The Shimmer on the Water is a dual timeline novel. In the 1960s Tennessee, Eualla grew up in a dysfunctional family environment. Move forward to 2021 Maine; Peyton has moved back home from Settle. She is obsessed with discovering the truth surrounding the disappearance of Daisy Wright in 1997. The chapters alternate between Eualla and Peyton until they collide and the connection between them and Daisy is revealed. With family drama and a hint of mystery, this book is a captivating read. Thanks to author Marina McCarron, publisher Head of Zeus, Aria, and to NetGalley for providing a copy of this ebook for an honest review.

The Shimmer on the Water by Marina McCarron is a mesmerizing dual-timeline novel set in 1997 & 2021 Maine (with a little bit of 1960 Tennessee too). There is tons of family drama, and the disappearance of a little girl. Highly recommend!

A dual timeline full of secrets and unpredictability. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by the author.

Maine 1997: Small town, Fort Meadow Beach is celebrating the 4th of July when 6 year old Daisy Wright disappears.

Maine 2021: After being fired Peyton Winchester returns to her hometown of Fort Meadow Beach. Being back in Fort Meadow Beach makes Peyton eager to know what happened to Daisy, who was the same age as her.

Tennesse 1960s: Eualla Tompkins' life is changed forever when her mother leaves the family. She's left to raise herself and her younger sister, Minnie as her father and brother aren't much use.

The mystery of Daisy's disappearance is not a major part of this book. It's mainly focused on the life of Peyton and Eualla and how the ultimately entwine. This is an incredible, dual timeline family saga. It kept me gripped the whole time as I was eager to find out how the timelines came together. Eualla's story really pulled at my heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My main critique is that the ending felt too rushed.

A solid mystery with lots of family drama!

The book opens with the disappearance of Daisy during the 4th of July celebrations in coastal Maine. The book blurb leads you to expect most of the book revolves around finding the child - but there is so much more involved. It flips mainly between a dual timeline of Eualla/Ellie/Lydia as she reinvents herself multiple times and her daughter, Peyton. Peyton has lost her job and boyfriend and moved back home for the summer - she's the one that starts digging up information about Daisy's disappearance. And in the meanwhile, digs up a whole lot of family drama she wasn't aware of. It's hard to like the characters, but it's intriguing enough to keep you reading to see what happened - and the end is pretty abrupt, a lot of ties left unbound.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This book was a bit dark with some very unlikable characters, which isn’t a bad thing. The author had good character development and understanding on why the characters became who they were based on trauma and neglect and is realistic.The story had some strength but the ending wasn’t what I expected and that’s why the rating would be more like a 3.5-3.75.

The novel begins with the disappearance of a young girl on a Maine Beach years before. Returning to the present, a young woman returns to her family home there and begins to investigate the unsolved case. Family secrets are exposed and who she though her parents were become known. I loved it and will strongly recommend!

“The Shimmer on the Water” is a novel by Marina McCarron. This book begins with a mystery - what happened to young Daisy Wright? A woman, Peyton, returns home - where Daisy disappeared 20+ years before, and decides to solve the mystery. There’s also another woman’s story told from the 1960s, which eventually entwines with Peyton’s story. I’d call this book more a family drama than a mystery or historical fiction. I found the writing to be enjoyable. I cannot say that I really liked any of the characters though for the most part I could see what motivated them to make the choices that they did (though I questioned a few of Minnie’s acts). This book was mostly tied up at the end, though I would’ve preferred it to be a bit more open-ended. This is a book of many layers and many masks - what do you show or tell others, what do you keep hidden, how has life shaped you into being who you are and what do you do to hide those things from those you proclaim to care about. I could see this being a well done TV special, as it held my attention and I found the overall story interesting. I would read another book by Ms. McCarron.