A dead body has been found, washed up on the bank of the River Thames. DCI Tannahill has a bit of trouble identifying the body, given that someone has thoughtlessly removed the body’s head and hands. One thing does concern Tannahill though – written on the victim’s forearm is the address of Tannahill’s girlfriend, the consultant Laughton Rees.

As the body count begins to rise, it seems that someone is looking for revenge against everyone involved in a police operation decades earlier, an operation that led to the father of Rees’ daughter, amongst others, being jailed in the USA and the loss of millions of pounds worth of uncut diamonds, an operation run by Rees’ late father. And if you can’t get revenge on a dead man, maybe you can on his daughter. Or his granddaughter…

So this is the third Laughton Rees book. I loved Dark Objects, the first, but found  the second, The Clearing, disappointing, in part because the first was focussed so much on Rees, whereas the second merely had her as an investigator. And it was a bit boring.

Toyne here wisely returns to a story with Rees at the centre of events, with her relationships with her daughter, Tannahill and, to an extent, her daughter’s father, all serving to support the mystery/thriller element.

It’s a decent read, but…

…I’m wary of saying this, as it might count as a spoiler, in the sense it will confirm the reader’s suspicions as they read it…

… was I supposed to be surprised by the twist (a term I use generously)? I can understand why Rees was, but seriously, it would have been more surprising if literally there was any other reveal.

It’s an interesting book with an interesting pair of lead characters, but if you’re looking to read it for primarily the mystery or the twist, you may well be disappointed. Go back and read Dark Objects instead.

Dead Water is out tomorrow in hardback and ebook from Harper Collins. Many thanks for the opportunity to review it via NetGalley.