The storyline had me hooked straight away and the twists were relentless. Just when you think you’ve got it sussed – BAM – a twist comes out of nowhere.

Marrs has such a talent for keeping you on edge, never letting you settle into thinking you’ve figured it all out. I was completely gripped, racing through the pages. And then came the ending… when I thought it couldn’t get any more twisty, Marrs delivered the ultimate BAM – clever, shocking, and so satisfying.

John Marrs’ writing is clever, addictive and utterly brilliant. An easy five stars from me!

Fans of John Marrs will absolutely love this latest thriller. Dead in the Water has a truly unique premise that immediately hooks you into a story that’s dark, twisty and very, very twisted… No spoilers here but readers of his previous books are in for a treat with a big surprise!

John marrs always seems to surprise me! Just when you think he can’t think of anything crazier!

This is another fantastic book filled with suspense and mind bending twists. This may just be my new favorite book by him!

Absolutely brilliant! John Marrs has done it again with his latest novel, and I loved every minute of it. The story draws you in from the first page, and the twists and turns keep twisting and turning. Just when you catch your breath and think the dust is settled-think again. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one day-it was THAT good!

A chilling, fast paced, wholly original story! John Marrs never disappoints! This one had it all - alternate POV, short chapters, and a shocking return. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Once again a brilliant read by John Marrs. His books are so fast paced and fully immersive! This book was no exception and I loved the concept! As always with his novels there was twist after twist and when you start to think you know where the plot is heading, another unexpected twist pops up and throws you! It was a great read and the reappearance of an unexpected character was incredible and a total surprise! A great read again!

This is quite different to the other John Marrs' books I've read so I struggled to get into this at first. As usual, the writing style kept me gripped but I found the ending a bit confusing and overly complicated

From the very first twist, John Marrs proves once again that he is the master of making readers gasp out loud, and Dead in the Water is still living rent-free in my brain weeks later. Marrs has crafted a dark, twisty, jaw-dropping ride that had me repeatedly saying “WHAT was that?!” while reading. Even weeks later, I’m still unpacking the shocking turns.

This was my first Marrs novel outside his Dark Future books, and it did not disappoint. Best to go in blind, but fans will enjoy a clever connection to one of his other works, while newcomers can fully experience the story on its own.

If this is how 2026 starts for thrillers, we’re in for a phenomenal year—a must-read for anyone who devours twisty, edge-of-your-seat psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley & John Marrs for this ARC!

Thank you to John Marrs and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of Dead in the Water, out in January.

This book hooked me immediately, the opening chapter was gripping and Marrs did such a great job setting the scene that I was instantly invested and messaging some friends to read it with me immediately. There were moments that genuinely made my jaw drop, which is exactly what I hope for in a thriller.

The middle section did slow down for me a little and some parts began to feel repetitive, which made it harder to stay fully engaged. However, the story picked up again and a few of the final twists were fun and unexpected, which is always one of my favorite things about Marrs’ writing.

As always, he delivered those short chapters and twisty plots, and while this one wasn’t my absolute favorite of his, it still delivered plenty of shocks and suspense.

I’ve already seen lots of positive early feedback, and I’m looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks once it’s released.

Thank you NetGalley and John Marrs for this ARC ! I am a huge fan of anything written by John Marrs and was so excited to be selected for this book. It was such a great read with lots of twists I was not expecting. I could not put it down. As the puzzle pieces were coming together I was completely obsessed with getting the whole picture. What a great read !

I really don’t want to spoiler this one so this review may be a little brief! I would wholeheartedly recommend that Marrs fans go in blind. So yeah, all you need to know is that it’s brilliant and stop reading here. Go on, get that pre-order in and off you go.

For anyone wanting to know a little more about Dead in the Water. The book opens with Damon being dared to take a swim in open water, something he’s afraid of (You and me both, Damon. If my toes can’t touch the bottom then I don’t want to know!). Nevertheless he takes the plunge both metaphorically and literally as he drowns. He’s pulled from the currents and given CPR but as his life flashes before his eyes, he awakes with the vision/memory? of a dead boy.

Determined to recall more, Damon does the only logical thing. He decides he must die again. Only he will need help from a stranger to be on hand to resuscitate him. What’s the good in remembering if he’s brown bread? With each death Damon regains more memories and more questions about his past.

Dark, twisty, thrilling and filled with great lines (shout out to: “it’s so boring in here she’s surprised spiders haven’t started weaving the words ‘Please help us’ instead of webs“). Classic Marrs.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC.

If you have read a John Marrs book before you know you are in for a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.

This one is clever and complex and will leave you wondering just where does he get his inspiration from!! (I’d love to see his internet search history!!)

It’s fast paced, with lots of short chapters from several different perspectives. The characters are intriguing and not altogether likeable! Just who can you trust??

There may be a few little surprises sprinkled through this one, so if you are a John fan, you will certainly be excited by this one.

I did see a few things coming, but love the way it’s written, you can’t just read one more chapter when it comes to John Marrs, as each chapter ends leaving you needing more!! As I said, it’s fast paced, but the ending really ramps up the gears and will leave your head spinning!

I’m not going to say anything about the plot, this is definitely one just to pick up and devour yourself!!

So if you like a great psychological thriller, with twists and turns a plenty, you are in the right place.

I enjoyed this arc from John Marrs, it seemed a bit different to his usual style but still dark as ever!

I found the aspect of Damon trying to bring back his memories in such an unhinged way quite interesting. I enjoyed the psychological aspect of the story too. Very interesting how the brain works.

The epilogue was good, classic Marrs twist at the end.

I was over the moon when I was lucky enough to get a copy of this ARC. Huge thanks to NetGalley and John Marrs.

This was a brilliant book! The short chapters are amazing, they kept me going with the classic “just one more chapter” until hours had gone by without me realising 😆

The whole idea is very psychological, and I love reading about characters that feel a little unsettling. And then came John Marrs’ Easter egg… it honestly made me gasp. #IYKYK
That wasn’t the only detail that showed how well he thinks everything through while writing.

I really enjoyed this story, even though I wanted to shake some sense into Damon more than once. Personally, I almost think I would have been happy if it ended after chapter 97. I didn’t really need the rest of the story, but maybe that’s just my thriller brain picking up on what was coming.

4.5 stars from me, rounding up to 5 ⭐

Our FAV John Marrs has done it again with this absolute BANGER of a thriller Dead in the Water.

The book starts with Damon getting into difficulty whilst swimming in the sea. Whilst fighting to survive.. Somewhere between life and death he sees the body of a d*ad boy floating up to him in the water.. Now rescued and safely on dry land he cannot stop seeing this boy everywhere he looks…why? And who is he?

The opening chapter hooked me instantly, suffocatingly claustrophobic and playing on two of my deepest darkest fears.. the sea and drowning. From that moment on I was OBSESSED… this book had it all.. the intricate clever storyline that we always get from John Marrs. Fantastic 3D full bodied characters that I for one am DEFINITELY going to be carrying around with me
for some time.. some of those images my mind conjured.. *shudder… And of course short, sharp, snappy chapters each one told from a different point of view.. classic Marrs.

I had THE BEST reading experience with this one.. There were certain nods to certain things that just made it feel like it was written for me (and the however many thousand millennial women John Marrs fans out there!😆) If you’re planning on reading it I would STRONGLY recommend reading as little about it as possible. There were a few 🤯🤯🤯🤯 moments that hit SO HARD for me… I. WAS. SCREAMING! You know when you just have to put the kindle down get up and pace around a bit to get the shakes out?! Yeah that.! 👌
I was lucky enough to grab an early copy so I could read it blind and not see any spoilers but TRUST ME you’re going to want to experience the full force of these plot twists and drops without having even a hint of an idea of what’s coming..IYKYK 🖤

Thank you for the early copy!

John Marrs did not disappoint with his latest thriller! HIs twists had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

I devoured this book too quickly, was so sad to finish it, Dead in the water was bloody fantastic. 20% in was the biggest jaw drop moment I have had from a book in while. This book was signature John Marrs head spinning twists and just hooked you right in from the beginning. I loved how this book was just full of story and no waffle to pad it out. This is psychological thriller at its best. I dont want to put any spoilers but this book is ravishingly dark, deep and an absolute must read.

John Marrs, you dark twisted human! I’d say I hope you’re in therapy but also, don’t go therapy because I need your mind twisted and dark so you can keep writing these 5 star thrillers that are just simply insane!!

📖 ARC Review 📖

Title: Dead in the Water
Author: John Marrs
Release Date: Jan 2026
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Make way for my most FAVOURITE John Marrs book! Dead in the Water is a fast paced thriller that’s about to bring you through a wild ride!

Our man, Damon, nearly drowns and surviving it is just the start of his nightmare. This story is so addictive that had me HOOKED. John Marrs takes a terrifyingly realistic situation and spins it into a tense, thought-provoking thriller that explores human behaviour.

Can’t say more but I loved that crossover. That was so brilliantly woven into this story. Amazing.
Thank you John Marrs, Netgalley and publishers for this digital ARC!

I received an ARC of Dead in the Water from NetGalley after seeing John Marrs share it on Facebook. Having only read his speculative fiction before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this one grabbed me from the start.

It gave me the same thrills I used to get from Mary Higgins Clark: suspenseful, chaotic, and full of disturbing twists. Even when I guessed ✨some✨ of the backstory, the turns kept me hooked until the very end.

Despite the red flags piling up, I couldn’t stop rooting for Damon, which made the ride all the more unsettling and addictive. I fully recommend this dark, twisty thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.