Let me start by saying I have never before liked a book so much and also been so exasperated about it at the same time. I was discussing with a friend of mine the challenge of writing this review. I said, “I got an advanced reader copy in exchange for writing a review, which is difficult in this situation. I liked the book and it was a good story except it seemed the only way to keep moving the plot forward was for the main character to keep making incredibly stupid decisions.” Her response, “Just write that.” So here we are.

A fun, yet at times infuriating read, I often found myself asking, why are these characters so dumb? At other times I found myself asking, why does the author think we are so dumb?
It has a great opening, very interesting and it pulls you right in. The storyline is unique and intriguing and I found myself asking, “They aren’t really gonna try to do this, are they?” But then there wouldn’t be a book if they didn’t!

I was very invested but I almost wanted to yell at her to stop making stupid choices. At one point I was literally shaking my head and rolling my eyes. It’s hard to explain this without giving anything away. When I was finished with the book I took a poll on my Facebook page to see how others would have reacted in the same situation the characters in the book find themselves in. It was split 50/50. Half agreed with what I would have done while half would have done exactly what happened in the book.

Although I had some issues with it, the story sticks with you and keeps you thinking about it long after you finish reading it and that make for a good book!

I really thought there was going to be an underwater monster. Or alien. Or that the honeymoon couple would accidentally unleash a killer virus from under the ocean. For some reason I thought this title was supposed to have a sci-fi slant to it. I'm not sure I would have chosen this read if I had understood the plot. Boy, am I glad I had it all wrong; this was a great book!

Cat Steadman, of Downton Abbey fame, debuts with this fantastically written novel of two London professionals faced with the decision of how far they would go to live the life of their dreams. Newlyweds Erin and Mark find something on their honeymoon that could set them on a path to easy street. Should they honestly give it up or keep quiet and reap the benefits from the shady side of the law? Documentary filmmaker Erin's current project is on prisoners nearing their release date. As she interviews both hardened criminals and folks caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Erin has to decide what illegal activities she is willing to delve into to protect what she and her husband found in the water.

Erin reads as a true person, good hearted, but tempted by greed. What is she willing to do for a life of riches? Who is she willing to trust? What might she leave behind? Erin's thought process is so realistic – niggling doubts disrupt her excitement about the high life she now has the opportunity to share with new husband Mark. Then again, if she's taking all the risks, who's to say she has to share the payoff?


Poised to be one of this summer's sleeper hits, make sure you pre-order a copy of Something in the Water to have it ready in your beach bag. And if you find something in the water...well, maybe you should just leave it there.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Something in the Water comes out June 5, 2018 and it is going to be a sure-fire hit for those looking for a beach read this summer. Erin and Mark are newly married and are wild for each other. Erin works as a filmmaker; seeking out information through the crime doc genre, while Mark is a stereotypical banker (don't tell Erin I said that!)—handsome, smart, and calculating. The duo is very passionate (to say the least) and choose to visit Bora Bora for their honeymoon. As the twosome are vacationing, they spot a scuba diving situation gone wrong. Do they duo speak on what has transpired or will it be their little secret?

Something in the Water starts off relatively strong by speaking about Erin and her digging a hole big enough for a body—and then the story immediately takes off. Where it goes, that really is the big question. A majority of the story is slow pacing and relatively hard to binge-read; making it one of those "I'll get back to this story at another time," kind of reads. Erin and Mark are excruciatingly unrealistic and unreliable that it really toned down how I felt about this book. As the story progresses, Erin dives into a lot of unnecessary backstory while moving the story along. Thriller 101, do not add unnecessary plot holes and storylines to the central arc—we want to be on the edge of our seats. This book definitely has that UK thriller vibe where the pacing is moderately slow, but the story is vastly original. If you're looking for something different, Something in the Water might be the read for you.

I read this book in one sitting - this situation hasn’t happened to me for a long time! I won’t say too much about the story here, except that the usual tropes are avoided. Granted, the characters’ motivations weren’t entirely clear (why did Erin act the way she did? I felt there wasn’t enough backstory) but the pacing and execution of the story were great. The story is told through the point of view of one character (Erin), which really helps to build up a tense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere. If you’re looking for something to get out a reading rut, this is a good choice. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Erin & Mark have been a couple for years – finally marrying and honeymooning in Bora Bora. As the novel opens, Erin is digging a grave deep in the woods, and the grave is for her husband Mark. As she labors over the dig, she opts to let the reader decide whether she’s a good or bad person – and then the story begins.

Mask is an investment banker, and Erin is a novice filmmaker, presently working on a documentary about three individuals who are preparing to leave prison to resume normal lives, one of whom is a crime boss. As they celebrate their anniversary of meeting, and planning a wedding, Mark unexpectedly loses his job. With financial pressures now looming, they modify their wedding plans, and opt for a shortened honeymoon to Bora Bora. While enjoying the idyllic atmosphere, they spend time boating and diving – it is on one of those excursions that they find a locked duffle bag floating in the ocean – they retrieve it, intending to turn it in, but giving into temptation they open it… changing their lives completely…

There's not much more to say without spoilers...I really, really enjoyed this book – the character development and the nuances of personality change exhibited over time by the findings, are totally believable and make for a great read. I read this book in one sitting – highly recommend!!

I really enjoyed reading Something in the Water. At the beginning of this book the main character, Erin is digging a grave. That drew me into the story right from the beginning. After that the story unfolds slowly as we go back a couple of months and learn what led to the digging of the grave. I liked Erin, even though at times I thought she made some really stupid and naive choices. I was less enamored with her husband Mark though. There were other characters that were interesting, especially a couple of the prisoners that Erin is interviewing for a documentary.

There were a couple of red herrings in the book that I saw through pretty easily, and I guessed correctly about who was involved but not exactly the way they were involved, so I would say the book kept me guessing on that level. I thought the book had a pretty satisfying ending and it's one of the better mystery/thrillers I've read so far this year. I liked this enough that I would probably read another book by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me a copy of this book.

Review posted at writingsofareader@blogspot.com on May 30.

This story is a rollercoaster of epic proportions!! It starts off a little humdrum as the h is monologuing in thought and goes off topic. You then spend the whole book waiting for the shoe to drop and explain what’s going on at the beginning.

Never a dull moment in this fast paced, “what’s going to happen and why?” story of intrigued and terror.

Grab a copy and find out what that Something in the Water is!

Very well done debut thriller about a couple who find riches on their honeymoon and subsequently make a lot of bad choices. Erin is a documentary film maker and she's currently working on a film about prisoners, among Eddie, a legendary bad guy, and Hollie a young woman with impulse control. If there's a fault to this novel, it's that Erin rightly fears Eddie but then confesses far more than is wise to him in a bid for his assistance. Her husband Mark has just lost his job and is at odds and ends. How they deal with their windfall comprises the plot. Some of this makes sense, some does not but the book is very readable- compulsively so. The subplot with Hollie could have been a novel on its own. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Recommend this especially for travel or the beach.

A bonanza of suspense awaits the reader in this powerfully intense and dark novel. Catherine Steadman’s debut novel SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a nerve-tingling, scintillating story in the vein of Scott B. Smith’s A Simple Plan or Mike Bond’s SNOW.

London newlyweds Erin Locke, a documentary film-maker and Mark Roberts, recently ousted investment banker are honeymooning at a five star resort in Bora Bora when they stumble upon a situation that will change their lives forever. The question is will the change be positive or negative and is the potential reward for the decisions they make worth the gamble.

Since the story opens with a frenzied Erin digging a grave, the reader can assume that things didn’t turn out well. Assistance of sorts does come from a very unusual source, so perhaps all is not lost.

Readers of this roller coaster of a novel will just have to decide for themselves if, given the same opportunity, they would have made the same decisions as Mark and Erin.

This book hooked me from the get go and didn't let up. I liked how we got a glimpse of where it would end, and then retraced the steps of Erin and Mark to find out what really happened. There were a lot of peripheral characters and plot points that all tied in neatly to the main story. A compulsive read. A definite must add to your summer reading list!

This story grabbed me from the very start and didn't let up!! We follow Erin and Mark, a couple of honeymooners that go on a diving trip and find a bag containing incredible things that could change everything for them. Will it change them? Will they start questioning who they are? This story was gripping, dark and twisted. It was fun following this couple through twists and turns. Will be looking for more from this author.

Erin, a newly engaged documentary filmmaker is our protagonist, and this novel reads like it is her confession.

“I’m not a bad person. Or maybe I Am. Maybe You Should decide? But, I should definitely explain. And to explain I need to go back. Back to that anniversary morning, three months ago.”

And, so she does.

Telling us, about how this all started and telling us about that “Sliding door moment” when she and her new husband, Mark, now on their honeymoon in Bora Bora must decide which decision to make when they find “Something in the Water”. Left or right? Towards change or towards more of the same. A decision that will alter their destiny forever.

Described as a psychological thriller, I was trying to determine if Erin was reliable or not. In control, or totally naive?

There were definitely all of the necessary elements of a good psychological thriller-suspense, action and paranoia. But, I was thinking as I read it, that I would recommend it to friends who might be enjoying the TV show, “Good Behavior” starring Michelle Dockery or the Ocean’s 11 films rather than to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers that are more character driven.

So, I laughed when I discovered that Catherine Steadman was actually Ms. Dockery’s co-star in Downton Abbey, playing the role of Mabel Lane Fox., and this was actually her debut novel.

Now that I have discovered what was in the water, I will look forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next...

Thank You to Netgalley, Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books and Catherine Steadman for the ARC provided to me in exchange for my candid review!

“Something in the Water” will be available on June, 5th, 2018.

“Something in the Water” by Catherine Steadman opens with the narrator, Erin Locke, speaking directly to the reader.
“Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave? Wonder no longer. It takes an age.”

Then we learn about the body.
“I wonder if he’s still warm. My husband.”
How did Erin get there? Burying her husband? Readers are compelled to read and find out.
“And to explain I need to go back.”

Erin is a documentary filmmaker engaged to be married to Mark in a few weeks. Her documentary will follow three different prisoners during and after incarceration, charting their hopes and dreams about freedom. She conducts the preliminary interviews, and then jets off to her honeymoon. While there, she and Mark, an experienced diver, explore the majestic blue waters near their Bora Bora resort. It is then that they see something in the water. What is it? Paper? Flotsam? Jetsam?” And nothing will ever be the same again.

Erin guides readers through her life from July 8 to October 3. Her first person narrative has the rhythm and cadence of conversation, and she adds history to give readers a sense of time and place. Her tone is friendly and casual, as if she and the reader are just two friends talking over coffee and lunch. “You might not know it but … Don’t get me wrong… So here’s a math problem for you… And you know what happens next.”
She talks to herself. “I’m nervous… Think about something else… Stop it, Erin. Stop it… Don’t be paranoid…I’m sure it’s fine. “She questions herself. “ Am I all wrong? What the hell would I do with a gun?” She chastises herself. “I really don’t have time for this…I should have seen this coming.”
It is a thriller with tension that builds on every page, and Erin’s other stories contribute to the trauma. Her documentary about three convicts adjusting to their new lives is interesting, but that does not go exactly as planned. The honeymoon to Bora Bora is romantic, but does not go as planned. Furthermore, after that ill-fated dive, married life with Mark does not go as planned either. Erin’s whole life is a house of cards about to tumble into that grave she is digging for her husband. That opening really keeps readers turning the pages. How did things get to those starting words?
I received a copy of “Something in the Water” from Catherine Steadman, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley. It starts with a shock and relives the day-by-day events that led up to it. There is an “end” to Erin’s saga, one that may or may not be expected or satisfying.

I am waffling between rating this two stars or three stars. So I'll share with you my review and then see what I think.
Erin and her husband head to Bora Bora for a fun-filled honeymoon. While they were diving one day, they came across a bag containing diamonds, money and a USB port. What was supposed to be a celebration of their marriage became a run for their life.
The summary sounds more fun than the book really is. Erin narrates the story and it's almost stream of consciousness. I enjoyed that the narrative was written like she was having a conversation with you; it made the story floor--that is until we get onto tangents and I want her to redirect to what is actually going on. Once we get to the actual plot, these tangents are far less and far apart, but leading up to the story takes some patience from the reader.
My biggest issue with this book is that these characters are not evenly written throughout the books. One minute they are able to sneak into a hotel office and delete CCTV video (which I don't buy at all) to taking the diamonds with them!
You see the twist coming easily. If you are paying attention early on, you can see it in the way the characters interact. Plus, it's not really a twist; so many books do this.
I enjoyed teh voice it was written in and the book was an easy read but I was unsatisfied with the story and finale.
I guess I'll settle on 2.5 stars.

Erin’s fiancee loses his investment banking job just before they marry, causing ripples throughout the wedding planning due to his loss of income. They go ahead and hold the big wedding and go on their intended honeymoon in Tahiti, keeping their hopes up for his future employment. While scuba-diving on honeymoon, they discover a plane wreck in the ocean. A more experienced scuba diver, Erin’s new husband Mark retrieves a dufflebag of money from the wreckage. Despite good intentions, they end up smuggling it home where they begin an ongoing debate on what to do with it, even as they hide it in their home. Mark seeks opportunities while Erin continues her documentary on the before and after of three convicts released from prison: a young girl who turns to terrorism, a middle-aged woman who helped her terminally-ill mother die with dignity, and a professional criminal.

Every character is fully fleshed out, with complex motives and emotions, and behavioral integrity. Steadman skillfully leads the reader in a carefully laid out zig-zagging path, following Erin’s ever-shifting perspective with each new piece of information. She carefully weaves in Erin’s new-found colleagues, showing the balancing strategy of the average person faced with the chance to “get away with it,” as the possibilities of advantageous connections enable her to do just that while maintaining that she is a good person and “not a criminal.” The ending circles back to the opening, of Erin digging a grave for her husband, for a highly satisfying conclusion. I was fortunate to receive an early copy from the publisher of this page-turner—a must-read for fans of psychological and crime thrillers.

I posted the review to my website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and B&N.

Not only is Catherine Steadman a fine actress (Downton Abbey), but this book proves she is also a knockout suspense writer. Confession: It took me six days to finish this book. My normal read-time is closer to two) Why? The tension became so great that I had to put it down and do something else until my heart rate slowed down.

The beginning is the end. Erin is digging a grave into which she plans to bury her husband. The story then goes back to tell you how she got there. It's a well written, highly charged novel with some creative twists. Steadman is also clever in writing directly to you, the reader. Along the way, she shares clever hints like how to hide purchases of suspicious items. Simply add a Super Tampax box and the clerk will hurry to pack it all up and get the box out of sight. Who knew?

Interesting characters, chief of which is a crime boss doing time for money laundering who is literally a life saver for our heroine. In addition there is Alexa, a soon-to-be released felon who helped her mother die as she suffered from terminal cancer and Charlotte, the crime boss' daughter.

This book is sure to become a top seller for the Gone Girl market. Yet it is so much more interesting than others of its genre.

Thanks to NetGalley , the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Something in the Water". This review is being shared with Goodreads.

Sometimes I’ll read a book with good reviews without really paying much attention to what the book is about. So when I was able to get an ARC of Something In The Water, I was excited to read this book about SOMETHING in the WATER. Although the story starts there, it goes so much further…

We meet a young couple, see them get married and go on their honeymoon. All seems ideal, until they come across a little something in the water that doesn’t belong to them. Whey they choose to keep what they find, it changes their lives in ways they never could’ve imagined, turning their normal British, suburbanite lives into scheming, plotting, cover-ups they may not survive. Even though I was initially mislead by the title, I still enjoyed the book. Pages flew in my interest to see how it was going to end, and when I got there, I was not disappointed. Fun read for sure!
**Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine

This book was good...mostly. I have to admit, I struggled at first. I honestly thought that this was going to be a tale of obsessive love or something, with how powerful he was and how wimpy-seeming she was. Then they made their discovery, and bam! It was so much more than that.

I gave the book 4 stars. I liked the writing style, but it took me a little while to get into the story. The beginning was shaky; the middle was good; the ending was strong. I want there to be a sequel, starring Eddie and Erin and the favor she owes, all while dodging the police detective Andy, and seeing Holli come to justice again. There is definitely enough wiggle room for a sequel, so let's get on it!...please.

My favorite character was Eddie. He reminds me of a stereotypical mobster, but one on a show more like Castle, rather than The Sopranos. I liked how levelheaded Alexa was. I'm still not sure how I felt about Holli; kind of creeped out, maybe. I'll let you form your own judgements about Mark and Erin. All in all, if you don't like the beginning, keep going. I did, and I have zero regrets.

The very first sentence grabs your attention, and it never lets go throughout the rest if the book. This is an exceptional debut psychological thriller from Catherine Steadman.

Erin and Mark are planning a dream wedding and honeymoon. Although they have to adjust their plans slightly, everything seems to be going pretty good. Two young lovers having the time of their lives. That is until they make a dreadful discovery in the middle of the ocean while out on an excursion. This discovery, and their actions surrounding it, will forever change their lives.

Just when they thought everything was back to normal, the loose ends from the honeymoon tied up and in the past, strange coincidences begin popping up that put Erin and Mark on edge again. They are once again fearful for their lives.

Erin is working on a documentary centered around three inmates that are scheduled to be released from prison soon. One of these inmates seems to take a creepy interest in Erin's personal life. This keeps the tension high with anticipation of what might happen next. The tension in this subplot is ratcheted to the next level around 30% into the book. Later on in the book, the two plotlines suddenly begin to weave together. Erin and Mark have to remain vigilant and aware of everyone and everything around them, and Erin finds an unlikely partner in crime.

Erin begins to question everything they are doing. She even questions her husband's integrity, and she has second thoughts at every turn. One bad decision after another will ultimately lead to self-destruction, and Erin and Mark seem to meet instructions at every turn, leading g tons shocking conclusion that will make you question everything in your life.

I received this as a free ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4.0 because of the thrilling first 3/4 of the book. Erin is burying her husband Mark, I mean literally burying her husband in the dirt in the opening of this book. The rest of the book leads us to just how exactly that happened. We are given a masterful story by Catherine Steadman that in my opinion with the last few chapters unravels a bit. There are too many loose ends and questions unanswered in my mind by the time I get to the end. At that point, I had really lost my patience with Erin and her husband. Throughout the begin I felt that this could be a huge 5 star book, the writing flowed so well you would not realize you how much time you had just spent reading. Where the book fails, I think, is in the unwinding of the plot, the author did not make it believable enough for me. I would still recommend to anyone who likes suspenseful reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a chance to read and give an honest review