Something in the Water

A Novel

By: Catherine Steadman

Narrated by: Catherine Steadman

A shocking discovery on a honeymoon in paradise changes the lives of a picture-perfect couple in this taut psychological thriller debut—for readers of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Shari Lapena.

“A psychological thriller that captivated me from page one. What unfolds makes for a wild, page-turning ride! It’s the perfect beach read!”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine book pick)

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK

If you could make one simple choice that would change your life forever, would you?

Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. . . .

Could the life of your dreams be the stuff of nightmares?

Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. After all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events. . . .

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?

Wonder no longer. Catherine Steadman’s enthralling voice shines throughout this spellbinding debut novel. With piercing insight and fascinating twists, Something in the Water challenges the reader to confront the hopes we desperately cling to, the ideals we’re tempted to abandon, and the perfect lies we tell ourselves.

Advance praise for Something in the Water

“With unreliable characters, wry voices, exquisite pacing, and a twisting plot, [Catherine] Steadman potently draws upon her acting chops. . . . A darkly glittering gem of a thriller from a new writer to watch.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Captivating . . . daring . . . The threats and increasingly bad decisions accelerate with Bourne-like velocity. . . . Steadman [is] a newcomer worth watching.”—Publishers Weekly

“An unbearably tense debut with a knockout premise, Something in the Water had me hooked from the very first sentence. Thrilling and thought-provoking, it’s the perfect beach read. I devoured it!”—Riley Sager, bestselling author of Final Girls

If you like screaming “You idiot!” at the protagonist, this book is for you.

Sometimes I respond out loud to audiobooks. With this book, I found myself getting so frustrated with the main character and author’s continual use the main character/narrator’s idiocy as a plot device, I ended up yelling at this book a lot. And I’m usually such a calm person— I wonder what got over me?

STICK WITH MABEL LANE FOX

The author does a terrific narration of her own novel (and also played Mabel Lane Fox in the TV series Downton Abbey). Her story, though, is generally just "okay". The main problem is that Mark and Erin, the two primary characters, both of whom are well-educated and sophisticated, are unbelievably naive and sometimes juvenile in dealing with an event that started during their honeymoon and in their actions taken afterward. There is no credible way they would have gotten away with any of their actions in real life, which becomes very frustrating and annoying to the reader. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with good crime fiction.

It was terrific!

My husband and I just enjoyed this book during a long road trip. It made the miles fly by!! First I'll say... the author/narrator did a fantastic job!! I'd listen to her read a book any day! The story started off with a bang, but then dragged out for a good while. I became a little impatient for something to happen. But once it did, the ride began. Overall it was fun and exciting and once it got geared up it was a great read! I'll look for more of her books...especially any that she reads!

Good, but not great!

There was a lot of hype surrounding the book. I was excited about the Reese Witherspoon Book Club. That was the main reason I purchased the book. Overall the book was good. I did find some parts to be predictable. However, the book held my attention until the end.

The author did an amazing job with the narration! I would be interested in listening to other books she has narrated.

Good but plot gaps

I certainly don't want to give anything away so I'll speak in general terms. The narrator who is also the author is great; she's an actress so she knows how to perform. The story was fine but really needed to be tighter and have less obvious plot points. One key item isn't investigated until many chapters after I was saying to myself but what about X. Frankly I'm surprised the editor didn't take care of this issue it was so glaring. All in all though the author and her performance keep things moving along and it's a decent thriller.