Something in the Water: A Novel

Never cared for the protagonist, who’s impulsive and dim. I felt as if I was suppose to care and didn’t. Best part of the book was learning what flotsam and jetsam were.

To say that I didn't like this book would be putting it mildly,I only got a few chapters into it when I found my mind wondering what should I fix for dinner. I found the characters boring, I was very disappointed as I was really looking forward to reading a good book. What really got me was the interview Erin has with a girl in prison for arson. She took part in a riot in the streets of London. People were smashing windows and stealing from merchants. She makes the point that she is not belittling it, you can only taunt people with the things they can't have for so long. Can only push people so far until they push back. So its the merchants fault that they are doing a smash and grab? I decided that this was probably not the book for me. I'm sorry I spent the $. Should have listened to the reviews.

Meh. This book was a disappointing pick from Reese. The characters were unlikeable and unbelievable, and the plot was poorly developed. I felt like I was reading something written by one of my middle school students...

This is what happens when the main character, who is TOO STUPID TO LIVE, unleashes her inner sociopath. So many times I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall over something amazingly stupid she does. She makes documentaries, but admits she can't read people and misses details. Plus her research skills appear to only encompass watching You Tube videos. WHAT???Reese, honey, you steered us wrong on this one.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one. Poorly written, filled with ridiculous plot twists, loose ends, and hollow and annoying characters. Going straight into the donation bin.

If you don’t like anyone in it, can you like the book? I found characters an amalgam of selfish, short sighted, illegal and somewhat unbelievable, so really didn’t care what happened and sped-read to end.

The plot makes no sense, I have no idea why anybody does anything, and the ending is a big "So what."

You want to know what’s in the water? It’s hollow loneliness. This book reminded me of another Reese’s book club find - The Lying Game. I didn’t like that book either.First of all, this book requires you to make huge leaps in a 3-month time frame. The escalation of the situation, in combination with the absurdity of Erin’s actions, are fairly ludicrous. I also wish that you didn’t know whose body Erin is burying in the first chapter. It gives the book a finality from just pages in because the reader becomes immediately aware that things go completely bad. I’m not sure what twists other commenters are discussing..there’s like 2 things that could be mildly unexpected. And the big ending scene left me cold, and really just sad. This book could have been so much more - if the dots had been connected more carefully; if there’d been more rhyme and reason.If you want to read about a character’s life getting turned completely upside down and left with emptiness - partly due to her own stupidity, partly due to others’ unexplained cruelty - then buy this book and have at it. Also be prepared for long droning bits peppered with fleeting elements of intrigue.

I’m really surprised at the overwhelming support for this book and the evidence would say it’s me that’s missing something here. I thought this book was poorly written, the plot was completely unrealistic and made a series of huge leaps. However my biggest bug bear was the poorly developed characters (especially coming from an actor), the lady in the arts, the ex investment banker, the east end gangster, the looming Russian mob. Everyone seemed a stereotype. The character telling the story just seemed dim and I got no sense of understanding her. I kept waiting for a last minute twist by what happened was predictable (given the opening chapter) and just a slight divergence rather than anything shocking. Other plot lines (terrorism as an example) felt shoehorned in to provide a different angle without adding anything . I took this book on holiday and it was a complete waste of luggage allowance

It started really well for the first couple of chapters but then rapidly went down hill. The two main characters I completely failed to connect with. The plot was far fetched- gangster gives advice to TV journalist after her and new husband find a bag of diamonds on their honeymoon in the Maldives. The advice covers fencing stolen goods, how to dispose of dead bodies and how to create a "believable" story, all from a prison cell. I really, really didn't like the fact that a UK book with a UK author had USA spellings- why? For a supposed "gripping" (aren't they all?) thriller it was actually quite slow going. There are other better books out there

This book has a great title, great front cover which draws you in and a plot perfect as a holiday read. It is pacy and the plot moves along quickly. I had not heard of the author before but it becomes obvious that writing is a second profession as the book unfolds.The problem I have with this book is typified at around page 30, as I’m treated to a full page of just how gorgeous the boyfriend of the lead character Erin is. The book essentially spends its first 100 pages outlining how glamorous Erin’s life is, with constant references to things like BA first class, Cafe Royal and Annabelle’s nightclub. After a while you start to wonder if Erin is some sort of preferred alter ego of the author.When we eventually get to the something in the water you naturally expect a change of mood but still,amongst the drama, there is room for the book to spend 2 whole pages describing Erin buying Chanel clothes to help with the plan. Its at this point I stopped rooting for either Erin or Mark as their motivation is simply based on greed and therefore I could not have cared less what happened to them.This book is described as a thriller for our times which does not say much if it means greed and selfishness are the new standards.I am sure this book will become a film and I just wonder who they will get to play the lead ?

After a gripping and intriguing start involving burying a body, this novel quickly descended into mediocrity or below with an over-lengthy description of the two main characters' life before finding something in the water. I seriously considered giving up during this portion of the narrative. Once the discovery had been made, there was a brief spell of hope that there was some substance to the plot, before, as the female protagonist exhibited ever increasing levels of stupidity, the plot became more and more far fetched - whilst simultaneously remaining predictable. I had so wanted to like this novel - it sounded right up my street - but it simply didn't work for me.

“Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?”No, I can’t say I have ever wondered but this opening question in the debut novel by actress (now also author) Catherine Steadman had me hook, line and sinker. It being a book I wouldn’t normally read, I was to say the least intrigued when I saw it was a summer pick by Reese Witherspoon’s book club. It was downloaded onto my Kindle within the next however long it takes to press ‘BUY ME NOW!!” And, I’ll be damned, I throughly enjoyed the twisty path I was lead down within each chapter.The story of Something in the Water is told by the main character Erin; a documentary film maker, relatable, occasionally dim woman. We are taken through a wild ride through every chapter of this book from digging a grave and unpredictable criminal activity to a luscious honeymoon in Bora Bora.This fast paced chilly thriller begins with Erin digging a grave, a 3ft x 2ft x 6ft hole to be precise. Which according to Erin is the same weight as of a hatchback car, or even more impressively, an average hippopotamus. Through this exert, Steadman astonished me with her description and in parts I felt like I was either with Erin or I WAS her. The details, the staccato sentences, I was there, I was living what Erin was doing, I could see it in my mind. The next question arrives within the first couple of pages, who is the grave for? Well that guys, you’ll have to find out for yourselves…Erin narrates the past few months to the audience, taking us on a twisty adventure of secrets, lies, passion and crime, answering but also leaving us asking questions. As an audience, we find ourselves second guessing, maybe re-reading and occasionally in some parts relating with Erin as she grows into her character. The second chapter takes you back to where it began, the anniversary of her and her fiancé, Mark’s anniversary in Norfolk.A documentary film maker, Erin is currently working on project explaining prisoners lives during and after their sentence. This secondary storyline ties really well into the main plot, introducing us to Alexa, a 42 year old woman imprisoned for assisting in her mother’s suicide; Holli, a young woman in prison for arson (you’ve gotta keep an eye on this one!) And Eddie, the smooth talking mob king pinned down for money laundering.Whilst Erin is working hard with her documentary, Mark, a banker, has lost his job due to a Brexit related financial crash and it’s left him in a sticky situation with no job prospects, a three week long honeymoon to the exotic island of Bora Bora (Can you fit me in your suitcase please?) and the fast arrival of a wedding… you can kind of understand why Mark is a bit short tempered and irritable.The wedding has been and gone and they both arrive safe and sound in Bora Bora. It’s all going so well until the trip out on the boat. Thunk thunk thunk thunk… something is in the water… Putting not only Erin and Mark’s moral compasses to the test, but also their marriage. They are thrown into a world filled with $60 million jets, deleting CCTV, mysterious text messages and a duffel bag that keeps reappearing…Meanwhile, whilst all this is happening, Holli is released from prison and soon falls into the night with her boyfriend, who according to DCI Andy Foster, is associated with Islamic extremists in Syria. Leaving not only a missing person for her documentary but DCI Foster asking questions, which no doubt Erin isn’t exactly jumping for joy over.Not only could I not put the book down due to the fast paced nature and excellent storyline, I also learnt how to open up a Swiss bank account, how to destroy CCTV and that sometimes life throws you curveballs and you’ve just gotta deal with it. I was left shouting, wincing but also smiling as I followed the life of Erin through the pages of the book.Although I’m left with a few questions at the end, Steadman threw twists and turns at me that I never saw coming. Through each chapter I was left asking myself if I would do the same thing, would I follow the path that Erin and Mark took for themselves?This book is definitely one that won’t sit on your bookshelf for very long untouched and once you’ve read one page, you’ll find you can’t put it down. A fantastic debut by Steadman, maybe a book I wouldn’t have normally chosen for myself, however I found it a refreshing read and one that I would recommend to anybody!

You have to suspend belief when reading this book, as the events are so implausible and too coincidental, but if you can do that, it's a fairly enjoyable read. Erin, a documentary maker, and Mark, a banker are honeymooning in Bora Bora, when them come across a bag of diamonds, cash, a USB stick and a mobile phone. What follows is their attempt to make use of their find without being caught by the unscrupulous owners of the stash. Erin pulls in favour from a local gangster, who she just happens to be interviewing for her documentary to help them get away with it. For me, the twist was obvious and for a woman who is supposedly intelligent and independent, Erin was portrayed as much too gullible.

This started off so well apart from the fact that these 2 people spent a small fortune on a honeymoon when he had no job. OK they cut back on the wedding but what a lot of money they had planned to spend. So already the female lead wants all her own way and is a spoilt madame. She goes on to do unbelievably stupid things and when you think it can't get any worse it does. Sorry, but I found these 2 characters unbelievable, this book showed promise of a plot but it all fell apart and I lost the will to live towards the end so discontinued reading it.

I was looking for a summer book I could relax into and read in the garden. I was looking for something to inspire me to read again...this was it! I genuinely enjoyed the pace, the style and the characters... yes there were bits when you thought ‘oh for goodness sake’ and had to suspend some disbelief, yet it was a brilliant read and excellent to the end. It got me reading again-which was a wee miracle all on its own. Buy it, read it, you won’t go wrong !

I know I'm late to the party with this one, but I've been saving it to read in Bora Bora on my honeymoon as I knew that's where the main characters were headed. I hadn't realised how little time in the book is actually spent in Bora Bora... but nevermind! I still enjoyed the book, probably more than I expected. For a debut novel this is remarkably well written and the plot has a few surprising twists despite the first chapter giving away one of the biggest twists. I can understand why some readers gave up on the book claiming it's not realistic. I agree some of the plot is far fetched, however, I still found the story compelling and addictive, even though it did remind me of Simple Plan by Scott B Smith (which I highly recommend).After finishing the book I realised that the author, Catherine Steadman, is the UK actress who played Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey!PS: My husband and I are going scuba diving tomorrow, let's hope our dive and honeymoon end better for us than for the Roberts'!

This book was poor. Felt like it was written by someone who has no understanding of how to craft a story, build characters and draw a reader in. Every character in the story was a stereotype and felt totally wooden, the plot was ridiculously far fetched. Two stars as I did finish the book...although I was tempted to give up before the end. Don't really understand all the glowing reviews...each to their own!!

Erin is a documentary filmmaker, whose latest project follows the lives of three prisoners about to be released, her husband Mark is a successful investment banker with a bright future. Monied, attractive and deeply in love, they seem to have it all but just before the wedding, Mark loses his job and cracks begin to appear in their perfect life. They go on the pre-booked honeymoon to Bora Bora and, on a diving expedition, discover something in the water that will change their lives forever.Glossy, well-written, this is almost a textbook thriller, a glamorous couple caught up in events beyond their control and how they deal with them. Likeable and well-paced, it’s a good read even if the characters - well-drawn from the leads to the supporting characters - are often less than sympathetic. The locations are smartly used, London and Norfolk especially and the plot is cleverly layered, making the most of reveals that mostly don’t go the way the reader thinks they will. Steadman does a good job keeping all the balls in the air, though she does have a habit of info-dumping (often via Erin) which can get a bit wearing though it’s not as annoying as having a very British novel (the British editor is thanked in the acknowledgements) full of US spellings (color, labor, plow etc) including the phrase ‘hatchet-in-the-trunk-of-the-car’ used to describe a Cockney gangster. Those niggles aside, this is an entertaining read and I enjoyed it.

i am at least comforted that i am not alone in disliking everything about this book. the characters were really annoying , the writing style boring and the story line totally unbelievable . Admire anyone who writes a book but i think this was published on the author's talent as an actor not as a writer .

The characters are awful people selfish and stupid. I really didn't care what happened to them. I skimmed through it but it was so far fetched. Unbelievable. I know it is fiction but I like it at least to be plausible or entertaining or something to make it worth my time and money but no it wasn't.

This book is infuriating. 90% of it is gripping. Just brilliant, can't put it down stuff. Whilst I was reading it it was recommending to everyone. However it has such an obvious lacklustre conclusion - so many loose ends. Disappointing. Heard it's being made into a movie so hope that ends better.

This debut thriller from Catherine Steadman tells the story of a young newly-married couple who, while on their honeymoon, discover a suitcase full of money floating in the water after a tropical storm; their decision to keep the loot not only places them in danger but has serious repercussions for their relationship.I enjoyed this right from the start: it's well written and ideally paced (leisurely at first, gradually increasing to a frantic speed as the situation escalates). Erin and Mark, the couple who find the suitcase, are young, attractive, successful and already comfortably off, which doesn't make them terribly sympathetic, and there's certainly some suspension of disbelief required, but the plot is strong enough to carry the reader along over any slight bumps. I was racing through the chapters by the end - always a good sign when it comes to crime fiction. Well worth a read.