BRIDGEWATER: What Death Creates

by Marcus Ryan Gazaway

BRIDGEWATER What Death Creates is a heart-pounding thriller with an emotional core about a father’s pursuit to give his deaf-mute daughter a voice.

To twelve-year-old Julia Bridgewater, silence is inescapable. Born deaf and mute, her only desire is to be treated like all the other girls, a desire her father, Dr. Ivan Bridgewater, has always wished he could fulfill.

As one of the world’s most famous neurologists, Dr. Bridgewater has devoted his life to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. However, through his research, he’s discovered a way to give his deaf-mute daughter the one thing she's always wanted.

A voice.

Now, with a single neurological innovation, Ivan has the power to change his daughter's life forever. But the further he goes, the darker the choices he’s forced to make. Choices that could cost him not only everything he’s worked for but his own life.

See What Death Creates in this gripping, action thriller and discover how silence will never be the same again.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2023

Reviews

[Pamela Zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridgewater is a rollercoaster of a story, with a plot full of twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout the book. The main character, Ivan, has just the right balance of intelligence and megalomania to carry the story.

The draft I read was not quite ready for publication, with some basic errors that a final proofread will be sure to catch. There is a consistent amount of headhopping in the book, which is quite disorienting. Because the plot moves fairly quickly and has several twists, the constant shifts in character point of view muddies reading comprehension quite a bit. I found myself having to reread passages to make sure I was understanding clearly who was saying/thinking what.

While Ivan is a clearly articulated character, as is his minion, Calibrate, the other supporting characters are defined mostly by their subjugation/adoration of Ivan. From the receptionist to the daughter to the love interest, there is the same mix of blind devotion. As a result, the only character that stands out is the main character and the briefly seen Dr. Wheat. Lori, another character, has a bit more spunk, but she starts out as a sycophant as well and only shifts into more of a real person when she needs to in order to further the plot.

Overall, the strengths of this book are in the plot and the creative twists and turns of the story. Next steps would be a professional proofreading job and a rewrite to remove the headhopping as well as making the supporting characters more three dimensional. Great bones to the story, but it needs some fine tuning.

[Aditya Balaji · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns. Ivan is quite a compelling protagonist - intelligent, dangerous, ruthless, and a doting father at his core. I would have liked to see more time spent developing the dynamics between Ivan and Fox, but I'd imagine that is something which will be dealt with in the sequel.

The writing is really good, with narratives that are both vivid in description and accessible, while keeping the story moving at a good pace. The internal monologues of the characters occasionally feels choppy in places, but it's easy enough to look past that. The scientific parts are sold reasonably well too.

Great read, and looking forward to the sequel!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amber Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of various unexpected twists and turns. I truly could not predict what would happen next. Some parts were a little difficult to follow as the author would quickly flip flop from one characters point of view to another’s. However, I enjoyed the various points of view throughout the story. It added depth and helped me with an understanding of the full story and all the involved parties. I could not put this book down and cannot wait for the next book in the series.

[Karen Beers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping!

I enjoyed reading this book and I can hardly wait for book two. The descriptions of everything, person and place felt like I was right there. Surprised so many times how the story progressed. This book totally kept me on my toes, with many twists. I would recommend this book to all my friends and family who like a great thriller that is not full of just gore and already knowing what the next page will read. Excellent book Marcus! Keep going!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens for this ARC - another absolute cracker of a book. I CANNOT BELIEVE it ended there; I need the sequel now! Very very easy-to-read and so engaging. There were twists throughout the story, and it was a truly exciting read. I also loved the disability representation and the way that deafness was covered.

[Alithia Dutschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

👏

Great book. That’s the only way to describe it. You can feel the love and effort poured into it. Please keep writing

[Stuart L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope Marcus gives us a sequel soon!