Combining the best of folklore and horror, Graeme Reynolds has written a lovely (if you like dark and eerie) novel of terrifying horror.

Samantha "Sam" Ashlyn is a single, working mother of two children. She's a journalist for a newspaper when she's asked to return to her hometown to investigate a spate of recent drownings. But doing so brings back some very uncomfortable memories and she knows, deep down, that these are not ordinary drownings.

Teaming up with a former police diver, Chris, they discover a conspiracy to keep the information about an ancient evil under wraps. That evil is growing and Sam and Chris hope they can put a stop to it and bring awareness of the danger to the general public.

Reynolds does a masterful job of bringing the horror to us and immersing us (submersing?) into the world and the horror.

Something I really appreciated was that the horror grew and became more and more disturbing even though it had gotten off to a strong start. We can sense a supernatural aspect early on, and this sense grows nicely to the reveal.

This isn't splatterpunk but there is a bit of grotesquery and gore adding to the psychological fear.

My one concern with the book is that it feels a bit like two different stories that don't come together real well. This feels most like Sam's story, but the emphasis on Chris in the first chapter had me thinking this was going to be his story ... except he doesn't appear again until chapter four. It's a curious bit of editing.

Overall, I enjoyed this as I'm always happy to find a good horror story.

Looking for a good book? Dark and Lonely Water by Graeme Reynolds is a slick horror/folklore story that should give you shivers in the night.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher/author, through LibraryThing, in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This book really kept me intrigued! It has lots of little side storylines that keep the book interesting. I love the completely twist ending for all the characters. ( )

A thrilling read from cover to cover. I really enjoyed this book and was mesmerized the whole way through. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. Creepy as heck, but I was hooked! ( )

DNF Didn't get very far into it so maybe it was just my mood might try it again later. ( )