Lucy Locke’s happy life in the coastal town of Skental changes on a dime when her husband Daniel maydays from their boat. The events that follow are the stuff of nightmares. DI Abraham Rose is the lead place investigator.

Having been utterly blown away by Sam Lloyd’s debut The Memory Wood I awaited this one with eager anticipation and I’m so not disappointed!! This is a fast paced, suspenseful, heart pounding, jaw dropping, mind blowing chiller of a thriller. It has a complex plot full of fascinating elements as the author creates an atmosphere that compliments and enhances the plot line. Here the sea and weather are magnificently utilised as portents of tragedy, with monumental waves, malevolent skies making it feel like Armageddon. The perpetrator who creates the revengeful mayhem is a cruel Lucifer type figure and to me DI Rose feels like Aslan or a crusader knight with his biblical quotes, he’s the source of good in this battle of good versus evil. I love his character. The characters are flawed apart from Lucy’s children Billie and Fin who light up the pages especially Fin with his creative imagination, he’s just a delight. Lucy is an enigma, you can’t tell if she’s good as people in Skental think she is or whether she’s bewitched them. I like how the author has continued the fairytale element in this thriller and we ain’t talking Disney here but full on Grimm. The inclusion of philosophy especially the idea of purging, purification and renewal though suffering is an interesting angle. This is an extremely well written novel with evocative and creative descriptions, some original metaphors and similes which are particularly strong when using natural features to highlight the disaster occurring. The end is so tense and emotional at times as you will the characters on. I love that a lot of this is set at sea which adds its own unique dimension.

Overall, another compelling and powerful novel of someone’s living nightmare with descriptions to match, its impossible to put down. I love it and it’s an easy five stars from me. Just suspend disbelief that Lucy can manage so much with broken ribs, the pain of which I can testify too!!!

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld, Bantam Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A very good read, hard to put down, despite it eventually feeling overlong. To be critical, I felt the denouement was sprung on me at the last minute, and as a result the story became increasingly difficult to be convincing. The build up and the tension were really good, the ending was a let-down for me.

This was one book I could not put down! Beautifully written and totally relatable characters. I sat up until late into the night reading this and it didnt disappoint. Excellent!

Thanks to @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Lucy has it all, a great house, loving husband & 2 children but one morning their family boat is found at sea & everything changes....

This made my heart race in places, kept me guessing & desperate to know where the story was going.

Character descriptions made me really picture the family which added to the enjoyment of the story. I was pretty choked up at the very end too!

4🌟

#bookstagram #netgalley #samlloyd

I loved it! Lucy’s husband disappears out on their yacht in a storm, but then Lucy makes a horrifying discovery...did her husband do what the police think he did? I won’t give any of the plot away but I was so enmeshed in Lucy’s story That I couldn’t put the book down. I loved The Memory Wood but I loved The Rising Tide even more. You HAVE to read it, it really is brilliant!

Oh MY Goodness! This gripped me from the start - a hour so awful that you can't even really imagine it but as the story unfolds you live through it with the characters - expertly written, the plot has many unexpected developments and twists at the end - outstanding!

This is an incredibly tense read and completely held my attention throughout.
Rising Tide is the story of the Locke family; Daniel and Lucy, both from troubled backgrounds and their children, Billie and Fin.
Despite their past problems Lucy and Daniel have built two successful businesses and have two amazing children. Billie is Lucy's 18 year old daughter; a passionate conservationist who loves everything about the sea. Fin is the son Lucy and Daniel have together. He is 7 and a 'storyteller extra-ordinaire'. They live in a thriving community and are popular with the locals.
Until, that is Daniel acts totally out if character abducting Fin and taking him on their yacht out to sea as a life threatening storm approaches land.
DI Abraham Rose is sent to investigate the fall out frim Daniel's actions. He is God fearing and committed to his faith. He is also seriously ill but has kept this information entirely to himself.
I really enjoyed the book. I liked the characters and was invested in things turning out right for them.
There was one thing though that did not feel right and luckily it came in the last couple of pages.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.
I found the first couple of chapters of this book a bit slow. So much so I thought I might struggle to finish it. How wrong I was!
I read the final third of the book in one go and it's responsible for keeping me up far to late because I couldn't put it down. The ending doesn't disappoint and left me thinking about the plot figuring what I had thought were loose ends and how they tied in.
The characters are good, with history and I was able to picture the village in my head as if I had been there myself. The story itself is full of twists and turns, leaving you guessing right to the end.
If you like a good thriller then I highly recommend this. Just be prepared to lose some sleep.

A dramatic and evocative thriller depicting the lengths a wife and mother would go to in order to protect her family. A wonderful and scary read!

Thank you for the opportunity to review the second of Sam Lloyd’s books. ‘The Memory Wood’ was a tense thriller with many twists as was this new one. The plot was well thought out and kept the reader intrigued by veering between past and present events. The many characters involved served to highlight the community spirit of the seaside town looking after their own alongside a pressurised situation. I will be on the lookout now for book number 3!

I would like to express my thanks to publishers Random House and to NetGalley for the ARC provided in exchange for this free and unbiased book review. The Rising Tide represents Sam Lloyd’s second novel and is set on the cast of Cornwall where Lucy and her husband Daniel run a marine business together with Daniel’s childhood friend Nick. When Nick decides to sell his shares in the company, however, their livelihood, built around the company and their amazing cliff-top house is at risk. Lucy is further threatened when, during an Atlantic storm, the family’s boat is discovered drifting off-shore. Daniel and the couple’s two young children are now missing. Has he disappeared with them or have they been taken hostage? The distressing, claustrophobic narrative unfolds through the dual perspectives of Lucy and the unknown voice of a stranger somehow tied to the family. On occasion, the writing could have been tighter (with some repetition avoided) but overall, this was an extremely well-plotted and atmospheric thriller, set in a part of the UK that is perhaps best associated with happy holiday memories for most readers. Do try reading it – you will not be disappointed!

A rollercoaster, actually a surf ride, of a story, set in a small Cornish fishing village with Lucy, Daniel, Billie and Fin.

It starts with Lucy reading Daniel’s company accounts. Despite both of them being relatively successful within their small community, the book doesn’t begin this way. All fingers are pointed and you are convinced it’s a predictable insurance scandal. Do not be fooled.

Someone is threatening their family and Detective Abraham Rose is sent in to establish who and why. I really liked this character. In fact, he was the only character that I did like. This was one of my criticisms actually; so much unnecessary emphasis on individuals, eg Matt Guinness’s mole-like fingernails! I didn’t understand the relevance.

Lots of twists and turns and it kept me guessing right to the end. I enjoyed the way the book picked up the pace towards the end too.

I rate this book 3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

The Rising Tide

I so wanted to enjoy this book , but unfortunately I could not engage with the characters . The plot sounded right up my street . Lucy owns a cafe , and with her husband Daniel have 2 children. Something happens and Daniel is accused of murdering the children. Sadly this just wasn't for me.

Lucy has everything she ever wanted and then it’s gone in a heartbeat. Their yacht is found at sea but her husband is missing. The nightmare increases when she finds out he had taken their children with him. Now they are lost at sea in the worst storm for a hundred years. The race is on. Her husband is found alive and the terror intensifies when she hears what he has to say. Roller coaster read. #The Rising Tide
#Sam Lloyd #Netgalley.

Absolutely mind blowing story!

Sam Lloyd has excelled himself with this novel that keeps you guessing all the way through for the outcome.

Could not put it down and loved every moment!

Wow, what a different story! It was completely different than what I thought it was going to be.

Lucy lives a seemingly perfect life, husband and two lovely kids, a couple of businesses that are booming and a great social life. But everything isn't as it seems!

Lucy's husband Daniel goes missing on their boat, the boat is recovered after he sends an SOS signal, but there's no sign of Daniel....... And then Lucy realises that her children are missing as well. Surely Daniel wouldn't have taken them with him in a raging storm?

The detective in charge is determined to get to the bottom of what's really happened. But will he manage in time?

I really enjoyed this, I liked Lucy's character, I was unsure on Abraham at first but he grew on me as the story went on. The ending gave me what I wanted, and I really didn't guess what was going on. Would highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. :)
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the setting, who can’t fall in love with the coast?
There are some well thought out characters in this book, which follows the impact of a devastating storm.
Lloyd sets up some clever twists and turns that will keep you reading.
One to definitely watch.

Absolutely brilliant!

It took me a little while to get into this book, it had a lot of boat and tide lexicon which I wasn’t familiar with, so that took a little bit of time getting used to.

However, almost instantly you get a big drama occur, which the whole novel is based around, and when you think you’ve figured it out, it switches up, and something else happens, leaving you speechless and unable to trust your own suspicions.

I really enjoyed Sam’s writing style, splitting it into chapters and having break points so you don’t have to worry about completely finishing a chapter before you put the book down (if you can that is!)

I was kept guessing right until the very end, and I felt so much emotion for the main character Lucy, and her family.

4/5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for ARC in exchange my honest review.
I really enjoy this book and it is very excellent read. Well-written, evocative and dramatic story. The plot was charged and extremely atmospheric harrowing, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The book was a thriller, full of twists and turns that definitely kept me guessing and I wasn’t prepared for the outcome. It's out of blue that surprise after surprise coming to draw my attention and keep reading till the end. Great plotting and surely addictive. Great read!

What a fabulous fast paced story. I hardly had time to draw breath. There are more twists and turns here than a rollercoaster and just as thrilling
Just when you think you have got the plot you haven’t at all because another element is thrown into the mix
Congratulations Sam Lloyd, I will be looking out for more books you have written