The Girls in the Water

by Victoria Jenkins

Bookouture



General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 03 Aug 2017

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of The Girls in the Water through Bookouture and Netgalley:

The first person he killed had been an accident but the second one was not.

When Lola King's Body is found at a local park on a cold winter morning Detective Alex King and her recruit Chloe Lane are called in to lead the hunt for a killer.

Chloe's first impression of Patrick Sibley was a boy no one noticed until he got noticed for all the wrong reasons.

Soon another girl goes missing, Emily Phillips a sixteen year old girl is also found dead.

Could Adam Edwards be the man they are looking for?

Will Detective Alex King and Chloe Lane catch the killer?

Find out in The Girls in the Water?

Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

OMG I LOVED this book! Such a great mystery that actually kept me guessing! It kept me on the edge of my seat and awake all night!! I just could not put this book down. I needed to know what was happening next. I loved that it wasn't obvious on who the killer was, what was about to happen, ect. I can not wait to read more in this series!

Cover love, here we meet again! I have a thing for anything red. Shoes, blood, titles. And this beautiful contrast of blue and red grabbed my heart. And for once, I was starting a detective series with the first installment! What more could I ask for?

When you read as many crime as I do (or more for some of my blogger friends!!!) you discern a certain pattern. A gripping prologue, complicated detectives, grisly murders. This is what you are looking for. Welcome to The Girls in the Water! The book checks off all the boxes!

And you know what? It adds something more. Something that makes you coming back again even when a niggle appears. Something you are keen to explore. I’m talking about the relationship between the two detectives working together on this wet case!

I’m used to strong characters with complicated lives, and neither Alex nor Chloe escape this description. One older, one younger, both plagued by a past that is clinging at their heels.

While we do get a real team effort here and get to meet different persons, the focus is definitely on those ladies and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
It wasn’t hard imagining them grabbing something to it, discussing the progress they were making, but beyond this was building a stronger connection. Alex, as a DI, had decisions to make and Chloe, young and promising DC, was the fresh breeze and clear eyes every intricate enquiry requires. Subtly, the author hinted at a relationship that was stronger than one of simple colleagues’. Alex’s need to protect Chloe, Chloe’s will to find answers by herself without disrespecting her superior. The way some things were natural between them and others so difficult reminded me of the bound between a mentor and a student. That pride, that fear to disappoint, that protective feeling, that need to prove oneself. The trust, stuck between the work, the heavy background of each women, and their personalities. It is absolutely refreshing to find such a female friendship in a crime series!

The fact that this special and original point completely blends into the investigation and adds to it one thin layer after another makes this story so compelling. I will admit that while the plot was interesting and well-crafted, my attention was captured by the characterization and an unhealthy curiosity as to what was going to happen to those women!

Weirdly, none of the facts you learn about her make them very likeable, but as I neared the book, I found I was being less harsh on them. Yes, I still did find Chloe a little bit childish, but her intentions were good. I warmed up a little to Alex in her big house, all alone. Loneliness is something their career often brings, but there are different kinds of loneliness and Alex and Chloe were both stuck in a glass bowl for different reasons. So I can’t say I love them, but I do admire what the author managed to do and I am so thankful to see women sticking together instead of hating each other!

I might have noticed something happening, catching a hint here and there about where the story was going, but I was far from discovering what the author had planned. The investigation dragged a little at some point and I remember thinking Alex King did not really act as a seasoned detective, but at least she wasn’t jaded with her job! The victims and the killer took a backstage place for me, as Chloe’s own thread took more and more room and nothing seemed to progress until a certain point was reached. Still, the stories were believable, the cruelty and blood very present, and the case was good enough to satisfy readers looking for a crime story that doesn’t require too much work on their part!

The Girls in the Water is a promising first book in a series that brings a refreshing and needed angle on its detective characters.

Alex King and her new assistant, Chloe Lane, are called to the scene when the body of Lola Evans is found in a park on a cold winter morning. A few days later, another girl is reported missing. Lola and the missing girl seem to have a lot in common when it is found that they share a troubled history and were members of the same support group. As Alex and Chloe investigate, Chloe realizes she is also in danger.

This is Victoria Jenkins's debut novel and is surprisingly good for a first novel. It is a police procedural with an unexpected twist at the end. I look forward to reading this author's next book.

“The Girls in the Water” by Victoria Jenkins is the first in the Detectives King and Lane series. One cold morning, the detectives are called to the park when a young woman's body washes up on the riverbank. And then, another body is found in similar circumstances. The progresses at a rather slow but steady pace as the team as they work to identify the victims and find the perpetrator.
The detailed background descriptions of the geography around Cardiff give the story a sense of place and realism. The characters are well developed, and there is ample background information about them in the narrative that we know them, love them, and hate them. We empathize as they struggle with the ordinary and extra-ordinary problems of life, both past and present. The characters themselves are the real heart of the story rather that the search for the killer.
I received an advanced copy of “The Girls in the Water” from Bookouture, Victoria Jenkins, and NetGalley in exchange for my impartial review. I enjoyed reading the book, and recommend it with stipulation; readers should be advised that there are graphic descriptions and gruesome passages as part of the plot development. This is not a book for faint of heart.

The Girls in the Water by Victoria Jenkins

Title: The Girls in the Water
Author: Victoria Jenkins
First Published: August 2017
Publisher: Bookouture
Price on amazon: Paperback: £9.99 Kindle: £0.99
Pages: 352
ISBN: 1786811995

Two girls missing but who else is in danger.

When the body of Lola is found police detective Alex King and her partner Chloe Lane are on the case when a second women goes missing can King and Lane put the clues together in time to save her? During all this Chloe's past comes back to haunt her, with her brothers death hanging over her and the case of the missing and murdered women can Chloe hold it together or will her past get the best of her.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley, I found the book a little slow to start with. Once it got going I really enjoyed it. I found the book kept me guessing about who the killer was, I found the killer to be every good plot twist. I found myself feeling really sorry for Chloe with all her family problems I felt I could sympathies with her as I have a lot of family drama myself. I also really felt for her with what was happening with her brother and nobody believing her. I found the book to be well written with good structure and plot lines. I found the characters yo be well thought out and believable which really helped the plot flow smoothly.

I have chosen to give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did really enjoy the book and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good serial killer thriller.

My Review can be found on:
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Goodreads,
Net Galley,
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This is a great debut novel that I really enjoyed. I liked the fast paced storyline and I wasn't expecting the twist at the end. Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes police/ thriller books

My review as posted on Goodreads:

This book opens with a hauntingly sinister prologue. It then moves to the discovery of a body in a river in Cardiff.

This book is marked as number one in a series, featuring Detectives Alex King and Chloe Lane. I like the way Victoria Jenkins has managed the difficult task of introducing the detectives and at the same time creating a novel which has pace.

There are several murders along the way, with several suspects emerging and then being ruled out.

The use of real places in and around Cardiff gives the story a real sense of geography.

There are some fairly gruesome passages, but I won't go into too much detail for fear of spoiling the plot.

This is an excellent debut novel. It currently tops my list for 'Best debut novel of the year 2017'.

I for one will await the next appearance of Detectives King and Lane!

My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this debut novel in return for this review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review. Fairly good debut starring DI Alex King and D.C. Chloe Lane . The plot was great . Both are chasing a serial killer . Fast paced with lots of twists and turns and suspense..

this was a good read. A little too slow for me but that is purely my preference and not a criticism. Was a good thriller with no clue what was going on which I enjoyed

I enjoyed having two female protagonists as the lead characters. I thought the author was able to tell their stories clearly so you felt as though you "knew" the characters. i thought the story was interesting and I enjoyed how the background of Chloe interwove into the present.

A fabulous read, great characters, good fast paced story line, I can't wait for the next book from this author.

This is really 4.5 ⭐️! I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC copy of this astounding debut novel!!

This debut novel introduces us to DI Alex King and DC Chloe Lane of the Pontypridd police in South Wales. The detectives end up on the case of a murdered young woman. Her body had been disposed of in a local park after having been tortured prior to her death.

While working on the case another woman disappears. The detectives work at a frantic pace hoping to find the woman before anything worse happens to her. At the same time DC Lane is trying to keep her own head in the case but is having an exceedingly difficult time due to secrets from her own past that start surfacing.

This book has everything, a great plot, well developed characters that you become truly invested in and a very clever perpetrator that is determined to make his mark. If you love thrilling police procedurals, this book is a must!!

Very intriguing plot tying older murders into current ones, with a special twist involving one of the investigators, Chloe. I was full of questions, ideas, and possibilities as I made my way through Chloe's backstory and current situation. Definitely a book that will grab your interest and be difficult to put down.

Well written but for me this was no different to other books in this genre. Nothing unique or outstanding. That said I will be reading book 2. I've read numerous debut novels lately that people have raved about but I've found mediocre. The subsequent novels however do seem to be of the 4/5 star variety so I'm hoping this series will follow in this trend too.

Fans of Lisa Gardner will love this book. I look forward to reading more about Detectives King and Lane.

A killer is on the loose. It's down to Alex and Chloe to find out who the killer is before they strike again and kill their 3rd victim. As this is the first in the 'Detectives King & Lane' story, book 1 introduced us to the two ladies we will be spending a lot of time with and really focused on the relationship between the two of them.

Lola Evans was tragically found dead in a local park and Alex soon made it her mission to arrest the person behind such a sick murder. Chloe on the other hand, whilst trying to stay focused on Lola Evans, had too much going on in her mind when she decided to re-open the investigation to her brother's death without permission, leaving her in a cross fire with the supervisor. It's now up to Alex to put an end to this once and for all after victim number 2 is revealed, however when Alex finally pieces the puzzle together, somebody very close to her is in danger as the killer's next victim. Will Alex make it in time, or will she be too late?

I was so dedicated to figuring out who the murderer was myself and was incredibly pleased with the results, everything seemed to add up so well and the reasons behind the murders was incredibly realistic, Victoria didn't over dramatise the situation and I loved that. It was definitely a catch me if you can story and I was 100% down for the chase. I also loved the unravelling of Chloe's story with her brother and how everything seemed to be connected in one way or another. Another wonderfully gripping story that makes me excited for book 2!

Enjoyable well written book, full of intrigue and kept me turning the pages. Would recommend to others.

This is a gripping debut thriller from Victoria Jenkins, the first in the Detective Inspector King and Detective Constable Lane series. The prologue sets a dark tone for the novel. It sucks you in and forces you to push forward to see how the plot will unfold. The suspense builds as each layer of the complex plot is revealed. The investigators encounter twists and roadblocks along the way, always one step behind, and the list of possible suspects seems to grow with each new piece of evidence they uncover.

This book has a complex cast of characters. The author does a good job of developing each character to the extent that is needed. DC Chloe Lane has a sordid, painful past. There is an alternate storyline that runs parallel to the main plot that involves someone from Chloe's past. She finds her job and her life in deep jeopardy when ghosts from her past make a stunning appearance. The tension really ratchets up as the two storylines converge and the investigation centers on a main suspect. A race against time develops and leads to a shocking conclusion.

I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and suspense. This is a promising new series, and I eagerly anticipate the next installment. I received this as a free ARC from Bookotoure on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

what's it about:
The first one had been an accident. He had never intended to kill her. But as he looked down at her body, he knew there would be a next one…’

When the body of Lola Evans is found in a local park on a cold winter’s morning, Detective Alex King and her new recruit Chloe Lane are called in to lead the hunt for the killer.

Days later, a second girl goes missing. It seems the two shared a troubled history, and were members of the same support group. Who is the monster preying on these vulnerable girls?

As the detectives start to piece together the clues, Chloe realises that she too is in danger – as she uncovers secrets about her own brother’s death which someone will kill to keep hidden.

Alex and Chloe are determined to find the killer before more lives are lost…

What did I think:
3 stars
While I did like the story and how it pulled me into the story I just couldn't love it like I wanted to , the main reason was the 2 main characters , they just got on got on my nerves so much that there was times I wanted to just out it down and not finish it at all, but I kept hoping that I would find something I would like about them, but that's kind to do when they both seem like all they do is think of themselves. Hopefully in the next book their be a bite better , but even though I disliked the main characters I did like the story, with that said I want to say thinks to Netgalley for giving me a change at reading a new to me author and her new series ,in change for my honest opinion.Note:
it took me from June 25 2017 to July the 3 ,2017 to read because of the 2 main characters Alex King and Chloe Lane .