Blackwater

by Sarah Sultoon

As the clock ticks towards the millennium – and the threat of a potentially new apocalyptic reality – Jonny Murphy is sent to investigate the discovery of a child's body on a deserted swamp island, fifty miles from London. What he finds is more than just a tragedy, it's a warning. Something big is coming … Can Jonny stop it? Should he?

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 4, 2025

About the author

Sarah Sultoon is a novelist and journalist, whose work as an international news executive at CNN has taken her from Westminster and Washington to the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in conflict zones, with 3 Peabody awards and 2 Emmys to her name. She also holds a number of Royal Television Society gongs and is a recurring judge at the RTS Television Journalism awards. As passionate about fiction as non-fiction, she also has a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Her first novel, The Source, was nominated for the CWA's New Blood Dagger and won the inaugural Crime Fiction Lover's Best Debut of the Year Award in 2021. Her second novel, The Shot, was published by Orenda Books in April 2022. Dirt, her third thriller and the first in a series featuring cub reporter Jonny Murphy, was published in Jan 2023 to widespread critical acclaim.

Reviews

[Audrey Haylins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackwater is a high-octane, nerve-shredding action thriller set on Millennium Eve, when amidst the celebrations, governments the world over were bracing themselves for the potentially apocalyptic impact of a global computer meltdown.

The story centers around reporter, Jonny Murphy, who’s sent to investigate the discovery of a child’s body on a swamp island in an estuary 50 miles from London. What he uncovers, though, is far more sinister, and he quickly finds himself sucked into a frantic race against time.

This book has everything you want from an atmospheric thriller: a secluded location shrouded in secrets, offbeat characters, and a plot that almost, but not quite, pushes beyond the bounds of probability. With themes of government conspiracy, black ops, and biological weaponry, it’s knife-edge stuff. And totally, scarily believable.

Sultoon’s command of pace is exemplary: an intriguing unfolding, followed by shocking revelations and an adrenaline-charged crescendo as the crowds gather in Central London while Big Ben ticks down to midnight.

I went into this not realising that it was the third book featuring Jonny Murphy. He’s a likeable character, and Sultoon drops enough hints about his back story and previous missions to make me want to go back and read the two earlier instalments.

Readers like me, who remember the paranoia surrounding Y2K and the so-called ‘Doomsday Bug’, will enjoy the extra frisson these memories bring to this story. It was a genuine fear at the time. No one knew how computers would react to the ticking over from ’99 to ‘00, and it’s a concern that Sultoon exploits here to great effect.

I also recommend reading the author’s notes at the end about the history of biological and chemical weaponry testing in the UK. It’s quite the eye-opener.

[Abbeigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas 1999, and the brink of the new millennium. Reporter Johnny Murphy is sent to investigate the mysterious death of a child on Blackwater Island - an uninhabited nature reserve fifty miles from London. Why has nobody claimed the boy? And what dark secrets lie beneath the surface?

My nerves are still on edge after finishing this book! A high octane, heart pounding thriller, ‘Blackwater’ fully immerses the reader into a race against time; I couldn’t put this down because I just had to know what happened.

I loved how the plot just kept unfolding, providing so many unexpected moments. The way the author incorporated Y2K was incredibly clever, and this is what drew me to the book originally and it did not disappoint.

The afterword gives much food for thought, and honestly made a chill run down my spine! A triumph of a book by Sarah Sultoon, ‘Blackwater’ is high on my recommendations list.

[Karen Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackwater sees the return of young journalist Jonny Murphy and photographer Paloma Glen who met in Sarah Sultoon's last book, Death Flight. Although there are a few references to the events that brought them together in Argentina, it is not necessary to have read that novel first as Blackwater is a stand-alone.
It's December 1999 and it seems that all the world is concerned about is the potential threat of the Millennium Bug. With the benefit of hindsight, readers will know their fears were unfounded but back then, there were genuine doubts as to whether the global digital infrastructure would survive the change of date. With the New Year fast approaching, it's the only story that apparently matters but Jonny Murphy is desperate for something more interesting to report on. At the start of the book, he finds himself in a tense situation which he doesn't handle as well as he should and so he also has something to prove. When a report comes in about the discovery of a young child's body on Blackwater Island in Essex, alongside a request from the police for his family to come forward. Jonny's boss, Lukas takes pity on the reporter and gives him a day to find out more.
In contrast to Death Flight, this looks to be a smaller story but nevertheless, what Jonny discovers at Blackwater eventually has far-reaching consequences; however, it is also a more intimate portrayal of loss and grief. Blackwater Island is an unmapped small island and a protected nature reserve which is closed to visitors, so the discovery of the little boy's body – following an anonymous phone call – is even more puzzling. When Jonny arrives in Eastwood, a desolate hamlet on the murky Blackwater River, he receives a disquieting welcome from the pub landlady who serves him the local spirit and oysters before telling him about the island's history as a hiding place when Vikings and Saxons battled over the land. However, she is clearly reluctant to divulge anything further and warns him off the place explaining the only things there now are plants, some of which are apparently magical. Jonny then makes the acquaintance of Detective Inspector Gillian Peters who informs him that trespassers – or those with intent to trespass – will be arrested and fined. It seems to be a clear warning forbidding him to visit the island but then she opens up to him about the lonely, isolated situation she is in and asks for his help to solve the mystery of this little boy's death when nobody else is interested. Local myths and the dark reality of the place ensure Blackwater is a chillingly atmospheric read and when Paloma joins Jonny, they unearth some startling secrets. Their own relationship is also uncertain and throughout the novel, he is haunted by memories of his own childhood. These insights into his personal life add a further layer to proceedings and explain why he is so driven to seek the truth for families suffering a loss. The pair inevitably visit the island and after some nailbiting scenes, what they eventually unearth there changes everything. What was a poignant local mystery proves to be far more alarming, with disturbing revelations for the whole country. As the murky truth comes to light, an intriguing character's desperate need for redemption results in Jonny becoming involved in a nerve-racking race against time as the clock ticks down to the new millennium, and the taut conclusion to this intelligent, multilayered novel is breathtakingly compulsive.
Blackwater is a suspenseful, gripping and deeply moving thriller which, although a work of fiction, is inspired by an unsettling truth regarding actions supposedly taken for the greater good but which had a devastating effect on innocent families. I highly recommend it.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh. The turn of the millenium. I remember those days well. The uncertainty, the paranoia that existed, as the whole world started to wonder whether or not the rumours that that simple change of date, from a year ending 99, to one ending 00, might just be the breaking of everything computer based. I mean, I do get it. Who amongst us doesn't have a melt down for a few weeks when the year changes and we are forever writing down the wrong date. So if your entire existence is based on a combination of zeroes and ones ... well, nobody back then really knew what would happen to this rapidly growing, and yet still seemingly underdeveloped, technology. That might seem totally bizarre to younger readers, but it really was a thing. And that thing is the one of the key themes in this latest thriller from Sarah Sultoon, a book that not only taps into the world's fear of the unknown, but also a rather darker part of UK history that few people will perhaps know about.

I really like what Sarah Sultoon has done with particular novel. Jonny Murphy is a character who has really grown on me in the past couple of books, and the opening of Blackwater sees him in immense peril, the kind of high octane, adrenalin spiking action that you might expect in the toughest of action thrillers. But there is more to this particular chapter than meets the eye, and its conclusion brought a smile to my face. What a way to open a book. A real attention grabber. After that, you might think that Jonny being asked to cover a story on the feared 'millenium bug' would be somewhat of a come down. A noddy assignment not befitting of Jonny's previous adventures. Jonny would agree with you, and it does certainly seem that way as we move further into this particular story thread. At least to begin with. As a way to appease Jonny's longing for something more meaty, his editor sends him to look into reports of a unidentified child's body being found on a restricted nature reserve in Essex. It's a part of the story taht the author has already hooked us readers into, and one that is set to become the heart, soul, and most emotionally charged element of the whole book. Who could have wanted to harm a young child, or to leave them alone on an uninhabited island in such a tragic laden way.

Sarah Sultoon really plays with readers emotions in this book. Whilst the previous novel was filled with a kind of charged threat and tension from start to finish, this is one which is perhaps a slower paced investigation for our intrepid journalist, but the intrigue of the circumstances surrounding the young boy's death, and the atmosphere and isolation of the setting make it every bit as compelling as any fast paced action thriller. And the book is not without its own moments of threat and menace, with Jonny's life put at risk by his determination to get to the truth of what has happened. It is hard not to feel compassion towards the books victim, and suspicion towards some of the locals who are more than a little reticent in coming forward with what they know about what is going on, or even the history of the island. Forced to investigate at night, to avoid confrontation with locals or the police, this adds a feeling of danger to a story taht is already hinting at some far greater conspiracy than initially expected.

The author is great at developing character, and for creating authentic interactions between them, be it the reluctance of locals to engage with Jonny, or even just the chemistry and banter between Jonny and his close colleague, photographer Paloma. everything that happens feels believable, and given that the story is rooted in historical fact, albeit about another area of the country, combined with the author's own experience and knowledge of the news industry, there is a kind of plausibility about everything that comes to pass. With the story building to a very high stakes, tension laden conclusion, I found myself tearing through the final pages, keen to find out the truth, about the millenium bug and more.

With elements of mysticism and local legend woven into the story, Sarah Sultoon has created a novel that is tense, thought provoking and packed with emotional intensity and resonance. Definitely a book for lovers of a books set in the world of investigative journalism, or even those who love a compelling conspiracy thriller , with brilliantly drawn characters, and where the stakes are high enough to really grab your attention from the very first page.

[David Prestidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with a terrific passage:

“The child looked like a porcelain doll. Dark eyelashes resting on pale cheeks, softly pouting lips, sandy hair swept neatly under a flat brown cap. Delicate hands folded across a miniature cotton shirt and waistcoat. A figure of peace, placed in repose on the bracken as if simply lying down to rest next to a pyramid of rocks. Even the bluish tinge to the skin could have explained away by the moonlight.“

Sarah Sultoon is not the first writer to exploit the dank mysteries of the Essex marshes. In Bleak House, Dickens used the perennial swirling mist and sense of despair as a metaphor for the obfuscations and terminal lack of transparency which enmesh Jarndyce v Jarndyce. The River Blackwater exists. It rises in rural Essex and expands into a considerable estuary, but the island in this novel is pure fiction.

On starting the novel I wondered how someone could sustain a thriller billed to be about the fabled Millennium Bug – something that never actually happened. I should have had more faith. The discovery of a dead child on Blackwater Island is only briefly mentioned on the news as the world waits for computer systems to shut down, and passenger jets to tumble from the sky, but journalist Jonny Murphy is sent down to Essex to investigate. What he finds is truly astonishing.

Deeply embedded in the mystery is Murphy, aided and abetted by his American ‘not quite’ girlfriend Paloma. He is certainly fearless, but I was reminded of those female characters in Hammer horror films, who decide to go and investigate the ruined church at midnight, dressed in a negligee, and armed only with a flickering candle. Despite our cries of ‘Don’t go there!’ she does, as does Johnny.

This is indeed a weird and wonderful fantasy. The closest comparison I can come up with may only chime with readers who share my my advanced years, but Blackwater is rather reminiscent of the African tales of H Rider Haggard. I suspect no-one reads him these days, but back in the day his fantastical tales of adventure were very popular. Essex is a long way from darkest Africa, but Sarah Sultoon emulates Haggard by creating a cast of intriguingly odd characters. Instead of Gagool, the malevolent witch in King Solomon’s Mines, we have Judith, the strange landlady of The Saxon: Haggard gave us the imposing Ayesha in She, (as in She Who Must Be Obeyed) but here we have ‘Jane’, the Amazonian former special forces trooper who lurks on the island. Sultoon then decides to go for broke and throw into the mix triplets, a grief-stricken recluse and an emaciated druid.

Aside from the goings-on in the riverside hamlet of Eastwood, where Judith’s pub serves only plates of local oysters and glasses of a locally concocted spirit consisting mainly of ethanol, there is a serious background which revolves round biological warfare and the way governments across the world will lie to the people who elected it, all in the name of ‘national interest’. Despite the improbable storyline, Blackwater is immensely entertaining, and I read it over a couple of enjoyable evenings. It is published by Orenda Books and is available now.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

London, December 1999. Journalist Jonny Murphy is now a full-time member of staff at the International Tribune, working alongside Paloma, the photographer who helped him break the story about the resurgence of the death flights in Argentina.

Jonny is frustrated with stories centred on escalating fears about the Millennium Bug. His mood has also been unsettled by failing the course he needed to allow him to take on more exciting projects at the paper (something he felt unnecessary given his experience in the field), and his uncertainty about Paloma's feelings towards him.

When the body of a child is found on Blackwater Island, Essex, with no indication of how it got there, Jonny's boss gives him a twenty-four-hour-pass away from Millennium Bug coverage to see if he can find out anything about the mystery. While the world is fixated on the upcoming digital apocalypse, Jonny discovers that Blackwater Island is the centre of a dangerous cover up that could see something far worse than computer failure unleashed at the strike of midnight on the eve of the new millennium...

Jonny Murphy is back in his third gripping adventure, this time on home-grown turf in the wilds of Essex. Fed up with his lot at the paper, where a constant round of coverage about the Millennium Bug is sending him crazy, Jonny is excited to be offered the chance to see what he can find out about the death of a small child that no one else seems to be concerned about, despite the unusual circumstances that surround the event.

With just twenty-four hours before he must be back in London to cover the Millennium Eve celebrations, Jonny has a hunch that there is a much bigger story here than meets the eye, and he is right. With Paloma on side, and the help of disaffected DI Gillian Peters, who has single-handedly been losing the battle against crime in her marshy neck of the woods for years, the threads of the story take a sinister turn. Otherworldly tales of ghostly apparitions protecting Blackwater Island abound, stemming from Viking folklore, and the locals give out a Reform Party by way of The Wicker Man vibe, which all adds to the eerie atmosphere.

A slow-burn mystery develops into fast-paced action tale, in Sultoon's characteristic style, with lashings of 'bait-and-switch' twists, hinging on sins of the past and a conspiracy of silence that draws on some very uncomfortable history about horribly real cloak-and-dagger government operations. I loved how Sultoon makes this fit so well with the story elements around the paranoia that gripped the world around the impact of the Millennium Bug - which I remember well. It was wonderful to see Jonny and Paloma working together once again too.

This was fantastic read, that kept me firmly on the edge of my seat. The plot is devilishly clever, with just the right amount of mystery, action, and emotion - and it is packed with the kind of thought-provoking themes I have come to expect from an author of Sultoon's calibre.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas, 1999. A young child’s body is discovered in the black mud on Blackwater Island. The island is a protected nature reserve and is supposedly uninhabited. So how did the child get here? How did he die? And, most strangely, why has no one come forward to claim him? Suspicious of why the police are appealing for relatives but not suspects, journalist Jonny Murphy travels to Blackwater, a place mired in myth and legend, to investigate. He meets DC Gillian Peters, the only permanently placed officer in the area, who is overworked and understaffed. Residents talk about a ghost who haunts the island, which is a place mired in myth and legend. But Jonny’s investigations soon lead him to evidence of a much more human crime and to decades-old secrets that threaten to be exposed.

Suspenseful, sharp, intelligent and totally addictive, I flew through this heart-pounding thriller in just two sittings. It was impossible to put down as Sarah Sultoon once again delivered a skilfully written story of secrets, mystery and cover-ups. It jumps straight in with both feet and never misses a beat, taking you on a fast-paced rollercoaster ride full of crazy twists and surprising revelations. I loved that I never knew where it would go next and how Ms. Sultoon kept me on my toes until the last page.

The dawn of a new century and the millennium bug are as important to this story as the mystery of the little boy’s death. The two storylines are intricately interwoven, all the enigma of who the boy is and what happened to him merging with the chaos and fear that surrounds the impending turn of the millennium. Do you remember where you were on New Year's Eve 1999 and the Y2K/millenium bug hysteria? I remember it all vividly. So, this was nostalgic for me, transporting me back to the craziness and uncertainty of what would happen when the clock struck midnight. Sultoon perfectly captures those feelings, creating a sense of foreboding that is palpable.

Sense of place is important to this story and Ms. Sultoon has created a place that is dark, mythical, mysterious, claustrophobic and vibrates with the secrets it's keeping. It gave me chills and its strange and secretive residents only added to the eerie atmosphere it exuded. I’d not want to be there at night and my heart raced as Jonny and his colleague, Paloma, investigated. I was rooting for them, and Gillian, to solve the mystery and enjoyed reading them. I also enjoyed the background characters and loved that we were never sure who the villain was right up until the very end.

A clever and gripping thriller that will have you hooked, I highly recommend this one.

[Jacob Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackwater by Sarah Sultoon is a really atmospheric read set in a mysterious coastal town on the coast of Essex. I loved that the location Sarah Sultoon uses in her book isn’t too far from where I live. The Essex countryside can evoke a really mysterious and sometimes creepy atmosphere, particularly when there is mist, and Sarah Sultoon evokes this beautifully in her book, making me feel as though I was there. This helps to create a really spooky atmosphere in her novel, and I really liked this.

Sarah Sultoon’s latest thriller takes place at the turn of the Millennium. There is a lot of fear-mongering regarding Y2K. Jonny Murphy, a reporter for the International Tribune, is frankly fed up with the constant reporting on it, and it is clear to see that he doesn’t really believe it’ll happen. He is sent to investigate the death of a young boy in Blackwater, Essex. It feels that Blackwater is cut off from the rest of the country, and Jonny doesn’t exactly find a welcoming atmosphere when he arrives there. At once, I really felt that something was very wrong here, and I felt that Jonny was putting himself in danger by coming here to investigate.

The tension really increases as Jonny continues to investigate the case, and it is very clear that there are people living in the town who don’t want him there and want him to stop. If anything, though, this seems to encourage Jonny to push onwards, and he is determined to see this case through. I loved the slight supernatural edge to the plot, which really helped develop the setting for me as the local legends are explored.

The novel did take a direction which I completely wasn’t expecting, but I found really intriguing, especially as Sarah Sultoon delves into the motivations of her characters towards the end. This really does cause the stakes in the story to rise, and I had to know what was going to happen. This is especially as Jonny begins to understand the truth about what has really been going on at Blackwater.

I thought Sarah Sultoon did an excellent job of developing Jonny’s friendship with his fellow reporter, Paloma, and I really liked the scenes when the two of them were together.
Blackwater is an excellent addition to Sarah’s Jonny Murphy series, and I am looking forward to seeing what case she has in store for him next. I really, really enjoyed it.

[Lynsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Blackwater’ is the third outing for our investigative journalist, Jonny Murphy, and maybe his most dangerous to date! Whilst this is a series, you can definitely read this as a stand-alone, as the author gives all the pertinent background that is needed for new readers. I do urge you to read all the books though, as they are fantastic, thought-provoking reads. Sarah always bases her books on truths that many in the world may have been unaware of, and it makes for such rich and authentic stories. This book is no exception.

Set around the Millennium, Jonny is scunnered with working stories about the Y2K bug. It doesn't help that he has failed his hostage training course, so doesn't have the insurance to work on dangerous stories. So his editor sends him down to Essex to cover a young boy’s death on a small island in a river’s estuary. Oh, the location for this story was perfect; it was like you had stepped back in time, hundreds of years, rather than just 25. The swirling mists, the low-lying land, and an island you can only access on low tide made for a location that is eerily uncomfortable to read.

Sarah manages to really capture the two sides of this story - the millennium was a time of uncertainty about whether computers would crash across the world. Then there is the mystery of the death of a young boy in an area where people are forbidden to enter. To say much more about the story would veer into spoiler territory but trust me, this story is scarily too close to reality. Just make sure to read the notes at the end of the book!

Jonny is a great character and is complicated but also quite simple as well. He has a history that he can't escape and really should be in therapy! He is a determined chap though and very likeable. Readers will be cheering him on, hoping that he will get to the crux of the matter. And of course he will, as he is a brilliant journalist. His professional relationship with Paloma is still complicated by other feelings but they are a fantastic team.

This was the type of book that you inhale. Time just flies by and before you know it, you are closing the final page. It was very gripping and its pacing and levels of tension were on point! It was an entertaining read and the standard of writing was superb.

Let me know if you pick this one up!

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Blurb...
"London, Christmas 1999. The world is on edge. With the new millennium just days away, fears of the Millennium Bug are spiralling – warnings of computer failures, market crashes, even global catastrophe. But fifty miles east, on the frozen Blackwater Island, a different kind of mystery unfolds. A child's body is discovered on the bracken, untouched by footprints, with no sign of how he died. And no one has come forward to claim him.

At the International Tribune, reporter Jonny Murphy senses something is off. Police are appealing for relatives, not suspects. An anonymous call led officers to the scene, but no one knows who made it. While the world fixates on a digital apocalypse, Jonny sees the real disaster unfolding closer to home. With just twenty-hour hours before the century turns, he heads to Blackwater – driven by curiosity, desperation, and the sting of rejection from his colleague Paloma.

But Blackwater has secrets buried deep in the frozen ground. More victims – some dead, others still paying for past sins. And when Paloma catches up to him, they stumble onto something far bigger than either of them imagined. Something that could change everything. The millennium is coming. The clock is ticking. Can Jonny stop it? Should he?

And what if Y2K wasn't a hoax, but a warning...?"

This was an easy read book full of tense moments and an air of mystery.

I enjoyed Jonny's character as the nosey journalist, and Jane really grew on me.

This book is perfect for you if you love eerie, slow-burn mysteries with a nostalgic twist.

The mystery itself keeps widening in a way that feels genuinely unsettling, and the whole “what if Y2K wasn’t just a glitch?” angle gives the story an unexpected edge.

If you're into crime thrillers with a hint of conspiracy and a strong sense of place you need to read this!

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't blame Jonny Murphy, Sarah Sultoon's protagonist, for being sick and tired of writing millennium bug stories for the International Herald Tribune in London, because we were all sick of reading about it by December 1999, the setting for Blackwater. So when his boss hands him a wire report about the discovery of the body of a baby on Blackwater Island, a nature reserve in Essex, and tells him to take a day off to investigate, he leaps at the chance of reporting on something that feels more important.
On arriving in the village overlooking Blackwater Island, Jonny heads for the pub, The Saxon, for information from landlady Judith, who is not too keen to talk about the island or anything else. He then meets DI Gillian Peters, the sole cop in the area, who is keen to have more attention paid to the child's death but is stymied by a lack of resources.
Photographer colleague Paloma arrives in the village, and she and Jonny decide to borrow a rowing boat and go across to the island, which is where things start to take a turn for the weird and wild and worrying...
There is plenty of action, a terrific sense of place - I could feel the fog and smell the river mud as I read - and enough quirks and shudder-inducing moments to satisfy. However, perhaps the most chilling part is the author's afterword, in which Sultoon details how much this novel was based on fact.
Blackwater doesn't for me have the immediacy and heart-racing punch of Death Flight, or Dirt, the earlier Jonny Murphy novels, But it has an insidious effect; I put the book down and was left unsettled and uncertain. It's a powerful, atmospheric story, let yourself sink into it as if walking in that oozing river mud.

[Monika Armet · Rating 5 out of 5]

London, 1999.

Jonny Murphy is a journalist for a major newspaper, the International Tribune. He’s been covering ‘the millennium bug’ story, a worry that all automated systems and computers will collapse at the start of the new millennium.

Personally, Jonny is finding the story a bit tedious as the newspaper has been focusing on it for a good while, and he’s wishing for more.

That’s when his editor, Lukas, sends him to the Blackwater Island, an uninhabited tidal landmass in the middle of Essex’s Blackwater River. It’s where a child’s dead body was found few days ago, and no relatives has come forward.

When Jonny meets with DI Gill Peters, the only police officer in the area, she tells him that the child’s death was of natural causes, but the boy has been dressed in a Victorian outfit.

Soon, Paloma, the photographer for the International Tribune, joins him, and the duo realise that they stumbled across something way bigger than them…

Oh. My. Goodness. What a story!

Sarah Sultoon is the queen of the political thrillers, and this one didn’t disappoint. I was hooked from the gripping prologue, all the way to the chilling end.

I really like Jonny and Paloma as characters. Sure, Jonny is a bit full of himself sometimes and that showed in some parts of the story, but I’m hoping that Paloma will level him out.

I had goosebumps and chills running down my spine when reading this book. The afterword was just shocking. It left me thinking – who knows what decisions are being made by someone higher up without our knowledge? What secrets is the Government hiding?

This is by far Sultoon’s best book and my favourite to date. I definitely recommend it.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackwater is the third book from Sarah Sultoon featuring journalist reporter Jonny Murphy. This author draws on her own extensive personal experience of reporting from conflict zones whilst working on the frontline in Syria, Afghanistan and others. Her writing is slick and combines unflinching realism with pace and tension.

London, December 1999 and the world is on edge, fearing the ‘Millennium Bug’. However when a small child’s body is discovered some miles from London on Blackwater Island, Jonny Murphy knows that there is something far deeper to this tragedy. Accompanied by his colleague Paloma, they embark on a dangerous mission, determined to unravel buried secrets.

The author contrasts the looming global dread with the hidden local horror and the tension as the countdown to midnight ticks by only increases the dread. The novel is perfectly paced and the cold, unsettling landscape of the bleak island adds such depth to the story.

Jonny is a flawed, haunted but compelling lead character and Paloma supports him perfectly, with her own demons to deal with. Sultoon treats her readers to snippets of personal history that make the characters appear more realistic, easy to relate and totally human.

Blackwater is a thrilling, chilling read. Readers who love mysteries, bleak landscapes and a lingering sense of dread will enjoy this, and the author’s notes may haunt you!

It’s audacious, confident and bold in its ambitions. I finished it late at night, holding my breath, turning pages well past bedtime!

[Bookstarreviews_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

AD-PR PRODUCT ~ Book Tour

An atmospheric thriller that unravels rather unexpectedly! 😮

A book that commences on Christmas Day and focuses on the days leading up to the millennium was great to read during this festive season and I love how this thriller took away all the Christmas comforts with a rather bleak atmosphere and an isolated setting.

This book is layered with conspiracy regarding Y2K, and the journalist protagonist Jonny having enough of this story, decides to report on Blackwater island where a rather intricate mystery unfolds.

I loved the chapter length and I devoured this book in two sittings as the ease to turn the page kept me entertained. I was ever so intrigued with where this book was heading and Sultoon definitely wasn’t afraid to ignite this read with tension and take the story on a very unexpected path with real meaning behind it.

I found my attention dipped at times as it felt a little repetitive, and I didn’t enjoy all of the themes featured, but I like how I was kept captivated. I felt as if parts of the plot were rushed and some of the characters felt quite flat. The end also seemed to be over rather quickly. I did however, like the slightly shorter length of this novel.

Overall, this was a great and unique read that was very easy to read. I had no idea this book is the third instalment in a series and was perfectly fine to be read as a standalone.

A huge thank you @randomthingstours and @orendabooks for this copy of Blackwater, which is out now, and for having me on this Book Tour! 🖤

⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a flashback this book was. It was set just before the clock struck for the millennium and was filled with excellently placed references and gun throughout the book, really bringing back all the feelings and reminders from that time.
The you add on the actual thriller of the book, with the young body that is found just outside the city and things b come a lot scarier than a computer stopping. There starts to be a fear that it is more than it seems and the clues make you feel like you are being watched and something is amiss. It gives that look over your shoulder, what is really happening vibe and honestly it was done so well. They have to find out just what is going on, in full, and fast and the author really does well to ramp up the intensity and really thrilling vibes of the story.
Honestly, I really locked into this book and enjoyed the setting, the details and all the pieces of the puzzles, especially as everything started to truly come together.

[andshe.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This high impact thriller set my nerve ends on fire when on christmas day a small child is found dead in the middle of Blackwater Island. With no, massive investigation and the world already on the edge of seat due to the potential of a worldwide computer malfunction bang on millennium eve, Journo Johnny is sent to investigate. 

The story may be short but it certainly packs a punch, with the secluded location, mysterious characters, suspicious scenarios and unimaginable twists. 

I was young at the time and pretty oblivious to the paranoia that came with the year 99 ticking over into 00 so this was quite the eye-opener. As was the authors end notes on the country's use of testing bio-chemical weapons. 

Definitely worth the read and after just recently finding out our MC features in a couple of other books I'll be going back and checking those out. 

Many thanks to Randomthingstours Orenda Books and of course the author for a digital copy of the book and Tour opportunity. All opinions are my own. 

[Sivvy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read but I struggled to suspend disbelief in a few parts when our hero journalist and heroine police officer seemed to have every skill known to humankind to get them out of the scrapes they were in.