Another treat from World Book Day. Via NetGalley and publishers Simon and Schuster UK a chance to read a sea based mystery from a new author to me.

I got two chapters this time which whetted my lips they even tasted of brine.

But can such a brief teaser ever allow you to judge a book?

Well, sufficient to say it interests me - the cover, production blurb etc, before reading the first page and after two chapters intriguing enough to want to read on - but not today.

A navy patrol boat picks up an SOS in the middle of the Indian ocean; at least four days sailing to the nearest port. Establishing radio contact it appears not just a phantom radar blip but a human voice of a young woman whose partner is critically injured.

More mystery is spun as this is fiction and the author has baited her plot hook. How Jake was hurt is not explained; Virginie seems to have no answers, (shock?). Their yacht seems fine but they must transfer back to the navel vessel to give any chance to the causality, in urgent need of medical attention. Yet the woman seems to have no ties to the boat or have any possessions, clothes or personal papers to take with them.

This mystery is left as a cliff hanger and as stated the reader is set up to want to read on and discover some tangible explanation for this event.
Of course all ideas can be embraced and the story lies in the telling of debut author Emma Bamford.
No book is a satisfying read just a couple of chapters in. There is the back story of Jake and Virginie to tell. How credible is this and the disaster that overtook them? Plus hints have been made regarding the captain’s own past and personal experience of loss.

Nicely poised; enough to get a green light but does the finished book reflect this early promise?

I would read it but alas not today.

A good start, I can't wait to see what happens.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Virginie and Jake spend all their savings on a yacht and set sail towards Amarante, a remote island rumoured to be a paradise. But what starts as a dream can quickly become a nightmare.

I am not someone who likes to re-write the blurb provided by the publishers so I will leave a description of what you will read to their skill. This was a bit of an unusual book for me but I chose to read it as I'm interested in sailing and wanted something different. I think that you will enjoy it if you like travel, adventure and a good mystery. The reader is hooked in at the beginning by hearing a little of the 'end' story. Not too much but enough to grab your attention. Therein you go back to the beginning and spend most of the book trying to see how that 'end' snippet fits in. Clever stuff! If portrayed truthfully in a film, this would not be a U rating as it could contain scenes of violence but as a reader, I skimmed these and didn't dwell on the pictures in my head!
A good mystery read.

Delicious Slow Burn…
Delicious slow burn suspense, descriptively and intensely written with a well crafted cast populating a plot seething with underlying menace. What price for paradise? A question at least one of this cast will be asking as the reader is taken along on this journey of manipulation, greed, secrets and desire.

An utterly fascinating and at times petrifying story of a couple embarking on their lives’ adventure on a yacht, not realizing just how perilous their journey is going to be.

A slow burn suspense and thrilling book which will reel you in. I quite liked the characters and the setting the book took place in. I was wanting to quickly get through the book to finally read the endings, I really thought it was a great book and look forward to Emma Bamford’s next books to come.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I found this more of a slow burner than a fast paced page turner. I loved the tropical island setting and I really enjoyed the clever plot.

Not my usual genre but so glad I made the change! Scary but exciting too. Didn’t want to put it down. Well written and well done!

I thought this would be The Beach meets Dead Calm, however it turned out to be a dud like Survival Island 3 with Kelly Brooks. I didn’t particularly care for the Danial character, felt the history of colonialism was forced in, and the thriller aspect was cliched with a stereotyped antagonist. I’m sorry but this was a meh 👎

An intriguing thriller read of secluded beaches and secrets.
This opens with a Malaysian Captain who receives a message via radio from a woman named Veronique. She’s in distress. He finds her ship and discovers the yacht doesn’t belong to her through the documents. She’s dehydrated, her husband Jake is injured and apparently a few other people are dead. It’s her fault. So she says.
Rewind back and we see how Veronique and her husband sold their London flat to buy a ship and live on the sea as expats. It’s an exclusive yacht club that they’re told about a secluded paradise of an island and set sail...walking into an island of secrets and strangers.
I wanted to like this more than I did. I appreciated the atmosphere, the research and the setting, but the characters weren’t there and there was a lack of plot. Nothing much happens until the second half. I think having the perspective of Veronique being in third-person closes her off. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and their motivation for the sea life, especially Jake who is scared of the ocean. Like why would you upend your life like that if you can’t swim? 🤨 The story just doesn’t lift off in the way that I wanted it to.

An intriguing premise and a compelling first 10% letdown by unengaging protagonists, a slow pace and lack of suspense.

A beautifully written, slow-burn suspense story that will have you both dreaming of and rethinking that next beach vacation... Emma Bamford is a major new talent and I can't wait to see what's next from her.

DEEP WATER by Emma Bamford NO SPOILERS
PUBLISH DATE: 7 July 2022
BOOK - 320 pages
RATING - 3 stars

This book of 320 pages, for me, seemed longer and I struggled, stopped and started three or four times! After a slow start each time & stopping at 40 percent, I was going to give up but I continued to the end. I found the writing and descriptions good and atmospheric. The chapters went back and forth in time telling the story of Captain Danial Tengku of the Malaysian Royal Navy and newly married couple, Virginie and her husband Jake.

This is a story about friendship, sharing, loyalty, jealously and a lot more.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Rating: 3.3/5

This adventure drama marks the entry of former journalist, Emma Bamford, into the world of fictional literature and, on the whole, it is an engaging read. If you are familiar with Alex Garland's novel, "The Beach" (or the film that was based on it) then you will almost certainly note some marked similarities as you read this. There is the same isolated, idyllic island location at the centre of the story, though in this case we have a leisure boat-dwelling community of long-term holidaymakers from various parts of the world rather than a settlement of international backpackers.

The scene is set when Danial Tengku, the captain of a Royal Malaysian Navy patrol vessel, comes across a luxury yacht in distress in the Indian Ocean. On board are married couple, Jake and Virginie. It soon becomes apparent that the pair do not own the yacht, but when Danial enquires as to the whereabouts of the owners Virginie declares, "It's all my fault. I killed them." She goes on to recount her story - and so the adventure begins!

The bulk of the proceedings take place on and around the paradisiacal island of Amarante. In spite of the clear echoes of "The Beach", I found myself being happily drawn into the world that Emma Bamford was creating. The tempo may be a little on the slow side for some readers, but I felt that it was entirely appropriate for the setting. The pace helps to provide an excellent backdrop for the various scenes that play out, as we gradually learn more about the individual characters and the potential for uneasy tensions slowly builds. It will come as absolutely no spoiler to tell you that something will have to go awry at some point to shatter this seemingly blissful utopia - the question is only what that something will be.

Clearly, I am not going to spoil your enjoyment by disclosing the nature of subsequent developments, but I will say that I found the final 15% of the book disappointing and somewhat anticlimactic. I acknowledge what the author was trying to achieve with the direction that was taken, but I found it a touch simplistic, a bit disjointed and maybe even a little rushed, compared with all that had gone before, which was a pity. Nonetheless, "Deep Water" is still an enjoyable read overall and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for Emma Bamford's next fictional offering.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This Book started off slow but then eventually got interesting. You do need to stick with it though. There was definitely a lot of tension at the end which made it gripping. A good read overall.

I found it very difficult to get into this book, in the end I had to give up on it. It didn’t live up to the description.

Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC of this book. Very enjoyable read even if it wasn't what I was expecting.
The Story follows Vee and Jake as they sail to a secluded paradise island which very quickly goes wrong. The book is beautifully descriptive and you really get a feel for being on the boat and then exploring the island. It is clear the author has experience of sailing from how she has written the book and this made it easy to understand.
My only criticism is that the story is quite drawn out and takes quite a while to get going. But overall it is a good read, 3 stars.

Deep Water; Emma Bamford
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3.5 stars

Deep Water is Emma Bamfords debut thriller. The premise and amazing cover drew me to select this book.
The book opens with a suspenseful and enticing mystery, a married couple found stranded on a boat, the husband injured and the wife traumatized. The story then follows the couple as they sail to a remote and isolated island paradise where they meet several others. The rest of the story reminds me a little of Alex Gardland’s “The Beach”. The setting is what I loved most about this story, the isolation and deadliness of the island setting brings a sense of unease and danger. Each of the characters seems to be not all what they appear.

I enjoyed this book for the most part but I found the pacing a bit all over the place. It was slow at points and other parts felt rushed. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it.

I’ll keep an eye out for other books by this author.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this novel.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five