Slow burn but the second half flies with action. Almost gave up, but the author redeems himself with one helluva ride to the end. ( )

A zombie-esque tale with images that will continue to haunt you well after you've finished the book. The characters not only drive the story but their richness and stories pull you fully into their world. Beautifully creepy and worth the read. ( )

I was completely sucked in by the cover. I'm a sucker for blue watercolor. Come to think of it, I do think I've heard you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover somewhere. Anyway, it was ok. I wanted more to the story. It was pretty simple and not much suspense, but it did flow and the characters were believable and authentic. Actually, the authenticity was what I enjoyed the most about this book. It takes place in Scotland and it's full of little things that place you there. Nothing big or clichéd, but constant throughout. That's what I like about traveling, everything is the same and different at the same time. This book does that very well. ( )

What a fantastic read to start the spooky season with!
The story is told from several different points of view, even the two ravens take part in this. It's also told from the perspective of a "Viking" hundreds of years ago.
It stars on this ferry making its way to a small fishing village on remote island somewhere in the northern Atlantic. The main character, Sig, is a woman struggling with loss and has taken to free diving solo, which is dangerous, though she claims she does not want to die. She finds a half buried backpack with what appears to be a book with strange runes on it. She thinks nothing of it and takes the bag home hoping to find its owner.
On the other side of the island, Kathleen, who is 80+ years old stumbles upon a desecrated seamark, a cairn of stones that had been there since before she was born. After collapsing and being found by her grandson and Sig, Kathleen starts behaving violently. As her grandson walks her home Sig discovers that something has been dug out from beneath the cairn. Strange things start happening to the islands residents.
Such a good story! Definitely recommended for fans of Nordic landscapes and horrifying curses. ( )

Dead Water by C. A. Fletcher is a highly recommended folk horror novel of a blight in a small island community.

Set on a small remote island off the western coast of Scotland is an amicable community of residents, some island born going back generations while others are new to the island. All of them have their secrets, however, some secrets are more ominous than others. When the island ferry service breaks down and communication to the mainland is lost, the residents must try to work together. This becomes increasingly difficult when a mysterious infection begins to spread and rumors begin to circulate.

I loved A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, and Dead Water doesn't live up to it, but it does have strengths of its own. It must be said that there is a very slow start to the novel, which is potentially off-putting, but it does serve to introduce the characters before the subtle psychological horror begins. Then this becomes a narrative that showcases perseverance in the face of hardship while also creating a sense of dread and horror that will build.

The characters secrets are carefully exposed and their flaws shown. They aren't likeable, but they are portrayed as realistic individuals. And this is the strength of the novel, the carefully crafted characters that are then placed in a horrific, frightening situation, which is portrayed with the same level of care. 3.5 rounded up because of all the positives, however the slow setup is too tedious and the novel loses your attention. I will look forward to Fletcher's next novel.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Orbit via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/07/dead-water.html ( )