Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman ★★★1/2

Erin and Mark Roberts are enjoying their honeymoon in Bora Bora when they come upon a curious discovery during a private boat excursion. They take an item out of the water that later sends them down a path of no return that threatens to change their lives forever.

Erin is a film documentarian and Mark an investment advisor who recently lost his job. That’s in the background while they make the decision to continue with their wedding plans and ultimately the lavish honeymoon. Erin is also in the middle of filming the stories of three prison inmates who are scheduled to be released. While I wasn’t certain how all of this would factor into the story, it was all sort of interesting as background.

Erin is the narrator and I wasn’t always certain of her reliability, not because she was untruthful but because I didn’t trust her judgment. She makes some out-of-bounds decisions throughout the story, definitely in the category of TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) actions. However, she’s bright and quick on her feet so I couldn’t abandon her entirely. The ending was provocative in that there were some ends not completely tied up but foreboding for the future.

I liked this story, didn’t love it because there were multiple dangling plot lines at the end and the characterizations didn’t adequately set up the resolution. But…and it’s a big but…I couldn’t stop listening to this story and was always anxious to resume. And, the author as narrator was an excellent decision because her performance was stellar. That’s not always a good decision but this time it was brilliant. Despite my issues, I still recommend this book as I was completely engaged in the story.

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(I received an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review)