Review: Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

Title: Something in the Water 

Author:  Catherine Steadman
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publishing Date:  June 5th, 2018

Pages: 352
Genre: Adult Suspense Thriller

Series: Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

A shocking discovery on a honeymoon in paradise changes the lives of a picture-perfect couple in this taut psychological thriller debut--for readers of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Shari Lapena.
Erin and Mark seem to have it all: he's a successful banker, she's a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough; they're young and in love, about to embark on their dream honeymoon to Bora Bora. But when, after a blissful day of scuba diving, they discover a mysterious bag filled with incalculable riches, their subsequent choices trigger a sequence of events that will change their lives--and their marriage--forever.

This was a really good read. I enjoyed the mystery, the twists, the psychological terror.
I hardly find a psychological thriller that actually makes me worry, bite my nails, and tremble in my seat. This book was all of that. It really had me is some horrible suspense. 

Erin and Mark are on their honeymoon. They have planned their wedding and honeymoon for months now and things fell apart a bit for the wedding. Things had to change when money became an issue. They decided to take their honeymoon as planned. While on honeymoon many things happen, the most important is what they found when they were scuba diving. This can change their lives forever. The only issue, danger comes with it. A danger that can kill them. This event that happened on their honeymoon seems to put stress on their new marriage and things just seem to go all wrong. 

This was a very good read. It did start off a little slow for me. Maybe not slow enough to keep me uninterested. The story was building around Mark and Erin. The kind of life they lived, the way the felt for each other, the worries that seem to surround them. The mystery was a bit to take off. It seemed to take a bit to get to their honeymoon and the thing they find. The entire premise of the book is wrapped around this event, to me, it seemed to take longer than I would want to get to this event. That is okay though because once it did the story just took off and I couldn't put it down. 

The story was interesting, the mystery riveting, but really had me on edge was the suspense. I just didn't know what was going to happen. To be honest for the second half of the book I was just always on edge waiting for something to jump out at me and scream BOO. It's been a while since a book has done this to me. The author did an excellent job of freaking me out for sure. 

I didn't quite connect to the characters as I would have liked. I liked Erin well enough. The story is told from her point of view and I was able to get to know her. She made some bad choices and seemed to have some deeper issues, but I liked her and I was rooting for her. 

Mark, I didn't really feel at all. I guess I just couldn't because I couldn't get into his head. I couldn't understand him or get a good feel for him. He seemed to just be there at times. In the end, I guess this wasn't an issue since the story felt more like Erin's story really. 

The only issue besides the slow start that I had a hard time with was the ending. There were some things that just weren't wrapped up for me and I had so many questions at the end. I feel there were loose ends. I needed to know who the bad guys were and what they wanted. I didn't get this. But there was closure for Erin and Mark's story. So that was good. 

I can say the ending was exciting and I was panicky and shocked and everything I like to feel in an ending to a thriller. So that was good. The story was also full of twists and turns. This part of a psychological thriller was fulfilled. 

Really this was a very good read and it hit all the major points for me. 

Loved It! 

Catherine Steadman is an actress and writer based in North London. She is known for her roles in Downton Abbey and Tutankhamun, starring alongside Sam Neill, as well as shows including Breathless, The Inbetweeners, The Tudors, and Fresh Meat.

In 2017 she will feature in political thriller Fearless and new BBC comedy Bucket. She also has appeared on stage in the West End including Oppenheimer for the RSC, for which she was nominated for a 2016 Laurence Olivier Award.

Something in the Water is her first novel.