This was the first book I have read by G R Halliday and I really loved it. It was very dark and pulled me in from the beginning. The setting of the Scottish Highlands was beautiful and very apt for the story - it gripped me and I loved the plot, so thrilling, but gruesome too. A must read - I would definitely recommend. I will be looking out for more!

Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for my review.

This is the second book in the Monica Kennedy series and there were lots of references to the first book. Enough to make me intrigued enough to want to read the first, but also, too many that made me feel out of the loop and slightly feel that I was missing out by not reading in order.

Slow-paced to start with and I found my attention flagging a bit at the first few chapters. But luckily, a third way into the book and the pace stepped up rapidly.
There’s some great grisly and gruesome touches which reminded me of classic horror like ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.

I absolutely loved the setting and sense of place - especially as I have stayed in this area of the Highlands some years back.
The book made the area seem quite eerie and dark, but I remember it as a very magical place. But in saying that, there was definitely an element of a mysterious undercurrent and the book reflected that really well also. I enjoyed the supernatural aspect of the book.

For me, the book took it’s time to get going, but once it did I couldn’t stop reading. This is not your run-of-the-mill crime fiction. It’s altogether a more chilling, eerie and horror-laden story which will stay with you for a long time.

Thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and Netgalley for the ARC.

A very very strange story set in what appears to have been the Scottish wilderness amongst various dams and with caverns and tunnels built under neath. A young girl who decides to celebrate the gift of a new car with a road trip to Scotland ends up being captured by and obviously inbred family whose patriarch has a strange liking for the taste of human flesh, leading to some very gruesome murders.

A great story and I love the character of Monica, but this is gruesome and not for the faint hearted. You won’t be able to stop reading though, the plot pulls you in tighter and tighter. I’m already looking forward to the next book

Another good book about Monica Kennedy set in the Scottish Highlands. She is a detective and totally motivated to get “her man” to the detriment sometimes of her daughter. She was a detective in the Met but moved back home so that her mother could help with childcare and it seems to be working relatively well although Lucy, her daughter, is often taking second place to the case. This story is about the finding of dismembered bodies which the Police find very difficult to deal with and work out the reasons behind this. Annabelle, a girl from London decides to drive north almost on a whim as she was heard of a road in the Highlands where you can speed along in her new BMW. She is speeding when suddenly a child appears out of nowhere causing her to skid and this causes her some terrible problems, one of which is capture by a strange man who turns out to be a psychopath and is introduced to her as The Doctor. The police find it difficult to tie the cases together but a text to DC Fisher of Monica’a squad opens up a can of worms which eventually close the links to the missing together. They eventually travel to the place where Annabelle crashed her car and is helped in some way by the little girl who Annabelle saw and then the past and present come together. As she is looking into the case things come out which makes her challenge her past especially as far as her father is concerned which clouds her thinking. Another good story which I thoroughly enjoyed

The first sentence really drew me into this book, but at times I regretted it as it was very visceral and graphic in parts.
I hadn't read the first book but I would recommend other readers do so as I think it will make parts of this one easier to follow. I found Monica and Annabelle 's inner dialogues irritating at times, but overall it was a well told dark and haunting tale
Thank you to netgalley and random house for an advance copy of this book

A wonderful mix of crime and wild Scotland with a dash of horror. Having read both books about Monica Kennedy and her detectives life I am hooked. The books give a good balance between her private life and the crime scene, setting a believable list of characters and locations. The twists and turns are unseen, the writing flows and some characters induce horror of the gruesome crimes they commit. But although there is a dash of horror, the novels are firmly crime based. Looking forward to reading book 3.

A detective with a past. A car crash gone wrong, reminiscent of Misery, this story is dense and gripping. A two-hander, the story moves between the two protagonists and their difficulties. TW……. There are dark and gruesome murders in this book, and detailed descriptions of corpses and the autopsies.

The opening sentence to this book sells it perfectly! Intriguing and horrific at the same time, it holds the readers attention from the first, and it is a really rough and rocky ride!
Annabelle is driving down a private road in the Scottish highlands when a young girl is in front of her in the middle of the road. She swerved to avoid her and wakes up in pain and at the mercy of a deranged person, known as the Doc. If she doesn’t behave, he will make her wear a mask. She may also lose a few limbs…
DI Monica Kennedy is investigating a case of a body found near Beauly hydroelectric dam, with severe injuries, both arms are missing and legs have been chewed by a saw. Worryingly, these injuries seem to have been inflicted whilst the person was alive.
Then, the story becomes quite nauseating and creepy. Further bodies are found, there are hints of cannibalism, explosions underground, and Lucy, Monica’s daughter, starts having nightmares about the various people and events that her mother is investigating!!
I love the Scottish highlands, but some areas are wild in both manners and scenery, and you could almost believe this scenario! There weren’t many really likeable characters, I admired Annabelle for her courage in coping with her situation, whilst being mindful of the fact she caused the unfolding events. Monica Kennedy is determined to solve the murders and Annabelle’s kidnapping/ disappearance, but like most police in novels, has a damaged past, that is covered in the first book, which I haven’t read yet!!
To conclude, this story is seriously creepy, evil and nauseating, a real page turner, that can also turn the stomach, depending upon your disposition. I would advise reading it with the lights on. I really liked this and hope for more Scottish noir of the same quality. I have rated this as a five star read, and will post reviews later this week.

Absolutely loved how dark this book was. There was lots to keep you fully engaged through the book. Really was hard to put down trying to find Annabelle's fate.

DI Monica Kennedy has been called to her first Serious Crimes case in six months – a dismembered body has been discovered, abandoned in a dam. Days later, when another victim surfaces, Monica knows she is on the hunt for a ruthless killer.
Dark Waters is a dark and disturbing book, G. R. Holiday sets the atmosphere perfectly so you are drawn in.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Compelling reading a very gruesome but well written book. I felt that there needed to be more information from the 1st book which unfortunately I hadn’t read. I would recommend this book provided book 1 is read 1st

Loved the setting in Scotland, as it gave the whole book an eerie feeling. Overall a good crime thriller book that i would recommend

This book certainly fast paced and engaging. The short chapters made it, in some ways, an easy read. I liked the premise and the setting. I am a sucker for crime set in Scotland. The characters were engaging and fleshed out. I enjoyed the setup of the story; a couple of mutilated bodies, the police not realising others were missing and the young girl who kept appearing. As I read on, however, I found the turns the story took were just too dark for my personal taste.

This is the second books in the series of D.I. Kennedy and is again set in amazing Scotland.

This book is again quite a dark read that will keep you holding your breathe.

It didn’t feel fast paced to me but it did have a lot of action and a lot of tension.

It was also great to learn a bit more about DI Kennedy and her past. Although I have to say I don’t always love her, her personality is so well written and she is so determined that it does make me want to keep reading. I’m very excited to see how she continues to develop in the future books.

I would love to learn more about the other characters in the team too. In this book there is a bit more information on them so I hope that will continue to be explored in future books.

The part of the story I’ve enjoyed the most were the points of view from Annabelle, despite sometimes being proper scared of what was going to happen. Again, I don’t think she was very likeable at the beginning but her personality started growing on me and her determination was really incredible.

The scenario is also so atmospheric and so brilliant! I simply love the descriptions. It really feels like I’m there too.

Similar to the first book in these series I did find the book quite dark and maybe some lighter scenes would compliment the read and make it even more enjoyable.

Overall I did like this book and will definitely want to read more about DI Kennedy’s investigations!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for an advanced copy of this great novel in exchange for an honest review

Well this book put you off visiting the remote Scottish highlands!! OK it's fiction, but this grim story of murder and cannibalism really pushes at the limits of credibility. DI Monica Kennedy and her fellow officers find themselves drawn into a macabre murder investigation when bodies, minus the odd limb or two, are discovered on the banks of the a river near Beauly. We are drawn into all sorts of villainy and seemingly it can all be traced to the Slate family who live in a remote and wild glen. If you like gore, lots of action and a high body count then this is a book for you. For this reviewer, however, it misses the mark.

A brilliant read. I went into this without having read the first DI Monica Kennedy book, but I was still able to fall into the story and the characters. The synopsis/blurb was fantastic and I was immediately captivated by the story. G. R. Halliday really knows how to set the scene; I was intrigued from start to finish, and Halliday’s use of the Highlands setting almost became a character itself, and it was masterfully done. I had to keep all the lights on in my house while reading this one!

I never repeat the blurb. I just couldn't get on with this... maybe as I hadn't read the first book so I was a little late to the party. Confusing storyline and disjointed style didn't work for me. Sorry.

well written and full of tension but I am afraid too dark and gory for my taste. Just my personal point of view.

I wanted to like this series I really did. I was forgiving of the first book for a lot of things - mostly padding, waffle, and the inordinate number of mentions of the MC's appearance and childcare issues. I was hoping that these things would calm down in this, the second in series, but I am sad to say they didn't and this really did mar my enjoyment of the book as a whole. There's a balance to be struck in a series book between progression of storyline and development/backstory of characters, and in this case it isn't struck. This meant that the plot, the crime actually being investigated, was overshadowed by all the rest that was going on... Which is actually a shame cos it was interesting and intriguing and it did make me want to read on, struggle through, and finish the book. Which I did and it was worth finishing but the journey to get there meandered so much for me that I was more relieved than satisfied when I got there.
Sorry if this is a bit scathing but it's the truth as I see it and I have to be honest and say it as I found it. It probably means that my time with this series is done as it's more their writing style that I have a personal problem with. And I fully accept that it is a personal thing with me as, judging by other reviews, there are many others who have enjoyed it. I didn't, sorry.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book