Into the Water

Genre: Fiction

I gave this book ****

This is the story of the Drowning Pool, a river located in the tiny town of Beckford, England, and the mystery of a succession of women and girls who have died of suicide and murder at the pool. Nell Abbott, a longtime resident of Beckford, a photographer and generally curious woman, researches and writes a book about the town, the women and the pool, which she describes as, “A place of persecuted women…fallen foul of patriarchal edicts”. Nell was found dead at the pool and this is where the story begins. Told alternately in the voices of the dead women and girls and then back to the present time, slowly, and in great Hawkins style, we learn what happened to Nell through her sister, Jules, her daughter, Lena, and a slew of other town folks, including the lead detective, Sean, his family, and his co-detective, Erin. We also learn about how some of the other women met their end at the Drowning Pool.

Did I mention that I love my book groups? I am constantly reading books that I would never choose (I am not a mystery/suspense fan) and sometimes, like in the case of Into the Water, I really enjoy them. As I mentioned before, Hawkins is masterful at the slow telling and unveiling of a story (her previous book, Girl on a Train, was also good but much more suspenseful) and is generally a good story teller. I wanted to go back to this book and keep reading, but I wasn’t sorry when the book ended. I got exactly what I need while it lasted. This was an enjoyable read which I would definitely recommend.