Sam Lloyd’s The Rising Tide is an intense and intriguing read, with several twists and turns in the plot. A “do not put it down until you have finished it” book.
The novel is set in North Devonshire in the little fishing village of Skentel in winter. With the freezing North Atlantic waters, howling winds and icy rain, Skentel can be a harsh and difficult place to live. The locals form a small community which is closely bound out of the tourist season.
The story is about the family of Lucy and Daniel Locke, who live in a large old house aptly called Mortis Point that is built high on the cliffs that overlook the harbour and the town of Skentel. Daniel has started and built up a successful marine business, while Lucy opened a bar called The Drift Net that is the community centre of the town. They have two children, daughter Billie (from before Lucy married Daniel) and their son Fin.
They seem perfect, their lives seem perfect. But as the storm of the decade whips up, the family’s yacht is found abandoned at sea. There is no trace of Daniel to be found. Then Fin goes missing, and things just keep getting worse. Lucy’s past seems to have come back to manipulate and terrorise her. Will the family survive the evil that has found them? Who pays the ultimate price? Will life ever be normal again?
There are sub plots within the book as well, with characters like the dedicated Detective Abraham who works the case. Some of the characters are unexpected, but all are interesting and add to making this a gripping read.
Novel number two from Sam Lloyd is the intense, atmospheric, and original thriller that the back page promised it would be.
Sam Lloyd is a British born author who is based in Surrey, where he lives with his wife and their three young sons. The Rising Tide is his second thriller, his first being The Memory Wood.
The Rising Tide is published by Penguin Random House UK – 2021. ISBN: 9781787631878 - Christine E Hann
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