Review: Dark Waters (DS Kate Hamilton #2) by Gaye Maguire

                           

Print Length: 311 pages

Publisher: Inkubator Books (June 25, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: A young girl trapped in a nightmare. Only one way to escape.

A brilliant young student named Emily walks into the sea on a cold January night after posting a suicide note online. It instantly goes viral, and there’s a huge public outcry over the negative influence of social media on young people.

But when her body turns up on the Welsh coast, the post-mortem reveals that Emily had been the victim of a violent sexual predator. Was that why she took her own life?

Detective Kate Hamilton and her partner Rory are tasked with the investigation and soon uncover dark secrets in the girl’s life.

As the Serious Crimes Unit push hard to identify the person who was preying on Emily, another student goes missing, and a wealthy young man is found murdered – his dead gaze focused on the same South Dublin shoreline. Are these tragedies somehow linked?

As the investigation moves forward, the squad delve into the sinister depths of the dark web, uncovering a network of abuse fuelled by online predators. Can they find the perpetrator and save the missing girl before it’s too late?

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My Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Let me start off with a couple of things with this one. To begin with, you do not have to have read the first book in the series in order for this one to make sense. Yes, events from the first book are referenced, but it is done so in such a way that manages to provide the information the reader needs without overshadowing the complexities of this book. 

And boy, what a complex book this one was. On top of the girl in the red coat, as the video was dubbed, there are other things at play here, including something big in Kate's personal life. I liked this added touch as it gave a more human aspect to Kate, showing that she wasn't just a member of the police.

The writing was solid, and the storyline was compelling, made moreso by the murder of someone who, at first, was seemingly unconnected to the other events currently taking place. I will admit that it was a little slow-going in some parts as officers chased one dead-end lead after another. I especially liked the idea of a group of women avenging other women who had been wronged. 

The problem I had with this one was the ending. 

****SPOILER ALERT****

The fact that no one was held accountable for what happened, however, left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Sure, we knew who did what and why, but I needed them to be brought to some kind of justice so for that not to happen? It kind of made the rest of it feel like a waste of time. 

****END SPOILER ALERT****

All things considered, however, I did enjoy this one, and I would definitely read more from this author. In fact, I am excited to go back and check out the first book in this series. I recommend this novel to those who are fans of police procedural novels as this felt more like it falls into that category than the suspense or thriller categories. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                                Dark Waters  is available on Amazon.com

                                             (for free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited)