Wow! My first ever ARC was Christina McDonald's 'Behind Every Lie' and I've been a fan since; I read every one of her books. This one was a little different with the 'otherworldly' aspect but just as great as all her others. She has such a great style of writing; where others might come off as a little cheesy and wordy, her writing always comes off as natural and has a fantastic flow. Like an absolute magician, she does a really wonderful job of tying all the lines and characters together and even the best reading sleuths won't connect the dots until right before the reveal! I was slightly disappointed with the ending but another really amazing read.

These Still Black Waters by Christina McDonald was a predictable but quick suspense novel. This one had a POV of the killer, but we didn't know who it was. I think that it was good, but forgettable.

I thought this was a pretty good read. It dragged for me until it got to the "supernatural" elements, and then it picked up and redeemed itself from almost being a DNF. I did figure out the murderer pretty early on. I really enjoyed Jess and I'm hoping her new found gift continues in more books. I toggled between the ebook and audiobook, and the audiobook was very good! Loved the narrators for each character!

This book was interesting because it had a lot of different twist in terms. Mother is called m. U. V. E! And goes back to her childhood home. Things go kind of crazy at this point her daughter was trying to fit in. Strange things started to happen. She left her husband And went to this home because of a home invasion in her home. She almost died her daughter witnessed it. So they came back home there was summer place. Thanks georgia unraveled because a woman was found dead in the lake. Things kept popping up from their childhood and was really interesting to see how the plot start to reevolve around this past incident. The detective was also interesting too because she was also part of the story. She had two childhood friends who were still in the town. One of the sisters was hurt in an accident and her baby sister was very angry at this. Links seem to pop-up all the time. You never really can leave your pass behind if you go home to your childhood.
Place Everybody had a story involved in this and it was all related to this woman. When she was a young girl coming there for this summer. Her daughter was very upset because she did not fit in with this town. She wanted to go back to where she was living. She was Wanted to be with their father but things somehow do not go well. It has a great ending and you'll like it

My absolute favorite by this author is The Night Olivia Fell. I have always been a fan of this author!!

These Still Black Waters was hard for me to write a review on because I still keep thinking about her debut novel that I absolutely adored.

Unfortunately, I felt that the plot was nothing special and it reminded me of so many other mystery/thriller books I've read before.

I felt that this book was way too long and there was SO much repetition! My goodness I was rolling my eyes many times over this and began skimming the book.

I also felt the book lacked a compelling spin on that same plot of a killer getting revenge from the past.

I just have taken a break from thrillers due to this unfortunately. There needs to be a new spin and unique take on thrillers with our authors.

Overall, not the best for McDonald.

2.75/5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This a book was not what I expected & not a typical book that I would chose to read. It did hold my attention and kept me guessing as to what was going on.

Christina McDonald is a new-to-me author and I was really intrigued by the blurb of These Still Black Waters.

It turned out not to be what I was expecting....it was better!

It's almost impossible to write a suitable review without spoiling the twists, turns AND a major plot twist that you would never expect at the start.

However, there are enough clues that the reader should identify that all wasn't as it seemed.

I loved that this was my first experience of this author. I'll definitely be back for more from Christina Mc Donald.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. The book was an easy to read slow burn as well it was paranormal. I am not that interested in paranormal but I read it because I like achristina McDonald’s work so I was willing to read it. It was quite good .

This emotionally fueled thriller fell flat for me. The 2 timelines plus the multiple POVs made it hard to keep track of what was really going on. I found myself loosing interest easily, until about the last 20% of the book. In the beginning I wondered who the book was really about, and how this would shape into a series about the detective as there was more focus on Neve and her daughter. The writing style did not hold my attention and left a lot to be desired. I am not sure if I will return to this series or not.

I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book.

This book is one 𝐀𝐇-𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆 read! There are so many jaw dropping twists that you just don’t see coming plus the ending will leave you absolutely 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐊! 🫨
The many POV’s give us a very interesting perspective since the third perspective is that of the killer 😱 I thought that was a great addition in the story/plot
I’m very interested to see what adventures we’ll go on in book 2 of this thrilling series!

Haunting, in the best way.
This book was absolutely amazing! Paranormal, a home invasion, dark secrets, and a dead body— this has everything to keep you hooked from the very beginning! It was so well written and perfectly paced in my opinion. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away any secrets— it’s packed full! But I loved detective Jess Lambert and I can’t wait to see more of her!

This was a fun slow burn! I enjoyed the characters and getting multiple POV's. Though, paranormal thrillers aren't my normal this one wasn't overdone and I enjoyed the plot.

What a fun book by an author with my same name. The atmosphere is so good it’s so compulsive and I enjoyed it so much. The setting was spot on.

Reading Between the Wines book review #131/115(met goal in Sept!) for 2023:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Still Black Waters
Author: Christina McDonald
Available Now!!

Sipping thoughts: I have not read a Christina McDonald book since 2021 and I was excited to see this release. I was SO surprised when reading this book with what was actually happening. I really hope no one ruins this book for anyone considering reading it because one or two words in a review will clue people into the real storyline. I still really love The Night Olivia Fell but this one is close due to the surprising reveal and storyline. I cannot believe I didn’t catch the clues and the relation to a movie where this exact storyline played out. I was super-duper excited to see that this is going to be a series and I cannot wait to see what more Jess Lambert has in store for her life.

Cheers and thank you to @ThomasAndMercer and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheseStillBlackWaters.

#TheseStillBlackWaters #ChristinaMcDonald #ThomasAndMercer #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

These Still Black Waters is the first book in Christina McDonald's new Jess Lambert series. I've enjoyed all of McDonald's previous books and These Still Black Waters delivers exactly what I've come to expect when I pick up one of her books, a riveting read filled with twists and turns but that also packs an emotional punch.

I don't want to give anything away since this is a thriller but I really enjoyed so many elements of this story. McDonald's writing is atmospheric, the storyline is dark, unique and haunting, and her characters are complex and compelling, particularly Detective Jess Lambert who has both emotional and physical scars that she is dealing with.

If you're looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing and that will have you turning pages way past your bedtime because you just have to know how everything plays out, this is the book for you.

This was really unique; I didn’t love all the animal euthanasia, but understand the one woman was a vet and it came with her job. ⁣
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This was a psychological revenge mystery meets paranormal thriller? Would be the best way I’d describe it.⁣
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Jess is a detective; who previously was in a car accident, her daughters passed away, and she has a bit of a drinking problem, a self destructive past that haunts her. ⁣
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Neve is being interrogated and has plenty of secrets herself. There is concern that Neve is connected the murder of a woman found, but then another woman is found dead in another area.⁣
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I found it to be a bit long but really liked the paranormal aspect of this and ultimately how the story wrapped up. ⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

4.5 stars rounded up!

Christina McDonald has a special talent of writing suspenseful, thrillers / mysteries, but with beautiful touches of mother/daughter relationships. I fell in love with her first book The Night Olivia Fell, the first “thriller” that made me cry. And then her following books Behind Every Lie, and Do No Harm, followed suit to her first. I always look forward to her latest novel, and after a 2 year hiatus, I couldn’t wait to read this one!

I really enjoyed the alternating POV between Jess & Neve. There is also another element the author brings to this book that the reader doesn’t see until about 75% in (no spoilers), but I thought it was creative and twisty!

Highly recommend for a perfect mix of suspenseful, spooky, and emotional!

Thank you @netgalley & publisher for my e-arc – out now!

This author hit it out of the park with THESE STILL BLACK WATERS. I am mad I took so long to read it!

This is my third book by this author and my absolute favorite. I didn't think she could top THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL, but boy did she with These Still Black Waters. I loved everything about this book, and I mean everything! The twist came out of nowhere and I thought it was absolute perfection!

I felt so many different emotions while reading this book. It was heartbreaking, haunting and poignant. I actually found myself in tears a few times.

THESE STILL BLACK WATERS made my top ten list of my favorite reads in 2023 and I will be recommending this book for a very long time.

I am also so excited to hear there will be more books featuring detective Jess Lambert!

I cannot thank Thriller Book Lover Promotions enough for bringing this amazing book to my attention.

This story was haunting, raw and very compelling. I started to guess the twist by the midpoint, but it didn't make the twist -- or the story -- any less compelling. I definitely recommend this!

I received a digital ARC from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel did hold my interest. I connected with each character. However, I wish the big twist came sooner. The story became too drawn out before that, and then everything seemed rushed. There is a second book coming according to NetGalley, so hopefully it will continue where These Still Black Waters left off.