A Drowning Tide by Sarah Lawton book review

My Review

A Drowning Tide introduces us to Merry, a red-headed woman in her fifties, living a fairly reclusive life on the Isle of Wight. She creates crossword puzzles for a living and enjoys wild swimming in her spare time. Bullied during her childhood and facing challenges at home with her alcoholic mother, Merry moved in with her Aunt Rosie at a young age. After her aunt’s passing, Merry inherited the small house they shared.

Merry has a close relationship with her neighbours, Lucas and his wife Alison. She’s known Lucas all his life and was close friends with his mother before she passed away. The story opens with a knock at Merry’s door early one morning – it’s a detective informing her that Lucas has gone missing. As the investigation unfolds, we learn that Lucas’s father also disappeared many years ago and was never found.

This disappearance drives Merry to search for answers, uncovering many long-hidden secrets along the way.

There are definite cosy crime vibes here, but with layers of toxic relationships and family secrets to unravel. One of my favourite features was how each chapter is numbered, accompanied by a crossword puzzle beneath it – the solution of which reveals the chapter’s title! I spent a lot of time trying to solve these, often revisiting them after finishing a chapter to see if the contents helped me crack the clue. At the end of the book, you will find all the individual puzzles together forming a complete crossword. I thought this was a brilliant touch! I’d definitely recommend this for fans of cosy crime and mystery.

Thank you to Black&White Publishing for inviting me to be part of this blog tour and for gifting me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest feedback.