This was my first Mark Edwards book and I absolutely devoured it. Loved the writing. Loved the twists!

Social media at its worst. Stalking has become so prevalent and Mark Edwards takes this to another level. You never know who lurks just within your grasp. Mark Edwards loves to take simple lives and simple people and make their lives a living hell. No one dies it better!

Absolutely loved this one, but I am guilty of loving 98% of everything Mark Edwards writes. I will recommend this one to everyone. Now, I'm off to find the audiobook, so I can enjoy it even more as I listen.

Engaging but Over-the-Top
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

The Darkest Water is a thriller that blends social media obsession, a missing woman, and a tangled murder investigation. It follows Calvin, a struggling bakery owner who gets pulled into an unsettling online exchange, and Detective Imogen Evans, who is investigating a brutal crime that may be connected.

The chapters alternate between Calvin and Imogen, but while Imogen’s sections are sharp and compelling, Calvin’s storyline often left me frustrated. His naivety made me want to shake him at times, and his poor decision-making took me out of the story. On the other hand, Imogen, who previously appeared in The Lucky One, is an intelligent and engaging character. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her in future books.

The novel also shifts between timelines—one in the present and one in 1995, giving insight into Calvin’s past. Unfortunately, these flashbacks slowed the pace rather than adding depth, and I found myself eager to get back to the present-day mystery.

One of the things I typically enjoy about Mark Edwards’ books is how seamlessly he blends real-world fears with psychological suspense. Here, the premise is intriguing—a cautionary tale about social media and parasocial relationships—but the execution felt disjointed. Instead of a tense, thought-provoking thriller, it veers into over-the-top territory, with some moments that felt more exaggerated than chilling. The final act, in particular, took a chaotic turn that stretched believability. That said, the epilogue was satisfying and wrapped things up well.

Overall, The Darkest Water had an interesting concept, but the mix of social commentary and thriller elements never quite blended into a cohesive story. Fans of fast-paced, twisty reads may enjoy the ride, but for me, it was a bit too messy to fully hit the mark.

I always enjoy Mark Edward’s books and this one certainly did not disappoint. The book gripped me from the first page with the discovery of a body in the sand. He was buried up to his neck. We then met Calvin who has a bakery in the same village. He is struggling to make ends meet so Vicky, his wife, suggests he advertises on social media. It goes viral and is cafe is soon full of customers. One of them, Mel, offers to help him out temporarily but things soon begin to go wrong and him and Vicky’s lives soon become in danger. We also meet Detective Imogen Evans who has recently moved into the area and has a good reputation for solving crimes. She finally manages to identify the man’s body and finds that he has been living in a remote part of the village for thirty years but no one knows much about him. Imogen has to solve his murder and how he is connected to other incidents in the village. Calvin’s story is told in the past and present where an incident happened that he has kept secret all these years that gradually connect the incident and the murdered man. This was a book full of twists and turns, red herrings and a surprise ending. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book so much’! First book from this author and can’t wait to discover more! The stories wove together beautifully and the pacing, though a bit slow, picked up and I speed read through the last 100 pages. Thank you netgalley!

I found this slow going for three quarters of the story and it picked up pace towards the end. I found Calvin to be a someone idiotic character and was amazed by some of the choices he made throughout. I was really hoping for more from this story unfortunately it was lacking in something for me; but at this time I’m not sure what!

Overall enjoyable easy to read as this authors books typically are. Lots of characters to suspects, lots of times the characters act in a way that normal people would not but hey thats the beauty of fiction!

I had nor read the previous book with detective Imogen Evans nor did it matter as this book could be read as a stand alone.
Calvin is a talented baker and his wife is besotted with rescuing animals. So why has their lives suddenly become in danger. Could it be Mel the new also talented baker who comes to rescue Calvin when his waitress breaks her arm or Louise who also has a love of cats. And what and how is this all related to the man found buried and drowned on the beach. Set from both Imogen’s and Calvin’s lives both past and present. The story has plenty of twists and turns that I could not put the book down. Really enjoyed this latest book from a talented author.

Once again Mark writes a book that keeps you turning pages. A great, easy read with a superb plot. Adam has to make some decisions and at times I was rolling my eyes, others my hand was over my mouth! Thank you.

Many thanks for NetGalley and Mark Edwards for this ARC in exchange my review.

This book is yet another triumph for Mark Edwards, showcasing his ability to blend unsettling mystery with profound human emotion. The novel not only keeps me engrossed with its suspenseful plot but also leaves a lingering impact as it deftly examines the nature of fear, trust, and the lengths one will go to uncover the truth. As a fan of psychological thrillers, I'm definitely seek a well-crafted narrative. This is the one that pricks at the veneer of normalcy to reveal the darkness beneath. "The Darkest Water" is a must-read. With its unsettling atmosphere, intricate plot, and compelling characters, I highly recommend this book for all fans.

A good twisty book
With good characters
A great storyline
And a book you won’t want to put down
Thanks NetGalley

Gripping, surprising, and well plotted.
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have read several of this authors books and always find them page turners. This one is set in Cumbria and we follow Calvin and Vicky who are married. Calvin owns a coffee shop and is persuaded to go on social media to promote his business. Meanwhile a body has been found and it seems to be murder. We then are introduced to Imogen a famous detective. What follows is a page turning story about past secrets which come to the surface. We also learn the negatives of social media when Calvin is practically stalked by Mel who comes to work at the shop. Vicky goes missing . Has Mel got something to do with it ? How is everything connected ? I found this an easy read which all pieced together at the end .

We take a visit to the Lake District for this book to meet Detective Imogen Evans, who is investigating the murder of a local recluse. In a separate storyline we also meet Calvin who runs the local cafe/bakery and finds himself the object of desire for a new employee, causing problems between him and his wife. When Calvin's wife goes missing, he finds himself caught up in a mystery which goes back years!

This was an enjoyable dual storyline thriller which was cleverly written and the author did a great job of keeping the mystery of what was going on until well into the book! I found Calvin's story did take precedence over the two, although the other story of the murder was particularly chilling, especially with how the person died. Calvin seemed a likeable character, but I did find him very naive in dealing with his "stalker"! His storyline was gripping though and when his wife goes missing it does keep you wondering what was happening. I also liked Dectective Imogen Evans but would have liked to have seen more of her throughout the book. I can't see that this book is part of a series, but would love to see more of Imogen as she was a strong lead character.

The book was very atmospheric and the location created a great backdrop for the story. It was full of tension and suspense and had plenty of twists and turns as the story moved on. It was easy to read, with no complicated plots and held my attention throughout with some mysteries to sort out along the way. This was a great police procedural read which I would definitely recommend.

This is my 2nd book by this author. I've enjoyed them both immensely.
His books always have wonderful twists and turns.
The deviousness with the protagonists are interesting, and the storyline keeps you engaged right up to the last page.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Wow this was so good! I loved the twists and the dual timelines!

I really liked the characters even though Calvin drove me crazy for a bit since he failed to see that he had a stalker on his hands. So that was definitely no surprise that things would go awry from that situation.

This book kept me very engaged and I had a hard time putting it down.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Having read some of Mark Edward’s books previously, I knew that it would be a novel full of plot twists, suspense, and thrilling moments. When a chap is found buried on the beach near a small close-knit community, the new detective in charge (who’s reputation precedes her) is under immense pressure to solve the crime quickly.

Alongside the investigation, the book follows Calvin a struggling café owner trying to get his new business to take off. It is only through using social media that the café starts to get footfall, however this comes at a cost. Calvin’s past comes back to haunt him putting various people at risk, and the added complication of his new hire Mel who seems to have a more than professional interest in him. As he struggles to unravel all the events seemingly happening around him, he is forced to confront his past.

There are various sub-plots that all come together at the end. Overall, an engaging read, with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars.

The Darkest Water Mark Edwards

I had intended to read this book, but then spotted the wonderful Simon Mattacks was the audiobook narrator so I held off and bought it.
I really enjoyed the dual storyline, for a while it felt like there was two separate stories, but knowing Marks work, I knew it would all come together at some point. I finished this book in a day, just happily listening along.
5 stars, 4 for the book and rounded up to 5 because of the narrator, more like this please!

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.