When Merry’s neighbour and the son of her late best friend, Lucas, goes missing, Merry becomes embroiled in an investigation that drags up secrets and betrayals.

I really enjoyed this, some books take you a while to ‘get into’ but this was almost instantaneous. Merry is a gem, a bit of a loner and scarred by her past she tends to keep herself to herself. But I loved her and began to feel very protective over her!

With lots of twists and turns, this was a fab read - and I really hope this isn’t the last of Merry!!

This was a really enjoyable, fast paced read which kept me reading to the very end. Merry lives next door to Alison and her husband Lucas. Alison's husband went missing some years ago and her other son is in prison for drug smuggling. Merry was a friend of Lucas's mother who has died and she remains attached to the family. But Merry is not a happy woman and she is haunted by things that happened in the past. However, she finds solace in writing crossword puzzles for newspapers.. When Lucas, for whom Merry has great affection, goes missing, Merry does her own investigating. Her investigation will eventually yield results, not only in the case of Lucas's disappearance but in matters closer to Merry's own past.

To add to the reader's enjoyment, each chapter heading features a crossword clue which the reader is invited to solve with the solutions appearing at the end of the novel. These kept me amused for ages and was a lovely touch which made this novel stand out.

A Drowning Tide is the second book by Sarah Lawton and is a mystery thriller.
Merry lives a hermit-like lifestyle by choice on the Isle of Wight. Having inherited a cottage, her only occupation is formulating cryptic crosswords. When not doing this, her main hobby is cold water swimming in the sea. Merry’s cottage is very near the ‘big house’ and Merry appears to have an unhealthy interest in the couple who live there, Lucas and Alison Manning.
Then without warning, Alison reports Lucas as missing. Lucas has a few skeletons in his past. He has a rather dodgy brother who is currently in prison and a criminal father who also disappeared ages ago. Merry, however, believes she knows Lucas and is sure he would never disappear of his own free will. She vows to investigate his disappearance herself but is helped/hindered by a private investigator, Gareth. He has been hired to find Lucas by his employer. Merry, though, is not being completely open with Gareth. She has a host of secrets that indelibly connect her to the Mannings and she has promised herself they will never be revealed.
The story has so many twists and turns it takes your breath away. You don’t know which way it is going to go next. The most compelling part of the novel though is Merry herself. She is the perfect, flawed, quirky protagonist. You can’t help but love her and finish by rooting for her at every turn. Merry is a shining example of excellent characterisation from the author.
A Drowning Tide is a perfect mystery thriller and I have no hesitation in giving this one five stars and a recommend to read.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Lawton and Black & White Publishing for the much-appreciated ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.