He also feels the impending force and power of the storm and its forewarning of change.

Overall is the theme of katharsis – purification through destruction followed by renewal. However, Lucy knows there will be no renewal for her if she loses her family and she is impelled to find them at all cost. The plot is brilliantly paced, driven by the atmospheric writing, emotionally heart rending in places and climaxing with a brutal scene on the high seas. I think this might just be my pick for top thriller of the year.

I really loved The Memory Wood when I read it a couple years ago, so I was quite excited to get my hands on this book. And a tad wary as I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my high expectations. Needn't have worried. As its predecessor did, this book hit the ground running, held me captive throughout, spitting me out at the end knackered but satisfied.
We meet the Locke family; Lucy & Daniel with their children Fin and Billie who live in the coastal town of Skental. Lucy is at home one day, doing the accounts, when a neighbour bangs her door to tell her that the family boat has been discovered abandoned adrift. She rushes to the sea only to discover that her husband radioed a mayday and is now missing. This sounds bad enough but the worst is yet to come for Lucy as she discovers that Daniel is not the only one missing...
And that's all I'm saying as to say more might spoil it for others. Suffice to say that, like The Memory Wood, this book was all the emotions wrapped up in a thrilling story. As well as the main family, we also meet some rather interesting characters who all play their parts very well. I was especially fond of DI Abraham Rose, for reasons you might also share along the way.
I also loved the way that the setting is almost a character in its own right, so integral to the story it is. I used to say that quite a lot about books but I haven't for a while now and it was kinda refreshing to be able to realise this here. The storm and the claustrophobic nature of the sea were front and centre in parts and its strength and importance shined through.
Pacing was good albeit a tad slow in places but always following the narrative. Enough of the characters backstories and the days and weeks leading up to the present day was injected in the right places to move the story along well.
All in all, a cracking read that I thoroughly enjoyed, cementing the author firmly onto my watch list. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Wow! This is Sam Lloyd’s second book and just like his debut novel, The Memory Wood, this incredible book is just as fantastic! 😃
(I imagine this author will very quickly be up there with the ‘best of the best’ in the thriller writing genre. It is SUCH a good book)

The Rising Tide (swipe right to see book description) is an edge of your seat, fast paced, nail biting, panic striking, sad, heart wrenching and completely unputdownable read. It’s a storyline that keeps you guessing the entire way. I was switching between who I thought may be behind things but I was so very wrong and had no idea how the ending would play out. It was very well done.
The twists and turns are everywhere. The suspense builds and builds and keeps throwing more at you, and that very last paragraph of the book, utterly broke my heart. Oh my goodness!! 💔

Read this book! I highly recommend it for any thriller readers. You will love it 😃 Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed it!

I foundcthatthis started a little slowly but then it picked up pace and it was an intriguing read.
The storyline was a little hard to believe at times but it really gathered pace from the middle and became compulsive reading.
The setting was very atmospheric and the ending good.
Recommended reading.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this advance read.

The story started a bit slow for me, even though the setting of the storm was written very evocatively.
As the story unfolded I found it more gripping and loved the twists as they were revealed.

I’ve read many books set in Cornwall, mostly they have focused on picturesque villages and stunning beaches, so it was a welcome change to read one set amidst the rugged coastline and treacherous seas.

This was a gripping thrill of a read which had me hooked from the start. The descriptive text, especially that of the raging storm was so intense I could almost taste the salt water!

The twists were excellent, with many layers of secrets and deception unfolding throughout the book.

This was definitely a book that had me gripped from the start, and one which I just could not put down.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the thriller genre.

Many thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the review copy.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press, and the author Sam Lloyd.
So, so good! A completely gripping non-stop thriller. I completely devoured it in two days and am excited to read the author's other book.
Incredibly fast-paced, with a fantastic story that keeps you guessing. Highly recommended!

I was a big fan of Sam Lloyd’s The Memory Wood and so was intrigued to see what his second novel would deliver. It is certainly steeped in atmosphere. Sam Lloyd’s description of the South West coastal town of Skental is exemplary.

The Rising Tide is the story of Lucy Locke. Lucy owns the Driftnet, a hub for tourists and locals alike,. It is a place where arts and crafts are displayed, where music is made and where you can get the best coffee and baking for miles around.

Lucy is popular in the village. She and her husband Daniel live in a big house on Mortis Point (just a bit prophetic) and Daniel , together with his friend Nick, is co-owner of Locke-Povey Marine, a major employer in the town. Lucy and Dam have two children, Billie, 18 and Fin who is much younger. It’s a wonderful life and the couple seem very happy. Lucy had Billie before she met Daniel but they are a bonded unit.

Lock-Povey Marine is in some financial trouble, and Lucy is trying to find out what’s going on when the novel opens. She doesn’t think it’s really a major issue, though Nick is someone you would want to be careful around, especially if you are Lucy.

Our story is narrated by Lucy, a woman who seems settled and happy in her life with a husband she loves and children who complete her life. So when, suddenly it all goes very wrong, Lucy is left shocked and distraught.

Lucy has sent Fin off to school and Daniel off to work when she hears that their yacht, The Lazy Susan is in trouble in the midst of a storm. Worse, her children are not where they should be and her fears are rapidly rising as it looks possible, probable even, that Daniel has not only got into trouble on the increasingly wild and turbulent sea, but that he has Fin and Billie with him.

Lucy is physically and emotionally sick. She does not understand why this might have happened. Why Daniel would not have told her of his plans? Why the yacht was out at all in such a storm? She only knows she has to go out looking for them whatever the cost to her own safety.

The suspicions of the Police are aroused, though and when it transpires that Daniel took Fin from school using a trumped up excuse, an investigation is swiftly mounted. DI Abraham Rose is sent to investigate. DI Rose is that rarest of men, a devout religious police officer who has never married; though as we will find later, he has regrets.

The Rising Tide is mainly Lucy’s story and is told with interspersed flashbacks which cut into what becomes an almost unrelenting tension as the storm rages and becomes almost biblical in its proportions. Sam Lloyd’s descriptive powers are used full force here and his depiction of the storm is beautifully involving as we hear the sea crashing against the rocks, feel the force of tempestuous waves and let the sea take us over so that it can thrash out its rage, wreaking havoc and destruction across the North Devon coast.

There’s a curious rhythm to this tempest too; its turmoil matching Lucy’s – both thrashing about as if searching for answers, both boiling with rage and unrelenting in their pressure. This is heart –pounding drama of Lear-like proportions. Amidst the wild sea, Lucy is on the brink of madness. At the mercy of the natural world she cannot withstand this violent storm and that only serves to make us so aware of her own vulnerability.

There is something very raw and almost biblical in a storm like this and that is underlined by the devout nature of D.I.Rose, a strange detective for this time, but one whose function is to be the steadfast rock against which all human frailty can be measured.

As we begin to understand what is and has transpired, so Sam Lloyd does the unthinkable and again ratchets up the tension, leading to some strong heart-in-mouth moments. When, finally this complex and twisted story is exposed, the cruelty of it leaves you gasping in a jaw dropping way.

I was in thrall to this book for its wonderful, edge-of-the-seat writing and the twisty layered plot as well as Lloyd’s imaginative creation of a storm beyond storms. I would have liked a little more of Lucy’s backstory to better lay the foundations for the denouement which I felt a bit unprepared for, but that’s a small gripe amidst a powerful and fantastically written book.

Verdict: Dark, unrelenting and exposing the nature of human weakness, this is a complex and layered read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Powerful and evocative The Rising Tide is a turbulent read that catches you up in a maelstrom of emotions.

https://lynns-books.com/2021/07/05/the-rising-tide-by-sam-lloyd/
4.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : I couldn’t put it down

I loved The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd and now I can add The Rising Tide to the ‘loved it’ list too.

As the book starts we meet Lucy Locke. Married to Daniel and with two lovely children, Fin and Billie, they seem to have an idyllic life. Lucy runs a successful local business called the Drift Net which is a great community venue as well as local meeting spot. They live in an impressive house that sits on top of the cliffs overlooking the sea and their love is as strong now as it ever was. Daniel’s business seems to have hit a blip but it’s nothing they can’t get through together – until Daniel heads off to work one morning and Lucy’s life is turned upside down.

Daniel has taken the family yacht out to sea, the local rescue service have received a mayday, the boat has been found but nobody is aboard and one of the biggest storms of the century is fast approaching. The police become involved and things escalate rapidly when it appears both children are also missing.

I can’t really go any further into the plot as that would reveal spoilers and I really don’t want to go there.

So, what worked really well for me with this?

Firstly, the writing is excellent and Lloyd sets the scene magnificently. You can feel Lucy’s ever growing terror as she scrambles around, desperately worried about her family while the tension builds much like the approaching clouds and swollen sea.

Secondly, this is a writer who knows how to keep his cards close to his chest, slowly revealing information that gives you pause for thought. You start to entertain doubts, and yet Lucy seems so steadfast, she loves her husband and he loves her. Is she hiding something? Is she delusional? I started to entertain notions that I knew what was going on, Lloyd is excellent at misdirection however, feeding you snippets of things that look a certain way until you start to doubt everything and everyone.

The setting also plays into the plot so well. This is one of those small seaside villages that feels almost claustrophobic and it seems that there are secrets and resentments lying just below the surface waiting to be revealed. On the face of it, Lucy and her family are loved and respected but scratch the surface and you find people who are not quite so enamoured.

In terms of the characters. Lucy is very well done. She’s far from perfect and as you gather more information about her you’ll start to regard her more cautiously, maybe even start to have a few ‘what the heck’ moments in regards to some of her behaviour. Some of it just doesn’t make sense, and I say again, is she delusional?? Then there’s DI Abraham Rose. He definitely makes his presence known, there’s something about him that just seems to draw attention. It’s like a bear has just entered the room and you can’t drag your eyes away. Rose is on a mission of sorts, like a knight on a quest, he’s determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and only his failing health can stop him. Is this family as perfect as we are first given to believe?

I didn’t really have any criticisms. I really enjoyed this one, I think maybe the culprit was a little thinly drawn but I think that’s a combination of not wanting to give away the story too early on and then being caught up in the thick of the drama in such a way that there wasn’t really an opportunity to provide too much without losing momentum.

As it is, I really liked this, it held me gripped, I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough, it was an absolute roller coaster of ups and downs, it took me by surprise more than once and not always in a nice way, the writing is great, the tension and atmosphere stand out and I didn’t see the ending coming. What more can I say? I’ll be eagerly watching Sam Lloyd to see what he comes up with next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

3.5 rounded up to 3.

This book started slow and I found it difficult to engage for the first half or so. It was difficult to understand what was going on, and I couldn't feel a connection with any of the characters. Many long descriptions and not much action.

The story picked up in the second half with more happening and some nice twists, but the final reveal was a bit far fetched for me, I was hoping in something more sinister, but this is obviously a very personal preference.

Thank you to NatGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Bantam Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Took its time getting off the block, went at a decent clip, and then got inexplicably weird towards the ending. The pacing definitely felt off, with descriptions marring the action at crucial moments, especially at the beginning. I had a sense of disconnect, like I couldn't connect with the protagonist (Lucy), and there were a few surprises introduced later in the story that felt tame. That said, it was overall a decent read.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Brilliant! This story is so gripping from start to finish. It is a complex web that will keep you guessing right until the end.

The story follows Lucy’s life over a matter of a few days. Her world is turned upside down as her yacht is found drifting. Bad news follows bad news as Lucy learns the full extent of what has happened.

Has her husband done the unthinkable and killed her children? Should they trust the police to solve this?

The characters are brilliantly written so that the twists and turns take you off guard. Who can Lucy trust and who is betraying her? The character of detective Abraham Rose is wonderful and adds another depth to the story.

Prepare to be heart-broken, knocked sideways and have your world turned upside down by this gripping thriller!

The Rising Tide is a claustrophobic and palpably tense police procedural with a cleverly crafted plot; deviously twisting you one way and then another and taking you on a wild thrill ride. It's evocative and fast paced, compulsive and beautifully written and the setting almost becomes a character in itself. A recommend read.