This is my first Bassoff book and after reading this I am scrambling to grab everything else he has ever written. His prose reminds me of all of the great Black Lizard authors (Thompson, Goodis, Williford).

There are no ghosts in this story, but the characters in BENEATH CRUEL WATERS are haunted. By the past. By their family. By a life lived unfulfilled. Throughout the novel you are shown how much the past can weigh on a soul and just how much a person can take before they crumble beneath it.

A GUN, A LETTER and a PHOTOGRAPH of a man lying in his own blood.

That’s what Holt Davidson discovers, when he returns to his hometown following his mother’s suicide, after nearly two decades away.

Did his mother kill this man? If so, why? And, who wrote the love letter?!

His sister Ophelia, like Hamlet’s Ophelia, has been diagnosed as mentally ill, and she has been institutionalized since she was a teenager. Could her breakdown be related to the items he discovered?

Holt is determined to find out…

SECRETS and SINS

GUILT and REMORSE

His mother tried her best to be devout…to believe…but sometimes baptism isn’t enough to save you….

I’ll admit-when I first began the book, I was afraid it was going to focus too much on Religion, for my personal taste.

The story is EVOCATIVE but despite some elements of suspense it isn’t a thriller -it is more character driven as in literary fiction, and it quickly drew me in. Before I knew it, I had reached the conclusion of this MELANCHOLY story.

Although I had a good sense of where this story was headed, I didn’t get everything right.

If you are looking for something different-and don’t mind a steady reveal, as opposed to shocking twists, I recommend picking this one up on May 10, 2022!

I am glad that I did!

Thank You to Blackstone for the gifted ARC. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Holt is from Thompsonville, Colorado but hasn’t been back to visit for more than 20 years. When he receives news about his mother’s suicide he returns to his hometown. He spends the night at his mother’s home where he grew up and finds a number of disturbing items including a gun, a love letter, and a photograph of a man lying in this own blood. So many questions are raised by these items. With his mother gone, will Holt ever be able to get some answers?

I love psychological thrillers, it is my favorite genre by a large margin. BENEATH CRUEL WATERS is a spectacular example of a great psychological thriller. The amount of creativity and imagination that the author needed to create this story is amazing. I have not read many books with such a wild storyline and I simply could not put the book down. The twists left my head spinning in the best way!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

This is the first book I read by Jon Bassoff, and I can tell you with certainty that it will not be my last.

I was completely blown away with Beneath Cruel Waters. The writing style was flawless and completely consumed me as a reader. It was if everything was going on right before my eyes. The details were executed with precision.

I have been on a 5 star streak lately and I promise I am not being generous. I typically can be considered judgmental at times especially with the amount of books I have read. Beneath Cruel Waters, is a book you can easily finish in one sitting. If it were not for my starving husband, I would not have even stopped to cook dinner. Although, I will tell you, the entire time I was cooking I could not stop thinking about this book and I was eager to get back to it!

The character development in this book is top notch. Never had I read anything in my life that webbed these characters together the was Bassoff, was able to do. The amount of emotions I felt while reading was uncanny. Bassoff is an author that needs to be on everyone's radar. He is a true mastermind and I can not wait to see what he comes out with next.

Due out May 10th, you do not want to miss this one!

A tragically dark and unputdownable novel.

In 1984, single mother Vivian Davidson walked into the home of a man, shot him dead, and took a polaroid picture of his dead body. In 2018, she returned to the same location and killed herself.

Holt Davidson has just received word of his mother’s death. A firefighter who has never settled down, he returns to his hometown in Colorado for the first time in years. Searching through his mother’s belongings results in more questions…instead of answers. Why would she have a polaroid of a dead man? Why is there a love letter included with that?

The past is never buried.

WOW! Thanks to my GR friend, NZLisa, for putting this on my radar. It was even better than I anticipated.

Beneath Cruel Waters is a dark, disturbing mystery and domestic drama. I wouldn’t call it a slow burn, but everything about it plays out quietly…and yet I was enthralled! I couldn’t put it down, and I have author Jon Bassoff to thank for that.

Bassoff writes beautifully and knows just the right way to hook readers. The main twists aren’t shocking per se, but are still handled expertly. There are some surprises in store when heading towards the denouement, and I fully appreciated that it took some turns I never expected.

This book is heavy. There is no joy to be found in the story itself, but it’s so damn satisfying. There are also plenty of TW’s which I won’t discuss. Luckily, animal harm isn’t one of them. Everything will be revealed by the end, but don’t look for a happy and corny epilogue. You won’t find it here.

This is a 2022 standout, and I highly recommend it. It’s disturbing and atmospheric, and Bassoff writes with aplomb.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 5/10/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Holt comes back to town for his mother's funeral after she takes her own life. He goes through her things trying to make sense of her suicide and finds a gun, a love letter, and a picture of a dead man. The story follows different timelines as Holt tries to figure out what these items mean.

This book was SO good. This writing is superb and the plot was phenomenal. The story is so tragic and it brought me to tears in some places and made me want to scream "Why are you doing this!?" in others. I thought I had one element figured out in the end but was shocked when I finally found out the truth. You absolutely need to add this book to your list!

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Death, betrayal, madness, heartache, and as the title states – cruelty – was an apt description of Beneath Cruel Waters. Within these pages were some very dark, very bleak, long-held family secrets.

12th November, 1984 – A woman breaks into a dilapidated farmhouse on the outskirts of Thompsonville, Colorado, and shoots the sole tenant three times in the chest. Then once he’s dead she takes a Polaroid photo of him.

Fall, 2018 – The same woman returns to the farmhouse thirty-four-years later, and commits suicide by hanging herself from a cottonwood tree.

Now that I think about it, I’ve probably mislead you in my synopsis, so I’ll just get this out of the way and state that this book was not a thriller. There was mystery, and suspense, but it was more of a tragic family drama involving suppressed traumatic memories, and the destructive nature and crippling effects of guilt and shame.

The writing, characters, and dialogue were all excellent – descriptive, real, and evocative, and I particularly enjoyed the prologue that followed a certain ‘house’ in the intervening years between timelines one and two (1984-2018). So clever and unique, it succeeded in sucking me into the story. There were few character’s to keep track of, just three main ones from the Davidson family – Holt in the present, and his mother Vivian, and older sister, Ophelia in the past. Aside from that there were only a handful of other people in the entire book.

Content warnings for topics you’d typically find in a V.C. Andrews novel (think sin). Just to be clear, it was never crude (well okay some of the dialogue was) or gratuitous but definitely distressing and emotional draining. This novel also reminded me a little of Alfred Hitchcock’s, Shadow of a Doubt (1943), a movie that I love.

And nostalgia alert, the author completely captured the vibe of the mid-80’s with pop culture, and music references.

Savvy readers will have a pretty clear idea where this is going fairly early on, but there were still some shocks and clues I was confused over, and I liked how it all came together in a tumultuous conclusion. Jon Bassoff is an author I’d definitely read again.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Jon Bassoff for the e-ARC.

Look out for this title on the 10th May, 2022.

Whew. Extremely well-written, but dreary and disturbing. A man learns his mother has committed suicide and returns home after an extended absence. He finds a gun, love letter and photo of a murdered man in his mom's house. As he tries to figure out the meaning of his discovery, he confronts memories from his troubled past. The story alternates between the POV of the man, the mom, and his institutionalized sister. All characters are fleshed out and have their own voices. Glad I read it, but don't know if I would say I "enjoyed" it.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review**

This was a dark, & eerie phenomenal read! The story starts off very suspenseful when a woman enters a creepy house to murder a man. After she kills the man the house remains empty and abandoned for many years. I have a fascination for abandoned buildings so I loved the detailed descriptions on how the house remained during the different seasons. I was instantly hooked and immersed in the story.

The story kept up with this eerie feel throughout the remainder of the book. There was so much mystery surrounding the life of Vivian the mom, Holt her son who returns to his hometown after many years to attend his mothers funeral & Ophelia the sister who gets sent to a psychiatric hospital. So many secrets come to light that left me shocked. I found myself locked and in tune with the family dynamic of this very twisted family. I had so many emotions while reading this story! One word to sum it all up is that this story is just simply very Dark!

For fans of thrillers, horror & suspense, this is a must read trust me!

💀💀💀💀💀 out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.
This gut punch of a story is deserving of any and all praise it receives. The tale is expertly crafted with each narrator having their own unique voice. The highest praise I can give Mr Bassoff is that I’ve already purchased a couple of his previous works and will add his next novel to my must-read list as soon as it’s announced.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication.

TRIGGER WARNING: All of them except animal cruelty

My first 5 star review of 2022!!!!!

THE PLOT

Holt Davidson returns to his childhood town after his mother dies by suicide. As Holt tries to figure out what led to his mother's death, he inadvertently finds the answers to the "troubles" that haunted his older sister, Ophelia.

MY OPINION

Inhale. Exhale. Just... WOW. I honestly requested this book because a majority of the reviews mentioned how well-written it is. The synopsis didn't really speak to me, but since writing quality is VERY important to me and I've endured so many duds lately, I thought why tf not?? And I'm glad I took a chance.

I literally read this book in one sitting. It's hard to describe Bassoff's writing style; it's not flowery, but yet he skillfully creates an atmosphere of dread, struggle, and spookiness. I love his sentence structure; the rules of 3 babyyyyy. It's straightforward, but rhythmic. I can't explain it. But I love it.

This is not your mainstream thriller. This is a character study. You spend a lot of time in each character's inner thoughts. I enjoyed all three POVs. Bassoff did a wonderful job carving out a particular tone for Vivian (the mom), Ophelia (the sister), and Holt. It was pretty obvious how everything was going to unfold, but you know from the writing it's not going for shock value. This is an everyday tragedy in a small town ruled by religion. You feel allll the emotions. You contemplate alllll the decisions.

This novel tackles very sensitive and disturbing topics. This is why writing quality is important; a less talented author would cheapen these traumatic experiences. I do not recommend this book to anyone just looking for a wild ride of the "Stay Awake" variety. This book will weigh heavy on your heart. It's disturbing. It doesn't do religion any favours. Everything is depressing. But since I'm a sicko who likes to wade in the deep end of emotional disturbance, I loved it.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: Beautiful and astute writing
Cons: None for me, but just another warning: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. Yes, this is fiction, but the storylines are extremely REAL. You will feel disturbed.

Dark thriller full of family drama. The Davidson family has a been dealt a bad hand in this game of life. This book will keep you guessing until the end. Very well written, but don’t expect to feel good, it’s sad and depressing.

This is not a lighthearted read and has some triggers but if you're not of the faint of heart, this will become you're first 5 star read of 2022!

In Beneath Cruel Waters, a troubled Holt Davidson is forced to return to his Thompsonville, Colorado hometown for the funeral of his even more troubled mother. A long-time neighbor and friend of Holt’s mother has called Holt to tell him his mother’s body had been found hanging from a tree by suicide, causing Holt to return to a place he left many years ago after hoping never to return.

Holt grew up in a difficult home. His father abandoned his family, his sister Olphelia was removed from the home and institutionalized for mental illness when Holt was just five and his mother became obsessively fixated on religion and a search for redemption.

On his return home and when in his mother’s bedroom, Holt discovers a hidey-hole in the floorboards, and inside is a revolver, a Polaroid photograph of a gunshot murdered man, and an unsigned love letter Holt believes was intended for his mother.

Holt then attempts to unravel the meaning of the discoveries and finds along the way each discovery will return him to a past no one really will benefit from if fully revealed, including those suppressed memories within his own subconscious.

With so many secrets in existence, many of them subconsciously with just enough of a presence to tease snippets of long-forgotten memories to the surface, Holt is forced to look backward to a life he fled, ending with what he knows will be drastic repercussions on his future life.

Beneath Cruel Waters is a well-written, darkly themed novel with an interesting plot and comes with an atmosphere of rural or country noir in a setting where many things are not always what they seem to be. Some readers have expressed the novel is bleak and harsh, but readers familiar with Bassoff’s writing will not be surprised or disappointed.

Bassoff’s writing is lyrically crafted and in a manner not to be overly descriptive with wasted and unnecessary verbiage, with him creating a dark and ominous novel with well-developed characters.

Beneath Cruel Waters is with violent depictions, however, they are necessary for the telling of the story and not done in a gratuitous manner.

While I would have preferred a stronger ending, Beneath Cruel Waters is highly recommended to readers that enjoy darker fiction.

Netgalley provided an ARC of Beneath Cruel Waters for the promise of a fair review and is set to be published in May of 2022.

Beneath Cruel Waters is a psychological thriller that deals with some extremely heavy subjects. Although the premise of the story is interesting it was emotional to read.
This covers a family over decades and the events that surround them from, murder, suicide, rape and more.
As a grown up Holt tries to understand what happened to his family he'll soon realize that is was just a guilty as everyone else.
This book may not be for everyone with these subjects.
If you do read it you'll certainly feel all the feels it has to give.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Blackstone Publishing for this advanced copy.

Jon Bassoff is one of the best and most prolific writers working today. This book is full of drama, family secrets, deception, lies, and human frailty. This book is phenomenal in every way. So different from his other works I've read, but just as powerful and captivating. This is a book not to be skipped.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Blackstone Publishing and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

TW mental health issues, suicide

This one is not for the lighthearted.

It’s quite heavy, dark but a multilayered, suspenseful mystery worth the read.

When I finished this book, I just put it down and sighed. I haven't read a book in a long time that was this emotionally draining. Dark, depressing, just plain sad.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I can't say that I loved it, because I didn't. I figured most of it out by the middle. For me, it just shows the true hypocrisy of religion. I can't say more without spoilers but if the reader truly doesn't see that, then I'm not quite sure what else they were supposed to get from this story.

Would I recommend it? Yes, with the caveat of knowing that it will leave you feeling unsettled.
3.5/5

Thank you #netgalley and #blackstonepublishing for the eARC.

Blackstone Publishing,
Thank You for this eARC!

Beneath Cruel Waters
By Jon Bassoff

Here we have Holt, A firefighter living in Kansas.
He hasn't been back to his small hometown of Thompsonville, Colorado, for almost twenty years. But after learning that his estranged mother has sadly taken her own life, he goes back for the funeral, hoping to make truce with her memory.
Staying in his childhood home and going through each room taking a trio down memory lane.
I stayed of emotional souvenirs, he finds a love letter, a gun and a photograph of A strange man lying in his very own blood!

Did his mother kill this man? And who is he? And who could have possibly sent this letter? Could his unstable sister have played a role in any of this?
He soon starts feeling the past catch up to him and memories begin to come to light.
Holt starts his own investigation into his mother’s and sister’s pasts as well as his own.

This is my first book written by Jon. And it was honestly better than I expected!
A creative and fascinating novel. That had me reading until early morning hours.
It captivated me with it’s puzzling mystery and beautifully written story.
Our characters I couldn't have been any more intrigued than I already was.
The moments spent with these characters were exciting and suspenseful.
This intricate plot takes you on a full investigation from beginning to climactic end. There are many twists and surprises which keep ramping up the stakes and tension throughout the story. 
I thought the mystery itself was interesting, it had several layers to it and kept you engaged as the facts began to reveal themselves.

It’s been twenty years since Holt Davidson has been back to the Colorado town he called home. Eager to escape his controlling mother and his sister, locked away in a mental institution since her teenage years, Holt started a new life in Kansas. Now, after the suicide of his mother, Holt returns home, hoping to lay the past to rest. What he uncovers is a bizarre and shocking mystery – a gun and a photograph of a man lying in a pool of blood. Was his mother the shooter? Or did his emotionally unstable sister have something to do with it. Bassoff is an author to watch, this story is a complex, multilayered mystery that put me in mind of Jane Harper