THE DROWNING PLACE by Sarah Hillary.

4* Mismatched cop duo, with a not-likeable female with lots of prejudices - a great quality in a DI, not!! - and a good storyline.

This tale drags quite a bit. I'm not sure I can review without Spoilers, so apologies in advance.

We start off in the past on a school trip, followed by an accident and the drowning of all kids and adults, bar Joe. Who, now aged 28 and a cop, sees, communicates with, and can touch dead people. He's having to keep this a secret from his superiors or he'll have to undergo various assessments and may be deemed unfit for his role. The dead kids he sees are past and present, with all bar Sammi, his BFF and love interest at the time - Joe is bi, calls himself queer - not ageing. Sammi is his eyes, ears and early warning system. But they never address their past or present relationship. 

The tale starts with a break-in, then a horrible crime, and things in the village escalate, with unsavoury secrets coming to light. It's hard to know who Joe can trust, but it's all well done and very sadly believable when the killer is revealed. Sins of the father 😪

But, DI Laurie is such an arrogant and unlikeable character. She's wondering if she knew her husband and the man he's becoming, as the poor sod watches his dying dad's dementia deteriorate. She doesn't like her sisters-in-law. She doesn't like her father-in-law - he's unpleasant, yes, his mind is gone, but she doesn't really make allowances. She's a bit of a bully. She expects and demands respect for her position because of the position, but she does nothing to earn it or endear herself to her new team and doesn't attempt to be part of the team. She's clearly of the opinion that being a DI in Salford is more worthy of being a DI in Sleepyville, Peak District. There's mention of her deceased sister, a couple of random sightings of the latter's hands (?), but strangely the partners don't address this. 

It was an engrossing tale but it dragged in bits. Too many characters, too many little arcs, too little made of the 'I can see dead people'. I'd still read more of this series but hope that Laurie gets a personality transplant, or that her extended family dumps her.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harvill  Random House Vintage UK, for my reading pleasure. 




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