Book Review: Something in the Water | Catherine Steadman

A slow build to a shocking discovery, this book will have you wondering what you would do!!!

What an incredible debut novel this is for Catherine Steadman! While the book starts with a bang, the next 30% is a slow build as you get to know the characters. Then at about 35% the story takes a turn and readers will find themselves holding on for the ride, unsure of where they’ll end up!!! I was unsure about this book at first, but I have to say I ended up really enjoying it and found it to be a tantalizing premise for a story.

I don’t even know what I’d compare this book to… Its really quite unique from other psychological thrillers, though I’m sure some comparisons (Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins) are bound to come up. I don’t want to make those though because I don’t think readers should go into this book expecting something similar to what they’ve already read. Enjoy this one on it’s own merit!

About the Book | Something in the Water

Erin and Mark are about to embark on their dream honeymoon…

Erin is a documentary filmmaker and is engaged to handsome, successful, financial advisor Mark. The two have a nearly perfect relationship—each balances the other out, and is able to cheer the other up when down. Erin is creating a documentary about prisoners reintegrating into society after their release, when she takes a break and she and Mark leave grey-skied England for a dream honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Mark and Erin spend their days hiking, eating exotic meals, basking in the sun, and making love in their room—a perfect honeymoon! Erin is even facing her fear of scuba diving to see the oceans with Mark. But after a big storm makes the waters cloudy, they are forced to change their dive location to a different island about an hour off the shore of Bora Bora.

And then, out in a boat in the middle of the ocean, they hear it…. THUNK THUNK THUNK

There’s something in the water, and nothing will ever be the same again…

Review | Something in the Water

I cannot believe this is a debut novel! Catherine has a way with vivid characters, settings, and vernacular, probably from her career as an actress. I found Erin and Mark so compelling, both as individuals and in their relationship dynamic. Mark is calculating where Erin is creative. Erin is action-oriented where Mark is strategic. Both are open to understanding when they’ve misunderstood the other.

But I don’t want to forget to mention the other characters! The three prisoners—Holli, Alexa, and Eddie—are fascinating each in their own way. Steadman shows the incredible diversity of those who are convicted. Some may deserve worse than they got, and others you might empathize with, or even see a bit of your own decision-making in. Each has their own story, peppered throughout the book in Erin’s interviews with them.

And the mystery!!! The “something” that is in the water!!! It sets a chain of events in motion that are twisty and heart-pounding in their rapid succession. From the time the boat hits the THUNK THUNK, readers will NOT be able to put this book down! Erin and Mark both handle the situation so differently. Erin surprises even herself with her boldness, which was wonderful to read about. Erin was a great narrator, even if I did want to shake her at times and tell her to stop, JUST STOP!

The series of tiny decisions that could lead them on different paths each step of the way was extremely well-written. I found myself unsure at each stage what I would choose. Would I follow the same path that Erin and Mark did? What would I do, if I were the one to find something in the water? I wanted to avoid saying much about the plot beyond the discovery, because readers will absolutely love the ride this book will take them on! I look forward to more from this author.

I want to sincerely thank Catherine Steadman and Ballantine Books at Random House Publishing for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. It was my pleasure!