#73 : When The Tide Turned by ML Eaton : A Review

 

BOOK TITLE: When The Tide Turned

ASIN: B00K1ZWM50

AUTHOR: ML Eaton

GENRE: Fiction - Mystery

NUMBER OF PAGES: 340

FORMAT:  Paperback

SERIES / STANDALONE: Series # 2 (Mysterious Marsh Series)

REVIEW BY: Shree Janani

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Our friend and the writer Marion sent us copies in exchange for honest reviews.

SUMMARY:

It is August 1976 and an oppressive heat hangs over Romney Marsh in the South East corner of England. 

Soon after the birth of her daughter, Hazel Dawkins, a young lawyer, is unexpectedly asked to return to work. No sooner has she agreed than she discovers that a dark force threatens both her family and her country; and before long, the past and present intertwine in a rising tide of horrifying events. 

Haunted by terrifying images, she knows that she must uncover secrets from the past if she is to avert a catastrophe that will destroy all that she holds dear. 

What draws her to the painting depicting a sudden storm at sea on a night in 1803 as Napoleon prepares to invade England? 

What is the secret of the man pegged down to die on the incoming tide? 

As Hazel seeks the answers to these questions she faces evil and intrigue, her life and that of her baby daughter threatened at every turn.

REVIEW:

The book opens with a quote from Julius Ceaser on Tides & affair of men. That combined with the summary and the picture in page 2 gave me an idea what to expect in the second edition of Mysterious Marsh series. Our protagonist, Hazel Dawkins is back again, this time with her newborn baby Jessica to solve yet another “Legal Mystery”. This time it only got better than the previous book. 

So what did I expect? I expected beautiful writing, logical story and some beautiful history for I knew what to expect after reading the first book in the series. To state that the book lived up to my expectations would be an understatement. The book truly delivered more than what I expected. The story line was logical, well woven and had quite a number of surprising twists. In fact towards the climax the story line turned so racy that I ignored the growling of my tummy for it was lunch time.

Initially the history of the painting and Hazel’s dreams (or premonitions?!) seemed vague but as the story line progressed all that history about Rye & the painting made a lot of sense. 

Two things that I truly loved about the book were – The writing style & the characterisation. The writer has this beautiful typical British style of describing things (Duh me! She is a Brit after all!). I fear not many people will appreciate this style of writing for people these days appreciate the “Instant” kind of writing sans the description about even the smallest detail.  The writer has a great sense of describing things. Her experience in legal practice is much evident in her writing. 

The characterisation deserves a special mention. The protagonist, Hazel is portrayed with such a depth that she inspires me to be a strong person.  At times writers tend to get carried away so much so that the characterisation is so unrealistically ideal. Thankfully the characters in this book were nowhere near that state. 

My only weeny tiny bit of complaint would be the story line of Mark in the beginning which I felt was a bit out of league. 

To sum it up, “When the tide turned”  is beautifully written compulsive read which got me all hooked!

VERDICT: Must read! It’s “THE PERFECT” mystery! 

RATING: 4 on 5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Retired from legal practice and semi-retired from holistic therapy - although she still teaches Reiki and other workshops - Marion lives close to the sea in the beautiful East Sussex countryside with a long-suffering husband, a lazy saluki and an urge to write into the small hours.

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Kindle, Paperback

PRICE: Rs.99 (Kindle)

BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.in/When-The-Tide-Turned-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00K1ZWM50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404050632&sr=8-1&keywords=When+the+tide+turned

Note : This review was first posted in Readers' Muse