Thriller

These Still Black Waters

These Still Black Waters

  • Downloads：6641
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-10-24 17:21:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Christina McDonald
  • ISBN：B0BGMDRQNW
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Two women struggle toward a dark truth as a killer avenges the sins of the past in a twisting novel of suspense by the USA Today bestselling author of Do No Harm， Behind Every Lie， and The Night Olivia Fell。

After a violent home invasion， Neve Maguire returns with her daughter to Black Lake， her childhood summer home， hoping for a fresh start。 But when the body of a woman is found floating among the reeds in the lake behind her house， she fears she has made a horrible mistake。

Neve is hiding secrets， though。 Detective Jess Lambert can tell。 Recently back after her own personal tragedy， Jess knows what it’s like to live with skeletons in your closet， and she’s sure Neve has a few of her own。

When another woman’s body is found， Jess and Neve are forced to confront a horrible truth。 Because one thing is clear: the darkness of the past is waiting。 And the secrets of Black Lake are only just beginning to surface。

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Reviews

Leah ，

Great twist， easy read。 I would recommend The Still Black Waters was an easy read with great twists and turns。 Change of pace。 Not what I expected。

Terry Solfest ，

3。5 stars。 This was an Amazon Prime First Read from last month （just got around to reading it） and it was entertaining but for me just a little too much supernatural。 It was still good and for anyone who enjoys that element you will love it！

Meghan K ，

wow Guessing til the very end ！ I can’t wait for the next Jess Lambert book。 Great writing。 I didn’t want to put the book down。

Melinda Anders ，

Detective Jess Lambert is looking into a murder but she is also grieving the death of her daughter years before。 She has a drinking problem and doesn't want her coworkers to find out and think she is crazy as well。 There is twists included。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher Thomas & Mercer。 Detective Jess Lambert is looking into a murder but she is also grieving the death of her daughter years before。 She has a drinking problem and doesn't want her coworkers to find out and think she is crazy as well。 There is twists included。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher Thomas & Mercer。 。。。more

Angie ，

Very odd…

Jim Lytle ，

Mind GamesThis is an interesting experiment for a novelI felt that it was too preachy to guidance-centered rather than just a good story。

Tabby Krone ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 After seeing some reviews， I wasn’t expecting to love this book like I did！！ I listened to the audio on kindle unlimited for the majority and enjoyed the readers！ I’m not a big fan of stories that have ghosts as that idea isn’t something I personally believe in。 BUT having them in this story didn’t turn me off at all， it definitely was a large part of what made this story so good。 Each character was well done。 The way that so many were going through real and raw emotions allows the reader to con After seeing some reviews， I wasn’t expecting to love this book like I did！！ I listened to the audio on kindle unlimited for the majority and enjoyed the readers！ I’m not a big fan of stories that have ghosts as that idea isn’t something I personally believe in。 BUT having them in this story didn’t turn me off at all， it definitely was a large part of what made this story so good。 Each character was well done。 The way that so many were going through real and raw emotions allows the reader to connect。 The heartbreak I felt， even for those killing for revenge， was crazy。 A mom being responsible for killing her own daughter and another almost。 The last few chapters had me tearing up （Ladies: Maybe it’s cause I’m on the roller coaster emotions of it being that time of the month）。 Saying goodbye。 Letting go。 Moving forward。 Bettering themselves。 It wasn’t something sweet sappy happy ending。 In fact， the detective didn’t even go back to her husband like I expected and loved it didn’t end that way。 。。。more

Susan Krich ，

This book was given to me through Goodreads。It is a very interesting， keep you guessing story。Three main characters （Neve， Jess and one whose chapters are in Italics） that alternate chapters。Chapters 6 and 7 are the same conversation but told by Jess and Neve。The story is all about choices ， consequences and guilt。Are some people always bad or is there redemption？Are some people psychics and are there ghosts ？ This story leaves the reader something to think about。It is a Jess Lambert Thriller an This book was given to me through Goodreads。It is a very interesting， keep you guessing story。Three main characters （Neve， Jess and one whose chapters are in Italics） that alternate chapters。Chapters 6 and 7 are the same conversation but told by Jess and Neve。The story is all about choices ， consequences and guilt。Are some people always bad or is there redemption？Are some people psychics and are there ghosts ？ This story leaves the reader something to think about。It is a Jess Lambert Thriller and I hope to see many more。 。。。more

David Taylor ，

Buckle your seatbelt for a wild ride。These Still Black Waters seemed like it started out a little slow， until the first body dropped and then it took off like a bullet train。 Between a mother with a healthy dose of PTSD and a female detective with an equal or greater amount of guilt and self-recrimination not to mention a serious drinking problem you have some interesting and original character interactions。 And then suddenly the wheels start to come off the train and this story goes completely Buckle your seatbelt for a wild ride。These Still Black Waters seemed like it started out a little slow， until the first body dropped and then it took off like a bullet train。 Between a mother with a healthy dose of PTSD and a female detective with an equal or greater amount of guilt and self-recrimination not to mention a serious drinking problem you have some interesting and original character interactions。 And then suddenly the wheels start to come off the train and this story goes completely off the rails and heads into a direction that was unexpected。 If you enjoy stories that have well developed characters who are deeply flawed/damaged and a story line that is unpredictable you may want to give this story a shot。 I listened to the audiobook version which introduced me to a trio of narrators – Angela Dawe， Erin Bennett & Ellen Quay who did an excellent job bringing the characters and story to life。 。。。more

Candy Becker ，

Christina McDonald never disappoints。 A page turner with a twisty plot。 So good。

Ann Keeran ，

Secrets are revealed that will leave you gasping

B H SLACK ，

Sorry， not my kind of book really， if I had know the genre I would not have chosen it in the first place， but I cannot say what the genre is because it would ruin it for anyone who chooses to read it。 Having said that， I am sure anyone reading it， will， like me have worked out exactly what is going on half way through。 On the whole I was disappointed。

Yvonne ，

loved it！

Chloe Sproates ，

Mainly a good read but I found myself dosing off a bit when it was getting overly descriptive。 The 'twist' bugged me a bit， which I'm not sure why because it wasn't done badly - I just twigged on early what I thought was going to happen。 Would probably continue with any installments though， maybe I've just been in a bit of a funny mood while reading it。 Mainly a good read but I found myself dosing off a bit when it was getting overly descriptive。 The 'twist' bugged me a bit， which I'm not sure why because it wasn't done badly - I just twigged on early what I thought was going to happen。 Would probably continue with any installments though， maybe I've just been in a bit of a funny mood while reading it。 。。。more

Julie （JuJu） ，

🌟🌟🌟🌟。5These Still Black Waters is the first book in a new series， with Detective Jess Lambert as the main character。 She is incredible in this haunting new thriller by Christina McDonald！ Two women， Jess and Neve， trying to hide their own horrible personal events， guide us through this twisted and suspenseful story。 A third narrator， the unidentified killer。 This always adds a unique twist and intensity to a story！ The Killer is one of my favorite narrators！ I love being in their mind and seeing 🌟🌟🌟🌟。5These Still Black Waters is the first book in a new series， with Detective Jess Lambert as the main character。 She is incredible in this haunting new thriller by Christina McDonald！ Two women， Jess and Neve， trying to hide their own horrible personal events， guide us through this twisted and suspenseful story。 A third narrator， the unidentified killer。 This always adds a unique twist and intensity to a story！ The Killer is one of my favorite narrators！ I love being in their mind and seeing everything through their eyes。Black Lake is described in detail。 A dark， eerie place with few appealing qualities。 And when I guessed one of the twists， the story took on a new essence。 More of a tragic mystery than a thriller， but it is terrific！Sincere thanks to Thomas & Mercer for this complimentary ARC provided through NetGalley。 As always， all opinions are my own and left voluntarily。 #TheseStillBlackWaters #ChristinaMcDonald #thomasandmercer #AmazonPub #netgalley #DetectiveJessLambert #justfinished #giftedARC #honestreview #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #instabook #readaholic #igbookreels #newrelease 。。。more

Julie （JuJu） ，

An Atmospheric and Emotional MysteryThese Still Black Waters is the first book in a new series， with Detective Jess Lambert as the main character。 She is incredible in this haunting new thriller by Christina McDonald！ Two women， Jess and Neve， trying to hide their own horrible personal events， guide us through this twisted and suspenseful story。 A third narrator is the unidentified killer。 This always adds a unique twist and intensity to a story！ The Killer is one of my favorite narrators！ I lov An Atmospheric and Emotional MysteryThese Still Black Waters is the first book in a new series， with Detective Jess Lambert as the main character。 She is incredible in this haunting new thriller by Christina McDonald！ Two women， Jess and Neve， trying to hide their own horrible personal events， guide us through this twisted and suspenseful story。 A third narrator is the unidentified killer。 This always adds a unique twist and intensity to a story！ The Killer is one of my favorite narrators！ I love being in their mind and seeing everything through their eyes。Black Lake is described in detail。 A dark， eerie place with few appealing qualities。 And when I guessed one of the twists， the story took on a new essence。 More of a tragic mystery than a thriller， but it is terrific！Sincere thanks to the author and publisher for this complimentary ARC provided through NetGalley。 As always， all opinions are my own and left voluntarily。 #TheseStillBlackWaters #ChristinaMcDonald #thomasandmercer #AmazonPub #netgalley #DetectiveJessLambert #justfinished #giftedARC #honestreview #bookreviewer #instabook #readaholic #igbookreels #newrelease 。。。more

A M Booth ，

This is the tale of 2 broken women。 There is a killer on the loose who says "choices have consequences" and our two lead characters have to face up to what this means for them。 I raced through the book in 3 days as I was drawn in by the 2 main characters and I wanted to read about their dark pasts and what may be the consequences of their choices。 It's plotting is certainly unusual and not what I expected at the start。 But that kept my interest going。 This is the tale of 2 broken women。 There is a killer on the loose who says "choices have consequences" and our two lead characters have to face up to what this means for them。 I raced through the book in 3 days as I was drawn in by the 2 main characters and I wanted to read about their dark pasts and what may be the consequences of their choices。 It's plotting is certainly unusual and not what I expected at the start。 But that kept my interest going。 。。。more

Julie ，

3。5 stars。 I am really torn on this book as to how I feel about it。 Overall I generally liked it but there were things I didn't like。 I felt like there was lots of repetitive inner dialogue and the book felt like it went on and on and on。 The storyline in terms of thriller aspect had good potentialI did the audiobook w/the book and ugh there were a few things I didn't care for in the audiobook in terms of narration。 The narrator for Neve was great。 The narrator for Jess was good when she was doi 3。5 stars。 I am really torn on this book as to how I feel about it。 Overall I generally liked it but there were things I didn't like。 I felt like there was lots of repetitive inner dialogue and the book felt like it went on and on and on。 The storyline in terms of thriller aspect had good potentialI did the audiobook w/the book and ugh there were a few things I didn't care for in the audiobook in terms of narration。 The narrator for Neve was great。 The narrator for Jess was good when she was doing Jess's voice but when she tried to do anyone else's voice it was pretty bad。 I think there was another narrator for the killer and she was good too。 I think though no one did multiple voices well but did there own voice perfectly if that makes sense。 Btw the narrator for Neve had an amazing voice just in general。And then sort of spoiler alert。 Dont read past this line unless you want to have a bit spoiled but I will try not to go into any detail。*************************************Ok so the part I really didn't like was the suspension of disbelief that you either like or dont like in a book。 I am not a fan of it and had I known that it would be a big part of the book I prob wouldn't have read it。 I really had an idea it was going to happen when main character visited her mom。 I was like oh please dont tell me this is going to happen and it did。So I think my spoiler is pretty vague and hopefully doesn't ruin it for others。 。。。more

Ashlyn Hardie ，

A very different take on a murder mystery。 I did figure out the twist a bit earlier than usual but enjoyed as the pieces came together。

Jennifer ，

Very mixed feelings。 There are parts of the story I really liked， but it was confusing at times。 The book got really interesting at the same time the author finally stopped talking about massaging her aching leg。 Geesh！ Somehow， I'm actually curious about book 2 🤷‍♀️ Very mixed feelings。 There are parts of the story I really liked， but it was confusing at times。 The book got really interesting at the same time the author finally stopped talking about massaging her aching leg。 Geesh！ Somehow， I'm actually curious about book 2 🤷‍♀️ 。。。more

Tiffany www。instagram。com/tiffs_bookshelf ，

Wow is an understatement of good good this book is！！！！！！！！！！！！ Could not put it down！！！！！！！ Great book！！！！！！

Lindsey Domokur ，

I knew the twist and I was STILL bawling my eyes out at the end！ I thought it was a thriller but what I got was so much more than that。 OH MY GOODNESS。 I can't wait for more of this series。 This was fantastic。Thank you to Thomas & Mercer， Netgalley and Christina McDonald for an early copy。 I knew the twist and I was STILL bawling my eyes out at the end！ I thought it was a thriller but what I got was so much more than that。 OH MY GOODNESS。 I can't wait for more of this series。 This was fantastic。Thank you to Thomas & Mercer， Netgalley and Christina McDonald for an early copy。 。。。more

Sheila ，

**SPOILER ALERT**This was one of Amazon's monthly picks， a free download for Prime members。 Thank you Amazon for giving me a chance to read this recently published book。 If I hadn't been at loose ends for reading material and had a foot injury that needed to be elevated， I probably wouldn't have read this novel。 Had I known it was not just a detective novel but a paranormal-detective novel， I wouldn't have downloaded it at all。All in all， I cannot recommend this book。 Too many problems with the **SPOILER ALERT**This was one of Amazon's monthly picks， a free download for Prime members。 Thank you Amazon for giving me a chance to read this recently published book。 If I hadn't been at loose ends for reading material and had a foot injury that needed to be elevated， I probably wouldn't have read this novel。 Had I known it was not just a detective novel but a paranormal-detective novel， I wouldn't have downloaded it at all。All in all， I cannot recommend this book。 Too many problems with the flow of the writing as well as logical inconsistencies in the storyline。**SPOILERS**Can't get more obvious than that。 If you read further， you will find plot twists and points。Instead of writing a fifth grade level book report in which I regurgitate the plot， slowly and painfully， I'm going to talk about the flow and content of the writing。Positives: Not many。 There were some very well-written passages from the middle of the book forward， but some are marred by overly-flowery language （as noted by another reviewer as well）。 I did like Jess Lambert and her partner Will。Negatives: Sadly so many。 The beginning of the book was very rough。 I tripped over and re-read many awkward sentences。 Some of them just weren't constructed well and others were run-on sentences （not the worst I've ever seen， but it should've been tightened up）。 A few times throughout the book I wondered where the scene was set and when it was taking place。 It wasn't automatically clear。 The editors should have had someone read through the galley for clarity prior to publication， someone who was not familiar with the story。 And having a character talk about her metatarsals？ Awkward much？ Logical Inconsistencies: The worst and possibly the most egregious error was the morgue scene with the coroner declaring that Bailey Nelson showed no sign of drug use and there were no tears to the skin WHILE THE BODY WAS STILL FULLY CLOTHED！ Seriously？？ There is not a chance a pathologist would do that！！！！ Addicts shoot up behind their knees， under their toenails。。。and murderers have been known to do the same to their victims。 Were the author and editors totally incapable of doing any research on autopsies？ Have they never seen a cop show on TV with an autopsy？ I recommend the long-running， high quality British show "Silent Witness" for educational purposes。 Val McDermid has also written a book on pathology that is quite enlightening too。Also， at one point Neve wakes up in front of Sandra's house and she recognizes it as such。 She also （at some point， I think contemporaneous with waking up there） discusses Sandra and family having to move in with her grandfather。 Neve walks into the house and has a discussion with Sandra。 （I may be conflating two time periods in the book， so I apologize as I was falling asleep during this part。） Also， Robin later talks about moving in with their grandfather。 Sooooo， they were poor enough to have to move in with their "hateful" grandfather but wealthy enough to hang on to the family home。。。。 Confusing plot point and just not realistic。Further， if Jess was suspicious of Neve at all， wouldn't Jess have somehow （Google， police reports） come across a report of the home invasion？ Even using her previous name of Maguire， wouldn't any report with a victim's name of "Neve" stick out in the United States？ The police were looking for her so her name and description would've been widely publicized as a Missing Persons。 Connected to that， there would be a ballistics report available to Jess by request。 That report would have stood out to police having been from an "antique。" （Ok， so an item must be over 100 years old to be considered an antique and this was supposed to be from WWI。 It just barely makes it。 German-made guns for that war were known for their ability to jam， and just because of the age， it could've blown up in Robin's hand。 Not a great， or accurate， murder weapon。） Moreover， WHERE WERE WE？ I guess the small town wasn't far from Boston。 I inferred that from the casual mention that Neve had lived in the suburbs of Boston （and why Jess should've found all of the info on the home invasion）。 I think Neve told Jess this， but I was falling asleep。。。。 Not knowing what region or area the story took place in for certain really bothered me。Finally， isn't this a bit close to a rehash of Bruce Willis' 1999 movie "The Sixth Sense？" I know Jess is the detective and she isn't dead， but the movie kept coming up in my mind （and I forcefully pushed it back down！） as I read along。 。。。more

Lacey ，

Review to come after publication in Audio Supplement in Library Journal。

Sandy ，

This was a perfect Audible listen for the month of October。 Murders center back to something from the past but who is committing them？ A spooky old house and basement … who believes in ghosts？！ Good one for this time of year！ Included with Kindle Unlimited。

Mollie Ayers ，

The twist。 🤯🫣

Carol Karp ，

not what I expectedI was disappointed that this mystery turned into a ghost story part way through。 Had I known people were seeing ghosts I wouldn’t have read it。 Vert disappointed no waste of tie

The Shelf Life ，

After a traumatic home invasion， Neve returns with her daughter to her childhood summer home。 Black Lake is supposed to be their fresh start。 However， when a body appears in the lake behind their home， Neve begins to panic。 Detective Jess Lambert is the head investigator of the case and can tell that Neve has secrets she has been keeping， so when a second body appears both are forced to confront their pasts。I really enjoyed this book， and I really hope that this is just the start for Det。 Jess L After a traumatic home invasion， Neve returns with her daughter to her childhood summer home。 Black Lake is supposed to be their fresh start。 However， when a body appears in the lake behind their home， Neve begins to panic。 Detective Jess Lambert is the head investigator of the case and can tell that Neve has secrets she has been keeping， so when a second body appears both are forced to confront their pasts。I really enjoyed this book， and I really hope that this is just the start for Det。 Jess Lambert。 I found her character to be fascinating。Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me。 。。。more

j ，

I can’t understand the rave reviews for this clumsy， genre-confused mess。 Different strokes for different folks， as they say。 If this is indeed book #1 of a series， I definitely won’t read the next books。

EM Meddings ，

Wow， I thought this was phenomenal！ It was one of those novels I wanted to immediately reread。 Can’t wait for the next novel！

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Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=These Still Black Waters

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=These Still Black Waters&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,These Still Black Waters&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0