Blood Tide (Paula Maguire 5)

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Blood Tide, the fifth novel to feature forensic psychologist and missing persons expert, Dr Paula Maguire.

Paula's personal life is in turmoil. Her fiancé, Aidan, is on remand for murder and refusing to let her visit and she has recently found a letter from her mother written on the day she disappeared in 1993. Refusing to give up on either she has employed a private detective to try and find proof of Aidan's innocence and her mother's fate. In the midst of this she is asked to travel to the remote Bone Island in the Republic to help the Gardai hunt for a missing couple who have mysteriously vanished from the lighthouse they are living in.

Well, what a read! I was glued to the pages from start to finish and read it in one sitting. Ms McGowan is fairly even handed, running the professional and personal stories side by side with both having plenty of developments. Obviously the events on Bone Island, being current, have more action but there are a few interesting twists on the personal side as well.

The hunt for the couple, Matt Andrew and Dr Fiona Watts, takes place on the insular Bone Island during a very bad storm so it assumed some kind of accident took place but Paula isn't so sure. She senses something off about the island and when she gets trapped there it becomes dangerous. Told from Paula's point of view, supplemented by Fiona's take on past events, it is an exciting read with lots of twists and turns and a great, surprise ending. The plot may seem a bit fantastical but, unfortunately, the cause and effect are all too plausible.

Paula may have employed a private detective to help her and Aidan but it is an old colleague of her father, ex-sergeant Bob Hamilton, pulling the strings. This works well as we see the impact of the discoveries on Paula but we get the history from Bob's point of view and there was much more going on than 13 year old Paula could know or imagine. I am totally hooked on this plotline and am desperate to know how it will pan out.

Blood Tide is a masterfully plotted and executed novel. The pace never lets up with new developments in every chapter. The events on Bone Island are initially puzzling then tense as the full story starts to emerge so I have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent read.

Its probably not a surprise to many people that I am a HUGE fan of this series from Claire McGowan, I've always thought it was one of the top UK crime series and with Blood Tide that has just pretty much been confirmed for me.

The beauty is in the mix of personal and professional - each separate mystery for Forensic Psychologist Paula Maguire is entirely compelling and complete but each novel takes Paula further on a very personal journey, searching for her missing mother and trying to sort out a tangled set of relationships. Now here she is with a young child, a partner in jail and about to be thrown into a bit of a horror story - yes folks, Claire McGowan is channelling Stephen King and doing it with a touch of genius.

A couple have gone missing on an island - the islanders are used to being cut off from civilisation - Paula not so much. When things take a turn for the macabre she is stuck, without back up, a storm brewing and a killer watching her every move...

Blood Tide was both thrilling, chilling and utterly immersive - interspersing scenes on the island with little gems of information on what is going on elsewhere in Paula's life - you are thrown from one to the other, both strands totally gripping, leading to a spot on edge of the seat finale that had me pulling clumps of hair out. Then of course this author is STILL not done with you as she sets Paula up for the next stage of this journey..

Once again Claire McGowan speaks to the history, the troubles, in a way that genuinely educates readers like me who remember those times but in a vague I was young then sort of way - really bringing the aftermath and the effects of it to stunning brutal life - from the very first novel Paula has had this in her past, with a need to understand how it has affected her family. As ever this layer is incredibly emotive.

It is so beautifully done, you are in it all the way, Paula is still one of the most compelling female protagonists in Crime Fiction and is surrounded by a stellar supporting cast all of whom have you chasing the next part of their story. The Blood Tide is coming and the Island scenes are SCARY truly creepy insidious stuff, the parts of this novel I read when it was dark outside had me glancing around nervously - WHY DOES THE BOILER ALWAYS MAKE THAT NOISE WHEN I'M ALREADY JUMPY - one of life's little mysteries. *Dives under duvet in case it is actually an axe murderer*

Genuinely clever, beautifully written and best of all not at all predictable when it comes to what might happen to our beloved crew, I will miss Paula when her story is done. One can hope for happy endings but folks this ain't no fairy tale...

Highly Recommended. The entire series.

An absolute triumph for Irish crime writing! I loved this book so much! Not only does Claire McGowan continue to surprise with her reveals she also keeps you guessing with every turn of the page. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars!

Oh Paula, what kind of pickle have you got yourself into now...?
This is book five of a really excellent series and one which, in my opinion, is best read start to finish in order as the characters' backstories are a little... shall we just say interesting and convoluted. So, although like others, the main story in this book is complete, there is quite a bit of continuing series thread development happening along side.
Paula answers the call to go to the remote Bone Island to help them investigate the disappearance of a young couple during a storm. Although initially feared swept away in a tragic accident, it soon transpires that foul play may have occurred and so the local cop has called in the troops so to speak. Originally teamed up with old colleague Fiacra, together they travel over to the island where, early on they realise early on that outsiders are not welcome and that beneath the surface, strange things are occurring. If this wasn't enough, Paula has her own misgivings about the island as it features clearly in one of her last memories of her mother, another thing she is trying to uncover the truth of with the help of a private investigator. And to top it all off, Fiacra is injured and replaced by someone she doesn't relish working with. As things get weirder on the island, as everyone starts acting strange, can Paula get to the bottom of things before tragedy strikes again?
It's all go in this book. Aiden is still in jail, Paula is demanding answers about her mother's disappearance as well as trying to establish her fiance's innocence. And then there's Maggie, sweet little innocent Maggie, and the fall out from the revelation from the last book. So the last thing Paula needs is to be sent to a remote island, populated by people acting strange and very reluctant to her presence. Hindering her at every turn, and with a storm brewing that cuts power and communication to the island leaving her and the person she is trying to avoid cut off together, just them against everyone else cos, quite frankly, how do they choose which liar to trust.
It sounds quite over the top and far too convoluted for just one book but believe me, it just flies off the page. It is so very well plotted and paced perfectly. As the action ramps up to fever pitch on the island, we cut back to cover some of the other topics as a bit of well needed respite. The book takes a strange turn part way through as we switch genre away from a thriller crime novel and more towards horror as it starts to feel a bit like The Wicker Man in places. I felt quite claustrophobic at times when I was reading it, especially as it was hammering it down with rain here too! I lost count of the number of times I caught myself holding my breath as I followed the characters avidly.
This is definitely the series that keeps on giving and keeps on getting better. Not usually a fan of too much personal stuff taking over my crime fix, Paula's life blasts that requirement away as I am transfixed by the story of her mother and avidly following both Aiden and Maggie's threads. It really does all come as one big job lot and I am happy to accept and embrace it all. In fact, I really can't wait to see what twists or stings the author has in store for Paula next time.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I’ve become a huge fan of the Paula Maguire series and I have loved every single book. For me I think it’s the characters and their own personal lives that really stand out in Claire’s novels. Paula’s history is very traumatic and this book takes her on a much more personal journey as she attempts to find answers. She is also still coming to terms with the imprisonment of her partner Aiden and is desperately trying to prove his innocence.
Paula is still searching for her mother who disappeared in the late nineties and it is suspected that she was a victim of the IRA. Paula now has a young child of her own, three year old Maggie, and this makes it even more important to her to find out the truth behind her mother’s disappearance.

In Blood Tide, Paula is sent to Bone Island, the last piece of land before the vast stretch of the Atlantic Ocean. A small community live on the island and it becomes apparent to Paula that there are some who are very hostile to outsiders. Paula is sent to investigate the disappearance of a couple from London who live and work on the island. She is hoping not to be away from her daughter for long, the main theory is that the couple were killed in an accident and drowned at sea. But as she begins to strip back the layers of the islands inhabitants she discovers a grisly set of events leading up the disappearance and she knows that she has to stay to see the investigation through.

Blood Tide was a seriously scary book. If I was anywhere near this island I would want to run a mile and when it becomes clear to the inhabitants that Paula is staying, it becomes very claustrophobic. Claire’s writing is taut and full of tension. The island setting was very atmospheric. Someone is keeping secrets on this island. Someone wants to make sure that those secrets remain secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, as with all the Paula Maguire novels, Claire leaves us wanting to know more, Paula’s character and past becomes ever more intriguing. When I first discovered the series I bought each book at once and read them back to back, I don’t know what I’m going to do now that I have to wait a bit longer for the next one, I can’t wait to read it.

A massive five stars from me. Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read.