Always, always love Karen Rose and this book was no exception. Fast paced, depth of characters and the dash of romance that adds extra heat, this kept me gripped from start to finish.

I absolutely LOVE this series by Karen Rose, you are guaranteed a fast-paced, danger strewn, action packed plot, whilst also seeing the raw humanity of the characters involved. The setting of this series, New Orleans, is clearly depicted, from the French Quarter where the team are based, to the swamps surrounding the district.

In this book the plot focuses on Val Sorensen of Burke Broussard Private Investigation Agency, finding out more about this member of the team. I particularly enjoy discovering how each of the team came to work for Broussard (there is always a gripping backstory) and how it has affected who they are now. The level of detail given to both the development of the plot and characterisation left no queries hanging, the reader is fully informed and can investigate along with the team.

Such is the team spirit and level of professionalism shown by all, that they appear like a huge family, one I felt like I’d love to be part of (well maybe not all the danger).

The plot, although dark and gritty, is laced with humour, teasing, relationships and also always, always having each other’s backs. I also like reading how Karen includes very real medical issues, not shying away from challenging subjects, in this case Elijah suffering from diabetes, other issues introduced are PTSD and panic attacks.

There is another character who well and truly pulled at my heart strings, again Rose dealt with him showing compassion and empathy and there were times when I almost held my breath waiting and hoping. No more details given here, no plot spoilers.

This is a fabulous read which I would highly recommend.

I was captivated from the first page of "Beneath Dark Waters" by the attempted kidnapping of Elijah Cardozo. As the story unfolded, I found myself fully invested in the characters - Karen Rose really has a knack for creating characters that you love and hate in equal measure! I was particularly drawn to Val, the bodyguard assigned to protect Elijah. She's not your typical heroine - she’s an ex-marine, roller derby star, teacher and a talented musician, as well as being incredibly strong and compassionate. The plot kept me guessing, with twists and turns around every corner. One minute I thought I had it all worked out, the next the story would change direction and I'd be left wondering what was going to happen next.

While some readers may find the book to be a little long, I didn’t mind the length at all. The fast pace and compelling storyline meant I was engrossed from beginning to end, and I found the atmospheric setting of New Orleans really added to the story.

Although this is the second book in the New Orleans series, I haven't yet read the first book and I honestly didn't feel lost at all. It works perfectly as a standalone thriller. Overall, "Beneath Dark Waters" is a gripping and intense read that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good page-turner. I am already looking forward to reading more from Karen Rose!

A great book with a fantastic cast of characters. I enjoyed it. Recommended for those who like genre of book!

Fantastic book with great core characters. Recommend to friends for anyone who loves this genre of book!

I enjoyed this book. I have read a few of Karen Rose books in the past, not an Author I would read a great deal of, but they are quite
interesting. It's quite a thrilling scary novel written in a great gripping way of putting the story across. I felt that the build up to the story was very good.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my early copy of this book, though I’m later reviewing than planned! Karen Rose is always a winner, with interconnecting books in each series and recurring characters. It’s nice to see previous characters popping up again, though they can also be enjoyed as stand alone books. This book is really good, lots of drama and twists and turns! Good writing and likeable characters kept me hooked to the end.

Beneath Dark Waters Karen Rose

This was my first Karen Rose.
We meet Val and Kaj in this one, they have to work together to protect Elijah Kaj’s son.
I found this to be a bit of a slow start, and at one point put it down for a while. I am glad I picked it back up as the pace did pick up and it was exciting the further you got into it. There were some side stories that at some point you know are going to be connected, but they did feel like they were just popped in randomly, I feel they could have been woven though in a different way to connect more to the main plot.
I didn't realise this was book two of a series, so read it as a stand alone and I didnt feel like I was missing any of the plot, but I will go back and read book one.
I’d give this a solid 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Amazing, amazing , amazing i love this author and loved beneath dark waters . Karen rose never disapoints i love all her books

It’s a book like this that make me love reading. Incredible characters, gripping writing, suspenseful moments and a bit of love thrown in. Karen Rose never disappoints and she will always be a hit on my bookshelf.

Another page turner by Karen Rose! Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

What’s not to like with a Karen Rose book.
Fast paced suspense story which grips you from the first couple of pages. Second book in this series and looking forward to the third.

Karen Rose always delivers a layered detailed thriller. Enjoyed. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Karen Rose’s books always are compelling reads and full of action. This story takes you through several exciting locations, and makes you emphasise with the characters - especially the son. Well worth a read.

If there’s a Karen Rose book I’m going to read it. She’s one of my favourites. This one is book 2 in The New Orleans series. I love her style of writing and her well developed storylines and characters and how her reads can weave into each other with overlapping characters. This one was no exception and my only fault is I couldn’t get a good run at it to just sit and enjoy. This is a fast paced storyline that has a lot going on not just within the storyline but the characters themselves. As usual the characters are so lovable and downright hateful so it gives you it all. Another great read that has the perfect blend of suspense, police procedural and romance suspense but for me Karen Roses books is like getting back in touch with family.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review #BeneathDarkWaters

When the young son of a prominent New Orleans Assistant District Attorney is almost kidnapped, bodyguard Val Sorensen gladly takes on the job of keeping the boy safe, even if it means supressing her undeniable attraction to his father, Kaj Cardozo. Little do they know that Elijah Cardozo is only a small part of a much larger criminal plot, and that the man who is at its centre will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Beneath Dark Waters is the second book in Karen Rose's New Orleans series, but it fares well as a standalone novel; I hadn't read the previous book and didn't realise that this one was part of a series until I'd finished it.

It's a sprawling novel, with a huge cast of characters and a plot with so many tangents and tributaries connecting to it that, at times, I completely forgot about certain storylines when they hadn't been mentioned for a while. The book is well-paced though, making the reader focus on the here and now, which makes it easier to lose track of the bigger picture, but does make for compelling reading.

Val, from whose perspective we view the events of the novel, is very 'not like other girls'. She's a bodyguard, an ex-marine, a roller derby star, a teacher and a talented musician. As if that weren't enough, she's also beautiful and compassionate. I found it hard to get into the story at first because Val felt like such a contrived character, and I wish the author had dialled her perfection back a bit. Val's only real character flaws are the direct result of the myriad traumas the author chose inflicted upon her - I counted at least five layers at one point. Nonetheless, I found myself enjoying her character in spite of my reservations, and I was really rooting for her by the time the action really got going.

Likewise, Kaj is a very likeable character, and Rose does an impressive job of making the reader care about a veritable army of Val's friends and colleagues, to the point where I found myself deeply invested in the fate of some fairly minor characters. The relationships were my absolute favourite part of the story, and they brought real heart to a narrative which is very dark at times.

However, conversely, the burgeoning relationship between Val and Kaj didn't really interest me at all, and the graphic sex scenes not only didn't add anything to the plot but were quite off-putting - I physically recoiled at the first explicit line. I appreciate that some readers may love this element of Rose's books though, so perhaps I'm in the minority.

The suspense is somewhat lacking as the reader is given so much information up front that there's not much left to wonder about. Apart from a third act reveal about a character who has died before the story begins, there are no big twists. That the narrative maintains momentum is a testament to the characters Rose has created.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

A highly entertaining read although the reader has to give no thought to the improbability of the actions and motives of the villains. The plot is complicated and I thought the story was coming to an end halfway through when the plot changed direction. Perhaps enough here for two separate books! The action scenes were well written and as the story sped along I was fully engaged and would be tempted to try the next in the series if one appears.

I loved this book and the twists and turns. Such a great story and loved the ending
I will be reading the authors books in the future

I do love a new Karen Rose book and this has been everything I have been waiting for and so much more. This is a book I was pulled into and unwilling to put down.

This is a brilliant read from beginning to end. Full of suspense, danger and intensity. Rose is back with another absolutely brilliant read.

As always, we have villainous criminals to catch in this one. I love how well Rose is able to create both characters we love and characters we hate. It’s a real talent to evoke such a mixture of emotions from a reader.

I have been captivated by this one. This is a book that pulled me in and kept me hostage. Rose writes in a way that it becomes addictive. You feel as though the setting, characters and atmosphere is familiar.

I love how well plotted and paced this has been. I have been hooked and completely unable to work out where this one was going. I have found Beneath Dark Waters to be entertaining.

This is a book with the perfect amount of tension and twists. You can’t help but keep guessing as you read on. Kaj and Val are a brilliant pair and I have loved this investigation with them.

I am a huge Karen Rose fan and each book gets bigger and better. I have no hesitation recommending this to other readers. This is brilliant from beginning to end.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Assistant District Attorney Kaj Cordozo's life is thrown upside down when two masked men attempt to kidnap his son, Elijah. Given the high-profile case Kaj is working on, he's not about to take any more risks.

BOOK REVIEW - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is an absolute behemoth of a book that I thought I’d never get through due to its size. What actually happened is I smashed through it in just a couple of days. It’s an exciting thriller with a sprinkle of romance.

It’s really well written, the main plot is fast-paced and the sub plots are intriguing, which meant I couldn’t put it down.

This is my first by Karen Rose (but certainly not my last!) and it’s part of a series but I’ve not read the first one and it was fine to read as a stand-alone.