Nel Abbott has been fascinated by the drowning pool at Beckford ever since she holidayed in the Northumberland village as a child. In medieval times women branded as witches met their death there, and in modern times women labelled as suicides joined them. One as recently as 2015, a schoolgirl named Katie Whittaker, Nel’s daughter’s best friend.
And now, later that year, Nel too has died in the water. The first question, as always, is did she jump or was she pushed. The second question, whatever the answer to the first, is why.
Nel’s estranged sister, Julia (or Jules as she now styles herself) is called to Beckford to identify the body and look after her niece, Lena, who has now lost her best friend and her mother to the water. As an outsider, Jules, has no idea of the secrets, lies, loyalties and enmities held close by the community. Even the DI on the case lives locally, his wife is Lena and Katie’s head teacher. Fortunately, his DS, Erin Morgan, is an outsider as well.
Told from multiple viewpoints, insiders and outsiders, first person and third person, the events of the fateful evening are unravelled. Links emerge to Katie’s death, and one even earlier. And Jules must face revelations about that childhood holiday in Beckford that sowed the seeds of her and Nel’s falling out.
There is a lot of plot involved and it hangs together well. The multiple perspectives serve to flesh out the characters and move the narrative along at a ferocious pace. It is tense with twists all the way to the end.
As a thriller it is up there with Hawkins’
previous hit, Girl on the Train, which is recommendation enough.
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