Felicity receives a phone call to say that her sister Holly has been found dead in a swamp, presumed to be an accident. Felicity is named as the emergency guardian for Holly’s two children Tess and Frankie so she flies back from the Virgin Isles to confront the issues that drove her away thirteen years ago. The story is told Before and Now.

In places the story gets as murky, stained and dark like the swamp especially as the truth emerges about why Felicity left and what happens to Holly. There are some good undercurrents in this and a building atmosphere of gossip and judgement about both sisters. In addition, there are problems from Tess and some unsettling and scary events that happen. The setting is really good, the swamp, there’s an old fairground complete with Ferris wheel, there’s a pine forest which adds more darkness and then meteorological conditions such as fog provides claustrophobia to the already packed atmosphere. The descriptions of the area are very good enabling you to visualise the action and a spooky, ethereal and ghostly feel is added with legends from the past and weird events that occur in the swamp. The characters are all good especially noteworthy is the portrayal of Tess who is very troubled and torn. This is a good domestic noir with suspense, tension and uncertainty about whom you can trust with twists and turns in the storytelling that cause you to change your thoughts about what is going on! The storyline builds to an action packed crescendo which is maybe a bit melodramatic for my taste but it is enjoyable. The pacing is mostly on point though drops off occasionally when there’s some superfluous detail that gets in the way!

Overall, atmosphere wins the day with this one with an absolutely terrific setting.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bookouture for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. I felt a bit lost in the beginning. I didn't quite know what was going on. A woman going back to her hometown from the Virgin Islands, where she lives nowadays. Her sister has died, and left two kids behind with no one fully capable of taking care of themselves.

I grew to like the writing, even though I was wondering where it would take me. The reader only gets small bits of information at a time and ends up with more and more questions. Once I found a comfortable mindset to read a book written like this, I actually enjoyed it very much.

I found there to be the exactly right amount of people in the book, so that I was fully able to follow the side plots as well. The book has those really quirky characters, the ones who never left their small town. They have their own status in town, and they all have a past. Most of them have shades of darkness in their pasts.

The level of intensity can be felt deep within when you read about the estranged family members, and the sad past they never seemed to get over. Things everyone should have dealt with, but no one did. Time has passed, and the awkwardness is so strong that even the reader can feel it. This means the book is well written, and I think the author has put a lot of thought into the backstories of these characters. The character development is excellent.

Felicity has been away from her home town for a long time, but rushes to return when she gets the sad news that her sister has died and her children have been left in the care of Felicity. She wants to look after the two girls while also investigating her sister's death in the water - because she doesn't believe it was an accident. Could it be related to events that happened in the past? Could old secrets mean that Felicity and her nieces are in danger?

A thrilling story that keeps you guessing until the end. Full of secrets, misunderstandings, suspense and twists, I recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Well written and realistic characters. Story told in alternating timelines and it is done well. First read by this author and enjoyed very much.

Good book, I kind of went back and forth on this book?! I did enjoy reading this book it had suspense, action, drama, intrigue and a clever plot ! There was a little bit of a who done it also! But it wasn't my all time favorite either. Like I said its worth reading, definitely a decent book! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was definitely a roller coaster ride with lots of secrets, lies and bad guys. There were lots of red herrings and lots of things that simply didn’t add up. I definitely needed a program to keep up with the action and the players and what secret or what bad guy was currently in vogue.

I appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Bookouture. This review is entirely my own and was not influenced by anyone else.

The Woman in the Water is an engaging thriller about family secrets, small-town crime, romance, and friendship. When a young woman comes home following the accidental death of her sister due to drowning the past comes crashing back to her. The reason she fled thirteen years prior, the young men in her past, her family secrets, and the life of her sister all intertwine in this thriller mystery. Some secrets are buried in the past, some in lies, others in crime. Which ones are the good guys and which ones are bad? She must find out who is sending her sick messages, toying with her rental car, and tormenting her dreams before harm comes to those she loves. The heroine here will stop at nothing, in the end, to rescue her family and find out if the past is real. For lovers of thrillers and mysteries, this is a good one. Read Kelly Heard's The Woman in the Water to unravel all its secrets. Thanks to #ThewomanintheWater#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"I still can’t bring myself to say those words out loud. Even as I catch my first glimpse of sunlight on the lake, as I approach the small town where we grew up. I promised myself I would never go back there. That it would be safer for us both if I stayed away forever…" - GOOD READS EXCERPT

Thank you NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read and review The Woman in the Water. Kelly Heard has always been an "auto-buy" author for me since reading "Before you Go" and "The Silent Girl" . Reading the Woman in the Water, was truly one of the BEST by Kelly Heard . This is a gripping psychological thriller about family secrets.

Two estranged sisters have never had the chance to reconcile due to tragic events in their past. Filled with secrets, deceit, twists and turns, you will be lead through a maze of tragedy. Now one sister is dead and the other comes back to face her past and support her niece.

You wont want to miss this psychological thriller!

Felicity gets the phone call we all dread and the story takes off from there, it’s such a great read that I found difficult to leave down and couldn’t wait to get back to reading it. There are a few possibilities but once it became clear who was behind all that was happening, it didn’t take away from the story.

So not what I expected. A definite roller coaster of a ride. My first book by this author but not my last.
A twisty, curvy, dark book that will stay with you !

Brilliant!!! I did not expect to get so drawn into this storyline and it was so intense!! Felicity receives news of her older sisters death, assumed to be an accident, but when she goes home to help with her nieces she realizes that things aren’t adding up. She has self-doubt and a painful past but she is tougher than she knows. These characters came to life and this book is hard to put down. Family drama and a suspenseful plot, I loved it!!
#TheWomanintheWater#NetGalley

The Woman in the Water has so many angled and hidden secrets. Readers will need a road map to keep the journey straight. Two estranged sisters never have the chance to reconcile because Of deep seated events that altered their relationship. One sister fled and the other styled, only to meet her death. The focal point is a creepy abandoned fair ground that enveloped by swampy water. I thought I had part of the mystery solved, only to be partly right. One character is to blame for most of the past secrets and I did figure out the culprit. It’s a creepy, curvy, keeps you guessing kind of story. Beware of swampy fairgrounds.

I absolutely love this book. I am immediately identified with the main character. However the story is equally compelling.

I recently read The Silent Girl by Kelly Heard and loved it, so when I saw her newest release I just had to get my hands on it! Clever, twisty, and altogether spine-chilling! This book had intrigue, suspense, drama, and a decent storyline! There were definitely some twists and turns , I definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I received The Woman in the Water as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

When her sister Holly is found dead, Felicity Wheeler returns to her hometown from a self-imposed exile to care for the two nieces who are strangers to her and to investigate the circumstances surrounding the end of her sister's life. It soon becomes clear, however, that someone does not want the truth to be uncovered, and Felicity must delve into the secrets and traumas that drove her away in order to survive.

I had mixed feelings on this one. I always like a story about family secrets coming back to haunt people years later, and appreciated that aspect of the book, but found the ending a bit unsatisfying. The epilogue, especially, had a different ethereal feeling that didn't match the tone of the rest of the book. Additionally, I thought the "dead girls in the lake" thing was't used particularly effectively--it was used just enough to make you , but at the end of the day it didn't amount to much. Personally, I think you either lean into that side of things or don't use it at all (or let it be explained rationally). I think for a realist like me, the dreamy supernatural undertones weren't really my cup of tea.

YES!!!! Thank you NetGalley and of course my favorite publisher Bookouture and Author for this crazy wild ebook!

This additive thriller was outstanding! I seriously could not put my Kindle own! Read in one day!
I read The Silent Girl by Heard and loved it so when I seen her newest book I had to get my paws on it!
A sister is trying to find out what happened to her sister Holly! She believes her accident was done on purpose! And she must find out what happened and who is behind this!
A sisters love. A sister who is determined. A sister who will stop at nothing to find the truth!

This book was crazy. suspenseful, engaging, clever, surprising!
I couldn't get enough of it!
Once again Kelly blew it outta the water with this new thriller!.

#TheWomanInTheWater #NetGalley
A good twisty novel.
Holly is dead.I still can’t bring myself to say those words out loud. Even as I catch my first glimpse of sunlight on the lake, as I approach the small town where we grew up. I promised myself I would never go back there. That it would be safer for us both if I stayed away forever…But Holly’s little girls need me. They have no-one else. And they might be in danger. Because I know Holly’s death wasn’t an accident. She didn’t slip and drown out by the old boardwalk, surrounded by trees and dark water. She would never have gone there, if she had a choice. Someone has done this to keep her silent.
Characters were good. Narration was ok.
I'm doing more promotion on its release date among my fellow Authors Bloggers Friends Family and Followers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy of this book.