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Cold Waters  By  cover art

Cold Waters

By: Debbie Herbert
Narrated by: Megan Tusing, Eric G. Dove, Sophie Amoss, Shannon McManus
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Publisher's summary

An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller.

From USA Today bestselling author Debbie Herbert comes a thrilling story of murder and madness set in the darkest corner of Alabama.

Everyone thinks fourteen-year-old Violet is a murderer. After a summer-night swim with her best friend, Ainsley, Violet is found confused, wandering in the forest - and Ainsley’s never seen again. But without a body, murder charges won’t stick, so Violet is sent away.

After more than a decade in a psychiatric ward, Violet returns to her broken-down hometown of Normal, Alabama, to claim her dead mother’s inheritance and help her overworked sister care for their unstable, alcoholic father. Violet, still haunted by that night eleven years ago, endures horrific flashbacks and twisted hallucinations while townsfolk spit accusations - and for all she knows, they’re right.

As the summer heats up, details of Ainsley’s fate appear like a beast’s wild eyes, watching in the darkness, and grim revelations about Violet’s family threaten to devour her. Already on the edge of madness, Violet must fight to keep her sanity long enough for the terrible truth to burst from the cold, dark waters.

©2019 by Debbie Herbert. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Cold Waters

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

What a tangled web they weave...

Boy howdy! Cold Waters is my first book of Debbie Herberts, and it definitely won’t be the last. I did enjoy the story, I got a little confused with it flipping from past to present but that’s on me not the story!

The backwoods of Alabama hold secrets. Some food, some bad and some that if they were to get out, lives would never be the same again. Violet has had a hard life the last few years. She lost her best friend, went a little off her rocker and was put into a mental hospital, but thankfully she was able to get better and return home.

Not everyone in this small, close-nit town was happy with her return... but her father is ailing and it was the right thing to do... or so she thought.

When Violet returns home things start to unwind, unfold and come to light. The past doesn’t always stay in the past and things aren’t always what they seem. The poor girl has had it rough and now, just when she thinks her life might be on track, the night that changed her life pops back up for her.

Once again Violet is left in a state of shocked panic, and not many options.

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Pretty good, but

While i liked the plot, there were some pretty good twists, I really got tired of Violet's back and forth view of Delaney. Even after being slapped in the face(literally) with the proof of Delaney being a manipulative, lying b$$$$, she STILL had doubts! It just got old and frustrating. I did think i had it all figured out when another twist was thrown in which was fun. Also the honest portrayal of treatment of someone with a past with mental health was refreshing. Its hard to recover from. I'd recommend as a good little mystery.

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39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Predictable, but and enjoying easy read

It was a little boring at spots and predictable, but I did enjoy it. And easy read, though i don't think I'll keep up with the series. There were very little twists or areas to become invested in the story or the characters.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the story

This book has characters who popped out and were so real to me. The story had so many surprises there was no way to guess the ending. The narrators gave an amazing performance that was so pleasing to listen to. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

feast your heart out with this mystery :)

Cold Waters keeps you wondering. Surprise await you when you least expect it, and it's not what you think either. You will wonder and speculate over every twist and turn. Knowledge will evoke and absorb your interest just as intently as youll revel in the story because it somehow manages to web it's way to your thoughts long after you have finished the book.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

I really enjoyed listening to this story. It was very exciting and left me wanting more.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

tried n tried

had most of story figured out by 3rd chapter
kept listening just to see if I was correct.
I was. Narrators have pleasant voices and not not hinder the story in any way.. didn't listen to book all in one setting, but didn't give up on it either.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Page turner!! Finished it in one day!!

page-turner! Finished it in one day kept you interested very well written narration was okay sometimes they're pretty boring but this one was okay

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Violet Survived—Mystery Well Done

I selected this book for my free April read but waited until May when the audible edition was available. This was a southern story set in a small town, Normal, Alabama. Violet is locked up in a mental institution since she was 14 when she and her best friend went swimming late at night and her friend wound up dead. The town thinks Violet killed her but it was never proven so the determination was that she would be placed in a mental institution until deemed ‘cured.’ The story opens with Violet coming home after ten years away. She encounters lots of hostility from townspeople as well as from her own sister, Delaney, who has always been mean to Violet. The book is a thriller revolving around Violet and her sister’s desire to have her gone. The narration is well done with four narrators. Each one has a role and does an excellent job. The author was new to me but I expect I will be reading more of her books.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Story

This book had me hooked very early on and never let me down. While I had the actual killer pegged, there were enough twists to make me keep guessing if I was correct until the end.

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13 people found this helpful