The Drowning Woman

Robyn Harding

Mystery Thriller

The bestselling author of The Party returns with a deliciously twisted story of friendship, retribution, and betrayal about a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves from drowning, who pulls her into a dark web of secrets and lies.

Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.

Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(4.5 / 5) This has everything I love in a thriller!

“A masterpiece of misdirection, double meaning and carefully placed clues. Brava.” Stacy Willingham

That quote is the best way for me to describe this book. The misdirection was done brilliantly. I could not guess or predict, but I really didn’t have time because I was reading it so fast. I loved it. Truly, it’s expertly done.

The story was told in 4 parts. We hear from two women which include the past and the present. This information is crucial to the story and I’m amazed Harding paced it so flawlessly. I was never confused and just kept picking up tiny pieces along the way.

I didn’t trust a single character and I assumed everyone as some point or another. That is good writing. It was a story that hooked me from page one and ended up surprising me at the end. The end was flawless. I’m still reeling from the twist and where everything landed. If you love a great twisty thriller, you need this one!

General content summary: F words= 22, alcohol (multiple), homelessness, physical violence (knife, blood, beating an elderly person), injury with meat mallet, drowning suicide attempt, spousal physical and emotional abuse (bruises, multiple details), m/f kisses, intimacy (closed door, more with few details), body found dead and bloody, early Alzheimer’s (previous), suicide preparation, alleged suicide (car crash), panic attack, human bone found.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for the gifted copy!

The book releases June 13, 2023.

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