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Dark Tide
Elizabeth Haynes, author of the bestselling debut Into the Darkest Corner, returns with a tense, gripping thriller about a woman caught in an underworld of corruption and murder...
Genevieve has finally achieved her dream: to leave the stress of London behind and start a new life aboard a houseboat in Kent. She’s found the perfect vessel: Revenge of the Tide. She already feels less lonely; as if the boat is looking after her.
But the night of her boat-warming party, a body washes up, and to Genevieve’s horror, she recognizes the victim. She isn’t about to tell the police, though; hardly anyone knows about her past as a dancer at a private members’ club, The Barclay. The death can’t have anything to do with her. Or so she thinks...
Soon, the lull of the waves against Revenge feels anything but soothing, as Genevieve begins to receive strange calls and can’t reach the one person who links the present danger with her history at the club. Fearing for her safety, Genevieve recalls the moment when it all started to go wrong: the night she saw her daytime boss in the crowd at The Barclay...
Dark, sexy, and exquisitely chilling, Dark Tide is another superb mystery from acclaimed rising star Elizabeth Haynes.
Genevieve has finally achieved her dream: to leave the stress of London behind and start a new life aboard a houseboat in Kent. She’s found the perfect vessel: Revenge of the Tide. She already feels less lonely; as if the boat is looking after her.
But the night of her boat-warming party, a body washes up, and to Genevieve’s horror, she recognizes the victim. She isn’t about to tell the police, though; hardly anyone knows about her past as a dancer at a private members’ club, The Barclay. The death can’t have anything to do with her. Or so she thinks...
Soon, the lull of the waves against Revenge feels anything but soothing, as Genevieve begins to receive strange calls and can’t reach the one person who links the present danger with her history at the club. Fearing for her safety, Genevieve recalls the moment when it all started to go wrong: the night she saw her daytime boss in the crowd at The Barclay...
Dark, sexy, and exquisitely chilling, Dark Tide is another superb mystery from acclaimed rising star Elizabeth Haynes.
388 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2012
158 people are currently reading
4619 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Haynes
23 books2,062 followersElizabeth Haynes grew up in Seaford, Sussex and studied English, German and Art History at Leicester University.
She previously worked as a police intelligence analyst and lives in Norfolk with her husband and son.
She previously worked as a police intelligence analyst and lives in Norfolk with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 552 reviews
November 11, 2018
Ex-pole dancer Genevieve has quit her job and is living on a houseboat whilst renovating it. The morning after her 'boat-warming' party, Genevieve finds a dead body next to her boat, “Revenge of the Tide,” a body that she recognises from her strip club days. Suddenly Genevieve is thrust back into her old world of unsavoury characters and doesn’t know who to trust.
Hm. I’m struggling with what to say about this one. The story is so implausible that I had to set it aside in my mind whilst reading. An educated saleswoman by day, pole dancer by night (because she loved the art of dancing, really?!) who was so desperate for money that she started doing private parties and tipped over into basically prostituting herself. Why would she do something so dangerous? Did she have a child to support, an illness to pay for, an addiction or terrible debts to nasty loan sharks? No. She didn’t like her day job and she wanted to buy a houseboat. Umm, okay. Oh yes, and she’s fallen in love with the monosyllabic ape who works in the club with her, but barely tolerates her. How romantic!
Silliness aside, this isn’t a BAD story, sure it’s more schlocky than I would like and the characters motivations are absolutely bizarre, but there’s a good story in there somewhere. I think. Perhaps. I don’t know, I did kind of like it though. Well I thought I did until I started writing this review. Now I’m doubting myself terribly. Um.
Give this story a try if houseboat-loving strippers are your thing.
Hm. I’m struggling with what to say about this one. The story is so implausible that I had to set it aside in my mind whilst reading. An educated saleswoman by day, pole dancer by night (because she loved the art of dancing, really?!) who was so desperate for money that she started doing private parties and tipped over into basically prostituting herself. Why would she do something so dangerous? Did she have a child to support, an illness to pay for, an addiction or terrible debts to nasty loan sharks? No. She didn’t like her day job and she wanted to buy a houseboat. Umm, okay. Oh yes, and she’s fallen in love with the monosyllabic ape who works in the club with her, but barely tolerates her. How romantic!
Silliness aside, this isn’t a BAD story, sure it’s more schlocky than I would like and the characters motivations are absolutely bizarre, but there’s a good story in there somewhere. I think. Perhaps. I don’t know, I did kind of like it though. Well I thought I did until I started writing this review. Now I’m doubting myself terribly. Um.
Give this story a try if houseboat-loving strippers are your thing.
March 26, 2013
DARK TIDE introduces us to Genevieve Shipley- a women who is leaving behind her stressful life in London to live out her dream of living on a houseboat. The story moves smoothly back and forth from past and present. In Genevieve's past she had a high paying sales job and had also taken on a job as an erotic dancer in a club to make some extra cash fast. In present time she is living on her boat in Kent "Revenge of the Tides" and fixing it up herself. The book starts on the day of her house-warming (or should I say boat-warming party?) where her past and present friends are about to meet...after the party a body is found. It is someone from her past life, but how this body got there, and why, is something you will have to read the book to find out.
I liked this book. I didnt love it like I loved her last book HUMAN REMAINS, and I didn't absolutely loooooooove this book like I did her first book INTO THE DARKEST CORNER. It was surprising to me I didn't like it more, because out of all the the characters Elizabeth Haynes has written, this was the character I had the most in common with. I too bought a houseboat, gutted it, and with the help of people much handier than I am - fixed it up with the intention of living on it. I also worked as a bartender for a lot of my adult life, and turned a blind eye to some of the seedier things going on behind the scenes, so I thought that out of the three books, this was going to be my favorite...but it wasnt.
The parts of this book that I ended up enjoying the most took place at the marina where Genevieve is surrounded by her new found "boat life" friends. A band of interesting characters that she quickly bonds with and become like family. This is what I had imagined (or hoped) my life would have been like (sans dead body) if I had actually moved on the boat full time. I liked Genevieve in this setting much more than when she was at the club dancing. "Exotic dancer Genevieve" got on my nerves. Her character was forever explaining that she started dancing at the club to raise lots of fast cash and because it was such great exercise, and also mentioned her slick moves on the pole each and every time she was dancing or about to dance- moves that nooooooooooobody else in the club was capable of doing. Yes I get it. The money is great, the exercise is wonderful, and nobody dances better than yooooou.
That being said this book is definitely worth the read- in my humble opinion.
I thought my review might be more interesting with a photo of my boat (shout out to Karen for talking me through the uploading process.)
I liked this book. I didnt love it like I loved her last book HUMAN REMAINS, and I didn't absolutely loooooooove this book like I did her first book INTO THE DARKEST CORNER. It was surprising to me I didn't like it more, because out of all the the characters Elizabeth Haynes has written, this was the character I had the most in common with. I too bought a houseboat, gutted it, and with the help of people much handier than I am - fixed it up with the intention of living on it. I also worked as a bartender for a lot of my adult life, and turned a blind eye to some of the seedier things going on behind the scenes, so I thought that out of the three books, this was going to be my favorite...but it wasnt.
The parts of this book that I ended up enjoying the most took place at the marina where Genevieve is surrounded by her new found "boat life" friends. A band of interesting characters that she quickly bonds with and become like family. This is what I had imagined (or hoped) my life would have been like (sans dead body) if I had actually moved on the boat full time. I liked Genevieve in this setting much more than when she was at the club dancing. "Exotic dancer Genevieve" got on my nerves. Her character was forever explaining that she started dancing at the club to raise lots of fast cash and because it was such great exercise, and also mentioned her slick moves on the pole each and every time she was dancing or about to dance- moves that nooooooooooobody else in the club was capable of doing. Yes I get it. The money is great, the exercise is wonderful, and nobody dances better than yooooou.
That being said this book is definitely worth the read- in my humble opinion.
I thought my review might be more interesting with a photo of my boat (shout out to Karen for talking me through the uploading process.)
January 11, 2013
I love a good thriller. Pretty much everyone does, so when I was given a chance to review this one, I gladly took it on. It wasn’t what I was expecting, not by a long shot.
The story starts out well, a bit slow in giving away details about the protagonist, but that happens sometimes in thrillers, to build up the suspense. The problem is that we never really get that suspense. The story moves from the past to the present, taking us back to Genevieve’s days as a stripper and bringing us to where she is at the moment, in a marina with the boat she is trying to renovate. If it sounds disjointed, it’s because it is. The whole book feels like that. I was hoping there’d be some great revelation that would bring all the parts together, but, although the author made an attempt at such a resolution, it was weak, at best.
The other problem was Genevieve herself. We never get a sense of who she is. She just does things because the author wants her to do them. There’s just no real reasoning or emotional resonance behind her actions. This makes for a weak character. One we just can’t believe exists.
This is one of those books that just doesn’t deliver the thrills it promises. A disjointed story together with a dull, wooden character makes for a very poor story, of any kind, but especially a thriller.
The story starts out well, a bit slow in giving away details about the protagonist, but that happens sometimes in thrillers, to build up the suspense. The problem is that we never really get that suspense. The story moves from the past to the present, taking us back to Genevieve’s days as a stripper and bringing us to where she is at the moment, in a marina with the boat she is trying to renovate. If it sounds disjointed, it’s because it is. The whole book feels like that. I was hoping there’d be some great revelation that would bring all the parts together, but, although the author made an attempt at such a resolution, it was weak, at best.
The other problem was Genevieve herself. We never get a sense of who she is. She just does things because the author wants her to do them. There’s just no real reasoning or emotional resonance behind her actions. This makes for a weak character. One we just can’t believe exists.
This is one of those books that just doesn’t deliver the thrills it promises. A disjointed story together with a dull, wooden character makes for a very poor story, of any kind, but especially a thriller.
September 10, 2012
Really irritating lead character - you had absolutely no sympathy for her, she was naive to the point of moronic, selfish, materialistic (although because she wants to live on a houseboat, you are meant to think she is a free spirit), weak (however because she is a "pole dancer" and a "lead sales person", she's somehow an empowered feminist). Eurgh just annoying. And a fairly rubbish story. Not a patch on her last book, which had me gripped - you just wanted to get to the end and pray that she fell in the river and drowned. It looks like she was pushed to write a follow-up to "Into the Darkest Corner" quickly, and it shows.
June 13, 2017
There was a moment when it had all started to go horribly wrong, when things began to unravel. They’d unravelled at the Barclay at just about the same time that my night job collided with the day job.
Genevieve Shipley has taken a year off work to follow the dream she shared with her late father. “Revenge of the Tide” is the name of a barge she bought in the River Medway in Kent to restore as a floating home, paid for in part by selling her London flat and savings from her day job as a sales executive. Drawing on her early training in ballet and gymnastics she supplemented this by working weekends as a pole dancer at the gentleman’s club “The Barclay”, using the stage name “Viva”.
With restorations well underway she throws a houseboat warming party, inviting the “live aboards” from the houseboat community and friends from her former sales job. She has only two contacts from her nights working at the Barclay: she had not heard from Dylan, right hand man to the owner Fitz, in months, and Caddy, a pole dancer working under the name Kitten, who she invites to the party. When Caddy fails to show Genevieve dismisses it as "too busy”, until she is awoken in the early hours by a tapping against the boat, an object trapped by the tide and finds Caddy’s body in the water.
The book see-saws between the present sinister goings-on and her life in London. She enjoyed her time as a dancer at the club and at private parties at Fitz’s house, but it came at a cost. Among Fitz’s “friends” is mobster Leon Arnold, who won’t take no for an answer, and when her boss at the sales job sees her dancing he becomes obsessively obnoxious, stalking her until she leaves under a cloud.
This book was released in the North American market as “Dark Tide” which I read a few months back. Though faithful to the plot, I found the substituting of ‘tire’ for ‘tyre’ and ‘car lot’ for ‘car park’ annoying. The US version goes for a different beginning, with victim Caddie stumbling towards the barge in a Colombo-esque ‘whodunnit’. Other characters are dropped in the US version, and dialogue between Dylan and Genevieve muted. For that I marked “Dark Tide” down, with this, the English edition, far more authentic and a better read.
Genevieve Shipley has taken a year off work to follow the dream she shared with her late father. “Revenge of the Tide” is the name of a barge she bought in the River Medway in Kent to restore as a floating home, paid for in part by selling her London flat and savings from her day job as a sales executive. Drawing on her early training in ballet and gymnastics she supplemented this by working weekends as a pole dancer at the gentleman’s club “The Barclay”, using the stage name “Viva”.
With restorations well underway she throws a houseboat warming party, inviting the “live aboards” from the houseboat community and friends from her former sales job. She has only two contacts from her nights working at the Barclay: she had not heard from Dylan, right hand man to the owner Fitz, in months, and Caddy, a pole dancer working under the name Kitten, who she invites to the party. When Caddy fails to show Genevieve dismisses it as "too busy”, until she is awoken in the early hours by a tapping against the boat, an object trapped by the tide and finds Caddy’s body in the water.
The book see-saws between the present sinister goings-on and her life in London. She enjoyed her time as a dancer at the club and at private parties at Fitz’s house, but it came at a cost. Among Fitz’s “friends” is mobster Leon Arnold, who won’t take no for an answer, and when her boss at the sales job sees her dancing he becomes obsessively obnoxious, stalking her until she leaves under a cloud.
This book was released in the North American market as “Dark Tide” which I read a few months back. Though faithful to the plot, I found the substituting of ‘tire’ for ‘tyre’ and ‘car lot’ for ‘car park’ annoying. The US version goes for a different beginning, with victim Caddie stumbling towards the barge in a Colombo-esque ‘whodunnit’. Other characters are dropped in the US version, and dialogue between Dylan and Genevieve muted. For that I marked “Dark Tide” down, with this, the English edition, far more authentic and a better read.
June 23, 2013
I seem to be on a run with books I don't particularly like lately. I loved Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes. This, I'm still considering if I should go ahead and click 2 for I didn't like it on my personal rating scale.
This mystery begins with a housewarming party on a houseboat. Some of the guests are old friends, uhm, not a good sign, What's Her Name's city job and some of them are her new houseboat friends. It's a little awkward but they drink plenty and I guess that helps soften the edges or at least maybe if you drink enough you won't really remember the awkward bits tomorrow? Anyway. Nothing says awkward like a dead body turning up in the middle of the night.
From there on the story is pieced together from bits of What's Her Name's past and present. Turns out she didn't just have a good day job back (finance?) in the city, she also enjoyed stripping and pole dancing at a gentleman's club - for the exercise and cash, which she's saving to buy a houseboat, a dream she shared with her now deceased father. And well, she didn't get away quite as simply as she thought and the past comes calling. A number of times.
What was wrong with this basically good idea for a thriller? What worked well for me in The DArkest Corner, the going back and forth in time to illustrate how our heroine What's Her Name got into this mess, well, it was less novel this time around. Also I just didn't buy into her, oh yeah, Genevieve, much. She was just kind of not very real to me. Such a great dancer, a high performer in her marketing/sales/whatever job but unable to piece things together (of course, maybe it's because she keeps getting drunk?) She supposedly has this grand love and passion for Dylan but as far as I can tell they've exchanged about 13 sentences. Ever. Apparently just watching her dance did it for him. And watching him watch her did it for her? I dunno. She is supposedly still pining for him, waiting for his call, but is quite easily able to take comfort elsewhere when the wheels start falling off the cart. Of course, she keeps getting drunk.
So. Bleh, didn't do it for me. I did like the houseboat and her houseboat friends and think she would be a fool to go off with Dylan and leave them behind but hey, who asked me... oops. Sorry, little spoiler there. As I review I am finding myself a tiny bit bitter, especially about the ending. Read something else.
This mystery begins with a housewarming party on a houseboat. Some of the guests are old friends, uhm, not a good sign, What's Her Name's city job and some of them are her new houseboat friends. It's a little awkward but they drink plenty and I guess that helps soften the edges or at least maybe if you drink enough you won't really remember the awkward bits tomorrow? Anyway. Nothing says awkward like a dead body turning up in the middle of the night.
From there on the story is pieced together from bits of What's Her Name's past and present. Turns out she didn't just have a good day job back (finance?) in the city, she also enjoyed stripping and pole dancing at a gentleman's club - for the exercise and cash, which she's saving to buy a houseboat, a dream she shared with her now deceased father. And well, she didn't get away quite as simply as she thought and the past comes calling. A number of times.
What was wrong with this basically good idea for a thriller? What worked well for me in The DArkest Corner, the going back and forth in time to illustrate how our heroine What's Her Name got into this mess, well, it was less novel this time around. Also I just didn't buy into her, oh yeah, Genevieve, much. She was just kind of not very real to me. Such a great dancer, a high performer in her marketing/sales/whatever job but unable to piece things together (of course, maybe it's because she keeps getting drunk?) She supposedly has this grand love and passion for Dylan but as far as I can tell they've exchanged about 13 sentences. Ever. Apparently just watching her dance did it for him. And watching him watch her did it for her? I dunno. She is supposedly still pining for him, waiting for his call, but is quite easily able to take comfort elsewhere when the wheels start falling off the cart. Of course, she keeps getting drunk.
So. Bleh, didn't do it for me. I did like the houseboat and her houseboat friends and think she would be a fool to go off with Dylan and leave them behind but hey, who asked me... oops. Sorry, little spoiler there. As I review I am finding myself a tiny bit bitter, especially about the ending. Read something else.
March 31, 2017
Genevieve Shipley is living her dream, renovating a barge "Revenge of the Tide" as a houseboat near the mouth of the river Medway in Kent. To get there, she gave in her notice at her high-powered sales job in London with an odious boss, and at the Barclay, a men's club where she worked as a pole-dancer at weekends under the name "Viva", owned by Fitz and his heavies, and sometimes at private parties where more than dancing was involved-for a price.
She throws a houseboat warming party, inviting friends from London who now seem shallow, her neighbours in the tightknit community of houseboat owners, and Caddy, also a pole dancer at the club who used the name "Kitten". Caddy does turn up, not at the party, but her body bangs against the houseboat in the early hours. Now a crime scene, Genevieve does not at first admit to the police that she recognised the body. The bad vive continues, the security light at the marina is cut, a car drives away in darkness without lights, the neighbours' cat is killed and thrown on the quay, while Genevieve tries to fathom who is responsible, embarking on an affair with one of the investigating officers.
This book held my attention throughout, partly due to the detail of her current circumstance with the renovations, the rise and fall of the tide erasing evidence, and the lives of her neighbours, with flashbacks to the life she has tried to escape. Pole-dancing provided her with a vigorous workout and was lucrative, but not without its risks as the novel explores the darker side of the male psyche.
This book was originally published as "Revenge of the Tide" and I would have liked to have got hold of an earlier version as my copy was the US one, suffering from the usual editing: tyre became tire; car park became car lot, even though that means a sales yard in the UK, "arse" in the dialogue became "ass" in the narrative. Annoying, I thought. The author's notes suggested a bitter-sweet ending was rewritten to appease the publishing houses.
Verdict: a powerful thriller rendered spineless through an excess of editing.
She throws a houseboat warming party, inviting friends from London who now seem shallow, her neighbours in the tightknit community of houseboat owners, and Caddy, also a pole dancer at the club who used the name "Kitten". Caddy does turn up, not at the party, but her body bangs against the houseboat in the early hours. Now a crime scene, Genevieve does not at first admit to the police that she recognised the body. The bad vive continues, the security light at the marina is cut, a car drives away in darkness without lights, the neighbours' cat is killed and thrown on the quay, while Genevieve tries to fathom who is responsible, embarking on an affair with one of the investigating officers.
This book held my attention throughout, partly due to the detail of her current circumstance with the renovations, the rise and fall of the tide erasing evidence, and the lives of her neighbours, with flashbacks to the life she has tried to escape. Pole-dancing provided her with a vigorous workout and was lucrative, but not without its risks as the novel explores the darker side of the male psyche.
This book was originally published as "Revenge of the Tide" and I would have liked to have got hold of an earlier version as my copy was the US one, suffering from the usual editing: tyre became tire; car park became car lot, even though that means a sales yard in the UK, "arse" in the dialogue became "ass" in the narrative. Annoying, I thought. The author's notes suggested a bitter-sweet ending was rewritten to appease the publishing houses.
Verdict: a powerful thriller rendered spineless through an excess of editing.
December 23, 2023
Genevieve's dream was to save enough money to take a year off work to buy and refurbish a houseboat. Check! Renovations are ongoing, but the boat is cozy and habitable. To celebrate, she throws a house (boat) warming party. Her friends from the busy corporate world awkwardly mingle with other residents of the houseboat community. Genevieve falls into bed at the end of the evening relieved the get-together was a success. Her sleep is disturbed by a knocking sound against the hull of her boat. It's a body, let the screaming commence.
I loved the concept of the book. Genevieve has an interesting back story, corporate sales by day, exotic dancer by night. The narrative shifts from past to present as Genevieve goes to darker places to earn the money for her boat. I found the story quite repetitive in parts. Genevieve explains her goal to everyone she meets which was unnecessary. The reveal was slow because of the clunky structure.
Although this particular book didn't work well for me, I have greatly enjoyed other books by Elizabeth Haynes and recommend her as an author. Human Remains is my favourite of her novels and, in my opinion, a better example of her writing talent.
I loved the concept of the book. Genevieve has an interesting back story, corporate sales by day, exotic dancer by night. The narrative shifts from past to present as Genevieve goes to darker places to earn the money for her boat. I found the story quite repetitive in parts. Genevieve explains her goal to everyone she meets which was unnecessary. The reveal was slow because of the clunky structure.
Although this particular book didn't work well for me, I have greatly enjoyed other books by Elizabeth Haynes and recommend her as an author. Human Remains is my favourite of her novels and, in my opinion, a better example of her writing talent.
July 28, 2020
3.5 stars. Five months ago, Genevieve left London and bought her dream houseboat, similar to a barge. It's a 75 ft boat that she now lives in and it's called Revenge of the Tide. She's been remodeling it and throws a boat warming party with her fellow houseboat owners and a few old friends from London. Her best friend Caddy doesn't show up. During the night, Genevieve hears a bumping against the boat and discovers Caddy's body. Maybe her past as a strip club dancer has come back to haunt her. Or maybe there's trouble because she has something that she shouldn't.
After reading this author's debut novel a couple of weeks ago, I quickly looked for the next one that came out in 2013. Part of the book is present time and part is the backstory of life dancing at the strip club. You have to read carefully because the time period can change in paragraphs with no warning. I enjoyed reading about houseboating life and I appreciated Genevieve's woodworking skills. I didn't think this book was as good as her debut novel but I've found the next book and will be checking it out soon.
After reading this author's debut novel a couple of weeks ago, I quickly looked for the next one that came out in 2013. Part of the book is present time and part is the backstory of life dancing at the strip club. You have to read carefully because the time period can change in paragraphs with no warning. I enjoyed reading about houseboating life and I appreciated Genevieve's woodworking skills. I didn't think this book was as good as her debut novel but I've found the next book and will be checking it out soon.
March 18, 2013
Last year there was a ton of buzz around Haynes's debut release, INTO THE DARKEST CORNER. Having read it in just about one sitting (on an amazingly pretty afternoon here in CO), I can say that all of that buzz was warranted. INTO THE DARKEST CORNER was a pretty phenomenal and chilling read. You can imagine, then, that the expectations going into DARK TIDE were pretty high. Readers, I was not disappointed!
Genevieve has long dreamed of buying a boat - a houseboat she can live on and fix up and maybe even do some traveling. She worked two jobs to save up enough money and now her dream has finally come true. But Genevieve's dream soon becomes a nightmare when the body of one of her old coworkers is found floating in the river near her new abode.
DARK TIDE is every bit as intense and fast paced as INTO THE DARKEST CORNER. Like her debut, Haynes tells her story in two different timelines - now and then. Now with the discovery of Caddy's body and the events that follow and then being the events that led up to the start of the book.
But don't be mistaken, these are two very different stories with two very different heroines: Genevieve is quite possibly the exact opposite of Catherine. Genevieve is a sales person by day and an exotic dancer by night. She has no qualms about doing a little extra for the job if it means getting her one step closer to her dream. But when she's harassed at work, she fights back full force. (Haynes recently discussed some of the differences in writing the two books on her blog.)
This author has a real talent for putting together a captivating mystery. For me, Haynes is a guaranteed one-sitting or up-all-night read, so be prepared! Just be warned, she's seemingly not afraid to delve into the darkest reaches of her imagination. I'll admit, though, DARK TIDE wasn't quite as dark and twisted as INTO THE DARKEST CORNER.
Genevieve has long dreamed of buying a boat - a houseboat she can live on and fix up and maybe even do some traveling. She worked two jobs to save up enough money and now her dream has finally come true. But Genevieve's dream soon becomes a nightmare when the body of one of her old coworkers is found floating in the river near her new abode.
DARK TIDE is every bit as intense and fast paced as INTO THE DARKEST CORNER. Like her debut, Haynes tells her story in two different timelines - now and then. Now with the discovery of Caddy's body and the events that follow and then being the events that led up to the start of the book.
But don't be mistaken, these are two very different stories with two very different heroines: Genevieve is quite possibly the exact opposite of Catherine. Genevieve is a sales person by day and an exotic dancer by night. She has no qualms about doing a little extra for the job if it means getting her one step closer to her dream. But when she's harassed at work, she fights back full force. (Haynes recently discussed some of the differences in writing the two books on her blog.)
This author has a real talent for putting together a captivating mystery. For me, Haynes is a guaranteed one-sitting or up-all-night read, so be prepared! Just be warned, she's seemingly not afraid to delve into the darkest reaches of her imagination. I'll admit, though, DARK TIDE wasn't quite as dark and twisted as INTO THE DARKEST CORNER.
April 3, 2013
Haynes’ second novel, following Into the Darkest Corner, fails to exceed the excitement and suspense of her debut. It rambles overly long, and ultimately the plot’s insubstantial nature make it difficult to be invested in truly caring what happens to any of these rather two-dimensional characters. The story, similar to her first novel, flits back and forth between the heroine’s, Genevieve’s, current life on a houseboat and her former life in London as an account representative by day and a pole dancer by night. Her past life, at first, seems intriguing, but Genevieve’s naivete spoils any authenticity as a character.
What is really surprising is that this book, genre-wise, falls more into romantic suspense than a true mystery/thriller. More time is devoted to the romantic (and sexual) aspects of the main characters than any of the other plots. Its opening is slowly paced and even after the pacing does speed up, there is nothing actually thrilling about the novel. It ends with many questions in its wake and none of the actual crimes ever explained. The entire ending hits a rushed and false note. It is a shame, because her debut novel shows so much more talent for both plotting and characters.
What is really surprising is that this book, genre-wise, falls more into romantic suspense than a true mystery/thriller. More time is devoted to the romantic (and sexual) aspects of the main characters than any of the other plots. Its opening is slowly paced and even after the pacing does speed up, there is nothing actually thrilling about the novel. It ends with many questions in its wake and none of the actual crimes ever explained. The entire ending hits a rushed and false note. It is a shame, because her debut novel shows so much more talent for both plotting and characters.
December 14, 2016
Revenge of the Tide (also titled Dark Tide) is the second novel by British author and former police intelligence analyst, Elizabeth Haynes. After five months of living on her Dutch-built barge, “Revenge of the Tide” on the Medway in Kent, Genevieve Shipley decides to have a boat-warming party. She invites her neighbours in the marina, her colleagues from her former sales job, and a friend from the club she used to dance at. Most guests enjoy themselves, although Caddy, her club friend never shows.
In the pre-dawn hours of the following morning, Gen investigates a noise outside and discovers Caddy’s body in the water next to her boat. Other disturbing incidents (security lights disabled, a pet cat brutally slain, footprints in the mud, unfamiliar cars) lead Gen to wonder if her former employer at the dance club is responsible. After all, while she tried to steer clear of involvement, there were some dangerous types amongst the clientele.
Haynes splits the narrative into two time periods: present day, and about one year earlier, which, while not marked, are easily distinguished by characters and context. Thus events that led to Caddy’s death and what followed are gradually revealed. Her plot is original and believable, with a few twists and an exciting climax. Haynes research into living aboard and pole dancing is seamlessly incorporated into this gripping page-turner.
In the pre-dawn hours of the following morning, Gen investigates a noise outside and discovers Caddy’s body in the water next to her boat. Other disturbing incidents (security lights disabled, a pet cat brutally slain, footprints in the mud, unfamiliar cars) lead Gen to wonder if her former employer at the dance club is responsible. After all, while she tried to steer clear of involvement, there were some dangerous types amongst the clientele.
Haynes splits the narrative into two time periods: present day, and about one year earlier, which, while not marked, are easily distinguished by characters and context. Thus events that led to Caddy’s death and what followed are gradually revealed. Her plot is original and believable, with a few twists and an exciting climax. Haynes research into living aboard and pole dancing is seamlessly incorporated into this gripping page-turner.
August 17, 2013
I should have trusted my instincts when ordering this book. The subject matter of a pole dancer who leaves her life in London to renovate a boat in Kent didn't exactly thrill me but given how much I enjoyed Into the Darkest CornerI ignored my misgivings. After all Elizabeth Haynes wrote such a gripping debut story so must have something hidden to deliver. To be fair the first part of the book was ok, Genevieve the former pole dancer had a good job and was pole dancing for exercise and money to buy the boat but after that it descended into cliche. Her former life in London was full of shallow people (except her fellow pole dancer friend) and the boat people are the most generous she'd ever met, Genevieve then finds herself in the most predictable of situations given that she was hiding something on the boat.....
Not for me and a lesson to all that if the plot is thin then no matter how good the writing it is not an enjoyable experience for the reader. I just didn't care about any of the characters at all, maybe it was written as a tv drama?
April 2, 2013
Like her first book, Into the Darkest Corner, this book is almost relentless. It's not as creepy as that one was, but I was still completely enthralled.
Also like her first book, this book goes back and forth in time. We see Genevieve in trouble and while we see the effects of that trouble, we also see the actions that led up to it.
I loved Genevieve. She's nervous---because who wouldn't be? She's attacked and she knows that she's dealing with dangerous people---but she's also one of those people who you just know will never give up and who will never stop fighting. She doesn't always make the best choices, but who does?
I also loved Dylan. And Dylan-and-Genevieve? Yes. Yes, please.
This is one of those books that will murder sleep. So start it early.
Her next book comes out in August and I can't wait to devour it. I'm officially in to read anything that Elizabeth Haynes writes ever.
Highly recommended.
Also like her first book, this book goes back and forth in time. We see Genevieve in trouble and while we see the effects of that trouble, we also see the actions that led up to it.
I loved Genevieve. She's nervous---because who wouldn't be? She's attacked and she knows that she's dealing with dangerous people---but she's also one of those people who you just know will never give up and who will never stop fighting. She doesn't always make the best choices, but who does?
I also loved Dylan. And Dylan-and-Genevieve? Yes. Yes, please.
This is one of those books that will murder sleep. So start it early.
Her next book comes out in August and I can't wait to devour it. I'm officially in to read anything that Elizabeth Haynes writes ever.
Highly recommended.
May 6, 2014
I say 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love the ending and the characters infuriated me at times.
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love the ending and the characters infuriated me at times.
August 31, 2014
Our heroine is Genevieve, a somewhat shallow and self absorbed young woman who works in a boring sales job by day, and pole dancer by night - nothing extraordinary there. As she says, it's good exercise and the money is mega, so much so she's finally able to buy that boat she's always wanted, and escape her monotonous life in London. Little does she know that, working in the slightly seamy, seedy atmosphere of a strip club she will come face to face with a Bad Lot and Bad Things might happen.
The first of these Bad Things is finding a dead body bumping up against her boat in the dead of night. Ooops, what's she to do? She knows who the dead girl is - it's Caddy, her pole dancing friend, but for reasons known only to herself she doesn't let the police in on this little nugget of information. Instead she continues to live on the boat, constantly looking over her shoulder, and fearing for her life especially as she is hiding another secret in the form of a Mysterious Parcel given to her by the elusive Dylan, one of the minders at the strip club. What's so important about this parcel? What does it contain? Drugs? Money? A Gun? And where is Dylan and why doesn't he answer the phone? These are the carrots to get you reading this rather tedious book which is 344 pages long; by page 291 I was ready to hurl it into the bin, because in those first 291 pages hardly anything happens. I kept going in the hope that it would improve - it didn't. The book hops back and forth, often within chapters, from present day with the trials and tribulations of renovating the Revenge of the Tide (the boat), and our heroine's past life as a pole dancer and the various unsavoury characters she has come into contact with. This makes for confusing reading at the best of times, and total bloody boredom for much of it.
This is the third book of Elizabeth Haynes I've read; her first "Into the Darkest Corner" was riveting, well paced with a main character the reader could sympathise with, and cheer on. I then read her third book "Human Remains" which I disliked, as stated in my review. So now, having read this one I have to say I am really disappointed with it; the characters aren't particularly well developed or likeable - in fact I couldn't have cared less if Genevieve met the same fate as Caddy; the plot is flimsy, implausible, with 99% the action occurring in the last 50 pages with a boring blow by blow account of a fight with a predictable outcome. This is not as horrid as her third novel, and nowhere near as good as her first. This has been described as "taut and gripping" - I didn't find it either, and Karen Slaughter states it is an "....obsessive thriller". Did she read the same book?
Note: This book is marketed as "Dark Tide"in the USA. I find this confusing as the title refers to the name of the boat - does this mean the boat's name has also been changed in the USA?
The first of these Bad Things is finding a dead body bumping up against her boat in the dead of night. Ooops, what's she to do? She knows who the dead girl is - it's Caddy, her pole dancing friend, but for reasons known only to herself she doesn't let the police in on this little nugget of information. Instead she continues to live on the boat, constantly looking over her shoulder, and fearing for her life especially as she is hiding another secret in the form of a Mysterious Parcel given to her by the elusive Dylan, one of the minders at the strip club. What's so important about this parcel? What does it contain? Drugs? Money? A Gun? And where is Dylan and why doesn't he answer the phone? These are the carrots to get you reading this rather tedious book which is 344 pages long; by page 291 I was ready to hurl it into the bin, because in those first 291 pages hardly anything happens. I kept going in the hope that it would improve - it didn't. The book hops back and forth, often within chapters, from present day with the trials and tribulations of renovating the Revenge of the Tide (the boat), and our heroine's past life as a pole dancer and the various unsavoury characters she has come into contact with. This makes for confusing reading at the best of times, and total bloody boredom for much of it.
This is the third book of Elizabeth Haynes I've read; her first "Into the Darkest Corner" was riveting, well paced with a main character the reader could sympathise with, and cheer on. I then read her third book "Human Remains" which I disliked, as stated in my review. So now, having read this one I have to say I am really disappointed with it; the characters aren't particularly well developed or likeable - in fact I couldn't have cared less if Genevieve met the same fate as Caddy; the plot is flimsy, implausible, with 99% the action occurring in the last 50 pages with a boring blow by blow account of a fight with a predictable outcome. This is not as horrid as her third novel, and nowhere near as good as her first. This has been described as "taut and gripping" - I didn't find it either, and Karen Slaughter states it is an "....obsessive thriller". Did she read the same book?
Note: This book is marketed as "Dark Tide"in the USA. I find this confusing as the title refers to the name of the boat - does this mean the boat's name has also been changed in the USA?
April 18, 2013
Genevieve Shipley had a stressful life living in London, working two jobs to save the money to buy herself a boat, take a year off, renovate it, and generally enjoy living again. Her busy life revolved around being one of only two female sales executives amongst many men in the company she worked for during the day, and a pole dancer in an exclusive mens’ club called The Barclay, at night. She left both jobs abruptly, and with the financial help of Dylan, a friend and bouncer from The Barclay, she purchased herself a barge which was moored in a marina in Kent.
After working on her boat for almost five months, and enjoying the lifestyle, and the growing friendships of the “liveaboards” who surrounded her in the marina, she decided to have a “boat-warming” party, inviting some of her old friends from London, as well as her new friends. She was concerned that she hadn’t heard from Dylan since moving to Kent, but he had assured her he would contact her when the time was right.
Frantically trying to get her home tidied, she managed to pick up a few nibbles and some beer before her guests arrived, with her friends bringing food and drink too….the night went well, with a lot of heavy drinkers having fun (including herself!) but her best friend from her club days, Caddy, didn’t show up. She was disappointed but didn’t think too much about it. Then in the early hours of the morning, after all her guests had left and she’d fallen into an alcohol induced sleep, she was woken by a thump on the side of her vessel. When it continued, she staggered to the wheelhouse and focused her torch on the muddy water below….and screamed, and screamed!
With her life shattered, police everywhere, an investigation underway and danger lurking everywhere she looked, it seemed like her peace and sanctuary of the last few months were a thing of the past.
This thriller disappointed me in the way it was written. The author’s previous book, Into the Darkest Corner was brilliant, and I was anxious to read this one. But even though it was gripping, it wasn’t fulfilling. It was quite disjointed in places with a few unrealistic scenarios. But my main disappointment was the ending, as pretty much nothing about anything was resolved. I will still read her next one, which I hope will be as good as her debut was.
After working on her boat for almost five months, and enjoying the lifestyle, and the growing friendships of the “liveaboards” who surrounded her in the marina, she decided to have a “boat-warming” party, inviting some of her old friends from London, as well as her new friends. She was concerned that she hadn’t heard from Dylan since moving to Kent, but he had assured her he would contact her when the time was right.
Frantically trying to get her home tidied, she managed to pick up a few nibbles and some beer before her guests arrived, with her friends bringing food and drink too….the night went well, with a lot of heavy drinkers having fun (including herself!) but her best friend from her club days, Caddy, didn’t show up. She was disappointed but didn’t think too much about it. Then in the early hours of the morning, after all her guests had left and she’d fallen into an alcohol induced sleep, she was woken by a thump on the side of her vessel. When it continued, she staggered to the wheelhouse and focused her torch on the muddy water below….and screamed, and screamed!
With her life shattered, police everywhere, an investigation underway and danger lurking everywhere she looked, it seemed like her peace and sanctuary of the last few months were a thing of the past.
This thriller disappointed me in the way it was written. The author’s previous book, Into the Darkest Corner was brilliant, and I was anxious to read this one. But even though it was gripping, it wasn’t fulfilling. It was quite disjointed in places with a few unrealistic scenarios. But my main disappointment was the ending, as pretty much nothing about anything was resolved. I will still read her next one, which I hope will be as good as her debut was.
August 10, 2013
Having read Into the Darkest Corner and Human Remains which I loved I was really excited to read this book.
This book is about Genevieve who leaves her life in London working two jobs; one in sales and one in pole dancing (similar professions in some ways) for the simple life on a barge in Kent. Except it isn't simple because the mess of her life in London follows her and she becomes involved in the murder of her friend and is trying to protect her boyfriend and her new friends on the water.
The narrative is delivered in a mixture of past and present and this works well because as you start to tire of one, you are transported to the other.
Genevieve...hmmmmm...she was SO annoying. Her naivete was colossal. Other characters thought it was great that she turned a blind eye to the dirty dealings going on in the club but I just think she was too thick to notice anything. She wasn't in the least bit suspicious of ANYBODY (even those with I am a criminal stamped on their foreheads) and could not read people AT ALL. Not understanding why her friend was in a mood with her when she was all over Fitz the man she loves or why Dylan was upset after witnessing a very intimate dance with another (sleazeball) man - hello???!!!
Dylan...hmmmmmm...even more annoying! The most uncommunicative man in the universe. It was so obvious to me that he was a policeman because of his abject terror of any normal interaction - it was totally OTT!
I liked the story and the flow of the story but the characters missed the mark and just left me so frustrated. Such a shame as I wanted to love this book so much.
Having said that, I still think that Elizabeth Haynes is awesome. Even though the characters were awful I still found the book a compelling read - that has to count for something.
This book is about Genevieve who leaves her life in London working two jobs; one in sales and one in pole dancing (similar professions in some ways) for the simple life on a barge in Kent. Except it isn't simple because the mess of her life in London follows her and she becomes involved in the murder of her friend and is trying to protect her boyfriend and her new friends on the water.
The narrative is delivered in a mixture of past and present and this works well because as you start to tire of one, you are transported to the other.
Genevieve...hmmmmm...she was SO annoying. Her naivete was colossal. Other characters thought it was great that she turned a blind eye to the dirty dealings going on in the club but I just think she was too thick to notice anything. She wasn't in the least bit suspicious of ANYBODY (even those with I am a criminal stamped on their foreheads) and could not read people AT ALL. Not understanding why her friend was in a mood with her when she was all over Fitz the man she loves or why Dylan was upset after witnessing a very intimate dance with another (sleazeball) man - hello???!!!
Dylan...hmmmmmm...even more annoying! The most uncommunicative man in the universe. It was so obvious to me that he was a policeman because of his abject terror of any normal interaction - it was totally OTT!
I liked the story and the flow of the story but the characters missed the mark and just left me so frustrated. Such a shame as I wanted to love this book so much.
Having said that, I still think that Elizabeth Haynes is awesome. Even though the characters were awful I still found the book a compelling read - that has to count for something.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2015
Apparently I wasn't really in the mood for a mystery when I picked up this book. And I fully admit that I picked it up because the colors of the cover caught my mood. It was a cranky, lazy, cold day and perhaps another book would have been more fitting for my mood.
I did like a lot of the book, but there were many things that annoyed me as well. The story follows Genevieve, a businesswoman/stripper who left London to live on a houseboat outside the city. At the start of the story, she is working on fixing up her boat and preparing for her "boat-warming" party later that evening. Based on the prologue, we already know that one of her guests ends up dead on her way to the party. Part of the mystery is figuring out why.
We see bits and scraps of Genevieve's past as a dancer. The high-end club that she works at, the mysterious enforcer that she develops feelings for, and the shady deals happening in the backrooms of the club. Not surprisingly, Genevieve gets herself twisted up entirely in the bad dealings of the club and finds herself in over her head. In the present, we see Genevieve dealing with her fellow dancer's murder and the men who are trying to reclaim a package that had been given to her for safekeeping.
While I did like the story, I felt like I predicted every twist and turn along the way because I had seen them all before. The extra details of her skeevy boss didn't add anything to my enjoyment of the story and the romantic subplots were frustrating at times. All of this does not mean that I didn't like the story, it was still enjoyable. I just wished there was a little bit more to it.
I did like a lot of the book, but there were many things that annoyed me as well. The story follows Genevieve, a businesswoman/stripper who left London to live on a houseboat outside the city. At the start of the story, she is working on fixing up her boat and preparing for her "boat-warming" party later that evening. Based on the prologue, we already know that one of her guests ends up dead on her way to the party. Part of the mystery is figuring out why.
We see bits and scraps of Genevieve's past as a dancer. The high-end club that she works at, the mysterious enforcer that she develops feelings for, and the shady deals happening in the backrooms of the club. Not surprisingly, Genevieve gets herself twisted up entirely in the bad dealings of the club and finds herself in over her head. In the present, we see Genevieve dealing with her fellow dancer's murder and the men who are trying to reclaim a package that had been given to her for safekeeping.
While I did like the story, I felt like I predicted every twist and turn along the way because I had seen them all before. The extra details of her skeevy boss didn't add anything to my enjoyment of the story and the romantic subplots were frustrating at times. All of this does not mean that I didn't like the story, it was still enjoyable. I just wished there was a little bit more to it.
March 13, 2013
I have recently re-read this book and as I did not review it previously, here we go. Genevieve has left her stressful life in London and now spends her days renovating her barge in Kent, socialising with other barge owners and generally enjoying a slower pace of life. After a "boatwarming" party, a body washes up against her barge, her two worlds collide and she is thrust into intrigue. At this point we begin to realise there is more to Genevieve's London life than we understood initially. Elizabeth Haynes weaves an intricate tale, using both past and present settings to slowly reveal Genevieve's story and takes us inexorably towards a final resolution. Ms Haynes had a hard act to follow - "Into the Darkest Corner" was a stunning comment on domestic violence and obsession and was quite rightly hailed as a "stunning debut" and was universally adored by anyone that read it. Sensibly I feel, "Revenge" is a totally different kind of story - one about how the choices we make affects who we are, and at its heart an absolutely terrific mystery. I devoured this novel during my first reading almost in one sitting, just as I did with "Darkest Corner"..upon my re-read I have discovered new depths to the characters, and a new respect for Elizabeth Haynes as an author. Read this. Read "Into the Darkest Corner" and make absolutely sure you read her terrific character novel "Human Remains". And read them more than once. If I had my way she would write a book a month. Absolutely now at the top of my "must read immediately" list of authors, I simply cannot wait for the next novel.
January 7, 2016
Not my favorite Elizabeth Haynes book but still good! Boy was the main character, Genevieve, frustrating! I have never related so little to a main character. She is strong where I am weak, and weak were I am strong. Maybe Haynes was purposely trying to make Genevieve always seem so weak (ex: "I slammed the door as hard as I could, but it only made a reassuring clunk." p375). This was a murder mystery in which I was very wrong the whole time about the killer (which is fun!) Only the real killer turned out to be a whole lot more obvious and less fun than my suspect! Genevieve's romantic interests were as unlikeable as her. This novel had no moral take away besides not to get involved with drugs & gangsters. Good to know, Haynes! I loved Malcolm but cannot expand upon it without giving away spoilers! A good fireside read.
December 5, 2012
A little disappointed with this book. The description held a lot of promise, and the over all plot of a woman running from, and then having to face, her past, was good.
But as the book progresses (very slowly at the beginning) it is very confusing and in many places contradictory. The book left me confused, and a little unsatisfied.
My last criticism is while setting the novel on a boat and in a marina, the author seemed to known very little of either. I am a woman who lives and works in a marina and on the river (one of the reasons this book 1st appealed to me), and could easily have given the author the basic terminology she seems happy to have omitted.
This use of incorrect terms continued to grate on me and simply distract me from the story.
But as the book progresses (very slowly at the beginning) it is very confusing and in many places contradictory. The book left me confused, and a little unsatisfied.
My last criticism is while setting the novel on a boat and in a marina, the author seemed to known very little of either. I am a woman who lives and works in a marina and on the river (one of the reasons this book 1st appealed to me), and could easily have given the author the basic terminology she seems happy to have omitted.
This use of incorrect terms continued to grate on me and simply distract me from the story.
June 21, 2014
This is one of the best British mystery authors that I have read. She ranks up there with Ruth Rendell and Sophie Hannah. She writes brilliant psychological thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is absolutely un-put-downable! LOL! He characters are well developed and her storylines are tight and well drawn. There is nothing written in the book that would be described as fluff or filler. I highly recommend not only this book but any book by this author. She is absolutely brilliant! 5 stars!
August 31, 2014
Our heroine is Genevieve, a somewhat shallow and self absorbed young woman who works in a boring sales job by day, and pole dancer by night - nothing extraordinary there. As she says, it's good exercise and the money is mega, so much so she's finally able to buy that boat she's always wanted, and escape her monotonous life in London. Little does she know that, working in the slightly seamy, seedy atmosphere of a strip club she will come face to face with a Bad Lot and Bad Things might happen.
The first of these Bad Things is finding a dead body bumping up against her boat in the dead of night. Ooops, what's she to do? She knows who the dead girl is - it's Caddy, her pole dancing friend, but for reasons known only to herself she doesn't let the police in on this little nugget of information. Instead she continues to live on the boat, constantly looking over her shoulder, and fearing for her life especially as she is hiding another secret in the form of a Mysterious Parcel given to her by the elusive Dylan, one of the minders at the strip club. What's so important about this parcel? What does it contain? Drugs? Money? A Gun? And where is Dylan and why doesn't he answer the phone? These are the carrots to get you reading this rather tedious book which is 344 pages long; by page 291 I was ready to hurl it into the bin, because in those first 291 pages hardly anything happens. I kept going in the hope that it would improve - it didn't. The book hops back and forth, often within chapters, from present day with the trials and tribulations of renovating the Revenge of the Tide (the boat), and our heroine's past life as a pole dancer and the various unsavoury characters she has come into contact with. This makes for confusing reading at the best of times, and total bloody boredom for much of it.
This is the third book of Elizabeth Haynes I've read; her first "Into the Darkest Corner" was riveting, well paced with a main character the reader could sympathise with, and cheer on. I then read her third book "Human Remains" which I disliked, as stated in my review. So now, having read this one I have to say I am really disappointed with it; the characters aren't particularly well developed or likeable - in fact I couldn't have cared less if Genevieve met the same fate as Caddy; the plot is flimsy, implausible, with 99% the action occurring in the last 50 pages with a boring blow by blow account of a fight with a predictable outcome. This is not as horrid as her third novel, and nowhere near as good as her first. This has been described as "taut and gripping" - I didn't find it either, and Karen Slaughter states it is an "....obsessive thriller". Did she read the same book?
Note: in the UK, where this author is from, the book is titled "Revenge of the Tide", which is the name of the boat. Has the boat's name been changed in the USA? I don't know - I read the UK version.
The first of these Bad Things is finding a dead body bumping up against her boat in the dead of night. Ooops, what's she to do? She knows who the dead girl is - it's Caddy, her pole dancing friend, but for reasons known only to herself she doesn't let the police in on this little nugget of information. Instead she continues to live on the boat, constantly looking over her shoulder, and fearing for her life especially as she is hiding another secret in the form of a Mysterious Parcel given to her by the elusive Dylan, one of the minders at the strip club. What's so important about this parcel? What does it contain? Drugs? Money? A Gun? And where is Dylan and why doesn't he answer the phone? These are the carrots to get you reading this rather tedious book which is 344 pages long; by page 291 I was ready to hurl it into the bin, because in those first 291 pages hardly anything happens. I kept going in the hope that it would improve - it didn't. The book hops back and forth, often within chapters, from present day with the trials and tribulations of renovating the Revenge of the Tide (the boat), and our heroine's past life as a pole dancer and the various unsavoury characters she has come into contact with. This makes for confusing reading at the best of times, and total bloody boredom for much of it.
This is the third book of Elizabeth Haynes I've read; her first "Into the Darkest Corner" was riveting, well paced with a main character the reader could sympathise with, and cheer on. I then read her third book "Human Remains" which I disliked, as stated in my review. So now, having read this one I have to say I am really disappointed with it; the characters aren't particularly well developed or likeable - in fact I couldn't have cared less if Genevieve met the same fate as Caddy; the plot is flimsy, implausible, with 99% the action occurring in the last 50 pages with a boring blow by blow account of a fight with a predictable outcome. This is not as horrid as her third novel, and nowhere near as good as her first. This has been described as "taut and gripping" - I didn't find it either, and Karen Slaughter states it is an "....obsessive thriller". Did she read the same book?
Note: in the UK, where this author is from, the book is titled "Revenge of the Tide", which is the name of the boat. Has the boat's name been changed in the USA? I don't know - I read the UK version.
May 4, 2012
Exciting writing - This author certainly has the knack of grabbing your attention and immersing you in the storyline. Like her first book
Into the Darkest Corner she builds tension and suspense from the events surrounding a woman getting herself into a sticky situation and trying to extricate herself, whilst very humanly not always making the decisions which are best for her.
The "revenge of the tide" is the name of a boat which Genevieve has bought, in a bid to escape the rat race, and renovate. Leaving her previous high flying life in London and her old acquaintances and friends behind, she is living on the boat which she has only partly renovated.
When she throws a boatwarming party and invites a few of her city friends she's not sure whether they'll mix well with her new boatyard chums, but all seems to go fairly well - until she is woken early the next day by the sound of something bumping against the hull - only to discover a body and it looks familiar ....
We jump back and forth with consummate ease between today and a couple of years earlier where her double life in London is gradually revealed as something slightly risque - and risky! She treats many of her so called friends with such scant regard its hardly surprising she got herself on the wrong side of so many people - yet these very human frailties made her all the more real.
Events begin to spiral out of control and it seems that her old life has followed her and someone may be bearing a grudge against her.
The book made fabulous reading - a real page turner and virtually unputdownable. The only reason I have given it 4 rather than 5/5 is that I felt some of her motives were so questionable I was unable to work out why she made some of her decisions - I didn't really quite get her sheer desperation to renovate a boat and her willingness do do almost anything to achieve this. Also the ending was just a teeny touch unsatisfactory and left me wondering just what would happen to one or two of the characters I had really grown to like a lot (and she seemed to have done too) who suddenly didn't seem to be of any importance to her at all.
Into the Darkest Corner she builds tension and suspense from the events surrounding a woman getting herself into a sticky situation and trying to extricate herself, whilst very humanly not always making the decisions which are best for her.
The "revenge of the tide" is the name of a boat which Genevieve has bought, in a bid to escape the rat race, and renovate. Leaving her previous high flying life in London and her old acquaintances and friends behind, she is living on the boat which she has only partly renovated.
When she throws a boatwarming party and invites a few of her city friends she's not sure whether they'll mix well with her new boatyard chums, but all seems to go fairly well - until she is woken early the next day by the sound of something bumping against the hull - only to discover a body and it looks familiar ....
We jump back and forth with consummate ease between today and a couple of years earlier where her double life in London is gradually revealed as something slightly risque - and risky! She treats many of her so called friends with such scant regard its hardly surprising she got herself on the wrong side of so many people - yet these very human frailties made her all the more real.
Events begin to spiral out of control and it seems that her old life has followed her and someone may be bearing a grudge against her.
The book made fabulous reading - a real page turner and virtually unputdownable. The only reason I have given it 4 rather than 5/5 is that I felt some of her motives were so questionable I was unable to work out why she made some of her decisions - I didn't really quite get her sheer desperation to renovate a boat and her willingness do do almost anything to achieve this. Also the ending was just a teeny touch unsatisfactory and left me wondering just what would happen to one or two of the characters I had really grown to like a lot (and she seemed to have done too) who suddenly didn't seem to be of any importance to her at all.
September 30, 2013
I really enjoyed Into the Darkest Corner but I never felt the spark for Genevieve or the suspense that I was supposed to be getting here. Honestly, this didn't feel very suspenseful. Also, the flashback device annoyed me after a bit because it felt repetitive & I didn't particularly need Genevieve to tell me over & over why she danced at the club or how awesome her dancer skills are on that pole. Be a stripper, make that money & do your thing & I'll raise a manicured fist with you in sisterly solidarity but don't keep underlining it because now it comes off like you're trying to justify your choices. I didn't need Gen's justifications, all I really wanted to know was who killed Caddy. Seriously. I didn't even take long for me not to care about her relationship with Dylan. I did very much enjoy the parts that took place at the river with the other people who lived on their boats. I thought the descriptions of all that & Gen's boat, were the best part. In the end, this one was just okay but in no way will keep me from reading more from Elizabeth Haynes.
March 9, 2013
I received an advance reader's edition through the publisher's giveaway through the First Reads program.
After having read the author's debut, Into the Darkest Corner, I was thrilled to discover Haynes had a new release coming out so quickly, especially because I've already recommended ITDC to friends and gave it an excellent rating. Much to my dismay, Revenge of the Tide (or Dark Tide, as it's entitled here in the States) did not live up to my expectations for the author's sophomore effort. As I was reading it, I thought to myself that if I'd read this book first, I'd never have picked up a copy of ITDC---I felt no connection with the protagonist, Genevieve, nor any of the other characters throughout the course of the novel. Unfortunately, I will not be recommending this to anyone.
After having read the author's debut, Into the Darkest Corner, I was thrilled to discover Haynes had a new release coming out so quickly, especially because I've already recommended ITDC to friends and gave it an excellent rating. Much to my dismay, Revenge of the Tide (or Dark Tide, as it's entitled here in the States) did not live up to my expectations for the author's sophomore effort. As I was reading it, I thought to myself that if I'd read this book first, I'd never have picked up a copy of ITDC---I felt no connection with the protagonist, Genevieve, nor any of the other characters throughout the course of the novel. Unfortunately, I will not be recommending this to anyone.
January 29, 2016
3.5/5, Into the Darkest Corner was one of my favorite books of last year so I was excited for this book. This book wasn't bad but it didn't have the aspect of mental illness that made me love her previous book. Genevieve has a very twisted past as a dancer at a "gentleman's club". She was traumatized by something that happened during her time there. So she left to live on a house boat. And she loved it.... until the body showed up. The whole book didn't have that suspense that makes a good thriller. The story itself was great but it just wasn't enough for me to give it more than a 3.5 rating
March 23, 2017
Something very evocatively scary happens in the first pages of Elizabeth Haynes’ novel Dark Tide, setting the scene for a very dark story indeed. It’s a story told in multiple points of view, with converging timelines that move irrevocably to or from that very first scene. And nobody is quite what they seem.
Details ring authentically true, from depictions of peaceful houseboat life to the shadows of London’s criminal underworld, from haunting mystery to haunted memory, and from sunshine to rain. Newly remodeled houseboat rooms hide as many secrets as a newly remodeled life. And a dark tide turns an over-the-top housewarming party into questions of accidental death.
Elizabeth Haynes’ novel is filled with believably odd characters, none of them perfect, but with shining lights of goodness. Relationships can be shelter or escape. But behind it all is the question of who is truly good—or if true goodness can be found by someone so flawed. It’s a story that draws the reader into worlds they might not wish to visit, through the eyes of a flawed protagonist, and sends them, like a houseboat whose engine has never been tried, into dangerous waters. It’s a good story, seductive, sad, filled with questions, but overarchingly filled with that aching search for goodness, trust and truth.
I really enjoyed this novel.
Disclosure: I bought it on a deal when my basement was flooded – dark tides indeed.
Details ring authentically true, from depictions of peaceful houseboat life to the shadows of London’s criminal underworld, from haunting mystery to haunted memory, and from sunshine to rain. Newly remodeled houseboat rooms hide as many secrets as a newly remodeled life. And a dark tide turns an over-the-top housewarming party into questions of accidental death.
Elizabeth Haynes’ novel is filled with believably odd characters, none of them perfect, but with shining lights of goodness. Relationships can be shelter or escape. But behind it all is the question of who is truly good—or if true goodness can be found by someone so flawed. It’s a story that draws the reader into worlds they might not wish to visit, through the eyes of a flawed protagonist, and sends them, like a houseboat whose engine has never been tried, into dangerous waters. It’s a good story, seductive, sad, filled with questions, but overarchingly filled with that aching search for goodness, trust and truth.
I really enjoyed this novel.
Disclosure: I bought it on a deal when my basement was flooded – dark tides indeed.
September 27, 2021
This wasn't all bad, but I was left pretty disappointed having enjoyed 'Human Remains' by the same author a great deal. Despite the author succeeding also in this book to create an atmosphere and realistic characters (admittedly, I feel, by providing a lot of at times mundane detail about their lives) I felt that the author's writing style suited a slower and more psychological novel (as with 'Human Remains', fairly police procedural in places) more than this more 'crime thriller' type of thing.
The story follows Genevieve, a former pole-dancer now trying to build a new life renovating a boat having moved out of London. Much of the first-person narrative is concerned with alternating sections discussing the reasons she left the city, and sections of her doing up her new boat out in Kent. It just went on a bit, and though there was an OK story at the centre of it, and Haynes does write with intelligence and some skill, I just found it slightly tedious at times.
There was too much romance for my tastes, which didn't really interest me as the heroine came over a little morally questionable and hypocritical (hence not a character I necessarily liked or was invested in seeing things go well for) and the frantic final few chapters where there's all action and the obvious love interest saving the day, meh.. predictable.
The story follows Genevieve, a former pole-dancer now trying to build a new life renovating a boat having moved out of London. Much of the first-person narrative is concerned with alternating sections discussing the reasons she left the city, and sections of her doing up her new boat out in Kent. It just went on a bit, and though there was an OK story at the centre of it, and Haynes does write with intelligence and some skill, I just found it slightly tedious at times.
There was too much romance for my tastes, which didn't really interest me as the heroine came over a little morally questionable and hypocritical (hence not a character I necessarily liked or was invested in seeing things go well for) and the frantic final few chapters where there's all action and the obvious love interest saving the day, meh.. predictable.
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