This was a good easy read for me. I found myself totally immersed in the story. Took me less than a day to read

Thanks for the opportunity to review

A sharply focused, well paced book which demonstrates the author's depth of knowledge of the inner workings of British power and politics. A great addition to the political thriller landscape

This was a fabulous and thought provoking legal thriller.

Alex and Kat were both wonderfully complex characters with a lot of challenging history. Their developing relationship was beautifully written and engaging amongst the chaos and fast paced action.

With a viewpoint into the UK political setup and another into the legal landscape, this book takes you on a dark path into what powerful people can get away with, and how vulnerable some people really are. It’s a glimpse into how a life can turn on one decision and far the consequences can reach.

Notes on a Drowning is a nail biting, fast paced thriller with a dark and gripping plot, characters that step right off the page and a world that we all wish wasn’t real.

I’ve read this author’s historical fiction, and loved this move into contemporary, particularly with the gritty insight into the legal world. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime writing and thrillers, or who has an interest in politics, the law and human rights.

This was a fast-paced read that I could easily see being made into a tv drama. Unfortunately, that was also the main problem with the book - it was made up of lots of familiar plotlines.
I started to feel like I was playing cliche bingo - dodgy Russian oligarchs, corruption in the highest levels of government and the Met, improbable rescue from high security premises. There was even a divorcing couple drawn back together in adversity!
The two central female characters were reasonably well developed, but the supporting characters were barely fleshed out. There were far too many convenient connections - investigative journalist best friend, handy group of high level hackers happy to help out, ex detective private eye husband, friends in MI5.
This was a book that was an enjoyable enough read but one that will quickly fade from my memory.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for an ARC of this book.

Big fan of Anna Mazzola and her historical fiction books. First time reading her under the guise of Anna Sharpe and a thriller "Notes on a Drowning". A well-formed tense page-turner with lots of back story. Better than your average thriller.

A very slow start which failed to draw me in which is a shame because the second half of the book is fast-moving and interesting. I found the interaction between the two main characters very disjointed and Alex seems to be permanently exhausted and depressed which perhaps isn't surprising because of her missing sister but it did become a little wearing. I'm probably being too picky because at heart this is an excellent thriller but it just didn't click with me.

Notes on a Drowning is an engaging and very well-plotted story about two women with an awkward shared past who work together to prevent a similar tragedy to the one that first brought them together.

The beginning of the book is a little slower than the ending, as the reader begins to piece together the narrative of the two women, who have complicated lives without the addition of the mystery that reunites them. The mystery itself is complex and grows increasingly dangerous for them. Who can they trust, aside from no one but a very few?

This is a tale of corruption and power and how corrupting such power can be. It is also very current, contending with the persistent 'boys club' mentality that infects politics and the terrible underbelly that goes with it.

Yet, it is also a fast-paced and well-executed read. I devoured it in two sittings.

This is not my usual read. I'm a bit more 'thriller' minded and also more historical or cosy crime, but this is a timely tale of corruption and politics, unputdownable until the last page.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Thank you to the author and Orion for the advanced copy.

A really thought provoking, fast paced political thriller. I felt like we went on the journey with the characters to uncover the mystery. The subject matter felt timely and impactful, exploring the issue of corruption from the rich and powerful.

A great read!