Dark Water is a brilliantly enthralling thriller that will have readers up late at night clamoring to know what happens next and what the end will bring them.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Alex Rafter is an ex-soldier and tracker who just inherited his Uncle Max’s cabin in the woods. After rescuing a Labrador from an abusive owner, he receives a knock on his door from a seemingly distraught woman named Madeline Finch. She says her daughter Jacqueline and her horse Omar are missing. Rafter reluctantly agrees to look for her in the woods.

He names his new dog Lonely and they are off on an adventure.

So it turns out that Madeline is a lousy mother. One has to wonder if she really cares about Jacqueline, or if her act is all for show. Between the booze and the men (her husband is out of town much of the time), the woman is a real winner.

Alex teams up with Gabriel, a bar owner and former soldier, to search for Jacqueline. Learning that Jacqueline is being held by “some foreign blokes” and friends of the two soccer players Jacqueline was seen hanging out with, they search for clues as to her whereabouts. After a series of false starts, they follow her trail to Southampton.

He sets himself up to make an assault on the place where the girl is being kept. With aid from a local Hell’s Angels clan, he frees Jacqueline.

This is a fairly well written and plotted novel. It is not too bad for a debut. I am hoping the next one is a little better. The suspense starts early and keeps a nice pace throughout the book. The finish is exciting and fast paced.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book.

Really good! Non-stop from beginning to end. A quick easy read