In an exchange for an honest review I've got an ARC version of this book. Thank you NetGalley.

This is the first book from this author and in my humblest opinion I think that a person should definitely read the first book from this series in order to comprehend the whole situation with the main character and all her childhood trauma.

As we follow the story of Megan, a detective, that is looking for a serial killer I felt that I miss something. I couldn't connect on any level with the Megan even though she had all the attributes for a detective in modern thrillers - a personal trauma, a hint of her interaction with other members of the police force, a glimpse into her private world, etc. Or maybe all of the same things that follow the detectives in the last couple of years are just not original any more? :/ And it seems that all the authors search for something unique but can't seem to grasp it?

Even though Megan's childhood story is not that similar to the rest of the detectives I have been reading about, it seems as though ideas come from the same idea pool and I didn't find myself saying - oh no! in any given moment.

My main problem with Megan is that she didn't seem human at all. Or the writing made her look like that. I felt like she is some kind of android doing things that a programmer coded into her - e,g, a sentence from the book I am paraphrasing - 'I smiled. I don't smile that often.' No explanation as to how it affected her, how it seemed to her given the situation, etc.
And even though we could see into her soul whilst she is remembering conversations with her psychologist it didn't touch me one bit.

On the other hand the suspects were everyone and no one and that's how I like my thrillers. :) The story of the killings and the killer him/herself was rather good and it kept me intrigued and I definitely didn't guess what is going to happen in the end and how everything is going to fit together.
Small details were excellent, crumbs of deceit were rather well dispersed and all the characters had their place in the book at the right time for the story.

The writing felt, as I mentioned before, somewhat robotic - especially where it concerns Megan and I am hoping that it will change in the next installment of the series because this author has a great potential and I wouldn't mind reading the next book to see if something is changed and what Megan has to deal with in the next book.

This was a thrilling read!! This is the second book in the series and just as thrilling as the first one was! The book has thrills and chills from beginning to end. Recommended.

This is the second book in the Megan Carpenter series, and although part of a series it can easily be read as a standalone.

Megan is assigned the case of a young woman who has been found murdered on an isolated beach. Unfortunately she has also been ordered to work with Ronnie Marsh, she is not impressed as she prefers working alone.

Their investigations lead to the discovery of more bodies and Megan is unsure whether the bodies are connected to her father.

This is a really good read, as we get get to know Megan a little more. The book is really well plotted and will definitely have you turning the pages.

It was a delight to be back with Detective Megan Carpenter and her team as the series continued. In Water's Edge, Megan is paired with Ronnie Marsh, and although the two characters are very different, I enjoyed seeing how Megan reacted to her new partner and how their relationship developed. The transcripts of Megan's sessions with Doctor Allbright also gave me another glimpse into her fascinating past.

The crimes that Megan investigates in Water's Edge are very dark and they are often described in a lot of detail. This helped me to see that Megan was up against a very disturbing and calculating perpetrator and I was rooting for them to find the person they were looking for.

The investigation develops quite slowly as Megan and her team struggle to find leads. However, I was drawn in from the beginning and was sucked in even further as the tension started to rise. There is a sense of danger and towards the end I struggled to draw breath!

The end of the book sets the reader up perfectly for the sequel and I can't wait to see where Olsen takes this series next.

This was a fast paced read, though I am not sure it did it for me overall I did not read the first book in the series, but found that I was able to figure out enough that I didn't miss it. The book centers on Megan, a police detective who is trying to solve a series of murders in Western Washington. The killer seems to be targeting women who look similar and have a history of putting up babies for adoption. Megan gets assigned a reserve deputy, Ronnie, who she reluctantly takes along with her as she investigates, and they end up building a friendship.

I liked the flow of the book and Megan herself- she was witty,scrappy, and brave. I struggled a little bit with the authenticity of whether someone like her would really be a successful police detective, based on her background with her own family situation, acts she committed during that time, and her overall attitude about taking bad people off the street permanently rather than letting justice run it's course. I found it hard to believe that she would have passed the psychological exam to get into the police force, but it is a small town after all, and perhaps I am overthinking it.

Though I liked the mystery, and the twists had me changing who I thought the culprit was regularly, when the villain was finally revealed, I didn't think I had gotten enough backstory to not only understand that person's motivations, but to care that much. I wish the author would have tied the story together better and provided some of that background info that made the actions make more sense.

Overall, a decent read with a few flaws, but was a book I enjoyed and would probably recommend for those who like mysteries and police procedurals. It didn't hurt that I like in that general vicinity and new the locations well. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of Water’s edge by Gregg Olsen from Netgalley and Bookouture for a honest review. This is the 2nd book in the Detective Megan Carpenter Series and was fantastic! Megan finds herself reliving her past while trying to solve several murders, along with the help of a rookie deputy. While Megan prefers to work alone, she grudgingly takes Ronnie with her while she tries to solves the murder of Leann Truitt. Megan also starts to get mysterious emails — someone knows about her past. I enjoyed the partnership between Megan and Ronnie. They worked well together. I found the action fast paced, and kept me wanting to read. Looking forward to the next book!

This is the first fiction book I’ve read from this author and I enjoyed it. Detective Megan Carpenter is a no nonsense, complex character with a very disturbing past. I found the plot to be engaging and I didn’t see the twist coming. I enjoyed the parts of the book relating to the main storyline far more than the chapters about Megan’s past as although she’s a very interesting character I didn’t find her to be very likeable. I hadn’t read the previous book and although this didn’t impact the main storyline in any way, I don’t know if I had read it then maybe I would have related more to Megan. Would give this 3.5 stars so have rounded up to 4.

Someone is kidnapping, torturing and killing young women who've been pregnant. It's up to Detective Megan Carpenter out of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and trainee Reserve Deputy Ronnie Marsh to track down this monster while liaising with other jurisdictions along the western Washington State coast. There's no shortage of suspects, and their work is cut out for them when they discover that the linked murdered victims' cases weren't ever thoroughly investigated. Can they unravel this very complicated trail and find the serial killer? NO SPOILERS.

I really enjoy this series and the author's writing style. Megan is an interesting character with a tragic past since she's the daughter of a serial killer herself. She's still messed up and spends most of her evenings listening to old tapes she made with her therapist while drinking scotch or wine. I like that we are finding out more about her backstory and that she is beginning to be able to develop personal relationships. I liked the interplay between Megan and Ronnie -- oh I do hope that they will somehow continue to partner on any future books in this series. I definitely like where this is going and am quite interested to see what happens in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

Water’s Edge is the second book in the Megan Carpenter series by author, Gregg Olsen. The first book in the series, Snow Creek, was an unputdownable read for me and I am thrilled to say Water’s Edge kept that momentum up and did not disappoint in the slightest. Once again another unputdownable read and with only two books in, this series is really shaping up to be one of my favorites.

Detective Megan Carpenter is hot on the trail of another murderer. Someone is killing red-heads in one of the most brutal ways she has ever seen. As she tries to piece together the evidence, it slowly becomes apparent that there may be a serial killer on the loose. One she is more than happy to end. This time though she is tasked with a new rookie, Deputy Marshal Ronnie Marsh. Can the two of them together solve this case or will one of them become the next target?

Oh man! I just love Megan Carpenter! She is bass-ass and lays down some badd-assery wherever she goes. She is full of snark and kind of reminds me of Negan from Walking Dead. She is definitely a three-dimensional well thought out and well rounded character with a tragic past, which we learn a little more of during the course of this story. She also seems to have a bit of a stalker at hand who knows about her past. Will that get resolved any time soon? I am really eagerly waiting on it!

The story moves at a fast pace and grips you right from the start. There are a lot of moving parts and quite a few twists that will leave you guessing on who the culprit may be. I really had a hard time putting this book down, but that always seems to be the case when reading a story by Gregg Olsen. Olsen just builds a story out right from the very beginning and you can’t help but to get sucked right into it while rooting for Megan and hoping she lays down some bad assery on the bad guy! It almost makes you want to fist pump Jersey style when she does!

Love, love love this book! I can;t recommend it enough. If you have not started this series yet, then you have no idea what you are missing. Go and grab the first book. You can thank me later!

Detective Megan Carpenter is assigned to work with rookie Reserve Deputy Ronnie Marsh on a temporary basis. Used to working alone, their relationship is not an easy one, but they are both trying.

A woman's body is found in a cove in Mystery Bay ..... she's been beaten, assaulted, tortured. Megan makes a link between this woman and two other women who were found in the same shape. They were all redheads ... and they all had had a child.

Now that Megan and Ronnie have started their investigation, someone has eyes on Megan. The threatening notes hint at Megan's traumatic past ... they know what she did.

This is a fast-paced .... action packed ... page turner with skillfully drawn characters. I like how Megan's personal life has such a bearing on her professional one and how she deals with the issues her childhood have presented. She's gutsy, dedicated, and determined .. a great series figure. Although second in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone, although I do recommend starting at the beginning. It's full of those little gold nuggets that add majestically to a solidly written plot. The ending is explosive and unexpected.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Detective Megan Carpenter's eidetic memory often lends itself well as she lands upon another brutal crime scene. Remembering every single thing in exact detail sometimes created great stress to Megan, but it sometimes proves to be exactly what allows her to get to the bottom of even the most difficult cases.

As she approaches the crime scene and looks over the body of woman named Leann Truitt, Maggie takes in the gruesome details, including something that is an apparent clue. Meanwhile, Megan must contend with the fact that she is assigned to work with Reserve Deputy Ronnie Marsh. Megan works alone. Her boss, Sheriff Gray, knows that. As a matter of fact, he knows Megan very well, including the secrets of her past. Yet, he assigns Ronnie to Megan, so they must make it work.

Details involving the current murder victim reminds Megan of past unsolved murder cases, and so she begins to think that they are all connected. But then another body is found and Maggie and Ronnie begin a chase that must come to an end quickly, with hopes that no more women will be murdered by the elusive killer.

This is the second book in The Detective Megan Carter series. The first book, Snow Creek, allowed the reader to get to know Megan and how she escaped a horrible past and made a very successful life for herself, despite memories creeping in more than she'd like to admit, which is often quite painful. This lends itself to the strength she shows despite said pain. So, as readers get even closer to Megan in Water's Edge, they also ride along on a bumpy trail filled with twists and turns, all leading to a thrilling end. The conclusion is tinged with a mix of sadness and hope, leaving me more than eager for the next book in this series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The first book in this series, Snow Creek, was an amazing 5* read for me so when I discovered this was available I just couldn't resist - and I'm so glad I didn't! Much to her chagrin, Detective Megan Carpenter has been landed with a rookie Deputy, Ronnie Marsh and, not only that, but their first case involves the murder of a young red haired woman who has been physically and sexually abused before being deliberately laid out with an unusual symbol scratched onto a nearby rock. Their investigations show this is the third in a series of murders, now the race is on to find the perpetrator(s) before there are any more victims.....

Add into the mix that someone who knows Megan's past appears to be stalking her. . . Is her past going to threaten her future? As the two close in on the serial killer, they need to protect themselves to ensure they don't become the next victims . . .

You aren't quite sure what happened to Megan in the past but those events are slowly being revealed as the story progresses as she listens to recordings made years ago.  The whole story is a complex tapestry of events from the past and present, skilfully interwoven to create an enthralling page turner that, like the first in this series, I didn't want to put down until I'd finished it. There are times when you think you know who has done what but get ready for many surprising twists and turns to throw you off balance and keep you guessing. It is another brilliant read from this talented author and I have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending this to anyone who enjoys reading this genre and I can’t wait to read more from this series in future - I really want to know what happens with her brother!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and discovering what a fascinating read it is!

First, I want to thank Gregg Olsen, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

I instantly became a huge fan of Gregg Olsen when he released Snow Creek Detective Megan Carpenter’s first book in the series. So, when he came out with the second book in the series Water’s Edge I jumped to the chance to read it!! This is a must read intense and twisted psychological thriller series.

Water’s Edge is by no means a light read at all. He brings up topics and incidents that are not for the faint of heart. Some scenes are immensely graphic in nature.

Gregg picks the most creative graphic artists to design his covers. This one is just as unique and encompasses the meaning of the book.

If you have read Snow Creek you will see familiar faces and get updates from them. We the readers also find out more about Megan’s past through the tapes she made with Dr. A. Those tapes are one of my favorite parts of the book. To see the similarities of her past to what she is going through now in life.

Two things I love about Gregg’s writing is that he is so incredibly detailed in his descriptions of the crime scenes. So much so that you actually feel like you are there witnessing it yourself. I also noticed in this book he wrote out a lot of medical terminology (I am familiar with it due to my medical education) and then put it into layman's terms after. My bet is many readers appreciated that.

Greg made me incredibly happy for the shocking surprising ending of the book!

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the second book in the Megan Carpenter series but they can be read as standalones.

I was very intrigued by Megan and her backstory in the first book and we get to hear more of that in this book. Again this is mainly through Megan's therapy tapes but as parts of the case trigger memories for Megan, we also learn more this way. Megan is an easy character to like but she clearly has a less than clean background. Especially for someone who is a detective. I loved hearing more about Megan but the story is anything but finished and I can't wait for more!

This case is a complex and strange one. There are lots of red herrings in the case and Megan sure has her work cut out getting to the bottom of it all. I liked Ronnie and I hope she will be back. It's nice to see Megan learning to work with others and that she doesn't only have to rely on herself.

Gregg's writing is thrilling and addictive. I was on the edge of my seat and very concerned for some characters during the book. I had to race through page after page to see what fate lay ahead for them.

This was another excellent installment in this series and I can't wait for more!

I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it very much. This second book didn't grab me as much, it kinda confused me actually, to be honest.

Megan is one kick-ass police officer but I didn't find myself liking or understanding her very much. She seems to look down her nose at a lot of people and although I understand that her lying and manipulation are part of the way she was brought up, there is a fine line between a character being tough and doing what she has to do to get by, and just plain horrible.

I found myself distracted by the tapes, although I understand what the author was trying to do by putting the transcripts in the story.

All in all, this book was fairly well written but not sure that I want to read the next one. I felt very unsettled by the end of this book, the whole book leading up to the reveal of the killer....but when he was revealed I kind of shrugged my shoulders.

3.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is the second book in the Megan Carpenter series and I really wish I’d read the first in the series before this one. I found that most of book related to what happened in the first book and the remaining storyline was really quite weak . However, I did like the main character in the book and can see that her character is going to develop through the series. I would say that this series has definitely got to be read in order ,

Detective Megan Carpenter was back with a far more intriguing tale. A complexed past and convoluted murders all penned by author Gregg Olsen made this police procedural a suspenseful thriller. With a glimpse into Megan’s personal trauma, the author made her more real, her hidden vulnerability more striking and edgy.

A woman’s body posed on the Water’s Edge, Megan was called in. This time she had a helping hand from rookie cop Ronnie who bore a striking resemblance to the victim. Soon more cases from the database made her realize that things were not straight and she was probably dealing with a serial killer whose mind was on the edge of his sanity.

Having read the earlier book by the author, I jumped into the book with gusto. The writing kept the pace fast and pitch high. Tension was spread carefully at the right moments to give me some shocks. The life of the victim had many twists, she sure was living on the edge.

Megan’s determination caused my mind to focus on her. The winding leads of investigation soon culminated with her making startling discoveries. Compelling read was this where I soon got submerged into the Water’s Edge trying to get to the truth.

Vivid descriptions with layered plot lines, hardworking team with a crazed killer, all controlled by the edgier nib of the author’s pen dipped into the inkwell of suspense made this an enthralling breakfast read.

Detective Megan Carpenter is once again on a new homicide case, however, this time it’s not just one victim, but several victims. Used to working alone, she is not thrilled when Reserve Deputy Ronnie Marsh is assigned to help her on this case. At first Megan resents having someone, especially a rookie, working with her, but Ronnie soon proves to be an asset on the case. In Waters Edge, author Gregg Olsen weaves the current homicides with Megan’s unorthodox upbringing and life, which helps her to identify with both the victims and the suspects. I enjoyed how the author masterfully manages to introduce characters and small bits of information in a way that made me think that I knew who committed the murders. In the end, I was totally wrong and quite surprised! This is another fantastic book by Gregg Olsen, which I definitely recommend to other readers. Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy of this book.

What a great follow-up book to Snow Creek! Detective Megan Carpenter is a character that is so complex and multi-layered, it is really interesting to discover what drives her to be such an intense detective. A fast paced novel that kept me intrigued and guessing but it's the cliffhanger ending that has me impatiently waiting for book #3!

“A serial killer has come to Jefferson County.”

The body of a young woman is found in a secluded cove on Marrowstone Island. She has been beaten and strangled, posed, and there is a strange symbol carved into a rock nearby. Detective Megan Carpenter is one of the first on scene and sets about trying to identify the young woman and find her killer. When she finds links to previous murders in the area it is clear they are hunting a serial killer. One whose crimes have chilling echoes of those carried out by Megan’s father. Could someone who knows about her past be sending her a chilling message?

Water’s Edge is the second installment in the Detective Megan Carpenter series. I loved the first book and was eagerly anticipating this follow up. Once again the author had me gripped from the first pages and I flew through this readable thriller.

"Someone out there knows my secrets. Someone out there wants me to suffer."

In the first book there are hints about Megan’s mysterious past. This time, her past is unveiled in more detail and features heavily in the story, allowing the reader to get to understand her better. We understand why she has closed herself off from others and lives in fear while also seeing the strength and bravery it took to have endured and risen above such a horrific past and get to where she is today. As the case triggers memories of her past and she sees similarities to her father’s crimes, Megan’s determination to get justice for the victims grows and we learn just how far she is willing to go to ensure that justice is served.

The introduction of Reserve Deputy Ronnie Marsh as Megan’s partner was an interesting character arc. Megan hates working with others and is resentful of being forced to take Ronnie under her wing, but she slowly begins to see that not going it alone can have it’s benefits, something that also makes her think about her choice to shun getting too close to new people in her personal life too. I enjoyed seeing some of Megan’s iciness thaw and her open up to having friends and relationships in her life.

Water’s Edge is a dark, harrowing, tense and gripping thriller that keeps you guessing. Fast-paced, deftly plotted and well written, it is a bumpy and twisty ride that I didn’t want to end. The author has crafted a strong second installment in this new crime series and while it can be read as a standalone I highly recommend reading the first book too and can’t wait for book three.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰