Welcome to my tour stop for Taking on Water by David Rawding! In his first novel, author David Rawding has written a tight psychological thriller surrounding two families and the dark secrets they hide. This tour runs from September 16th - 30th and consists of reviews, interviews and guest posts for your enjoyment! Check out the tour page for all the details and to follow the tour!
Author: David Rawding
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publishers: Red Adept Publishing
Publication Date: 07 -15-15 Pages: 212
When James Morrow, a social worker, first meets Kevin Flynn, he suspects the teen is being abused. To learn more about Kevin’s home life, he gets to know the boy’s father, Tucker, who’s a lobsterman. James is able to put his suspicions to rest, and the two families begin to form a friendship.
When a kid at the local recreation center dies of an overdose, Detective Maya Morrow adds the case to the long list related to the drug problem plaguing the small New Hampshire coastal town of Newborough. But her investigation gets her much too close to the dangerous players.
Both the Morrows and the Flynns are holding dark secrets, and when their lives collide, tragedy is inevitable.
My So-Called Review:
In Taking on Water we follow the story of James Morrow, a social worker with an abused past, and his wife Maya, a detective with the local police department who’s investigating the sudden increase of narcotics in their small New Hampshire town. When James meets a local teen named Kevin Flynn, he initially becomes concerned that the teen is being abused at home. He decides to meet and befriend the boy’s father, a lobsterman named Tucker, but after spending some time with him James feels like he was at first mistaken and so the Morrow’s and the Flynn’s become close family friends. That is until tragedy descends upon one of the families and unfortunately that’s all I can say about the plot without giving too much away ;)
I’m always a little hesitant to start a book that surrounds a character who’s a social worker, a foster child, or a foster parent. This comes from reading far too many books where social work and foster care is portrayed not only incorrectly but also in a very negative light. I’ve worked in Social Services for over 7 years and can be extremely sensitive of this topic, and its portrayal, in both fiction and cinema. I’m so glad I put these initial feelings aside though and decided to read this book because Rawding writes with a remarkable understanding towards the issues of abuse and social work. It was at times touching and almost too hard to read because of how realistic it was portrayed, so for that alone I say bravo to Rawding! Just be warned that this subject matter could be a trigger for some.
As for the rest of the story? Wow, this was such a thrilling page turner! The story did start out a tad slow but it was also clear to me that Rawding was setting up his story so therefore a little patience was needed. This totally paid off because soon I was sucked into the story and I found it extremely hard to put down after that. The New Hampshire coastal town setting and the portrayal of the fishing industry was brilliant and fascinating. All of the characters in this story were so real and complex; especially James and Maya who were so relatable, I adored them!
As the story progresses it becomes frighteningly clear that the lives of the Morrow’s and Flynn’s are becoming far too entangled which could potentially lead to a devastating outcome. I had a few thoughts and ideas on where I thought the story could be headed but I then dismissed those ideas thinking for sure the author would in no way go there. Boy was I wrong because he absolutely did! This is not a HEA story so if that’s what you’re looking for then you better move along because you won’t find that here. What this story is though is real, honest and so devastating and thought provoking. This is one I’ll be thinking about for quite some time!
Many thanks to the publishers, Red Adapt Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! And a huge thank you to Sage’s Blog Tours for inviting me to participate in the tour for this amazing book!
About the Author:
David Rawding has a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in fiction from Southern New Hampshire University. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and his short stories have been published in numerous literary journals and magazines.
David spent three years as a fly-fishing guide in Alaska, worked several years at a non-profit for at-risk youth, was an online adjunct professor, and has a litany of other jobs in his wake. When he’s not writing, he enjoys traveling the world with a backpack and a fly rod.
David Rawding has a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in fiction from Southern New Hampshire University. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and his short stories have been published in numerous literary journals and magazines. David spent three years as a fly-fishing guide in Alaska, worked several years at a non-profit for at-risk youth, was an online adjunct professor, and has a litany of other jobs in his wake. When he’s not writing, he enjoys traveling the world with a backpack and a fly rod.
This sounds like a very interesting read. I always love stories with mystery and that keep you on the edge of your seat. I never heard of David Rawding before, but this book definitely sounds worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review ;)
Thanks Maureen, I'm glad you enjoyed my review :) And yes, this is definitely worth checking out! If you love a good mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat then I would highly recommend Taking on Water!
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