I’m excited to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for chilling debut Deep Water by Emma Bamford. Thank you to Tracy Fenton, Anne Cater and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
About the book:
The dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple reveals their daunting experience on a remote island to their rescuers – only to realize they’re still in the grips of the island’s secrets – in this intense and startling debut.
When a Navy vessel comes across a yacht in distress in the middle of the vast Indian Ocean, Captain Danial Tengku orders his ship to rush to its aid. On board the yacht is a British couple: a horribly injured man, Jake, and his traumatized wife, Virginie, who breathlessly confesses, ‘It’s all my fault. I killed them’.
Trembling with fear, she reveals their shocking story to Danial. Months earlier, the couple had spent all their savings on a yacht, full of excitement for exploring the high seas and exotic lands together. Jake and Virginie start at the busy harbours of Malaysia and, through word of mouth, they learn about a tiny, isolated island full of unspoiled beaches. When they arrive, they discover they are not the only visitors and quickly become entangled with a motley crew of expat sailors. Soon, Jake and Virginie’s adventurous dream turns into a terrifying nightmare.
Now, it’s up to Danial to determine just how much truth there is in Virginie’s alarming tale. But when his crew make a shocking discovery, he realizes that if he doesn’t act soon, they could all fall under the dark spell of the island.
About the author:
Emma Bamford, a freelance journalist, is working on an MA in prose fiction at University of East Anglia, UK. She is the author of Deep Water and the memoirs Casting Off and Untie the Lines. Find out more at EmmaBamford.com.
My Review:
Deep Water by Emma Bamford is an atmospheric debut novel that had me gripped from the very first page. Married couple Jake and Virginie set out on the trip of a lifetime, before eventually discovering paradise in the guise of the tiny, isolated island of Amarante. But then things take a sinister turn and their dream life soon begins to spiral out of control.
Coming across a yacht in distress in the middle of the ocean, Captain Danial Tengku orders his ship to go to its rescue. However, once on board they discover a badly injured man and his highly traumatised wife, who tell Danial the shocking story of how their dream of travel and adventure turned into a terrifying nightmare. Now it’s up to Danial to discover how true Jake and Virginie’s story is. But then his crew make a shocking discovery that changes everything…
With the narrative taking place in both the past and the present, Deep Water is a book that draws you in from the outset, the threads of the story coming together as the chilling truth is slowly revealed.
As much of the novel takes place on either the isolated island of Amarante or on board a yacht, there is a stifling, claustrophobic feel to it that adds to the atmospheric nature of the story as it slowly begins to take shape. I won’t go into too much detail of what happens on the island as I don’t want to risk spoiling the story, so all I will say is that Emma Bamford has written a shocking tale of mystery and suspense that kept me thoroughly entertained throughout.
A chilling and atmospheric story that’s interspersed with fascinating insights into sailing and travel, Deep Water is a debut novel that I would recommend.
Deep Water by Emma Bamford is available to purchase now:
Cal Turner Reviews 