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Down By The Water
One photo. Seven friends. And a strange face, none of them recognise.
A group of old friends gather at a remote Scottish castle, one last weekend before Georgie's wedding. Down at the loch, they take a group photo - but what they see stops them cold.
Because there's a stranger behind them.
None of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They're miles from the nearest town. Where did he come from, and where did he go?
As the weekend unravels and terrible secrets come to light, it soon becomes clear that their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They're desperate to leave - but someone won't let them.
A group of old friends gather at a remote Scottish castle, one last weekend before Georgie's wedding. Down at the loch, they take a group photo - but what they see stops them cold.
Because there's a stranger behind them.
None of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They're miles from the nearest town. Where did he come from, and where did he go?
As the weekend unravels and terrible secrets come to light, it soon becomes clear that their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They're desperate to leave - but someone won't let them.
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2021
13 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Elle Connel
2 books7 followersElle Connel is the pseudonym of Lucy Ribchester, whose previous novels, The Hourglass Factory and The Amber Shadows, were historical thrillers. She has a first class degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a Masters in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
June 4, 2021
DOWN BY THE WATER is a mystery thriller by Elle Connel.
Seven women are on in sleeper cabins on a train bound for a castle in Scotland. This was to be a weekend retreat to reconnect where they had all met, before one of the women, Georgina gets married. They had met in university, and now years later some were married with children and others not and now the hen party was underway.
The seven women on the trip included:
Tessa- a Doctor
Harriet-had been a novelist but was now married to Freddie with two children (cool & demanding)
Melissa- a Vet (petite, bright and loyal)
Bea-Married to Mohammed with two identical twin girls (took drugs)
Alice-Married to wife Rachael
Georgie-Getting married and hosting the retreat
Harriet, Melissa and Georgie had stayed in touch since university. Georgie had asked all of her university gang best friends to be her bridesmaids at her approaching wedding.
Seven friends gather at a castle in the Scottish Borders. One last girls' weekend before Georgina's wedding. Near the castle, through a path in the woods, is a loch. After a few drinks, they head down to the water to take photos. The loch is wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful. They set their camera to self-timer and take some group shots.
And then later when they look at the pictures, they see a small boy that has drowned in the water.
But none of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They're miles from the nearest town. How did he get there? Where did he go?
As the weekend progresses more secrets and lies become known. Their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They're desperate to leave - but someone won't let them.
This well-written novel that shows how friendships over time can change, as each take their own path. Life is made up of Choices…Decisions…Consequences… You make your own path!
Many thanks to the author, Headline Books, The Book Club and NetGalley for my digital copy.
Seven women are on in sleeper cabins on a train bound for a castle in Scotland. This was to be a weekend retreat to reconnect where they had all met, before one of the women, Georgina gets married. They had met in university, and now years later some were married with children and others not and now the hen party was underway.
The seven women on the trip included:
Tessa- a Doctor
Harriet-had been a novelist but was now married to Freddie with two children (cool & demanding)
Melissa- a Vet (petite, bright and loyal)
Bea-Married to Mohammed with two identical twin girls (took drugs)
Alice-Married to wife Rachael
Georgie-Getting married and hosting the retreat
Harriet, Melissa and Georgie had stayed in touch since university. Georgie had asked all of her university gang best friends to be her bridesmaids at her approaching wedding.
Seven friends gather at a castle in the Scottish Borders. One last girls' weekend before Georgina's wedding. Near the castle, through a path in the woods, is a loch. After a few drinks, they head down to the water to take photos. The loch is wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful. They set their camera to self-timer and take some group shots.
And then later when they look at the pictures, they see a small boy that has drowned in the water.
But none of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They're miles from the nearest town. How did he get there? Where did he go?
As the weekend progresses more secrets and lies become known. Their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They're desperate to leave - but someone won't let them.
This well-written novel that shows how friendships over time can change, as each take their own path. Life is made up of Choices…Decisions…Consequences… You make your own path!
Many thanks to the author, Headline Books, The Book Club and NetGalley for my digital copy.
June 3, 2021
This is the last girls' weekend before Georgina's wedding. Seven friends, in total will be participating in the wedding. They're staying in a castle near the woods and a loch. After imbibing quite a bot, they decide to take selfie in front of the loch to post on social media.
It's only later when they are looking at the pictures, what they see is impossible ... it's the image of a young boy, emerging from the water.
They search for the boy, but are unable to locate him ... if he really exists. They are miles and miles away from the nearest town.. so where did he come from .. and where did he go?
As the weekend progresses, the ladies' perfect weekend turns into a nightmare. Secrets and lies are exposed .... and they're desperate to leave .. but someone won't let them.
So what secrets do these women have? They were all once so close ... what has happened in the intervening years?
This is a suspenseful mystery, cleverly written, with a cast of solidly defined characters. There are twists and turns that lead to a surprising conclusion. Secondary characters are intriguing and add much to the intricate plot.
Many thanks to the author / Headline Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
July 3, 2021
Down By the Water is a psychological thriller by Elle Connel, set over the course of a weekend at a hen party in a remote castle in the Scottish Borders. Said to have been partially inspired by a true story, it follows seven friends and is situated near a beautiful sea-loch, it seems like the perfect place to get away from the outside world. But the weekend is terrifyingly derailed when the girls spot the figure of a boy in one of their group photos by the water. They thought they knew each other's darkest moments, but one of them has been hiding a devastating secret.
And amid the drunken revelries of the weekend, she will find the perfect moment to wreak her revenge. This is a compulsive and richly atmospheric contemporary thriller steeped in mystery and with some heart-pounding reveals. Elle Connel uses her secluded and richly described setting to plunge readers into a perfectly chilling environment where danger – both from the natural world, and from the people you thought you could trust – lurks around every corner. Combined with the tight timeframe of one weekend, a dynamic cast of characters, and some heart-stopping and wicked twists, this makes for a truly unputdownable read.
And amid the drunken revelries of the weekend, she will find the perfect moment to wreak her revenge. This is a compulsive and richly atmospheric contemporary thriller steeped in mystery and with some heart-pounding reveals. Elle Connel uses her secluded and richly described setting to plunge readers into a perfectly chilling environment where danger – both from the natural world, and from the people you thought you could trust – lurks around every corner. Combined with the tight timeframe of one weekend, a dynamic cast of characters, and some heart-stopping and wicked twists, this makes for a truly unputdownable read.
July 8, 2021
Thank you to the author, publishers Wildfire and online book club Pigeonhole for access to read this book for free. This is an honest and voluntary review.
I love Pigeonhole. The online book club gives me access to a variety of books and the freedom to choose things I might not have otherwise tried. The stave format, where a few chapters are released a day, works for 99.999% of books, and is often used to great effect for thrillers where the stave can be ended right on a cliffhanger. However, I do think it impacted on my ability to get into this book. If I’d been reading at my own pace for example I would have found it easier to skim past the excessive recreational drug taking by grown-up professional women and might have found these characters little bit more likeable.
Tessa, Bea, Harriet, Melissa, Alice (and her wife Rachael) are travelling to an isolated castle to celebrate the hen party of university friend Georgie. Snorting ketamine is apparently an essential part of this experience. It’s the first time in years they’ve all been together, just the old friends, apart from Alice’s wife, and there are awkward moments as their new lives rub up against their student ones. Whether it’s the drugs or the sighting of a mysterious child in the background of a group photo at the aide of the castle loch, the weekend takes a dark turn.
The language of this books is really excellent in places, there are some wonderful descriptions. The revealing of some back story through old diary entries is well done, and when these begin (about half way through the book) they helped to deliver tension as I pondered ulterior motives and what the real plans were for this weekend away.
Unfortunately those positives aren’t enough to save this book for me.
First off the characters. Harriet and Melissa might as well not have been there at all. They seemed a bit superfluous to the plot and made no impact. Overall I found the characters hard to engage with. They spend most of the book high, snorting ketamine and draining the place of alcohol. It’s not even justified by the plot. It’s used as an excuse once for why someone does something (no spoilers), but other than that it just seems to be a way of making all the characters unsympathetic.
I could neither like nor hate Georgie. From very early on there are hints that the friends are scared of Georgie. They are cautious of how she will react, that perhaps sometimes she’s the life and soul of the party, but that if you anger her she’ll make your life hell. But, there are absolutely no examples of this in the book. There’s a suggestion she might have dosed mother of two Bea with ketamine in the trip there, possibly because of something she said that annoyed Georgie, but that never comes to anything. For this to have worked Georgie should have been both more charismatic and more cruel. Again, we’re told she can make someone feel special, like the centre of the world, but that’s not actually delivered in this story. Georgie just comes across as an unlikeable, basic b*tch, which made me question why any of these people had ever been friends with her.
And, then there’s the climax of the story and the ending. This was just disappointing. The author may have been trying to avoid vengeance arc cliches, but there wasn't enough substance to justify trying something else. Instead it seemed like nothing was actually resolved, or admitted, or even guilt felt. It’s left a bit open ended, so that you can think oh this might have an impact, but given that nothing else really made a difference in the plot so far, I was just left feeling ambivalent.
I love Pigeonhole. The online book club gives me access to a variety of books and the freedom to choose things I might not have otherwise tried. The stave format, where a few chapters are released a day, works for 99.999% of books, and is often used to great effect for thrillers where the stave can be ended right on a cliffhanger. However, I do think it impacted on my ability to get into this book. If I’d been reading at my own pace for example I would have found it easier to skim past the excessive recreational drug taking by grown-up professional women and might have found these characters little bit more likeable.
Tessa, Bea, Harriet, Melissa, Alice (and her wife Rachael) are travelling to an isolated castle to celebrate the hen party of university friend Georgie. Snorting ketamine is apparently an essential part of this experience. It’s the first time in years they’ve all been together, just the old friends, apart from Alice’s wife, and there are awkward moments as their new lives rub up against their student ones. Whether it’s the drugs or the sighting of a mysterious child in the background of a group photo at the aide of the castle loch, the weekend takes a dark turn.
The language of this books is really excellent in places, there are some wonderful descriptions. The revealing of some back story through old diary entries is well done, and when these begin (about half way through the book) they helped to deliver tension as I pondered ulterior motives and what the real plans were for this weekend away.
Unfortunately those positives aren’t enough to save this book for me.
First off the characters. Harriet and Melissa might as well not have been there at all. They seemed a bit superfluous to the plot and made no impact. Overall I found the characters hard to engage with. They spend most of the book high, snorting ketamine and draining the place of alcohol. It’s not even justified by the plot. It’s used as an excuse once for why someone does something (no spoilers), but other than that it just seems to be a way of making all the characters unsympathetic.
I could neither like nor hate Georgie. From very early on there are hints that the friends are scared of Georgie. They are cautious of how she will react, that perhaps sometimes she’s the life and soul of the party, but that if you anger her she’ll make your life hell. But, there are absolutely no examples of this in the book. There’s a suggestion she might have dosed mother of two Bea with ketamine in the trip there, possibly because of something she said that annoyed Georgie, but that never comes to anything. For this to have worked Georgie should have been both more charismatic and more cruel. Again, we’re told she can make someone feel special, like the centre of the world, but that’s not actually delivered in this story. Georgie just comes across as an unlikeable, basic b*tch, which made me question why any of these people had ever been friends with her.
And, then there’s the climax of the story and the ending. This was just disappointing. The author may have been trying to avoid vengeance arc cliches, but there wasn't enough substance to justify trying something else. Instead it seemed like nothing was actually resolved, or admitted, or even guilt felt. It’s left a bit open ended, so that you can think oh this might have an impact, but given that nothing else really made a difference in the plot so far, I was just left feeling ambivalent.
June 8, 2021
Seven friends are celebrating a last girls' weekend before Georgina's wedding when disaster strikes turning a perfect getaway into a nightmare from which they might never fully recover
Down by the Water by Elle Connel is a fun ,suspenseful, well written, character driven novel with surprising twists and turns that made it an entertaining read
I would like to thank the TBC Reviewers request group & the author for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review
Down by the Water by Elle Connel is a fun ,suspenseful, well written, character driven novel with surprising twists and turns that made it an entertaining read
I would like to thank the TBC Reviewers request group & the author for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review
September 20, 2021
Some wonderful descriptive writing, a great premise and setting but for me there was a general niggle that something (which I can't put my finger on) in the time of events just didn't feel believeable or add up for me.
I wanted to love this book but ended up frustrated by the cast of mostly horrible characters, the focus on food and drugs to such an extent that I kept putting it down and procrastinating before coming back to read. I did finish the book and the second half was much better than the first.
I'd say that I'm in the minority with this one as looking at reviews others have loved it and recommended it highy to those who loved The Hunting Party and Dark Wood.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read.
I wanted to love this book but ended up frustrated by the cast of mostly horrible characters, the focus on food and drugs to such an extent that I kept putting it down and procrastinating before coming back to read. I did finish the book and the second half was much better than the first.
I'd say that I'm in the minority with this one as looking at reviews others have loved it and recommended it highy to those who loved The Hunting Party and Dark Wood.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read.
July 24, 2021
Down By the Water is a psychological thriller by Elle Connel set in a remote castle in the Scottish Borders. Seven friends are at a hen party weekend staying near a picturesque sea-loch. The seven women think they all know each other, but which of them has a devasting secret and who is the mystery person emerging from the water in one of their group self- timed photographs?
I really enjoyed this richly atmospheric mystery tale. The author created a real sense of unease and danger through her sinister descriptions of the chilling locale and the characterisation was also well done. With some wicked twists splashed about, this was a compelling and engrossing read.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline/ Wildfire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
I really enjoyed this richly atmospheric mystery tale. The author created a real sense of unease and danger through her sinister descriptions of the chilling locale and the characterisation was also well done. With some wicked twists splashed about, this was a compelling and engrossing read.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline/ Wildfire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
June 28, 2021
There is huge rate of personal growth which occurs between leaving school and going to university, a whole new world where you have the chance to re-invent yourself and shed the cocoon of childhood and parental expectations. And then, as a grown up, the friendships you make are often mistaken for genuine closeness because a part of you is clinging to a time which no longer exists, a time when you were somehow freer than you ever had a chance to be again.
This is what 'Down By The Water' explores, the contrast between the friends who knew each other since university, and yet, beyond Whatsapp chats, haven't seen each other for the best part of a decade or more. Tessa,now an anaesthetist, has been charged with finding a suitable venue for the hen weekend and picks a Scottish castle, not far from where 6 of them went to uni. Alice, an unknown quantity who studied maths and computer science, is working in a job she is not allowed to explain. Mel is a vet, Georgie works in fashion, Harriet was an author and now writes a 'mummy blog', and Bea is a librarian. Completing the group is Rachael, a doctoral candidate who studies pumas and is married to Alice, who wedged her into this group, making her a token outsider.
The scene and tone is set right from the start, will the women fall into their assigned roles or have they moved on now that they have adult responsibilities such as partners, children, professional jobs?
Tessa is identified as the 'mum' of the group, the one others turn to when they are in trouble and this is shown from the beginning where she refuses to join the others in acquiring, or taking ketamine on the train journey to the hen weekend. It is her and Bea's voices which come through as the protagonists , in contrast to the bitterness, bickering and underlying tension which mars almost every conversation.
Georgie is marrying her long term boyfriend, Jack, and all the women have come laden with premium quality food stuffs, wine, champagne and more ketamine. The castle they are staying in is absolutely cut off, no wi-fi, no internet, no calling for help. Immediately you are concerned about how many of them will be coming back on the return train....
When estate keeper Tom comes and tells them the weekend needs to stretch until Monday due to a fallen tree that cannot be moved until then, the women are on tenterhooks. The isolated setting, the unexplainable boy who has appeared in a picture at the loch's edge, and bizarrely missing food acts as a fuse to the steadily increasing levels of bitterness. Add in narcotics, too much alcohol and hidden passages and suddenly it seems as if the castle was chosen for them, with a specific aim in mind.
But whose?
And what are they aiming for?
An apology or revenge in the form of murder?
This is such a deeply affecting novel, which looks at the internal and external pressures which women put on each other in the context of friendships. It is very realistic, the awkwardness of them all meeting up, and not only being aware of how much they have grown, but also why they have not been as close as maybe you would expect them to be.
It is also desperately sad for reasons which I cannot go into(spoilers, sweetie!), and explores the nature of identity, conformity and growing up but not necessarily growing older. This is a weekend of hedonism and relaxation in preparation for a wonderful occasion, however, there is a darkness under the surface which firstly threatens, and secondly springs up in the women's faces like a time bomb waiting for the perfect moment to ignite.
I would absolutely recommend it, I devoured the entire novel over the course of an afternoon, through into the early hours of the next morning and found it deeply affecting.
This is what 'Down By The Water' explores, the contrast between the friends who knew each other since university, and yet, beyond Whatsapp chats, haven't seen each other for the best part of a decade or more. Tessa,now an anaesthetist, has been charged with finding a suitable venue for the hen weekend and picks a Scottish castle, not far from where 6 of them went to uni. Alice, an unknown quantity who studied maths and computer science, is working in a job she is not allowed to explain. Mel is a vet, Georgie works in fashion, Harriet was an author and now writes a 'mummy blog', and Bea is a librarian. Completing the group is Rachael, a doctoral candidate who studies pumas and is married to Alice, who wedged her into this group, making her a token outsider.
The scene and tone is set right from the start, will the women fall into their assigned roles or have they moved on now that they have adult responsibilities such as partners, children, professional jobs?
Tessa is identified as the 'mum' of the group, the one others turn to when they are in trouble and this is shown from the beginning where she refuses to join the others in acquiring, or taking ketamine on the train journey to the hen weekend. It is her and Bea's voices which come through as the protagonists , in contrast to the bitterness, bickering and underlying tension which mars almost every conversation.
Georgie is marrying her long term boyfriend, Jack, and all the women have come laden with premium quality food stuffs, wine, champagne and more ketamine. The castle they are staying in is absolutely cut off, no wi-fi, no internet, no calling for help. Immediately you are concerned about how many of them will be coming back on the return train....
When estate keeper Tom comes and tells them the weekend needs to stretch until Monday due to a fallen tree that cannot be moved until then, the women are on tenterhooks. The isolated setting, the unexplainable boy who has appeared in a picture at the loch's edge, and bizarrely missing food acts as a fuse to the steadily increasing levels of bitterness. Add in narcotics, too much alcohol and hidden passages and suddenly it seems as if the castle was chosen for them, with a specific aim in mind.
But whose?
And what are they aiming for?
An apology or revenge in the form of murder?
This is such a deeply affecting novel, which looks at the internal and external pressures which women put on each other in the context of friendships. It is very realistic, the awkwardness of them all meeting up, and not only being aware of how much they have grown, but also why they have not been as close as maybe you would expect them to be.
It is also desperately sad for reasons which I cannot go into(spoilers, sweetie!), and explores the nature of identity, conformity and growing up but not necessarily growing older. This is a weekend of hedonism and relaxation in preparation for a wonderful occasion, however, there is a darkness under the surface which firstly threatens, and secondly springs up in the women's faces like a time bomb waiting for the perfect moment to ignite.
I would absolutely recommend it, I devoured the entire novel over the course of an afternoon, through into the early hours of the next morning and found it deeply affecting.
July 11, 2021
This is a book of two halves. It uses the well known format of a trip away with a group of friends where something will go wrong. In this instance it is a hen weekend in a Scottish castle featuring Georgie the bride to be and her university friends, Alice (and her partner Rachel), Harriet, Melissa, Bea and Tessa.
The first part ensures the reader detests every single character. They are selfish, unkind, secretive and full of booze and drugs. They come across as an extremely unlikely group for anything happy to happen to. There is an oppressive sense of foreboding fuelled by the women's recklessness which could potentially put readers off. My advice? Find your way through the haar to the cottage in the grounds and Bea's discovery of a diary, and then you are promised a wealth of mystery, doubt, confusion and suspicion.
The women certainly are not all they appear to be but as the story continues we are challenged to revise our opinion of at least one or two characters, well I was! I found what then followed deeply saddening and tragic but it did make sense of the plot and one character's motivations in particular.
I enjoyed the way in which the past caught up with the present and even beyond the weekend at the castle into the future. There was a twist right near the close of the story and a very fitting ending which made me feel some hope for one hard working doctor.
This is not the supernatural read some might think it will be given the synopsis but rather a messy unravelling of friendships and revenge.
Thank you to the author and Pigeonhole for allowing me the opportunity to read Down By the Water.
The first part ensures the reader detests every single character. They are selfish, unkind, secretive and full of booze and drugs. They come across as an extremely unlikely group for anything happy to happen to. There is an oppressive sense of foreboding fuelled by the women's recklessness which could potentially put readers off. My advice? Find your way through the haar to the cottage in the grounds and Bea's discovery of a diary, and then you are promised a wealth of mystery, doubt, confusion and suspicion.
The women certainly are not all they appear to be but as the story continues we are challenged to revise our opinion of at least one or two characters, well I was! I found what then followed deeply saddening and tragic but it did make sense of the plot and one character's motivations in particular.
I enjoyed the way in which the past caught up with the present and even beyond the weekend at the castle into the future. There was a twist right near the close of the story and a very fitting ending which made me feel some hope for one hard working doctor.
This is not the supernatural read some might think it will be given the synopsis but rather a messy unravelling of friendships and revenge.
Thank you to the author and Pigeonhole for allowing me the opportunity to read Down By the Water.
July 11, 2021
I liked this, but wanted to love it. A hen party trip to a Scottish castle for bride to be Georgie, with a group of friends who haven’t been together for years. There’s a mysterious ghostly boy in a photograph and a spooky incident with a snake, but there’s also a good backstory involving the bride, the bride’s best friend and a mystery woman.
I was hoping for a crime, or a big event but felt there was something decisive missing from the plot.
Having said that, this is a group of women you can define love to hate. They are self-obsessed and take a lot of drugs. They are also remarkably lacking in curiosity about each others’ lives. Georgie, the bride, is an absolute horror. She does at least get more or less what she deserves.
Great, lyrical writing in a lot of places. Just a bit less than it could have been I think.
Read with The Pigeonhole.
I was hoping for a crime, or a big event but felt there was something decisive missing from the plot.
Having said that, this is a group of women you can define love to hate. They are self-obsessed and take a lot of drugs. They are also remarkably lacking in curiosity about each others’ lives. Georgie, the bride, is an absolute horror. She does at least get more or less what she deserves.
Great, lyrical writing in a lot of places. Just a bit less than it could have been I think.
Read with The Pigeonhole.
July 14, 2021
This was such a brilliantly written novel, been so long that I read a proper crazy, darkly chilling psychological thriller. It's all about the vibes really, the plot sounds just like any other, a group of friends go to a secluded place for a vacation and then all the dark secrets start to come out (one of my favorite plot settings!), but there was something dark, mad, and spooky about this story. I couldn't figure out where the story was headed until the very end, and the ending was just as crazy, goosebump stuff, and I loved it! Very much recommended! But do take a look at the TW before heading in.
Thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the eARC. All opinions are myown.
Thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the eARC. All opinions are myown.
July 8, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The atmospheric descriptions were wonderful and the writing was excellent, beautiful at times! The characters were well thought out and mostly unlikable and untrustworthy meaning anything was possible. The occasional spooky element was great, just my cup of tea and I wanted more! A bit heavy on the alcohol and drugs early on though but that is just my opinion. A great plot and an entertaining read. Thank you Pigeonhole and Elle for this fantastic opportunity.
June 1, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
May 21, 2021
This book was tense from the beginning and the group of women involved just kept adding to it. There were quite a few characters and sometimes I struggled to remember who was who apart from the main two characters.
The story flows quite quickly and I soon became immersed in it which led to many extra chapters being consumed when I should have been doing other things. The novel relies on a back story of the women's past relationships and this was really well threaded into the present day. The main character Tess was obviously troubled and I was desperate to know why.
The story basis was one lots of people can relate to; the changing of friendships over time and as lives invariably take differing paths, these may become broken.
This is a really good psychological thriller which I totally recommend.
The story flows quite quickly and I soon became immersed in it which led to many extra chapters being consumed when I should have been doing other things. The novel relies on a back story of the women's past relationships and this was really well threaded into the present day. The main character Tess was obviously troubled and I was desperate to know why.
The story basis was one lots of people can relate to; the changing of friendships over time and as lives invariably take differing paths, these may become broken.
This is a really good psychological thriller which I totally recommend.
July 12, 2021
I struggled a little with the first part of this book. There were several female characters who I felt I didn’t get to know. Perhaps a little more of a back story would have helped to flesh them out. None of them were likeable and I just didn’t feel that I could relate to them. When they were having conversations I couldn’t differentiate between them, apart from Tessa and Georgie. The book did pick up though once we were given an insight into something that had happened in the past, and at all times I felt compelled to read on, despite my dislike of the characters. There was some beautiful writing particularly in the latter part of the book. Thank you to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this book.
June 18, 2021
Any kind of relationship requires work to maintain it so if you can spend time reconnecting as the place you met then that that can help especially if one of your is getting married. Seven women do just that and the events that follow is eerie and menacing. There were some of these characters that I definitely didn't connect with but the plot more than made up for it. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
November 4, 2021
Dreadful
There are no sympathetic characters, I didn’t care about any of them. I gave up half way through it was so dreadful.
There are no sympathetic characters, I didn’t care about any of them. I gave up half way through it was so dreadful.
July 3, 2024
There are many reasons why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but one of those is that sometimes the cover looks a lot better than the contents. Elle Connel’s “Down By the Water” gave off the impression that it would be a decent chiller with the potential for twists and intrigue and the positive comment from a novelist I have been a fan of for many years drew me in further. But it all turned out to be covering and the reality was almost too disappointing for words.
Seven friends, some of whom haven’t seen each other since their University days around a decade earlier, have reunited for a hen weekend before Georgie’s wedding. It doesn’t have an auspicious start when one of their number takes too much ketamine and has a medical episode on the train to Scotland, but worse is to happen when a group photo taken on their first evening is found to contain a mysterious figure who none of them saw.
As their food runs low surprisingly quickly and a fallen tree blocks their route away from the weekend, the seven discover that they’ve had good reason not to be together for years. The divisions grow and the discovery of an old diary suggests that at least one of their number might have a deep secret which would give them motive to hurt some of the others. The lack of food and the addition of copious amounts of alcohol and drugs may take them back to when they were friends, but does nothing to bring them together.
Even writing it that way makes me excited to read the novel again, even knowing how it ends. But the best writing and certainly the most imaginative work of fiction, is in the precis and the supposed reviewer’s comments on the cover. For this is not a work that contains secrets that will be unravelled, or actions that will have consequences, or relationships that will be torn asunder. No, this is a novel that contains virtually nothing at all and certainly nothing of merit.
To start, the seven women are barely likeable and the sniping at each other gets very old quite quickly. There is the occasional redeeming feature from one or the other, but never from the same one and it’s difficult to keep them all straight at some points, as even in a group this size, there is a blurring between characters, so poorly written are they. Although a part of that may not be bad writing, as much as it is so little encouragement for the reader to engage that’s it’s a complete lack of giving a damn on the part of the reader.
Then there is the plot, which beyond seven women getting together to get drunk, take drugs and argue, goes precisely nowhere. Indeed, it’s a relief that one of them finds and reads the hidden diary, as the only things of note in the plot are the ones that happened years before, as nothing happened at the time. This was the very worst of soap opera television, as everyone sits around and argues, but nobody actually does anything and this novel reminded me over and over why I don’t watch that kind of television.
I read a novel recently where the setting was far better written than the plot, but “Down By the Water” doesn’t even have that redeeming feature. Being on the edge of a loch, the scenery could have been beautiful and stark and added some atmosphere, but there is little description of the location, either inside the buildings or outside and it is only when one slips away to read the diary that there is a sense of anything approaching comfort and it’s ironic that a decent depiction getting lost in a book should appear here, in a book that does nothing to make you want to curl up and read it.
I struggled through, in the desperate hope that there might be a twist, or a late moment where all the secrets come out and something exciting happened, but I waited in vain. There was a brief moment where the pace picked up and the novel stood a chance of dragging itself out of the ditch it was in, but that soon passed and the very ending felt like an avoidance technique that wasn’t required, as the whole novel had avoided anything approaching decent reading.
Seven friends, some of whom haven’t seen each other since their University days around a decade earlier, have reunited for a hen weekend before Georgie’s wedding. It doesn’t have an auspicious start when one of their number takes too much ketamine and has a medical episode on the train to Scotland, but worse is to happen when a group photo taken on their first evening is found to contain a mysterious figure who none of them saw.
As their food runs low surprisingly quickly and a fallen tree blocks their route away from the weekend, the seven discover that they’ve had good reason not to be together for years. The divisions grow and the discovery of an old diary suggests that at least one of their number might have a deep secret which would give them motive to hurt some of the others. The lack of food and the addition of copious amounts of alcohol and drugs may take them back to when they were friends, but does nothing to bring them together.
Even writing it that way makes me excited to read the novel again, even knowing how it ends. But the best writing and certainly the most imaginative work of fiction, is in the precis and the supposed reviewer’s comments on the cover. For this is not a work that contains secrets that will be unravelled, or actions that will have consequences, or relationships that will be torn asunder. No, this is a novel that contains virtually nothing at all and certainly nothing of merit.
To start, the seven women are barely likeable and the sniping at each other gets very old quite quickly. There is the occasional redeeming feature from one or the other, but never from the same one and it’s difficult to keep them all straight at some points, as even in a group this size, there is a blurring between characters, so poorly written are they. Although a part of that may not be bad writing, as much as it is so little encouragement for the reader to engage that’s it’s a complete lack of giving a damn on the part of the reader.
Then there is the plot, which beyond seven women getting together to get drunk, take drugs and argue, goes precisely nowhere. Indeed, it’s a relief that one of them finds and reads the hidden diary, as the only things of note in the plot are the ones that happened years before, as nothing happened at the time. This was the very worst of soap opera television, as everyone sits around and argues, but nobody actually does anything and this novel reminded me over and over why I don’t watch that kind of television.
I read a novel recently where the setting was far better written than the plot, but “Down By the Water” doesn’t even have that redeeming feature. Being on the edge of a loch, the scenery could have been beautiful and stark and added some atmosphere, but there is little description of the location, either inside the buildings or outside and it is only when one slips away to read the diary that there is a sense of anything approaching comfort and it’s ironic that a decent depiction getting lost in a book should appear here, in a book that does nothing to make you want to curl up and read it.
I struggled through, in the desperate hope that there might be a twist, or a late moment where all the secrets come out and something exciting happened, but I waited in vain. There was a brief moment where the pace picked up and the novel stood a chance of dragging itself out of the ditch it was in, but that soon passed and the very ending felt like an avoidance technique that wasn’t required, as the whole novel had avoided anything approaching decent reading.
September 4, 2021
A group of university friends are reuniting for a weekend away before one of their number gets married. All the friends are to be be bridesmaids for Georgie, who is essentially the guest of honour, but the trip will bring back the girls bring the girls back to Scotland for a castle getaway and a drunken party. As you can tell from the blurb (above) things are not going to go smoothly.
The problems begin on the train North. Although the friends all met at St Andrews University they now all live back in England and are returning to Scotland as a nod to their time together. This entails a long train journey and the drinking begins on the train. In the night Tessa is woken from her sleep and called to help one of their number (Bea) who has taken drugs and is in a bad state. As the only medic in their midst Tessa is called to assist.
This incident sets the scope of the characters well. All the girls will be drinking through the story, drugs are accepted and enjoyed too and this makes some of their choices and reactions interesting as events unfold. We also learn from an early stage that Tessa is seen as the more practical member of their number, that Bea is more vulnerable and that the friends will close ranks and try to resolve problems internally without seeking outside support. A close group who, despite not seeing each other for a number of years, still revert back to old patterns of friendship.
Interestingly as the story plays out and the friends settle into their remote castle for their weekend retreat we see the power dynamics change. Georgie is the bride to be and the largest personality of the group, Tessa appears the more practical and the peacemaker. But these friends have not seen each other for a number of years and any easy companionship they may have previously had is now altered as their lives changed. Within the group of seven there will be sniping, bitching and outright hostility. They will try to overcome these differences for the sake of harmony over the weekend but the drink and drugs will fuel hosilities and loosen any tongues which may otherwise have been curbed.
Within their party there are secrets and old resentments. Why has Georgie suddenly brought together the university crowd and not any of her friends from work? Why does Bea keep disappearing and what is the book she is reading? Why has Tessa booked such a remote place to gather? Why does the castle’s owner act so strangely around the friends? Then, most shockingly of all, how did none of the girls spot the young boy rising out of the loch behind them as they posed for a group selfie? The chilling vision in their photograph gives all the events a decidely creepy feel.
Elle Connel has done a fantasic job making these “friends” a compelling read. The Amazon listing suggests this book is for readers that enjoyed In A Dark, Dark Wood and The Hunting Party. Having read both those books I can see why they are suggested. The tension from In A Dark, Dark Wood is very much present. The Hunting Party brought together a group of friends who were all extremely unpleasant individuals. While Down by the Water does have a few unpleasant characters their toxicity is nowhere near as bad as The Hunting Party. For me, this makes Down by the Water much more enjoyable to read as I could become more invested in the welfare of the characters and actually care if they were to survive to the end of the book.
Thrillers built around secrets are always a good read. When the reader is learning the secrets at the same time as the characters you can’t help but look for clues as to where the story may be heading. Down by the Water did the slow reveals very well and (no spoilers) by the end of the book you may find your sympathies and frustrations at some of the characters have changed over the course of the story. Very nicely pitched and the pacing and reveals were spot on – I enjoyed this one.
The problems begin on the train North. Although the friends all met at St Andrews University they now all live back in England and are returning to Scotland as a nod to their time together. This entails a long train journey and the drinking begins on the train. In the night Tessa is woken from her sleep and called to help one of their number (Bea) who has taken drugs and is in a bad state. As the only medic in their midst Tessa is called to assist.
This incident sets the scope of the characters well. All the girls will be drinking through the story, drugs are accepted and enjoyed too and this makes some of their choices and reactions interesting as events unfold. We also learn from an early stage that Tessa is seen as the more practical member of their number, that Bea is more vulnerable and that the friends will close ranks and try to resolve problems internally without seeking outside support. A close group who, despite not seeing each other for a number of years, still revert back to old patterns of friendship.
Interestingly as the story plays out and the friends settle into their remote castle for their weekend retreat we see the power dynamics change. Georgie is the bride to be and the largest personality of the group, Tessa appears the more practical and the peacemaker. But these friends have not seen each other for a number of years and any easy companionship they may have previously had is now altered as their lives changed. Within the group of seven there will be sniping, bitching and outright hostility. They will try to overcome these differences for the sake of harmony over the weekend but the drink and drugs will fuel hosilities and loosen any tongues which may otherwise have been curbed.
Within their party there are secrets and old resentments. Why has Georgie suddenly brought together the university crowd and not any of her friends from work? Why does Bea keep disappearing and what is the book she is reading? Why has Tessa booked such a remote place to gather? Why does the castle’s owner act so strangely around the friends? Then, most shockingly of all, how did none of the girls spot the young boy rising out of the loch behind them as they posed for a group selfie? The chilling vision in their photograph gives all the events a decidely creepy feel.
Elle Connel has done a fantasic job making these “friends” a compelling read. The Amazon listing suggests this book is for readers that enjoyed In A Dark, Dark Wood and The Hunting Party. Having read both those books I can see why they are suggested. The tension from In A Dark, Dark Wood is very much present. The Hunting Party brought together a group of friends who were all extremely unpleasant individuals. While Down by the Water does have a few unpleasant characters their toxicity is nowhere near as bad as The Hunting Party. For me, this makes Down by the Water much more enjoyable to read as I could become more invested in the welfare of the characters and actually care if they were to survive to the end of the book.
Thrillers built around secrets are always a good read. When the reader is learning the secrets at the same time as the characters you can’t help but look for clues as to where the story may be heading. Down by the Water did the slow reveals very well and (no spoilers) by the end of the book you may find your sympathies and frustrations at some of the characters have changed over the course of the story. Very nicely pitched and the pacing and reveals were spot on – I enjoyed this one.
July 13, 2021
This seriously intense and suspenseful thriller centres around seven women
Tessa, Bea, Harriet, Georgie, Rachael, Melissa and Alice and the events that occur over Georgie's hen weekend. They find themselves staying in a old castle that looks like a building from a Disney film and is situated near a loch in the Scottish Highlands. They plan to have a weekend of drinking, getting high, stupid party games, reminiscing about their pasts and catching up on what has been going on in their lives since they were all together as a group. But even before they arrive at their destination, it becomes glaringly apparent that there is a toxic atmosphere amongst the group and that some of the friends are not as close as they pretend to be. Things take a strange turn when not long after they arrive at the castle, the image of a drenched young boy emerging from the loch is captured in the background of one of their photographs, then their supplies start mysteriously disappearing. Their perfect weekend is turning into a living nightmare but when some of them decide that they want to leave, they are informed by the estate manager Tom that one of the roads is blocked by a fallen tree. So they find themselves stranded, in the middle of nowhere with no wi-fi, no phone signal and at the mercy of a unknown enemy who had their own personal reasons for luring the friends to that particular location.
You sometimes find in large groups of friends that their is usually someone who is the most popular member of the group and someone who always seems to be a bit of a outsider. In this story, Tessa saw herself as the outsider whilst Georgie was the one that the rest of the group were constantly worried about keeping happy and believe me, keeping her happy wasn't a easy task. My personal favourite from the group was Bea, the other six women I thought were quite irritating and unlikable for various reasons especially Georgie although I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit of admiration for Alice after she revealed what her mysterious occupation was. There was times when the atmosphere amongst the women was more toxic that a nest of rattlesnakes, some of the comments that were being bandied about had more sting in them that a snake bite.
Interspersed throughout the main story was chapters where we followed Bea as she found ways to escape the other members of the group and immerse herself in the pages of a diary that she had found. She found herself captivated by the heart breaking story of a teenage girl who developed feelings for a boy named Jack and found herself manipulated, betrayed, abused and then basically abandoned by everyone she should have been able to rely on for support. But who was this person and how did her story fit into events that were unfolding in the present day?
Omg, I thought this books was absolutely bloody incredible, a beautifully written, atmospheric,intense, suspense packed thriller that contained all the elements that I wish to find in a thriller. The isolated setting, the castle, the forest and the loch were intricately described with enough detail that you could close your eyes and place yourself there in your head. As with some human beings, mother nature can also be so beautiful and yet she also has a destructive side, a hidden darkness that can cause life changing devastation. The women were a diverse group of realistic individuals,each with their own unique personalities and character traits. I would love to watch a film or tv adaptation of this unputdownable, addictive read that is worthy of all the stars and more and very very highly recommended. I loved this book and it's definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of this year.
Tessa, Bea, Harriet, Georgie, Rachael, Melissa and Alice and the events that occur over Georgie's hen weekend. They find themselves staying in a old castle that looks like a building from a Disney film and is situated near a loch in the Scottish Highlands. They plan to have a weekend of drinking, getting high, stupid party games, reminiscing about their pasts and catching up on what has been going on in their lives since they were all together as a group. But even before they arrive at their destination, it becomes glaringly apparent that there is a toxic atmosphere amongst the group and that some of the friends are not as close as they pretend to be. Things take a strange turn when not long after they arrive at the castle, the image of a drenched young boy emerging from the loch is captured in the background of one of their photographs, then their supplies start mysteriously disappearing. Their perfect weekend is turning into a living nightmare but when some of them decide that they want to leave, they are informed by the estate manager Tom that one of the roads is blocked by a fallen tree. So they find themselves stranded, in the middle of nowhere with no wi-fi, no phone signal and at the mercy of a unknown enemy who had their own personal reasons for luring the friends to that particular location.
You sometimes find in large groups of friends that their is usually someone who is the most popular member of the group and someone who always seems to be a bit of a outsider. In this story, Tessa saw herself as the outsider whilst Georgie was the one that the rest of the group were constantly worried about keeping happy and believe me, keeping her happy wasn't a easy task. My personal favourite from the group was Bea, the other six women I thought were quite irritating and unlikable for various reasons especially Georgie although I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit of admiration for Alice after she revealed what her mysterious occupation was. There was times when the atmosphere amongst the women was more toxic that a nest of rattlesnakes, some of the comments that were being bandied about had more sting in them that a snake bite.
Interspersed throughout the main story was chapters where we followed Bea as she found ways to escape the other members of the group and immerse herself in the pages of a diary that she had found. She found herself captivated by the heart breaking story of a teenage girl who developed feelings for a boy named Jack and found herself manipulated, betrayed, abused and then basically abandoned by everyone she should have been able to rely on for support. But who was this person and how did her story fit into events that were unfolding in the present day?
Omg, I thought this books was absolutely bloody incredible, a beautifully written, atmospheric,intense, suspense packed thriller that contained all the elements that I wish to find in a thriller. The isolated setting, the castle, the forest and the loch were intricately described with enough detail that you could close your eyes and place yourself there in your head. As with some human beings, mother nature can also be so beautiful and yet she also has a destructive side, a hidden darkness that can cause life changing devastation. The women were a diverse group of realistic individuals,each with their own unique personalities and character traits. I would love to watch a film or tv adaptation of this unputdownable, addictive read that is worthy of all the stars and more and very very highly recommended. I loved this book and it's definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of this year.
July 12, 2021
'Down By The Water' by Elle Connel is a twisted and dark thriller that I found a compulsive read.
Seven friends gather at a castle in the Scottish Borders. One last weekend before Georgie’s wedding. Near the castle, through a path in the woods, is a loch. After a few drinks, they head down to the water to take photos. The loch is wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful. They set their camera to self-timer and take some group shots. Later, looking back at the pictures, they see something impossible.
Behind them, eyes wide, a small, drenched boy emerges from the water.
But none of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They’re miles from the nearest town. How did he get there? Where did he go?
As the weekend unravels and terrible secrets come to light, it soon becomes clear that their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They’re desperate to leave – but someone won’t let them.
A weekend away in a castle with all your best friends, surely this is set to be the best time of your life as a single woman...think again. They all plan this to be a memorable occasion and maybe it will be, but not for the reasons they think.
A walk down to the Loch that is near the castle is the plan, a gorgeous backdrop for their pictures to keep as keepsakes for the future. As they look at their pictures they see a small boy, wet through from the loch, eyes wide open. None of them recollect the boy, and wonder where did he come from so late at night and where did he go to? This is the beginning of a chain of events that terrifies them, makes them want to pack up and leave immediately, but they are being watched and the watcher will do anything to keep them there.
Well, as I said, dark and twisted, as well as terrifying at times. This book actually gave me goosebumps. Elle Connel has created a perfect setting, so perfect that I was dying to read on and yet, a little scared of what was coming next. She has shown perfectly the tensions that can be present in a friendship group such as Georgie and the rest. The fact that everything seems perfect on the surface when everybody is hiding something and the lengths people go to, to protect themselves. This is definitely a book that will make you think about your own friendships and even relationships.
A highly recommended read if you like your books on the darker side. Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Elle Connel for my copy of the book to bring you my honest thoughts.
Seven friends gather at a castle in the Scottish Borders. One last weekend before Georgie’s wedding. Near the castle, through a path in the woods, is a loch. After a few drinks, they head down to the water to take photos. The loch is wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful. They set their camera to self-timer and take some group shots. Later, looking back at the pictures, they see something impossible.
Behind them, eyes wide, a small, drenched boy emerges from the water.
But none of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They’re miles from the nearest town. How did he get there? Where did he go?
As the weekend unravels and terrible secrets come to light, it soon becomes clear that their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They’re desperate to leave – but someone won’t let them.
A weekend away in a castle with all your best friends, surely this is set to be the best time of your life as a single woman...think again. They all plan this to be a memorable occasion and maybe it will be, but not for the reasons they think.
A walk down to the Loch that is near the castle is the plan, a gorgeous backdrop for their pictures to keep as keepsakes for the future. As they look at their pictures they see a small boy, wet through from the loch, eyes wide open. None of them recollect the boy, and wonder where did he come from so late at night and where did he go to? This is the beginning of a chain of events that terrifies them, makes them want to pack up and leave immediately, but they are being watched and the watcher will do anything to keep them there.
Well, as I said, dark and twisted, as well as terrifying at times. This book actually gave me goosebumps. Elle Connel has created a perfect setting, so perfect that I was dying to read on and yet, a little scared of what was coming next. She has shown perfectly the tensions that can be present in a friendship group such as Georgie and the rest. The fact that everything seems perfect on the surface when everybody is hiding something and the lengths people go to, to protect themselves. This is definitely a book that will make you think about your own friendships and even relationships.
A highly recommended read if you like your books on the darker side. Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Elle Connel for my copy of the book to bring you my honest thoughts.
July 17, 2023
Tl;dr: Down by the Water by Elle Connel is a fast-paced psychological mystery that keeps the thrill and suspense going throughout most chapters. However, it unfortunately lacked depth and failed to provide sufficient context behind characters and their actions for me to fully enjoy the read.
In Down by the Water, the story follows seven girls on a hen party weekend in a Scottish castle surrounded by wilderness of the sea loch. With unexplained incidents involving snakes, drugs, a "ghost" kid, and a terrifying secret, the book keeps you engaged from start to finish.
The book excels in creating a sense of urgency and mystery, ensuring that readers are constantly hooked. The pace of the story is brisk, making it a fast read that you won't want to put down. The author skillfully captures the essence of how childhood friendships evolve over time, adding depth to the characters' relationships.
However, there are a few drawbacks to note. At times, the story deviates from the core mystery, which can feel like a drag. Additionally, once Charlie's diary is introduced, everything becomes predictable, taking away some of the suspense. The secondary characters, like Ethan and Tom, are not given sufficient attention, leaving their backstories and motivations unexplained.
The relationship between Tessa and her twin sister Charlie, which forms the foundation of the story, lacks depth and could have been explored further. Furthermore, crucial aspects of the plot, such as Tessa and Ethan's inability to connect and Tom's support of Tessa's revenge scheme, are left unexplained.
Additionally, Tessa's motivations for organizing the Hen weekend are unclear. It would have been interesting to delve into what she sought from Georgie, whether it was a confession, admission of guilt, closure, or revenge. Instead, the narrative includes random dramatic moments that feel disconnected from the main plot.
Despite these drawbacks, Down by the Water remains an enjoyable read, especially for fans of psychological mysteries. The fast pace and authentic characters make it a gripping experience, keeping you engaged throughout most chapters. While the story may stray at times and some characters lack development, the book still delivers a satisfying dose of suspense and mystery.
In Down by the Water, the story follows seven girls on a hen party weekend in a Scottish castle surrounded by wilderness of the sea loch. With unexplained incidents involving snakes, drugs, a "ghost" kid, and a terrifying secret, the book keeps you engaged from start to finish.
The book excels in creating a sense of urgency and mystery, ensuring that readers are constantly hooked. The pace of the story is brisk, making it a fast read that you won't want to put down. The author skillfully captures the essence of how childhood friendships evolve over time, adding depth to the characters' relationships.
However, there are a few drawbacks to note. At times, the story deviates from the core mystery, which can feel like a drag. Additionally, once Charlie's diary is introduced, everything becomes predictable, taking away some of the suspense. The secondary characters, like Ethan and Tom, are not given sufficient attention, leaving their backstories and motivations unexplained.
The relationship between Tessa and her twin sister Charlie, which forms the foundation of the story, lacks depth and could have been explored further. Furthermore, crucial aspects of the plot, such as Tessa and Ethan's inability to connect and Tom's support of Tessa's revenge scheme, are left unexplained.
Additionally, Tessa's motivations for organizing the Hen weekend are unclear. It would have been interesting to delve into what she sought from Georgie, whether it was a confession, admission of guilt, closure, or revenge. Instead, the narrative includes random dramatic moments that feel disconnected from the main plot.
Despite these drawbacks, Down by the Water remains an enjoyable read, especially for fans of psychological mysteries. The fast pace and authentic characters make it a gripping experience, keeping you engaged throughout most chapters. While the story may stray at times and some characters lack development, the book still delivers a satisfying dose of suspense and mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2021
Down by the Water tells of six women who were friends at university but have gradually drifted apart over time, the group are now gathered in a remote Scottish castle for a hen-weekend for bride-to-be Georgie. After drinks, they make their way to the shoreline of the nearby loch and take photos, which when viewed later show a small, drenched boy emerging from the water....but where did he come from? Where did he go? How did they not notice him at the time?
The synopsis could give the impression of the book being a supernatural thriller, but instead it's a slow building and atmospheric read as the threads of toxic friendship are gradually unravelled to reveal the rot at the very core. There are some "spooky" moments but it's the elegance of the writing which makes this such an atmospheric read. It's definitely a slow build, and some might find that the initial stages, where we get to know our cast of seven (the six friends, plus the wife of one of the original group), a bit drawn out. They are a hard bunch to like and the liberal use of alcohol and drugs only seems to emphasis how unpleasant and self-absorbed they all are. There are exceptions and one or two of the characters have redeeming qualities, especially as we get to know them more.
As we progress through the book, a second thread to the narrative, in the form of a hidden diary, is woven through and more secrets spill out. I can't say much more without spoilers but there are some bits where we have to suspend disbelief a little to believe that this group of supposedly close friends were not all privy to some of the information which comes to light, but this is counterbalanced by some very well written poetic parallels in some scenes.
Again, without spoilers, I found the ending a little weak and disappointing as it had generally been a cleverly plotted and well written book throughout, so I think I was expecting more from the finale. That said, a good read overall with a steadily building tension which would probably be even more pronounced if not read in daily released staves through Pigeonhole. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
The synopsis could give the impression of the book being a supernatural thriller, but instead it's a slow building and atmospheric read as the threads of toxic friendship are gradually unravelled to reveal the rot at the very core. There are some "spooky" moments but it's the elegance of the writing which makes this such an atmospheric read. It's definitely a slow build, and some might find that the initial stages, where we get to know our cast of seven (the six friends, plus the wife of one of the original group), a bit drawn out. They are a hard bunch to like and the liberal use of alcohol and drugs only seems to emphasis how unpleasant and self-absorbed they all are. There are exceptions and one or two of the characters have redeeming qualities, especially as we get to know them more.
As we progress through the book, a second thread to the narrative, in the form of a hidden diary, is woven through and more secrets spill out. I can't say much more without spoilers but there are some bits where we have to suspend disbelief a little to believe that this group of supposedly close friends were not all privy to some of the information which comes to light, but this is counterbalanced by some very well written poetic parallels in some scenes.
Again, without spoilers, I found the ending a little weak and disappointing as it had generally been a cleverly plotted and well written book throughout, so I think I was expecting more from the finale. That said, a good read overall with a steadily building tension which would probably be even more pronounced if not read in daily released staves through Pigeonhole. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
May 3, 2025
Read for Prompt 35 "Direction in the title" @the52bookclub
The blurb sounded really intriguing, and I was looking forward to this book and finding out who the mystery person was that disappeared. I was excited once thos part of the story arrived but honestly this story plot fell flat and went nowhere to the point where I really should have DNF, but with so many high book reviews I thought I should continue. Big mistake.
The story starts when 7 old university friends meet for the first time in years in an isolated Scottish castle to celebrate the hen party of Georgie, they are even going to be her bridesmaids which is weird as they have not seen each other in years.
Georgie is the bride to be. She is marrying Jack and is a pretentious superficial character.
Alice and Rachel are a couple, and the group does not like the fact that Alice brought Rachel along as she is not part of the university crew.
Melissa is now a vet, Bea is a mother of twins and is looking forward to an escape from motherhood. Harriet wanted to be a novelist but now writes a blog about motherhood, and Tessa our Narrater is a sensible, overworked, stressed doctor.
The plot of the story begins with lots of alcohol and drugs and bitchy sniping between the girls which became tedious as the story progressed. When the girls take a photo on the lochside which later shows a boy emerging from the lake I thought this is where the book gets exciting. Who is the mystery boy. Then they all become isolated in the castle and they can't find one of there friends I thought oooo they are all going to start disappearing one after the other. But no more bickering and sniping followed.
Then an old diary was found and again I thought this is where the story will take a dark turn, however it doesn't and the ending and the plot line go nowhere.
If these girls were part of my friendship group I would have wandered the Scottish Highlands alone to escape them all.
The blurb sounded really intriguing, and I was looking forward to this book and finding out who the mystery person was that disappeared. I was excited once thos part of the story arrived but honestly this story plot fell flat and went nowhere to the point where I really should have DNF, but with so many high book reviews I thought I should continue. Big mistake.
The story starts when 7 old university friends meet for the first time in years in an isolated Scottish castle to celebrate the hen party of Georgie, they are even going to be her bridesmaids which is weird as they have not seen each other in years.
Georgie is the bride to be. She is marrying Jack and is a pretentious superficial character.
Alice and Rachel are a couple, and the group does not like the fact that Alice brought Rachel along as she is not part of the university crew.
Melissa is now a vet, Bea is a mother of twins and is looking forward to an escape from motherhood. Harriet wanted to be a novelist but now writes a blog about motherhood, and Tessa our Narrater is a sensible, overworked, stressed doctor.
The plot of the story begins with lots of alcohol and drugs and bitchy sniping between the girls which became tedious as the story progressed. When the girls take a photo on the lochside which later shows a boy emerging from the lake I thought this is where the book gets exciting. Who is the mystery boy. Then they all become isolated in the castle and they can't find one of there friends I thought oooo they are all going to start disappearing one after the other. But no more bickering and sniping followed.
Then an old diary was found and again I thought this is where the story will take a dark turn, however it doesn't and the ending and the plot line go nowhere.
If these girls were part of my friendship group I would have wandered the Scottish Highlands alone to escape them all.
June 3, 2021
I downloaded this book because I'd read the blurb and somehow assumed it was a ghost story (boy appearing from nowhere in a photo, etc) but it's a psychological suspense!
A group of friends arrive at an isolated Scottish castle for a weekend hen party. They haven't seen each other since university and there are still secrets, tensions and old grudges simmering away beneath the surface. Their holiday starts off well but begins to go wrong when they are trapped for an extra few days and the food mysteriously runs out. Strange things happen, they squabble amongst themselves, but then one finds a diary that could explain everything...
I have mixed feelings about this story. The writing is good, the author is great at creating a creepy atmosphere and there is that constant feeling of menace. You just know Bad Things are going to happen. The characters are mostly horrible, particularly Georgie. I was hoping that if this was one of those books where they all got killed off one-by-one (it isn't), then she would be the first to go! While the second part of the story is a cracking read, the first part was a little too slow and I did have trouble working out who-was-who because of all the characters.
I would recommend this story to anyone who loves slow-burn suspense and books like The Hunting Party (Lucy Foley) and In a Dark, Dark Wood (Ruth Ware).
Thank you to Elle Connel and Wildfire (Headline) for my copy of this book which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
A group of friends arrive at an isolated Scottish castle for a weekend hen party. They haven't seen each other since university and there are still secrets, tensions and old grudges simmering away beneath the surface. Their holiday starts off well but begins to go wrong when they are trapped for an extra few days and the food mysteriously runs out. Strange things happen, they squabble amongst themselves, but then one finds a diary that could explain everything...
I have mixed feelings about this story. The writing is good, the author is great at creating a creepy atmosphere and there is that constant feeling of menace. You just know Bad Things are going to happen. The characters are mostly horrible, particularly Georgie. I was hoping that if this was one of those books where they all got killed off one-by-one (it isn't), then she would be the first to go! While the second part of the story is a cracking read, the first part was a little too slow and I did have trouble working out who-was-who because of all the characters.
I would recommend this story to anyone who loves slow-burn suspense and books like The Hunting Party (Lucy Foley) and In a Dark, Dark Wood (Ruth Ware).
Thank you to Elle Connel and Wildfire (Headline) for my copy of this book which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
May 23, 2021
Seven young women (Tessa, Rachel, Georgie, Bea, Melissa, Alice and Rachel) are on the overnight sleeper train to Scotland for a hen party for Georgies up coming wedding and although she hadn't seen the rest of the girls since university, Georgie has asked them to be her bridesmaids (except Rachel who is Alice's wife). After a long and eventful journey involving Bea taking ketamine on the train, a long and bumpy road to their accommodation (a castle) they eventually settle down to enjoy themselves. But as you now expect it's not going to be an uneventful hen party, as very soon friendships are strained and unexplained things are happening to play with their mindsets and the long weekend turns into a nightmare, running out of food and having to improvise with things either grown or living locally! Seeing people who are not there, or are they? Or could it be effects from drink or drugs? Are they the friends that they thought they were from years ago?
As you read on you realise that there is a secret between them, someone in the group has done something maybe? It certainly keeps your attention throughout as you read on to find out the connection between the women and the happenings between them. At reaching the end of the book, I found that I had unanswered questions regarding the characters and their lives and I think it makes it one of those books that you must read more than once to answer those questions.
As you read on you realise that there is a secret between them, someone in the group has done something maybe? It certainly keeps your attention throughout as you read on to find out the connection between the women and the happenings between them. At reaching the end of the book, I found that I had unanswered questions regarding the characters and their lives and I think it makes it one of those books that you must read more than once to answer those questions.
June 5, 2021
Down by the water was definitely an adventure - a hen weekend I can well imagine with old Uni friends getting together who'd not seen each other in a long time. Trying to reclaim the old days where life was so different from the realities and responsibilities of adulthood.
I enjoyed the premise of this story, the setting and mostly the characters although as some other reviewers have said there were quite a few to keep tabs on which I did find difficult to keep up with. The setting of the remote scottish castle added a character of it's own, well described and I could imagine myself there with the eerie quite and darkness surrounding the tree lined sea loch and potential for odd goings on.
I really found Georgie annoying but I think that was the authors point, I think we all know someone like her within friendship groups so she was relateably unlikeable. I did feel for Tessa and felt early on there was clearly something going on although perhaps because I unfortunately had to read in short snippets this time I didn't always follow as lucidly as I usually would which I think did hamper my reading.
Down by the water is the kind of book you want to shut yourself away with so that you can fully immerse yourself in the characters and all the backstories so that the climax really packs a punch.
An enjoyable read and I would happily read more from this author. 4 stars really because I struggled with so many key characters.
I enjoyed the premise of this story, the setting and mostly the characters although as some other reviewers have said there were quite a few to keep tabs on which I did find difficult to keep up with. The setting of the remote scottish castle added a character of it's own, well described and I could imagine myself there with the eerie quite and darkness surrounding the tree lined sea loch and potential for odd goings on.
I really found Georgie annoying but I think that was the authors point, I think we all know someone like her within friendship groups so she was relateably unlikeable. I did feel for Tessa and felt early on there was clearly something going on although perhaps because I unfortunately had to read in short snippets this time I didn't always follow as lucidly as I usually would which I think did hamper my reading.
Down by the water is the kind of book you want to shut yourself away with so that you can fully immerse yourself in the characters and all the backstories so that the climax really packs a punch.
An enjoyable read and I would happily read more from this author. 4 stars really because I struggled with so many key characters.
July 12, 2021
This one has a killer twist…
Seven women met as students and come together again after many years to hold a hen’s night. The bride to be, Georgie, is…
Well, to me she’s one of those noxious types who can change opinion on a dime, lie their hearts out, and change history according to their will. Those types whose personality just overrides everyone, and you either go with the flow or get drowned.
Down by the Water focuses on repercussions of an old incident, horrible and with massive consequences, instigated by Georgie but long forgotten to almost all…
The characters involved are a little archetypal, but they are engaging and have their own additional foibles. There’s the optimist, the lesbian, the mother, the follower, the peacemaker, and, of course, Georgie. And then there’s Tessa, the one who remembers.
The story twists and turns through the hen weekend, thoroughly marinated in alcohol, sometimes ambling, but always making me dislike Georgie more. It’s not til two-thirds of the way through that we get that key piece of information that just ramps the tension to the max. I raced through the last section, and was particularly impressed with the ending. Nope – no spoilers!
More than anything else, though, this book is about schoolfriend relationships and fixing history. And it’s done brilliantly.
If you’re after a female-led revenge thriller, Down by the Water will totally float your boat.
Seven women met as students and come together again after many years to hold a hen’s night. The bride to be, Georgie, is…
Well, to me she’s one of those noxious types who can change opinion on a dime, lie their hearts out, and change history according to their will. Those types whose personality just overrides everyone, and you either go with the flow or get drowned.
Down by the Water focuses on repercussions of an old incident, horrible and with massive consequences, instigated by Georgie but long forgotten to almost all…
The characters involved are a little archetypal, but they are engaging and have their own additional foibles. There’s the optimist, the lesbian, the mother, the follower, the peacemaker, and, of course, Georgie. And then there’s Tessa, the one who remembers.
The story twists and turns through the hen weekend, thoroughly marinated in alcohol, sometimes ambling, but always making me dislike Georgie more. It’s not til two-thirds of the way through that we get that key piece of information that just ramps the tension to the max. I raced through the last section, and was particularly impressed with the ending. Nope – no spoilers!
More than anything else, though, this book is about schoolfriend relationships and fixing history. And it’s done brilliantly.
If you’re after a female-led revenge thriller, Down by the Water will totally float your boat.
June 4, 2021
A good book with some great plot lines and some unexpected twists I didn’t see coming. For some reason I just couldn’t seem to get into this book. There are a lot of main characters and it was about a third of the way through the book before I had who’s who clear in my head.
Briefly, a group of women, who all went to university together, meet up to celebrate Georgie’s forthcoming wedding. A hen party in a remote castle in Scotland. Shortly after they arrive they take a walk to the loch and take some selfies. When they look at the photographs there is one with a young boy in the background, who appears to be drowning. Then as more strange things happen, and deep, dark secrets are revealed, they want to leave. But they can’t. What is preventing them?
I really liked this writers style of writing and I will definitely read more but I never really got into this book properly. I found the characters to be unlikable and because there were so many of them I felt I maybe needed to know more and that there were a few loose ends. There are some pretty gory/gruesome parts in the book which some readers may find disturbing, not me! A satisfactory read but I was left needing more. 3.5*.
My thanks to the author, TBC and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Briefly, a group of women, who all went to university together, meet up to celebrate Georgie’s forthcoming wedding. A hen party in a remote castle in Scotland. Shortly after they arrive they take a walk to the loch and take some selfies. When they look at the photographs there is one with a young boy in the background, who appears to be drowning. Then as more strange things happen, and deep, dark secrets are revealed, they want to leave. But they can’t. What is preventing them?
I really liked this writers style of writing and I will definitely read more but I never really got into this book properly. I found the characters to be unlikable and because there were so many of them I felt I maybe needed to know more and that there were a few loose ends. There are some pretty gory/gruesome parts in the book which some readers may find disturbing, not me! A satisfactory read but I was left needing more. 3.5*.
My thanks to the author, TBC and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2021
this was a solid mystery but I wasn’t fully gripped by it!
✨ things I liked:
• the setting: a creepy castle in rural Scotland? perfect setting for mysterious goings-on!
• the switching narratives: we got narratives from 3 main characters which made the story more engaging.
• the writing: it wasn’t flowery or too detailed, but I loved the descriptions and was racing through the pages as the plot thickened.
• the plot twists: I audibly gasped at some parts!! it was a clever, twisty turny plot that I think will go down a treat for lovers of thrilling mysteries.
🏰 things I didn’t love:
• the amount of characters: with 7 characters to keep up with, it was an ambitious task and lacked character development for me. I kept having to think back on who was who and it detached me from the story!
• realism: personally, I couldn’t believe a lot about the plot and what the characters got up too and the decisions they made.
• the characters themselves: the group were toxic and I didn’t love being among them as a reader.
Thanks so much again to the publisher for my gifted copy in exchange for review! Definitely check out the trigger warnings for this book as it does deal with some heavy stuff in graphic detail.
@whatalicereads on Instagram 🥰
✨ things I liked:
• the setting: a creepy castle in rural Scotland? perfect setting for mysterious goings-on!
• the switching narratives: we got narratives from 3 main characters which made the story more engaging.
• the writing: it wasn’t flowery or too detailed, but I loved the descriptions and was racing through the pages as the plot thickened.
• the plot twists: I audibly gasped at some parts!! it was a clever, twisty turny plot that I think will go down a treat for lovers of thrilling mysteries.
🏰 things I didn’t love:
• the amount of characters: with 7 characters to keep up with, it was an ambitious task and lacked character development for me. I kept having to think back on who was who and it detached me from the story!
• realism: personally, I couldn’t believe a lot about the plot and what the characters got up too and the decisions they made.
• the characters themselves: the group were toxic and I didn’t love being among them as a reader.
Thanks so much again to the publisher for my gifted copy in exchange for review! Definitely check out the trigger warnings for this book as it does deal with some heavy stuff in graphic detail.
@whatalicereads on Instagram 🥰
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