What do you think?
Rate this book
The Woman in the Water
They were best friends.
Now they are murderer and witness.
Pearl Day has always lived in the background - companion to her childhood friend, the dazzling and unpredictable Lady Eleanor Nicholson. Their bond was forged at Alderleigh, Eleanor's crumbling country estate, but now they share a sleek London home where Eleanor's life of indulgence is spiralling into chaos.
When Eleanor shoots her lover in a drunken rage, Pearl becomes the key witness in a scandalous murder trial. But she knows more than she's revealed - and with Eleanor behind bars, she sees a chance to escape her quiet desperation. Their bond, once forged in friendship, is now warped by grief, envy and power. And Eleanor's reach is long.
Set between 1930s London and the windswept Cornwall coast, this taut, gothic thriller dares to answer one of literature's abiding Who is the woman in the water?
Now they are murderer and witness.
Pearl Day has always lived in the background - companion to her childhood friend, the dazzling and unpredictable Lady Eleanor Nicholson. Their bond was forged at Alderleigh, Eleanor's crumbling country estate, but now they share a sleek London home where Eleanor's life of indulgence is spiralling into chaos.
When Eleanor shoots her lover in a drunken rage, Pearl becomes the key witness in a scandalous murder trial. But she knows more than she's revealed - and with Eleanor behind bars, she sees a chance to escape her quiet desperation. Their bond, once forged in friendship, is now warped by grief, envy and power. And Eleanor's reach is long.
Set between 1930s London and the windswept Cornwall coast, this taut, gothic thriller dares to answer one of literature's abiding Who is the woman in the water?
- GenresGothic
320 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 28, 2026
Bookclub pick (not by me) Nothing but unlikable, unrealistic characters and silly plot lines. Described as a thriller, it was a let down. I know the author intended it to be clever, it really wasn’t. The final scene with all the characters together was so unnecessary and silly it was the final nail in the coffin. The crook finally finds the missing rings, and decides it would be a good idea to travel half the country to a dinner party exposing his identity to the people his going to steal from and going to rip off just to see what Pearl “plan” was. Which was to sell them? Same as all their plans?! 🙃 Ingenious. 🥴How this is in the top 20 best sellers at the moment is beyond me. Read it on the train to Dublin up and down so kept me occupied but that was about it.
April 14, 2026
My Rating ~ 3.5*
The Woman in the Water by Henrietta McKervey published March 5th with Hachette Ireland and is described as a ‘twisty, atmospheric thriller’.
Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca, Henrietta McKervey provides the reader with a very imaginative narrative as she unearths the identity of the woman buried as Rebecca in the de Winter family crypt. Setting her novel against the backdrop of Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936 adds an extra layer of authenticity and credibility to the story.
‘I have read Rebecca many times and always wondered as to the identity of the body taken from the sea that Maxim de Winter claims, two months after her disappearance, is that of his missing wife. This body is then laid to rest in the de Winter family crypt. A year later, Rebecca de Winter’s body is recovered from the cabin of her yacht by divers investigating a wreck nearby. When Rebecca’s body is found, there is no mention of where the misidentified stranger’s disinterred corpse will be moved to. The woman disappears from the narrative, a mystery unsolved. I found myself thinking often about this poor unclaimed creature and imagining what her story might have been.‘ – Henrietta McKervey
Pearl Day and Lady Eleanor Nicholson are old childhood friends, After their paths diverged many years previously, both have lived very different lives. Pearl struggled to stay afloat and experienced some difficult times while Eleanor lived quite a bohemian lifestyle of partying and excess. When a companionship position became vacant with her old friend, Pearl accepted the role. Pearl was very much aware of Eleanor’s wild reputation, but this knowledge also stood to her as she managed Eleanor’s day-to-day demands. Eleanor was an embarrassment to her parents. Being financially dependent on them, following the collapse of her marriage, Eleanor seemed to continuously disregard their requests, living a chaotic debauched lifestyle while often considering herself the wronged party.
In her younger years, Pearl had been very close to Eleanor’s family, spending much of her youth at Alderleigh, Eleanor’s family’s country residence. A tragedy in the Nicholson family ripped their world apart and Pearl, often with great clarity, thinks back to the days before this incident and the wonderful life she had planned for herself. But now Pearl is more practical and knows that working with Eleanor will allow her some freedom while also giving her the opportunity to make a better future for herself.
When Pearl is awoken late one night to a scream she discovers Eleanor in shock with blood on her hands and her lover in a heap, dead on the floor. When the police arrive on the scene, Pearl is soon identified as a key witness and the relationship between the two friends alters immediately. With Eleanor jailed until the trial, Pearl is terrified of what her future holds. Pearl was a confidante of Eleanor so she was very much aware of the social circles Eleanor navigated in but now Pearl carries a secret, one that could save her or get her into serious trouble. Pearl is confused about the correct course of action but soon the decision is taken out of her hands.
Eleanor’s trial is instantly picked up by the media, with journalists scavenging for any titbit of information they can get their greedy hands on. Pearl feels trapped in London so when an opportunity opens up for her to leave town she grabs it. With high stakes and lots of seedy characters, Pearl is up against it. Eleanor Nicholson may have been a lady, but her high-jinx over the years put her in the path of some very dubious characters, all out for themselves, all looking for a fast buck. Can Pearl ever escape to the life she dreams?
As the story unfolds, Henrietta McKervey takes the reader from London to Cornwall, with a mix of colourful characters and plenty of twists. However, I wouldn’t describe The Woman in the Water as a gothic thriller but more of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. Paying homage to Rebecca (the novel) with this intriguing backstory is a fun and enjoyable approach to a literary conundrum. With a highly original inspirational concept at its core, The Woman in the Water is pure escapism, a good old-fashioned romp of a tale. Fanciful and highly entertaining.
The Woman in the Water by Henrietta McKervey published March 5th with Hachette Ireland and is described as a ‘twisty, atmospheric thriller’.
Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca, Henrietta McKervey provides the reader with a very imaginative narrative as she unearths the identity of the woman buried as Rebecca in the de Winter family crypt. Setting her novel against the backdrop of Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936 adds an extra layer of authenticity and credibility to the story.
‘I have read Rebecca many times and always wondered as to the identity of the body taken from the sea that Maxim de Winter claims, two months after her disappearance, is that of his missing wife. This body is then laid to rest in the de Winter family crypt. A year later, Rebecca de Winter’s body is recovered from the cabin of her yacht by divers investigating a wreck nearby. When Rebecca’s body is found, there is no mention of where the misidentified stranger’s disinterred corpse will be moved to. The woman disappears from the narrative, a mystery unsolved. I found myself thinking often about this poor unclaimed creature and imagining what her story might have been.‘ – Henrietta McKervey
Pearl Day and Lady Eleanor Nicholson are old childhood friends, After their paths diverged many years previously, both have lived very different lives. Pearl struggled to stay afloat and experienced some difficult times while Eleanor lived quite a bohemian lifestyle of partying and excess. When a companionship position became vacant with her old friend, Pearl accepted the role. Pearl was very much aware of Eleanor’s wild reputation, but this knowledge also stood to her as she managed Eleanor’s day-to-day demands. Eleanor was an embarrassment to her parents. Being financially dependent on them, following the collapse of her marriage, Eleanor seemed to continuously disregard their requests, living a chaotic debauched lifestyle while often considering herself the wronged party.
In her younger years, Pearl had been very close to Eleanor’s family, spending much of her youth at Alderleigh, Eleanor’s family’s country residence. A tragedy in the Nicholson family ripped their world apart and Pearl, often with great clarity, thinks back to the days before this incident and the wonderful life she had planned for herself. But now Pearl is more practical and knows that working with Eleanor will allow her some freedom while also giving her the opportunity to make a better future for herself.
When Pearl is awoken late one night to a scream she discovers Eleanor in shock with blood on her hands and her lover in a heap, dead on the floor. When the police arrive on the scene, Pearl is soon identified as a key witness and the relationship between the two friends alters immediately. With Eleanor jailed until the trial, Pearl is terrified of what her future holds. Pearl was a confidante of Eleanor so she was very much aware of the social circles Eleanor navigated in but now Pearl carries a secret, one that could save her or get her into serious trouble. Pearl is confused about the correct course of action but soon the decision is taken out of her hands.
Eleanor’s trial is instantly picked up by the media, with journalists scavenging for any titbit of information they can get their greedy hands on. Pearl feels trapped in London so when an opportunity opens up for her to leave town she grabs it. With high stakes and lots of seedy characters, Pearl is up against it. Eleanor Nicholson may have been a lady, but her high-jinx over the years put her in the path of some very dubious characters, all out for themselves, all looking for a fast buck. Can Pearl ever escape to the life she dreams?
As the story unfolds, Henrietta McKervey takes the reader from London to Cornwall, with a mix of colourful characters and plenty of twists. However, I wouldn’t describe The Woman in the Water as a gothic thriller but more of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. Paying homage to Rebecca (the novel) with this intriguing backstory is a fun and enjoyable approach to a literary conundrum. With a highly original inspirational concept at its core, The Woman in the Water is pure escapism, a good old-fashioned romp of a tale. Fanciful and highly entertaining.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Woman in the Water is the latest novel from Henrietta McKervey, and has a really interesting premise:
In the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (one of my favourite books), the body of an unknown woman is recovered from the water. At the time, she is identified as the first wife of Max De Winter, but later on we discover that to be incorrect. In this novel, the author explores that woman's story. Who could she have been? Why did nobody claim her? How did she end up in the water?
Set in London and Cornwall in the 1930s, we're swept up in a tale of mystery, murder, double-crossing, thievery, revenge and justice as we follow two very different women after a tragic event.
This is not my usual genre, but when I received a copy in the post, I said I'd give it a go. I didn't exactly find it to be "a taut, gothic thriller" as it had been described, but more of a character study of two very different women who ended up changing each other's lives (not necessarily for the better). Both Pearl and Eleanor were very interesting characters, and while the story was slower than I'm used to, I was invested enough in both women to follow it through to the end.
With commentary about Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII's abdication scattered throughout, I'm sure this would interest people who are interested in this particular time period in London. While this isn't something that interests me personally, I did appreciate the emphasis on independence for women, Wallis included. There's a nice little Rebecca related scene in here too, which served as a lovely tribute to the gothic novel that paved the way for so many others.
You don't have to be familiar with Rebecca to read the book, and I'd actually recommend it more to fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot, especially those who enjoy the TV series. It's not a genre I'd personally choose, but it's always interesting to go outside my comfort zone and give something else a try!
Sincere thanks to @hachetteireland for sending me a copy of the book. Mum actually really enjoyed this, so if anyone is looking for a gift for a reader who likes this time period, do consider it!
In the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (one of my favourite books), the body of an unknown woman is recovered from the water. At the time, she is identified as the first wife of Max De Winter, but later on we discover that to be incorrect. In this novel, the author explores that woman's story. Who could she have been? Why did nobody claim her? How did she end up in the water?
Set in London and Cornwall in the 1930s, we're swept up in a tale of mystery, murder, double-crossing, thievery, revenge and justice as we follow two very different women after a tragic event.
This is not my usual genre, but when I received a copy in the post, I said I'd give it a go. I didn't exactly find it to be "a taut, gothic thriller" as it had been described, but more of a character study of two very different women who ended up changing each other's lives (not necessarily for the better). Both Pearl and Eleanor were very interesting characters, and while the story was slower than I'm used to, I was invested enough in both women to follow it through to the end.
With commentary about Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII's abdication scattered throughout, I'm sure this would interest people who are interested in this particular time period in London. While this isn't something that interests me personally, I did appreciate the emphasis on independence for women, Wallis included. There's a nice little Rebecca related scene in here too, which served as a lovely tribute to the gothic novel that paved the way for so many others.
You don't have to be familiar with Rebecca to read the book, and I'd actually recommend it more to fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot, especially those who enjoy the TV series. It's not a genre I'd personally choose, but it's always interesting to go outside my comfort zone and give something else a try!
Sincere thanks to @hachetteireland for sending me a copy of the book. Mum actually really enjoyed this, so if anyone is looking for a gift for a reader who likes this time period, do consider it!
November 26, 2025
Henrietta McKervey’s The Woman in the Water is a taut, atmospheric thriller that lingers long after you’ve closed the final page. Set between 1930s London and the windswept Cornwall coast, it explores friendship, betrayal, and the dangerous currents of power.
At its heart are Pearl Day and Lady Eleanor Nicholson, childhood companions bound together by loyalty and envy. Their relationship, forged at Alderleigh’s crumbling estate, shifts into something darker when Eleanor’s life spirals out of control. A shocking act of violence leaves Pearl as the key witness in a scandalous trial — but she knows more than she admits, and with Eleanor behind bars, she sees a chance to step out of the shadows.
McKervey’s prose is elegant yet piercing, capturing both the glamour of London society and the haunting isolation of Cornwall. The novel asks unsettling questions about identity, desire, and the lengths we go to escape our own desperation. The tension builds quietly, like waves against the shore, until it crashes into revelations that feel both inevitable and devastating.
What makes the story so compelling is its humanity: the grief, envy, and longing that shape Pearl and Eleanor’s bond. It’s a mystery, yes, but also a meditation on friendship and the shadows it can cast.
This is a novel to savor — gothic, gripping, and deeply evocative, with an atmosphere that wraps around you like mist on the coast.
With thanks to Henrietta McKervey, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
At its heart are Pearl Day and Lady Eleanor Nicholson, childhood companions bound together by loyalty and envy. Their relationship, forged at Alderleigh’s crumbling estate, shifts into something darker when Eleanor’s life spirals out of control. A shocking act of violence leaves Pearl as the key witness in a scandalous trial — but she knows more than she admits, and with Eleanor behind bars, she sees a chance to step out of the shadows.
McKervey’s prose is elegant yet piercing, capturing both the glamour of London society and the haunting isolation of Cornwall. The novel asks unsettling questions about identity, desire, and the lengths we go to escape our own desperation. The tension builds quietly, like waves against the shore, until it crashes into revelations that feel both inevitable and devastating.
What makes the story so compelling is its humanity: the grief, envy, and longing that shape Pearl and Eleanor’s bond. It’s a mystery, yes, but also a meditation on friendship and the shadows it can cast.
This is a novel to savor — gothic, gripping, and deeply evocative, with an atmosphere that wraps around you like mist on the coast.
With thanks to Henrietta McKervey, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
January 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for this ARC
This was a wild ride from start to finish and the story had me completely gripped. I really enjoyed seeing the differences in Pearl and Eleanor but also the similarities. These are two very interesting characters and their toxic relationship really made this story even more exciting for me.
I feel that the story was paced really well and I enjoyed flipping back and forth between the two women’s perspectives. For a long time I really had no idea where things were going and I was desperate to keep reading to find out. This feeling was multiplied the closer I got to the end and by the last few chapters I was at the edge of my seat.
I really liked how the story ended and feel like everything came to a tidy and fairly satisfying conclusion that really made me think about the terrible things people can convince themselves are necessary for their own survival.
This was a wild ride from start to finish and the story had me completely gripped. I really enjoyed seeing the differences in Pearl and Eleanor but also the similarities. These are two very interesting characters and their toxic relationship really made this story even more exciting for me.
I feel that the story was paced really well and I enjoyed flipping back and forth between the two women’s perspectives. For a long time I really had no idea where things were going and I was desperate to keep reading to find out. This feeling was multiplied the closer I got to the end and by the last few chapters I was at the edge of my seat.
I really liked how the story ended and feel like everything came to a tidy and fairly satisfying conclusion that really made me think about the terrible things people can convince themselves are necessary for their own survival.
May 21, 2026
This is a taut, atmospheric crime novel inspired by Daphne du Maurier's psychological thriller, Rebecca. While the author crafts an entirely compelling and original plot, she also provides a clue to the identity of the drowned woman pulled from the water and buried as Rebecca by her husband, Max de Winter.
The novel focuses on the lives of two young women living in London in 1936, just at the moment of the Abdication crisis. Lady Eleanor Nicholson is a beautiful, dissolute heiress, eager for pleasure and sex with dangerous men; Pearl Day, who was her closest childhood friend, the motherless daughter of the local curate, is now relegated to her companion and housekeeper. Pearl, who was to marry Eleanor’s brother Tom had he not been killed just before the Armistice, longs for enough financial security to break away from Eleanor. A murder trial gives Pearl a chance, but results in a struggle for survival that pits the two women against each other, and both women against two murderous men. The Woman in the Water will thrill fans of du Maurier as well as writers like Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler.
The novel focuses on the lives of two young women living in London in 1936, just at the moment of the Abdication crisis. Lady Eleanor Nicholson is a beautiful, dissolute heiress, eager for pleasure and sex with dangerous men; Pearl Day, who was her closest childhood friend, the motherless daughter of the local curate, is now relegated to her companion and housekeeper. Pearl, who was to marry Eleanor’s brother Tom had he not been killed just before the Armistice, longs for enough financial security to break away from Eleanor. A murder trial gives Pearl a chance, but results in a struggle for survival that pits the two women against each other, and both women against two murderous men. The Woman in the Water will thrill fans of du Maurier as well as writers like Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler.
April 19, 2026
This was a book club book chosen because of its link to du Mauriers Rebecca as we were reading it ahead of the du Maurier Fowey Literary festival. I really enjoyed this, it’s primarily focused on Pearl who is a ladies companion to Eleanor, but ultimately it’s about who the drowned women identified by Max de Winter as his wife really is - all of the characters are flawed and I was kept guessing till the end.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I absolutely loved this book! Full of suspense and twists and turns and set in such a glamorous era, really recommend
April 11, 2026
I began by finding this book a real page turner but as I got to the end I became very disappointed with how it finished. It was all rather melodramatic and the ends neatly tied up.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews