Wow, what a read! Annabelle is looking for an escape, she is heading beyond the wall until she crashes; her next conscious moment is pain and a voice telling her the doctor will be here soon. Meanwhile DI Monica Grady and her team are still trying to find their feet following the last case. They are confronted by two naked heavily mutilated bodies abandoned in the loch. No connections and no leads they are running out of time to rescue Annabelle. With thanks to #Random House UK, #Vintage Publishing and #Harvill Secker

A delicious slice of tartan noir. With a likeable and realistic central character. And Inverness is an interesting and atmospheric location. A dark and mysterious plot great stuff.

After reading G.R. Halliday's first book 'From the Shadows', I was pleased to receive a copy of the second in the series 'Dark Waters'.
The debut novel ended traumatically, so D.I. Monica Kennedy and team are still dealing with the emotional aftermath. As before, we have the glorious, although dark and bleak setting of the Scottish Highlands.
This case centres on the discovery of a dismembered body, and the team are in back in a full on investigation.
The story involves layers, and links with a trapped woman; it's dark, traumatic and intense.
Full of secrets and dysfunction. Recommended for crime thriller fans.

Oh wow, what an opening sentence.
'When she still had all of her arms and legs'
I just wanted to delve right into this book and find out what had happened to her arms and legs, and boy was this a fast page turning read that kept your mind racing throughout. There's quite a bit of gory details, so if you're squeamish then I wouldn't recommend. However if, like me, you don't mind some gruesome, spine chilling settings then I'd put Dark Waters high on your 'To Buy' list.


We are introduced to DI Monica Kennedy and DC Connor Crawford who are investigating a dead body found in the River Beauly, and this is where the story gets even more interesting. Obviously I don't want to give too much away, but the twists and turns are brilliantly plotted.
I found the characters were strong and believable. I could easily see myself having a cuppa and a chat with Monica, a drink in the pub with Fisher or road trip with Annabelle.

All in all, this is one of the best murder mysteries I've read in quite a while.

Thankyou to Random house UK, Vintage Publishing and Netgalley for my proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

After the terrors of her last case, GR Halliday's 44 year old DI Monica Kennedy returns for this spine-chilling sequel that has more in common with the horror genre, where the location of the Scottish Highlands is depicted as sinister, dark and bleak, where unimaginable monstrous horrors lurk for the unwary. Kennedy has been taking a break from MIT, when she gets a call from a rattled Detective Superintendent Fred Hately, a dismembered body has turned up. Kennedy brings together her old team, harbouring the mistaken belief that DC Conor Crawford and geeky DC Ben Fisher were largely unaffected by the trauma of the last case, this is not true, particularly to her surprise, for Fisher. DC Maria Khan is a welcome addition to the team, a media specialist that is going to be sorely needed in a case that is going to attract huge media interest and lurid headlines.

As Monica tries to work out the identity of the murder victim, the team narrow it down to two men reported missing, 53 year old Sebastian Sinclair of Sinclair Enterprises, and Theo Gall, a career petty criminal, when another body with the same macabre stomach-churning MO turns up. Annabel is driving her BMW fast in the Highlands when the appearance of a girl on road causes her to swerve and crash, waking up to find herself in a terrifying nightmare, being 'treated' by the doctor from hell. Canadian Scott is camping when he hears sounds outside his tent in the middle of the night, he spots a little girl, and is to disappear for good. In a narrative relayed from Annabelle and Kennedy's perspective, this is a creep fest of a case that goes back in time to other missing persons, a dam incident that results in many trapped in tunnels, where a number of leads point to Glen Turrit and the menacing village of Arklow.

Kennedy is a single mother, with a mother, Angie, a little too interested in crime and her cases, on whom she relies on to help look after her precious daughter, Lucy. Halliday develops her character further by filling in her haunted personal history in relation to her prison officer father, with themes that resonated with elements of her investigation, with the issues underlined with a Lucy sleepwalking and dreaming of her grandfather. This is a great sequel to what is a terrific series, one which steps firmly into the darkest of territories, and I do not mind admitting had me afraid, tense and fearful, desperately hoping Annabel will survive an ordeal that will surely mark her for life. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

This is a very dark, atmospheric read, set in the Highlands, where the woods add to the claustrophobic feeling, the small town folk, don’t take kindly to strangers in there area, there’s no internet, very little mobile phone signal, no social media. If you want to live off the grid this is the perfect place to go.

Annabelle is driving her car far too fast along a road between Inverness and the West Coast, when a child appears from nowhere, forcing Annabelle to swerve to miss the child, she hits a tree. When she wakes up she has no idea where she is, she can’t move, she is terrified and believes she is underground. But where?

In the same area a dismembered body is found, could the two things be linked in some way? After the effects of a dreadful case a year earlier DI Monica Kennedy has taken a step back from MIT, but she is asked to investigate this death with D.C. Conor Crawford, and D.C. Ben Fisher.

The story is told mainly through the perspectives of Annabelle and Monica, but also includes some flashbacks to years prior to this case. There is nothing happy or joyful about this story, no light moments, just darkness, kidnapping and murder. If you love a creepy tale this will suit you, but if you are looking for a light read this is not the book to choose.

Annabelles character was interesting, she is determined to survive and escape, and I found myself rooting for her to do this, it made for gripping reading. I’m still on the fence regarding DI Kennedy, I’m not sure if I like her or not, she is determined and wants to get to the truth, and the love for her daughter is strong and admirable. Her character is still developing as we see some of her back story, including her relationship with her parents, he father mostly. So maybe over time she will grow on me.

I think this series will get better as it goes along, as we learn more about Kennedy and would be nice to get to know a little bit more about the rest of the team. But overall this is a gripping read, dark and sinister.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #HarvillSacker for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

I thought this book was very good. A little grisly in parts and not for the faint hearted. Lonely Scottish location added an extra touch of mystery.
Some rather interesting characters which must mean the author has great imagination. Just thinking about some of them makes the hairs on the back of your neck rise up.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was well written.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had overtones of a horror book, and I would say it may not be for everyone, certainly not for the feint hearted .I thought however it was very believable and the characters were well written, and interesting.To be honest I couldn't read it fast enough, I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next.Certainly gruesome in places but also very exciting I loved it. and would definitely read more books by this talented writer.

Interesting, if slightly bizarre, concept for this thriller. I loved the setting in the far Highlands if Scotland and Inverness. I enjoyed the police team characters and how they interacted and worked together.

I’ve never read something quite like it and would suggest that anyone who loves something new gives this a try

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s the second in a series. It can be read on it’s own, although I will now read the first book to catch up. I really enjoyed this book, and liked the main character and her team as they investigate two murders. There are quite a few twists in the story, it was very descriptive and I could picture the area, scenery in my mind. I thought this was a very well written and researched book which, for me, made it a compelling read. Quite dark in parts and had some not very nice characters who I instantly took a dislike to. Would recommend this book if you like crime, murder, police procedurals that are just a little bit different. 4 stars

This is the second book I've read by G. R. Halliday and it's managed to leave me even more unnerved and creeped out than the last. This book is brutal. I was hooked from about 30 pages in and struggled to put it down again until I'd come to the gritty conclusion. G. R. Halliday books certainly have an element of horror to them and this leaves me feeling unnerved long after I've finished reading. I wouldn't say this was for the faint of heart. My only criticism is that the pace slightly slowed towards the end and this made it feel like it dragged on slightly and was longer than necessary, however it was still enjoyable and quick to finish since it was only the last 20 pages or so. Overall a great second installment and I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for further books from this author.

‘Dark Waters’ opens up with Annabelle - a young, naive, rather typical young woman in her early twenties. However, our opening line sets the scene rather drastically, and had me hooked immediately. “When she still had all of her arms and legs, Annabelle liked to drive.” I don’t think I’ve ever opened a book up to such a strong and scene setting sentence. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into with this novel, but I was sure as hell finding out as soon as possible.

The novel itself is a part of G. R. Halliday’s ‘DI Monica Kennedy’ series, number two to be precise. Despite this being my first introduction to the series, it definitely didn’t set me behind anyone else. DI Monica Kennedy had some references to the previous ‘From the Shadows’, which rather than being off putting or confusing, they actually made me want to visit the first novel more so. I didn’t feel that I needed the previous knowledge to make sense of this story, this tale was setting its own precedent.

I found DI Monica Kennedy to be a brilliant, strong and self-assured character. Despite harbouring her own troubles and hardships, she always strove to give her all within her career, even if that meant putting herself last. DI Kennedy’s task in ‘Dark Waters’ was to discover who was placing the bodies - usually missing limbs - within the Highlands, and fast. From high profile business men, to petty crime criminals all in the mix, it didn’t seem to be an obvious case for the team. The various characters and storylines did sometimes catch me off guard, and kept me thinking as to who was who, but as I neared the ending, all storylines seemed to intertwine and became clear. Maybe that was just me not paying enough attention - but I still enjoyed it all!

Halliday truly kept me on my toes during this story - wishing I could shout to the characters in times of desperation, or even lend a helping hand. Annabelle’s narration throughout was secondary to Monica’s, which continually left me wanting more, but only for selfish reasons; it actually kept my interest sparked and worked well in real time with the narrative.

The tale is one of secrets, crime and disturbing family practices. “We were born to love our families. No matter how bad they are.”

Overall, I loved ‘Dark Waters’ from G. R. Halliday and I’ll definitely be sure to check out ‘From the Shadows’ very soon.

This book features detective Monica Kennedy and is set in the Scottish Highlands. It picks up a few months after the first book, From The Shadows, and it is dark and atmospheric. Annabelle, the kidnap victim, was an interesting character and the plot was more of a horror theme than a crime thriller. The characters were realistic and I would recommend reading the first book for background. It's a good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This is book 2 in the Monica Kennedy series and I found it very well written and atmospheric.

I didn't read the first one but that didn't seem to matter much because I still understood and followed the story easy enough. 

If you like dark and thrilling reads then give this book a read

A true thriller with just the right touch of horror, and horror it is, drawn into the mind of the main characters in a twisted tormented way without doubt a true thriller of a novel well worth a read. The main detective is as troubled as the victim she is trying to save, the story is an interwoven narrative from both main characters which adds to the confused state of mind

This is the second book about Detective Monica Kennedy. There was an earlier book, the first, which I've not read, but it had another case. A horrific and shocking case that changed everything for Detective Monica Kennedy and her team. I don't know what that case was or what happened, but I do know something happened and it was big. Okay, I'm being a bit sarcastic because in truth I didn't actually need to know anything about the previous book, but I did get a bit tired of the constant mentions of this unspeakable case of which I, as a new reader, knew nothing about. And had I read the first book I would've known and probably not needed to be told about it either. Yes, it's a minor gripe really but it did hinder my ability to get drawn into this book early on, and I suspect that in turn stopped me feeling truly engaged with a story I suspect I could've enjoyed much more. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent enough read. It's just that it never quite hit the spot for me.

The main characters have a realism that I enjoy - they're capable without needing random superhuman abilities. They're even a little rough around the edges to make them nicely imperfect. They're three dimensional, if not super deep - there's just enough to them to make them relatable, and not so much that the story gets lost in unimportant details.

And the story is basically interesting and quite clever - mutilated bodies washing up in the Highlands are undoubtedly a good place to start, and the creepy legends of the mountain folk add a nice hook. It ticks a number of boxes and it's well constructed, slowly slotting the pieces together to show the full picture. I just never sank into it the way I'd hoped. The basic ingredients scream a dark and brooding noir novel; something that swallows my imagination and eats away at me. In truth, it never quite delivered that. At times it felt more horror than it did mystery, which made me feel I missed out on the book I was expecting.

All of which is probably more about my expectations rather than the book itself. I can see a lot of good aspects. The disappointment for me is that I wanted different. I came away feeling that this book could've given me more. "Darks Waters" just wasn't dark enough for me. For all the remoteness I never felt it in anything more than references to phone signal dropping out. I never felt on edge. I never felt engulfed.

Ultimately, I like the characters and I'd read the earlier book, and probably a few that may follow, but only with a shift in my expectations. It's a decent police story - nothing too taxing, and actually quite rewarding once you embrace that.

Annabelle escapes to the Scottish Highlands but crashes and wakes up in a dark room. Scott camps alone in the highlands and hears a scream... he is never seen again. DI Monica Kennedy hunts for a killer but her own dark past follows her. A dark, thrilling story full of gruesome killings that makes you want to keep reading until you finish it.

Dark Water has a lot of promise if possibly re-edited a tad. The story is intriguing and as a reader you feel involved and like all the characters but there’s something missing I can’t quite put my finger on, I think a re-edit would sort that out and then you’d have a hit on your hands! Definitely worth a read!!!

Thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Haunting, dark and evocative -Scottish noir at its very best. Well, this one certainly had me gripped from the first page. Partly this was due to the atmospheric resonance of the Highlands setting, and partly due to Halliday's impeccable plotting and pitch-perfect plotting. Imagine Val McDermid and Ian Rankin having an existential crisis, or, a dark night of the soul, and you get something approximating G.R. Halliday's 'Dark Waters'. Bleak and chilling, this crime novel is on another level of darkness to most I have encountered. Forget disturbing and the usual metaphors associated with descriptions of stories of this genre, this is the novelistic equivalent of an all too real, visceral almost, icy finger up one's spine. There is a murderer on the loose and it is up to the wonderfully realised, DI Monica Kennedy to apprehend the killer. This is no cosy mystery, however, and G.R. Halliday certainly pulls no punches in his descriptions of the gruesome, murderous activities of a depraved serial killer. Try and look away but you can't. At least I couldn't anyway. This was a real-page turner which provided a unique window into the twisted psyche of the murderous, inhuman 'other'. A plot to die for, I devoured every page in one sitting. Absolutely fantastic.

This is a story of mass murder set in the Scottish highlands,a background which works well for the slightly mystical elements in the tale. There are many characters in it and it can be difficult to keep count of the bodies and those kidnapped. The detectives involved in solving the case have the dysfunctional personal and professional lives which seems to be a must in stories of this kind. The details of the kidnapping of Annabelle take many pages and are not all needed to support the story. The idea of a clan of muderers hidden under a water complex is hard to believe. The book will appeal to readers who want a story that challenges their comfort zone.