A luxury adventure to an exotic island gone wrong, Deep Water is a slow-burning mystery with an atmospheric setting that may not leave you racing to the final page, but is sure to get you comfy with the feel of the sun on your shoulders and the taste of salt in the air.

The story starts on a navy vessel in the middle of the Indian Ocean which receives a mayday call from Virginie's private yacht, claiming that her husband is in need of urgent medical care. From here, Virginie tells the captain her story, claiming to have “killed them all”. Well, consider me gripped!

I really enjoyed this format as you're left to wonder what eerie situations this once-happy couple found themselves in for things to have gone so wrong. And while it is slow and all quite smooth sailing for a long time, the characters are strongly developed and the setting is described well, so I easily felt at home with Jake and Virginie on their yacht.

The author spent three years living on yachts and exploring the world, and you can tell that she's had plenty of experience to inspire her writing. This isn't the kind of thriller with brutal murders, sadistic characters or unbelievable truths, but is instead one that you can imagine Bamford thought possible during her own adventures.

So while it may not be a thriller that will shock you to the core, it's a brilliantly written story with strong characters and some interesting turns. If you're okay with a slower-paced read and a more domestic thriller that could very well happen to anyone sailing the seas and exploring paradise islands, then this is most definitely a book that I would still recommend. Just don't go expecting anything more, as you may be left unsatisfied.

I was a bit confused by this story to be honest. I was expecting much more action but I guess it reads more like a domestic thriller although it’s set on the middle of the ocean where nobody can escape even if they want to.
The questions were so obvious at all times and why would they be in there and even admitted that she killed someone. I honestly thought that she was delirious because of the fact that being for who knows how long in the water and the whole situation.
There are some interesting characters in here and some unexpected twist but it also felt very slow in regards of pace and action which is understandable in a way as well.

Deep Water is perfect for fans of The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Virginie and Jake spend all their savings on a yacht and hear about a picture perfect, secluded beach in the middle of the Indian Ocean that takes days to reach and has zero civilization nearby. Sounds too good to be true, right? Virginie and Jake decide to go, only the beach isn't secluded when they get there. There are many other ex-pat sailors. It doesn't take long for their paradise to turn into a nightmare. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were well drawn, and the setting was not only amazing but easy to imagine from the description. The story was full on and exciting.it was one of those books that when you start reading it you just want to read one more chapter, then another one. Good book, plenty of action and the pace was good.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,
I enjoyed this book, although I did find it a little slow to start. Not the best thriller on the market, but a good read nonetheless.

Thank you, Simon and Shuster, for the sample of Deep water by Emma Bamford. To be honest I can’t really review this properly as I only received the first two chapters on which a couple are rescued on a boat that is not their own boat and the husband is injured. It sounds like a start to a intriguing novel. I would be interested to find out more. 4 stars from me.

The idea of a remote tropical island a a young couple on a great adventure really appealed. I enjoyed the story with its undercurrent of tension and mystery. All the way through you know that there is something nasty on the horizon
I enjoyed it

Now this book was different. If you enjoy travel, the open seas, adventure and a mystery then this one would be for you.

The book starts at the end of the story, and then works it’s way through how we as the reader got there aboard the navy patrol boat. It is very cleverly written, well thought through. A little slow in places but that doesn’t detract from the story.

Thank you netgalley for this sample read.
I found this intriguing and want to read more so I will definitely be adding this book to my wishlist.

Disappointing one for me. Luckily shows like Survivor make it easy to picture the landscape of a desert island. However I didn’t feel there was much depth to the characters and ,coupled with what felt like a very slow storyline, it didn’t hold my attention. I did read to the end but without the excitement I had been hoping for.

No worries here! From the start I was freaking hooked. This was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more!
I'm just one of those oddballs that would be absolutely fine with a scenario such as this! It may be a wee bit hot, but I'd adjust!
What was really fun though, is when things started going haywire. "Gotta love that!" A death. An engine failure. "Dum, dum, dum!"
Between heaven and a very quick goodbye? Stuff gets real.

Then we move back and forth to see how the couple starts their exotic journey: how they found an isolated island in Malaysia and how they realized they were not the only people who discovered that beautiful place. There were bunch of people including sailors also decided to spend their vacation time on the same place!
Then something dramatic happens to turn their heavenly island into nightmarish place! Virginie blames on herself! The captain listens to her story, deciding if she’s telling the entire truth and in the meantime he tries to resist the deadly spell of the island.

So the entire execution of this promising concept was way too much slow burn and a little boring for me. So I gave my solid three stars: neither I hated nor I liked kind of semi-satisfying reading for me!

`Thanks to NetGalley and Emma Bamford I was able to read the first two chapters of this book! It’s gripping and I can sense it’s going to be an amazing read, I can’t wait to get my hands on the book, I’ll be counting down to the pub date in 2023!

Read the two chapter sampler and I’m very intrigued. Great atmospheric setting as the story starts at sea right away, with a hint of suspension lurking.

This is a review based on the sample of the first two chapters I was sent. I’m bound to say it wasn’t enough but it really wasn’t enough to form much of an opinion. It’s an interesting premise and I’ll be very likely to download and read the whole thing at some point.

I was sad that this is just a sampler but from what I have read so far this book has great promise and sounds like it could be a promising story. I look forward to reading more when it all comes out.

A slow burn of a novel set on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. I liked the authentic sail boat setting and the isolation of the characters but I did not feel connected to the story. The final third of the novel seemed rushed. A good read and a promising debut.

I read the sample I was sent of the first few chapters. Intriguing. With thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this sample. Good luck with the publication.

Ehh...a book that has potential. I wasn't saddened I didn't get more from the preview chapters - but I didn't feel as if I wasted my time. We get the premise and setting of the story straight off and are given the impression of an unreliable female narrator and/or memory loss female - both of which can be done really well or .....not so well and just very eye-roll inducing. Not a book I'm eager to pick up to finish but I would read it on a beach or something.

I didn't know exactly what to expect from Deep Water before I started it, and I think that was a good thing - I enjoyed this atmospheric story about a couple who set out for paradise on their boat but end up getting more than they bargained for...

In Deep Water, we hear Virginie's story as she describes how she and her husband Jake set out for a mysterious island on their sailing boat. Things seem great at first, but soon begin to go downhill. We know from the very start of the book that they run into trouble, as the story starts with the captain of another ship, Danial Tengku, coming across Virginie and an unconscious Jake, so it starts with a bang - but what happened?

The story definitely isn't an action-packed thriller. It's fairly slow, building up the tension as we see parts of Virginie and Jake's trip start to go awry, but there's a lurking sense of danger behind the author's words at all times. For me, this created a real sense of foreboding, and despite not a lot 'happening' - particularly right in the middle section of the book - I felt that the story was still tense and made for intriguing reading. I enjoy books that deal with the dark side of paradise, and books that aren't over-dramatic. Plenty happens, but it's quite muted at times, and this kept me turning the pages.

I enjoyed Deep Water - I can see why some people weren't gripped, but I'm happy reading more of a slow-burner of a book if it has enough to keep me intrigued, and luckily and the main characters in this book were interesting and entertaining enough to keep me reading on.

Another treat from World Book Day. Via NetGalley and publishers Simon and Schuster UK a chance to read a sea based mystery from a new author to me.

I got two chapters this time which whetted my lips they even tasted of brine.

But can such a brief teaser ever allow you to judge a book?

Well, sufficient to say it interests me - the cover, production blurb etc, before reading the first page and after two chapters intriguing enough to want to read on - but not today.

A navy patrol boat picks up an SOS in the middle of the Indian ocean; at least four days sailing to the nearest port. Establishing radio contact it appears not just a phantom radar blip but a human voice of a young woman whose partner is critically injured.

More mystery is spun as this is fiction and the author has baited her plot hook. How Jake was hurt is not explained; Virginie seems to have no answers, (shock?). Their yacht seems fine but they must transfer back to the navel vessel to give any chance to the causality, in urgent need of medical attention. Yet the woman seems to have no ties to the boat or have any possessions, clothes or personal papers to take with them.

This mystery is left as a cliff hanger and as stated the reader is set up to want to read on and discover some tangible explanation for this event.
Of course all ideas can be embraced and the story lies in the telling of debut author Emma Bamford.
No book is a satisfying read just a couple of chapters in. There is the back story of Jake and Virginie to tell. How credible is this and the disaster that overtook them? Plus hints have been made regarding the captain’s own past and personal experience of loss.

Nicely poised; enough to get a green light but does the finished book reflect this early promise?

I would read it but alas not today.