Dark Water

Daniel Owen Welsh Mysteries #1

by Ripley Hayes

It’s not a good Monday for DI Daniel Owen.

A body in a wheelie bin. Missing teenagers. His ex turning up as his new boss.
A secretive teenager, a nosy secretary, an idealistic social worker, and a dodgy fruit and veg salesman all have pieces of the jigsaw. If Daniel and Maldwyn can trust each other again, they can put the pieces together.

But time is running out, and at least one child’s life is in danger. It’s been raining for weeks, and the flood waters are rising, threatening to engulf them all.

Genres: Mystery, M M Romance, Crime, LGBT, British Literature, Thriller, Romance

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2021

Reviews

[Dee]

DNF @ 40%

I blame myself for even opening this book , its a mess. I just wanted to read a good mystery with a little bit of romance 😫 I don’t know why I missed the fact that I’d dnfd the first one

[Kaylee · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no character growth. Maldwyn changes his mind about Daniel out of nowhere, and we don't get an explanation. Considering how he's treated Daniel, I'd like to know more besides "I've missed you so much this last year" and " I could learn to like it [in Wales]."

It was annoying how no one listened to Daniel, including Mal who supposedly really missed and liked him. Just ignore the person who has lived in the area his whole life, was acting DCI and lived close to a major part in this story. Cuz that makes sense.

Veronica and her mother's part at the end... It seemed really out of place. She was so concerned about her daughter's safety but let's go do something dangerous!
Um. Okay...

Really needs more editing. Realize it's self-pusblished but needs to hire someone. There are just too many mistakes. It was hard to follow along some sentences because of it.

I've been torn about what to rate this but, really, I had no urge to pick this back up when I had to stop. And that says everything.

Not sure if I'll read the next. The summary sounds interesting enough but it's even longer than this one...

[ML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mal and Daniel back to solving crimes

This book was told from 3 POVs. It was very unique. I quite enjoyed Veronica and Raven’s perspective. We still do not get Mal’s though.

The drug trade is a violent business and some of the people involved are people you trust. Mal becomes Daniel’s boss and that was a shock to Daniel. They don’t exactly pick up where they left off.

Mystery gets solved but not all loose ends are tied up. Mal and Daniel are destined to solve more crime together though so off to read the next book….

[Annery · Rating 3 out of 5]

So officially this is the first book in the series, though we've met the principals if you've read Undermined: A Gay Mystery.

The bulk of the book is concerned with the mystery and I was more than okay with that. It made sense that due to the circumstances that bring them back together and the crime(s) that occur that Daniel & Mal's relationship takes a back seat.

The mystery & crime(s) itself are interesting and the characters are timely. Also the choice of narrators is, Daniel, Veronica (a Social Worker), and Raven (a very of the moment young person), is pretty interesting and effective.

I was generally entertained and will probably continue with the series as it's currently on KU.

[NikNak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This continues to be enjoyable . Onto book 3

Re-read

Overall likeable but the characters still feel a little dry to me

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to binge read this whole series. If you are looking for a well written whodunnit set in the stunning but also unforgiving Welsh countryside- this series is for you 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🌧️☔🖤

[Mami Bear · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't a great fan of book 1 but along with this book it received a lot of good reviews so I was suckered into trying again but my initial thoughts remain pretty much the same.

1. I don't like Mal. He's a user, not very likeable and screwed Dan over in more ways the one.
2. Hated the way Daniel was treated by most of his colleagues and supposed friends.
3. The mystery aspect was done well but I definitely could have done without Raven and Veronica's POV. Also, why not provide Mal's POV in a few chapters? It may have helped because I really do dislike him.
4. The romance between dan and mal does not work for me. Would have preferred Dan ended up with the coroner. And no matter how many inner monologues Daniel has I just can't see WHY he loves Mal. He treats him horribly and Daniel is basically a doormat happy for scraps. I kept rolling my eyes every time a character commented that Mal was crazy about Daniel. No, Mal fancies Daniel and knows he's easy is more accurate based on what I read.

In summary, I enjoyed the crime solving, difference found the romance unbelievable and I won't be reading book 3.

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gruesome start to the book as Detective Daniel investigates a body in a wheelie bin, yeah not good for the deceased person.
The week before he learns the Det Maldwyn was moving to their headquarters to be his boss, after hed been ghosted.
A body in a barrel and then missing school children disappearing from classes.
Daniel and Mal work together to solve the murders but it wasn't easy with Daniel’s thoughts and feelings.
As information surfaces, they try to put the puzzle pieces all together but time was running out. Mal puts up a tough wall between them but wall starts to crumble down.
This has multiple POVs telling the mystery. This book ends way better than the first book which they finally get their HEA.

[M.J. Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two was amazing

So many times Book Two in a series will be less wonderful but not in this case. Absolutely love this crime fighting duo and want more.

[Janeylou · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I said I'd be back for the first full length novel in this series and here I am. And it's... okay, I guess. There's potential in this series, but it needs an editor and better character and relationship development to have any chance at realizing it. The idea of having these three different POVs is good, but whyyyy do you need to switch tenses while switching POVs? Incredibly irritating, at least to me. The mystery is decent, but somehow even so short a book managed to feel longwinded. As for the romance... ugh, the romance. It's not working for me. At all. What Daniel sees in Mal is beyond me, the arrogance and condescension rolling off him piss me off and the constant running hot and cold is enough to drive anyone insane. His attitude towards and treatment of Daniel flip between inconsiderate asshole and would-be-Romeo fast and frequently enough to give one whiplash.
Maybe one more. Maybe.

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 17%

I read the first novella, and I thought that while it wasn’t brilliant, maybe it just needed more page time to let the romance develop, so I tried this one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have helped.

Most of the page time seems to be comprised of talking about water, flooding, global warming, rain, uhhh other water, etc. I get that there’s a theme here, but it’s not doing anything for me. Where’s the plot while I’m drowning in ham handed yet totally opaque possibly-metaphors?

The missing romance was a big issue I had with the first book. I just didn’t buy into their connection at all, it was at best a brief fling based on attraction. Which is fine! But don’t play it up beyond what’s shown. This happens again in this book - there’s more time spent talking about water than there is any true connection, or even much interaction(!) between the MCs.

Daniel is always so formal and remote, it’s hard to get a bead on his emotions. He does get a little angry at Mal (as he should!!), but outside of that there’s no discernible feelings, even when he’s thinking about their “relationship”. Mal is just a grade A dick, honestly. We don’t have his POV, and it seems like all the actions he takes are only for himself, never considering other people. I don’t know why Daniel is obsessed with him. I guess because he’s hot and hairy, based on the repetition of those features. This makes the romance fall flat, or really, it's just not even there.

Finally: what is going on with the POVs? We’re mostly in Daniels 3rd person past tense POV, all cool. But then we get snippets from Raven (in first person present) and Veronica (who? also in first person present). As far as I can tell, they contribute….eh nothing. Raven mostly has pothead meandering thoughts about water, plus a sentence related to the crime. Veronica…I guess she’s about the missing kids? I don’t know, also don’t care.

Overall, this reads very jumpy with the POV switches, the MC is wooden, and the other MC is a selfish jackass. They don’t have a connection, and frankly, even though I find him a little boring, Daniel deserves better.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, this had good bones. The mystery is ambitious and mostly well-crafted, even if drug-related crimes bore me to tears. I love the setting and the atmosphere. I also found the themes of rebellion against the authorities, police corruption and inter-agency mistrust to be interesting. I even understood the need for Raven and Veronica's POVs, even if I have no desire to read about a teenager's angst and bad choices. The book, like the first, fails in three main ways:

1. The editing lets it down heavily. Nigh a comma of address to be found, some passages are clunky and more detail is needed in some key scenes.
2. The dialogue is terrible. Not natural at all and all characters sound the same.
3. The character and relationship development is halting and disjointed.

I believe a good editor would go a long way in solving most of these issues. And a very good editor would also help with the more outlandish plot points of the book, which do not serve it well.

I'm interested to see where this series goes, if there are more instalments, because I think this author has potential but I don't believe they're quite there yet.

[Jenette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start by clarifying that I don’t really like Mal. I adore Daniel but I think he was really done wrong in this book, by his colleagues and Mal. Honestly, I much preferred the pathologist because at least I know how he feels about Daniel and that he genuinely cares. Which was conveyed by their honest and open interactions whereas everything with Mal was veiled and hot/cold and I was never given a satisfying explanation as to why.

So, hate Mal, love Daniel, quite enjoyed the mystery.

Oh, and I did not enjoy the guest POVs. When I said I wanted more POVs I meant I wanted inside Mal’s head, not that I wanted to be in the head of a scared social worker and a teenager who honestly came across a bit sociopathic with the way it took them the whole bloody book to think about other people and the consequences of their actions.

[Sharon Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripley Hayes was good enough to give me an ARC of this book and I have to say thank you very much. You made my day. The story is complex and the characters intriguing. And I had no idea who Jimmy was until the reveal. This does not happen very often to me.
Ripley is a very talented writer and I really hope that we get to see Daniel and Mal again.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

More please !!

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable policing procedural. MC Daniel Owens gets more interesting as he struggles with the unexpected installation of other MC Mal as his superior officer. The simmering resentments and tensions made for a nice diversion apart from the rising body count and alarming threat and endangerment to Clwyd township's disenfranchised youth. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[SebFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bright voice in a dark underworld

One thing I like about picking a new series by a great new (to me) writer, is when I realise I’ve got their entire back catalogue to dive into and a chance to see how it all began. And that’s exactly what I have done here.

I first met Ripley Hayes when I started reading her DS Charlie Rees series but whilst reading it I kept hearing people comparing it to her “much better” Daniel Owen Welsh mystery series, so I thought I would give it a go and have a little peek into his first book. Well given that the first book in that series “Undermined” is barely 90 pages long, that “peek” turned into a quick afternoon read which quickly morphed into an obsession with Daniel and Mal, and Ripley‘s atmospheric writing.

With Undermined we are introduced to Daniel Owen just after he has been sent to help out Mal Kent investigate a murder. At the time we meet Mal we discover he is being cold shouldered by his entire team because he refuses to cover up police brutality that resulted in the death of a rent boy. So Daniel agrees to help with the investigation and it is not long before a relationship begins to develop between the two of them.

This tasty morsel of a novella does give you a flavour of what is to come in the lengthier Dark Water book, where the characters and the murder investigation are given more space to breath and Ripley Hayes’ writing is given more room to settle with the reader. I say that because she does have a particular writing style that does feel somewhat off at first glance but I think that is because her prose come from a more natural evolution of plot and characters. She doesn’t seem to be writing by numbers or writing characters by any established formula. Her characters internalise a lot more than most and they can be incredibly frustrating at times. Don’t let that put you off reading this, but know that they don’t follow the usual character tropes. In fact one of the side characters Charlie Rees, is introduced in Dark Water as a funny, somewhat mischievous character but by the time he makes it to his own series of books in the “Murder in shades of…” series, he is a much more somber character. Whether that evolution will happen in this series or is a product of the writers own evolution, I’ve yet to discover.

But that said, I found the mystery in the second book quite refreshing as it really opened my eyes to the pressure that children services are under and the friction that exists between them and the police. This book has a strong social statement of how people easily fall through the cracks and how hard it is for the system to support them when they get involved with the wrong crowd. The failings of social services, education and the police are clearly shown here, but it’s the dedication of Individuals that eventually makes the difference.

Sure there are things that the author could have done better: the typos, some character choices and a terribly confusing climatic end sequence, but she got me to see a social problem from a different perspective and helped me change my own point of view. I’m keen to follow this series and see where she takes these characters and whether she continues her social scrutiny beyond these dark waters.

Dark Water: 4.25 Stars

[Marsha L Respess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Daniel so much but Mal is still not my favorite because his treatment of Daniel is awful from ghosting him for a year and then not telling him that he had the new DCI job that Daniel had been the acting DCI since the retirement of his boss and expecting he would be step in. That was just the beginning because he blew hot and cold and his comments to Daniel were hurtful and even though he did apologize for some of the worst comments he still was difficult. Mal was not liked because he had taken Daniel's job and also because he had pursued the crooked cops for the rape of the young rent boy who had then committed suicide and they were prosecuted. Same old story that is still being repeated all over the UK and you respected Mal for his campaign to avenge the young man's death but he doesn't make friends when he refuses to speak Welsh(I thought it was interesting when he later on confessed to Daniel that he worried that he would make mistakes when he spoke Welsh). The different viewpoints were good except I did get annoyed with Raven because they reminded me of the teenagers I knew who failed to understand that there were consequences for their actions and that they weren't invincible. The drug dealing was sad for the teenagers because they didn't realize that they were being victimized by "Jimmy" and the hateful social worker Richard. I loved Veronica Brown and the teacher who tried to get someone to listen about the drugs and knowing that the cops didn't care since they were the throwaway kids to them and at least one of them was corrupt as the drug dealers. The rain was almost apocalyptic and knowing that the UK is struggling now with the series of storms and terrible flooding you wonder how anyone was able to get anything done. Some of the kids were saved and the drug dealers chased out but you know that it will start up again. Not an easy read but compelling and I will definitely read the next book in the series.

[James Quentin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first.
(Spoilers ahead)
It gave me Ruth Rendell vibes. The plot was complicated enough that I had to think to keep up, which is rare in the m/m genre.
Though there were a lot of characters to keep track of without very distinctive names (there is a Rob, a Richard, a PC Moran and a PC Morgan, etc) and towards the end I was struggling to remember which person was which. A female office (Abbie) turned up near the end and we were on a first-name basis with her, apparently, but I don't remember her from earlier in the story. I looked forward to characters having Welsh names because at least those were slightly more memorable.
The big villain felt a little undercooked.
One of my main annoyances was that the tension between Mal and Dan also felt underwhelming. Kent wants to "have it out" and it...doesn't really happen. Why chuck so much wood on the fire (the job, their previous attempt at a relationship) and then let it fizzle? His apologies at the end didn't seem enough.
His reasons for letting Dan go the previous year were underdone too. "I got beaten up and didn't want to put you in danger," and then it's barely mentioned again. I'd be furious if a guy did that to me.
I did like the author had Mal come out at work with no drama. Sometimes the angst over being closeted in these books is too much and just an excuse for a lot of nasty language and lazy manufactured drama.
I didn't care for the three narrators. It worked at some places and not at others. Veronica's POV ramped up the story and tension but Raven's didn't.
Still a fair few typos.

[Sunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is the first full novel from this series and I enjoyed it. There is a gritty element to Ripley Hayes books that makes them different. The book is far from perfect - the romance isn't really so well done, Mal is 70% hot and 30% an arrogant a**. I felt the attraction though. But I feel like a mom and want to caution Owen that this guy might not be good enough for him but - I've read the author's other series (DS Charlie Rees) before these books so I know that Mal is actually a decent guy. I think I need to give him some time.

But back to the book, because honestly the romance isn't the main part, the crime is well done, all threads connect and are solved, sometimes very realisticly (meaning not to the satisfaction of the MCs). The author really creates an atmosphere, I was feeling the rain so hard.....
The jumps to different POVs needed a bit of an adjustment, especially because the author also jumps between tenses. For me, the parts in present tense evoked a sense of urgency and at the same time detachment on the part of the character. This was interesting.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great plot, medium romance

3.5 stars
I love the character Daniel and the plot was excellent. I also really enjoyed Raven and Veronica; their interludes added a lot to the tone and plot.

My only gripe is that I didn't love how Mal came across in this installment in the series, so I hope their story gets more resolution in the next book in the series. In the previous book Mal's meanness was somewhat explained by him thinking Daniel was there to undermine him in retribution for Mal prosecuting a rapist cop. Pretty handy, and i do like my enemies-to-lovers to be well-justified. But this time there wasn't really an explanation, just the implication that Mal gets nasty when he's stressed which didn't satisfy me.

In the language of tropes and my emotions: there was a decent dose of Daniel whump (which I'm a fan of) but not enough emotional payoff in the form of hurt/comfort or amends.

I will definitely be reading the next installment in the series.

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again enjoyed this Welsh murder and mystery.
The weather and the consequences played a large secondary role - both in how the police got their jobs done and in being the menace threatening the village. An all too real threat.
Daniel continues to do his own thing at times, and whilst I can see that would annoy colleagues, he does get results.
Mal is back and is now Daniel’s boss, and blowing very hot and cold to start with! We never get inside his head so only have to guess at his feelings for Daniel. A nod to the impact of a work/ personal relationship may have helped.
I liked the other characters, all wrestling with demons of their own and the problems of drugs, society shunning people based on circumstances, the insidiousness of the drugs trade.
Not sure all the loose ends were tied (or tied to my satisfaction!)
Found it pacy and engaging.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following up on the prequel novella, Undermined, the Daniel Owen series really kicks off in this terrific second outing.

There's the constant ominous rainfall threatening to flood the small corner of North Wales which imbues this story with a sense of dread and expectation.

Daniel has to share a police station with his ex-lover and new boss Mal, who has been given the job that Daniel thought was his. Then the bodies start turning up in the idyllic Welsh town. Several teenagers are missing and Daniel thinks there must be a link, but Mal isn't listening.

I was gripped by this mystery and read it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the additional points of view of Veronica and Raven alongside Daniel's which increased the complexity and tension of the plot.

An atmospheric police procedural with great characters and a promising romance.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot has happened since the last book. A year has elapsed. Daniel has been the acting DCI and expects for be named permanently to the position. His boss informs him that she has been ordered to fill the position with a transfer who is no longer able to work in his current community. Of course, it is it Maldwyn Kent. The dynamics between the two are very awkward but also very interesting. Since the book is written from Daniel's point of view, we can really only know what he is feeling. But, I think the author did a good job of giving us pieces of Mal through his actions and conversations. The mystery was well done and interesting. You really feel for some of the criminals because they feel more like victims. I definitely want more of this duo.

[Suzun · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 it’s good but there’s issues

It’s a great story but I absolutely HATE the way it’s written. The last book was consistent, this one was nuts. I don’t understand why it was so important to give the two extra characters perspective. It was jolting to go from 3rd person to 1st person in the middle of a chapter. Totally screwed up the flow. And those two characters weren’t even that important. Once the main guy, who was written in 3rd ended up in the same place as the other two who had been in 1st person they just faded into the ether and weren’t that big a deal. I mean, ok if you wanna try getting into the intimacy of 1st person do that, but do it in a separate place. The important character was in 3rd person, so the rest of the book should have been the same.

[Aethena Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first book in this series. I really liked the second book. Small town murder mysteries are at the top of the list for my favorite type of story. Ripley Hayes just added another reason why I like them. The twists and turns in the mystery keep you guessing about the motives and the perpetrators.

Being able to see the story through the eyes of one of characters involved in the mystery was a nice addition. Raven has an interesting perspective on how events play out. The tension between Mal and Daniel also adds a bit more suspense to the story.

The story wraps up nicely, but it's easy to see potential for a long term underlying mystery that runs through the series. I look forward to reading the rest.

[Lakerkat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery and police procedural part of this book is interesting.

The initial description of the area is vivid and you feel the wetness from that description. I did eventually get tired of all the talk of water though.

The story from the view of Veronica and Raven was not compelling to me. I did not want to be in the mind of either of those characters. My eyes were glazing over so I skipped them.

I can understand Daniel’s lustful longing for Mal. But Daniel invented a relationship in his head. Lol

I like Daniel and think this series has potential. We need to see things from Mal’s point of view though.

[dee~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I see now, why it's taken me so long to pick this book up after reading the first one. The romance wasn't great in the last book but outright horrible this time. The mystery part was engaging, though it got messy towards the end.
In the beginning we are told that everyone likes to work with Daniel and he would have deserved the job as DCI. As soon as Mal turns up and becomes DCI, everyone is either not speaking with Daniel or berating him. Mal comes, is in charge, and Daniel's ideas get dismissed as if he just started the job and hasn't been acting DCI for over a year.

Quite a lot of contradictions.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving This Series

Straight into book 2 and it’s a page-turner, with no shortage of murders, twists and turns and a good storyline.

Daniel now has Mal as his boss, the job he has been doing for a year and was expecting to be promoted permanently into. His feelings are all over the place. He has lost the promotion but has Mal back in his life.

Can’t wait to read book 3. There is never a shortage of bodies or rain! My god the rain, it never stops and it doesn’t drizzle in Wales, it comes down like the heavens open. No wonder so much of the village was underwater and Daniel and Mal had to take so many hot showers!😉