Amanda J. Clay

I received this book as LibraryThing Member's review copy. The tale is racy and begins almost at the end and then goes back to the beginning - a strategy I like if it is well done. It has also become increasingly common both in the written word and on TV shows so that the reader does spend part of the time wondering when we are going to get to THAT SCENERIO again. The main character is a woman who has put everything she has into the ambitious climb to become a VP of Marketing in an IT organisation. Unfortunately this means that she has had to reinvent herself hiding secrets in order to pretend she has 'the right' pedigree. Her husband does not appear to like her, her in-laws blatantly loathe her, she has a minimum of friends with whom she drinks and eats but cannot relax. Essentially, she is not in a good place and she is hard to like. However, the author portrays the cutthroat Californian IT industry as though she knows it intimately and lord help us if it really is like that with the main character requiring one hour of therapy per week!. HOWEVER, I have taken 1.5 stars off due to shoddy proof reading and editing. I actually have no idea how Amazon records the number of times passages are underlined If I knew for certain that what I underlined would get back to the author I would go back and do so. I am a stickler for getting rid of the typos and the spots where a sentence has been changed half way. I can read a book the way it is meant to be read but I don't want to and why should you. The books received as review copies are also sold as printed copies as far as I can tell and how can a publisher let these mistakes get through? This book is particularly bad as the first typo appears on the first page. A second issue with this book concerns the time-line. We know that the action happens within a three week period at least, however, some of the days don't appear right. This would have been solved with chapter titles like Monday morning, etc just to get the readers' heads around the time line. Finally, the resolution if GOOD, even satisfying, the 'baddie' is not a real surprise, the super baddie is a real surprise and the emotional result is the natural result of all that has gone before.… (mehr)

Shallow Water is a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat story that has a bit of everything. From tension, fear, and panic to drama, romance and conflict, and joy and sorrow, there really is something for everyone. It is a suspenseful, psychological thriller fiction novel set in wonderfully scenic Pt. Redwood on California’s rural Mendocino coast.

What’s really likeable about it straight-away are the opening chapters that draw you into the main character, Clara Kendrick. She is a strong, feisty, sexy, confident, badass, writer, but is living her life under the shadow of the past. She partially blames herself for the terrible unsolved murder of her best friend Ruthi eight years ago, memories of which continue to haunt her.

Clara receives a telephone call from a relative begging her to go and visit her sick mother who she hasn't seen since she fled from her home town all those years ago. She can't bear the thought of seeing her first-love and old flame Sean again. Relationships are put to the test when she does return and past issues are brought to the fore.

But not long into her return to Pt. Redwood, another teenage girl is found on the beach in similar circumstances to Ruthi. Clara and Sean find themselves at the centre of the investigation. Is there a serial killer at large, or is the second murder a coincidence?

I felt instantly on her side of the emotional and impulsive Clara, particularly in her initial dealings with Sean, her handsome, bad-boy first-love. You can immediately sense there is something still going on, and one of the highlights of the book is following how they deal with their emotional baggage. Sean is, at first, hard to work out but you gradually get to know him as the story unfolds and see that he has many surprising qualities. Both the plot and the character development are excellent, and the story-line is very believable. The story is both captivating and engaging. It held my interest from start to finish, and I found myself rooting for both Sean and Clara as they tried to deal with all of the accusations being made against them and the courage they showed in confronting their challenges.

Shallow Water was an interesting novel particularly for the interplay of the different characters - a distant and indifferent mother, a group of exceptionally bitchy grown-up teenagers and a judgemental, close-knit community. Plenty of twists and turns ups and downs along the way and plenty of surprises. I loved the author's writing style which I found very easy to read and the suspense at times had me scared and almost afraid to read on. I loved it!

I did figure out who was behind the murders but not until very near the climax of the book and I was very satisfied with the ending. I have been inspired to read more from Amanda J. Clay and I highly recommend this book. I suggest wholeheartedly that you add it to your reading list.

Thank you to LibraryThing and the author, Amanda J. Clay for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.… (mehr)