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Cathy Connolly #2
In Deep Water
Cat Connolly is back at work. Struggling to adjust to the physical and mental scars, her workload once again becomes personal when her best friend Sarah Jane, daughter of a Pulitzer-winning American journalist, goes missing.
Her father is un-contactable, but her mother reports that he'd believed Sarah Jane was investigating something dangerous - yet the only records Cathy can find suggest that Sarah Jane was just involved in a seemingly innocent children's project.
Sarah Jane was last seen leaving her workplace - a popular Dublin restaurant - but seems not to have made it home.
And then a body turns up, and Cathy fears they have failed to save her friend. But when it transpires that the dead woman is not Sarah Jane, she realises that this case is only just getting started . . .
In the world of missing persons every second counts, but with the clock ticking, can Cathy find Sarah Jane before it's too late?
Her father is un-contactable, but her mother reports that he'd believed Sarah Jane was investigating something dangerous - yet the only records Cathy can find suggest that Sarah Jane was just involved in a seemingly innocent children's project.
Sarah Jane was last seen leaving her workplace - a popular Dublin restaurant - but seems not to have made it home.
And then a body turns up, and Cathy fears they have failed to save her friend. But when it transpires that the dead woman is not Sarah Jane, she realises that this case is only just getting started . . .
In the world of missing persons every second counts, but with the clock ticking, can Cathy find Sarah Jane before it's too late?
391 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 2017
35 people are currently reading
559 people want to read
About the author
Sam Blake
12 books336 followersJoin Sam's Readers’ Club and get a free e-copy of her addictive thriller ‘High Pressure’! Info at www.samblakebooks.com
Sam Blake has been writing fiction since 1999 when her husband went sailing across the Atlantic for 8 weeks and she had an idea for a book.
Her debut novel 'Little Bones' (Bonnier 2016) was a runaway bestseller. Across all her books Sam has been an Eason No 1 bestseller an Irish Times No 1 and shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards (in the crime or teen categories) five times. 2023 saw her multiple award shortlisted YA debut Something Terrible Happened Last Night hit the shelves. In 2024 Something's About to Blow Up won Irish Teen/YA Book of the Year.
Moving away from police procedurals, now writing 'deliciously twisted' (Daily Mail) bestselling psychological thrillers, Sam's focus is on strong female characters and 'creating genuine page turners with metronomic timing.' (Sunday Business Post).
Sam is originally from St. Albans in Hertfordshire but has lived at the foot of the Wicklow mountains, for more years than she lived in the UK. Follow her on social @samblakebooks.
Visit www.samblakebooks.com for more!
Sam Blake has been writing fiction since 1999 when her husband went sailing across the Atlantic for 8 weeks and she had an idea for a book.
Her debut novel 'Little Bones' (Bonnier 2016) was a runaway bestseller. Across all her books Sam has been an Eason No 1 bestseller an Irish Times No 1 and shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards (in the crime or teen categories) five times. 2023 saw her multiple award shortlisted YA debut Something Terrible Happened Last Night hit the shelves. In 2024 Something's About to Blow Up won Irish Teen/YA Book of the Year.
Moving away from police procedurals, now writing 'deliciously twisted' (Daily Mail) bestselling psychological thrillers, Sam's focus is on strong female characters and 'creating genuine page turners with metronomic timing.' (Sunday Business Post).
Sam is originally from St. Albans in Hertfordshire but has lived at the foot of the Wicklow mountains, for more years than she lived in the UK. Follow her on social @samblakebooks.
Visit www.samblakebooks.com for more!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 29, 2017
This is the second in the Dublin based Cat Connolly series. It is very different from the first book with a more personal missing person case. Whilst I really enjoyed the first, Little Bones, from Sam Blake, for me this more a treading water second book. After the heart stopping ending of Little Bones, the nightmares have not left Cat. She lost her unborn child and has had to endure a long road to physical recovery before returning to the police. She is back to testing her limits with her beloved kick boxing. We are introduced to a new character, Sarah Jane Hansen, a journalism student, who apparently is Sam's best friend and training partner.
Sarah Jane fails to meet Cat, which is so unlike her that Cat begins to fret. Her concerns lead her to making her way to Sarah Jane's home, which has been broken into and left a mess. Cat makes the rookie error of compromising the scene. Cat's close relationship with DI Dawson O'Rourke has her confiding in him about Sarah Jane and so the police begin to make inquiries. Sarah Jane's father is a famous Pulitzer prize winning war journalist, Ted Hansen, who reveals that he warned off Sarah Jane on pursuing a particular story. Cat knows that this would only have made Sarah Jane more determined to continue investigating. The gruesome discovery of a dead body sparks concerns that it might be Sarah Jane, but it turns out to be someone else. Cat and O'Rourke find themselves drawn into the dark and dangerous criminal underbelly of Dublin and the deadly human trafficking trade.
This novel lacked the ability to engage me with either the characters or the narrative in the way that Little Bones did. Cat's character seems to have regressed from the initiative and spark she previously displayed. This is a significantly tamer police procedural which lacks the necessary character development I would have preferred to have seen. I hope that the next in the series has Cat bouncing back on form!! However, I did enjoy the focus on Dublin as a location. Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC.
Sarah Jane fails to meet Cat, which is so unlike her that Cat begins to fret. Her concerns lead her to making her way to Sarah Jane's home, which has been broken into and left a mess. Cat makes the rookie error of compromising the scene. Cat's close relationship with DI Dawson O'Rourke has her confiding in him about Sarah Jane and so the police begin to make inquiries. Sarah Jane's father is a famous Pulitzer prize winning war journalist, Ted Hansen, who reveals that he warned off Sarah Jane on pursuing a particular story. Cat knows that this would only have made Sarah Jane more determined to continue investigating. The gruesome discovery of a dead body sparks concerns that it might be Sarah Jane, but it turns out to be someone else. Cat and O'Rourke find themselves drawn into the dark and dangerous criminal underbelly of Dublin and the deadly human trafficking trade.
This novel lacked the ability to engage me with either the characters or the narrative in the way that Little Bones did. Cat's character seems to have regressed from the initiative and spark she previously displayed. This is a significantly tamer police procedural which lacks the necessary character development I would have preferred to have seen. I hope that the next in the series has Cat bouncing back on form!! However, I did enjoy the focus on Dublin as a location. Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC.
July 3, 2017
Oh dear. Ok…..deep breath…..
So here’s the deal. This is a new author for me since I haven’t read book #1 of the Cat Connolly series & if that affected my enjoyment of this one, mea culpa. I’ll give a brief rundown of the plot then try to explain why we’re just not a good match.
Cathy “Cat” Connolly has recently returned to Dublin’s An Garda Síochána following a close brush with death on her last case (book #1). Now she’s fighting fit thanks to long hours of physio & rehab. She’s a national kick boxing champ & when her usual sparring partner doesn’t turn up one day, Cat knows it’s time to get worried.
Sarah Jane Hansen is a hard working journalism student, Cat’s best friend & training buddy. She’s also known for her punctuality & an anxious Cat is soon on her way to Sarah’s house. There, she finds Sarah’s room has been broken into & completely tossed.
Cat wastes no time getting her colleagues on board including potential romantic interest DI Dawson O’Rourke. From there the plot takes off & as Cat & her crew search for Sarah, they’ll encounter violent creeps & woman preyed on by human traffickers.
Whether or not you enjoy the book will depend mostly on 2 things: your opinion of the MC & how believable you need a story to be. Let’s start with Cat. She’s a very young copper who’s already been promoted out of uniform. We’re repeatedly told it’s because of her intelligence, cool head & skills. But I’m afraid her actions tell a different story. She’s prone to reckless decisions that endanger others & has a tendency to go haring off on her own, despite being surrounded by experienced cops who actually pay attention to procedure. Sorry, but I have to believe some of her actions would end up with her having her ass handed to her by a superior officer in the real world. Also, the lone wolf approach is tough to swallow & usually has more credibility when ascribed to older characters with more miles under their belts.
We also spend a lot of time in her head as she dissects every thought & emotion, a real pace killer. Case in point: during the opening sequence when Cat decides to check on her friend, we’re meant to feel a mounting sense of dread. You’d assume Cat would hightail it to Sarah’s. Well, it takes 21 pages (I counted) for her to reach her destination during which we share Cat’s every memory, historical anecdotes & emotion plus Sarah’s complete life story. They’re best friends & Cat’s worried…I get it. But there is waaay more back story than I need to understand them or their relationship & any sense of urgency has long since died by the time Cat arrives. And immediately contaminates a potential crime scene. Sigh…..
As for the investigative aspect of the plot, I think my problem (besides the credibility issues) is I’ve read a lot of books in this genre & the sex slave/human trafficking angle is one that’s been done many times. In this case, that’s actually a minor point because although it’s ostensibly a police procedural, it’s really all about Cat. Peripheral characters & events are constructed to showcase the MC. The result is we know her really, really well but other characters suffer from lack of development.
But you know what? At the end of the day, this is just one person’s opinion. The points above are MY pet peeves & it’s very likely there’s a horde of readers out there who aren’t bothered by them. My Gramma used to shrug & say “Not every hat fits” (although I think she was referring to dating…) & that holds for any art form be it book, film or music. If you read & enjoyed the first book, by all means get out there & grab this.
So here’s the deal. This is a new author for me since I haven’t read book #1 of the Cat Connolly series & if that affected my enjoyment of this one, mea culpa. I’ll give a brief rundown of the plot then try to explain why we’re just not a good match.
Cathy “Cat” Connolly has recently returned to Dublin’s An Garda Síochána following a close brush with death on her last case (book #1). Now she’s fighting fit thanks to long hours of physio & rehab. She’s a national kick boxing champ & when her usual sparring partner doesn’t turn up one day, Cat knows it’s time to get worried.
Sarah Jane Hansen is a hard working journalism student, Cat’s best friend & training buddy. She’s also known for her punctuality & an anxious Cat is soon on her way to Sarah’s house. There, she finds Sarah’s room has been broken into & completely tossed.
Cat wastes no time getting her colleagues on board including potential romantic interest DI Dawson O’Rourke. From there the plot takes off & as Cat & her crew search for Sarah, they’ll encounter violent creeps & woman preyed on by human traffickers.
Whether or not you enjoy the book will depend mostly on 2 things: your opinion of the MC & how believable you need a story to be. Let’s start with Cat. She’s a very young copper who’s already been promoted out of uniform. We’re repeatedly told it’s because of her intelligence, cool head & skills. But I’m afraid her actions tell a different story. She’s prone to reckless decisions that endanger others & has a tendency to go haring off on her own, despite being surrounded by experienced cops who actually pay attention to procedure. Sorry, but I have to believe some of her actions would end up with her having her ass handed to her by a superior officer in the real world. Also, the lone wolf approach is tough to swallow & usually has more credibility when ascribed to older characters with more miles under their belts.
We also spend a lot of time in her head as she dissects every thought & emotion, a real pace killer. Case in point: during the opening sequence when Cat decides to check on her friend, we’re meant to feel a mounting sense of dread. You’d assume Cat would hightail it to Sarah’s. Well, it takes 21 pages (I counted) for her to reach her destination during which we share Cat’s every memory, historical anecdotes & emotion plus Sarah’s complete life story. They’re best friends & Cat’s worried…I get it. But there is waaay more back story than I need to understand them or their relationship & any sense of urgency has long since died by the time Cat arrives. And immediately contaminates a potential crime scene. Sigh…..
As for the investigative aspect of the plot, I think my problem (besides the credibility issues) is I’ve read a lot of books in this genre & the sex slave/human trafficking angle is one that’s been done many times. In this case, that’s actually a minor point because although it’s ostensibly a police procedural, it’s really all about Cat. Peripheral characters & events are constructed to showcase the MC. The result is we know her really, really well but other characters suffer from lack of development.
But you know what? At the end of the day, this is just one person’s opinion. The points above are MY pet peeves & it’s very likely there’s a horde of readers out there who aren’t bothered by them. My Gramma used to shrug & say “Not every hat fits” (although I think she was referring to dating…) & that holds for any art form be it book, film or music. If you read & enjoyed the first book, by all means get out there & grab this.
February 1, 2018
This book is the second in a series of which I haven’t read the first. So, I’m not sure if my initial confusion was down to things I would have known if I had read the first book or were done on purpose to keep the reader off balance. Whichever, it made it difficult for me to get into the book.
Cathy is literally a kick ass kickboxing star, as well as an Irish Garda DS. She is painted as a go for broke kind of detective, a lone wolf. The book starts when her best friend goes missing. As the plot comes together, parts appear obvious to the reader, if not Cat.
This is not a fast paced read, although it picks up in the second half. The author tried to keep the tension up, but doesn’t consistently succeed. The book has a few twists I didn’t see coming, but the plot was fairly standard. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but part of the ending just felt like a cheat. Decent, just not great.
My thanks to netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of this novel.
February 12, 2018
Cat Connelly is getting her life back together following a case that almost killed her and left her physically and mentally damaged. Now she's back at work as a detective with the Irish Garda, back studying for her degree in Forensic Psychology and training for the next Kick Boxing competition. Her best friend Sarah Jane has been a great support through her struggle to get her life back to normal but now Sarah Jane has disappeared and Cat fears something bad has happened to her.
This was a reasonable read with an interesting plot, although one involving foreign girls trapped into the sex trade that has been well worked before. There were lots of disparate elements - the rich playboy, his ex wife and slightly autistic child, a kidnapping and a headless body that just didn't seem to come together well and failed to develop any degree of tension and for the most part fell a bit flat. Cat also came across as a bit too needy, maybe not unexpectedly after her previous trauma, but that made it hard to engage with her. The ending also felt somewhat contrived, almost a last ditch effort to add some tension to the plot but it was all too late to save it.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC of the book
This was a reasonable read with an interesting plot, although one involving foreign girls trapped into the sex trade that has been well worked before. There were lots of disparate elements - the rich playboy, his ex wife and slightly autistic child, a kidnapping and a headless body that just didn't seem to come together well and failed to develop any degree of tension and for the most part fell a bit flat. Cat also came across as a bit too needy, maybe not unexpectedly after her previous trauma, but that made it hard to engage with her. The ending also felt somewhat contrived, almost a last ditch effort to add some tension to the plot but it was all too late to save it.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC of the book
July 23, 2017
After being knocked sideways by the hugely impressive debut thriller (Little Bones) which propelled the bloody-minded and feisty kick-boxing Garda detective Cat Connolly onto the crime fiction landscape, I had high expectations for her follow-up appearance, In Deep Water. After the explosive fallout from her last investigation almost a year ago it has been a long and very arduous road back to both her job and somewhere bordering on match fitness for Cat, but the scars are clearly evident to those who know her well. Underneath the gutsy exterior, Cat is more susceptible to her fluctuating emotions than ever before after the explosion that ended her unborn babies life. The two men that know her best are her boss and detective partner, DI Dawson O’Rourke and the Belfast ex-para who has turned her into a prizefighter, Niall “The Boss” McIntyre and coached her from a shy teenager through to adulthood.
At twenty-five-years-old, having joined the Garda Síochána straight out of school as the youngest female detective in the ranks, Cat has already seen a lifetime of action, taking a bullet for O’Rourke and putting her body on the line. Driven and fiercely determined, the road back has seen her set herself a wealth of new goals and even loftier ambitions; specifically to reclaim her national kickboxing title, secure a first in the Masters course in Forensic Psychology that she is studying part-time at Dublin City University (DCU) and become the first female Garda profiler! In Deep Water opens with Cat awaiting her training partner, best friend and fellow student at DCU, Sarah Jane Hansen. The ever reliable Sarah Jane effortlessly combines studying journalism and training with a part-time job as a waitress at one of the city’s swankiest restaurants, The Rookery, so when she fails to show for training, Cat worries. A fraught call from Sarah’s mother, Oonagh Hansen, an artist based in rural Kerry informs Cat that she has not had contact with her daughter for several days and that Sarah Jane’s father, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist working for CNN, had warned her off investigating a story which had the potential to endanger her safety and caused an argument. With experience in Syria and knowledge of terrorism, Ted Hansen, knows better than anyone the dangers of intrepid journalism but Sarah Jane is made of similar headstrong stuff to Cat, who is well aware that like her, a warning to steer clear will be wilfully ignored!
This second case is a very different novel to the first, and the linear plot which focuses on a single and relatively straightforward missing persons case felt a little underwhelming after the plotting mastery and skill of managing the multiple threads of the first. Attention to detail was faultless in Little Bones and indeed, the research in this follow-up is exceptional, but simply by the very nature that this is a more routine police procedural with the next steps unravelling in a self-explanatory manner, the early part of this novel felt lacklustre and somewhat plodding in comparison. The sparks of genius that characterised the first and saw Cat charge off in headlong pursuit and paid unexpected dividends were absent as the first half largely concentrated on Cat batting around her internal ideas and brooding about Sarah Jane’s situation, establishing that her room has been broken into and ransacked and the routine chasing up on CCTV and establishing her last known movements. Despite Sarah Jane’s investigation beginning as an unofficial matter, Cat’s support network rally round and make initial enquiries. I had some quibbles with the credibility of the plot at this point and there were a couple of situations where things felt far-fetched, specifically the briefing around Cat’s kitchen table with her parents, sister-in-law Assistant Commissioner, Niamh and O’Rourke felt a little contrived. I missed the dynamism and passion that marked Little Bones out as refreshingly innovative, as chasing CCTV and evasive avoidance of questioning will not set anybody’s world alight. I felt that Cat had been corralled into a more restrained character and some of the fire in her belly had been quenched.
Sarah Jane Hansen has quite a back story and the early part of this novel sees that relayed to readers and necessitates perseverance, particularly when she wasn’t even a name checked character in the first novel and seems plucked out of thin air only to then assume such importance. The second half of the novel does pick up the pace and progresses past the CCTV, when another young female with links to Sarah Jane is reported missing, a dismembered body is discovered and Cat and O’Rourke are drawn closer to the sinister world of human trafficking. This issue was treated sensitively, but at times it did feel like box-checking to display empathy and the word perfect English of a frightened young girl from Belarus all reduced credibility. Cat’s hotheaded temperament also sees her compromise the investigation in several ways, and there is only so much of the eye rolling and acceptance from O’Rourke before it feels cliched, likewise with the spectacular final heroics from Cat which see her rely on both O’Rourke and McIntyre to act as a safety net.
Whereas I found the investigative aspects and developments of Little Bones consumed me, I certainly cared less about the disappearance of Sarah Jane, perhaps because readers only got to see her through Cat’s eyes, and she never felt very ‘real’. I suspect that if she had been introduced prior to her disappearance I might have felt more invested in achieving a successful outcome. Ultimately, In Deep Water didn’t feed my imagination and it felt like I met a less well defined version of Garda Cat Connolly that lacked the spark and the witty rapport that previously characterised her interactions with her boss, colleagues and three brothers. Certainly I felt Blake’s characterisation of DI Dawson O’Rourke and several of those closely involved in the drama was more finely honed in Little Bones and hence I was interested in their fate too. In Deep Water rather glossed over the whole aspect of the importance of well defined secondary characters and I readily admit that this case lacked the drive, energy and vibrancy of the first and did disappoint me. For me it was only the rather marginal scenes featuring Rebecca Ryan and her eight-year-old Asperger’s suffering son, Jacob, that showed the skill of the first novel and drew the reader closer to their own predicament. However, I found myself largely indifferent and unmoved by the glamorous, privileged Sarah Jane Hansen and given her father's own scrapes as a war reporter, I felt she should have had more foresight.
In Deep Water is a novel that can be read as a standalone, but as ever in a continuing series will benefit from having read the first and gaining a ‘feel’ for the characters and their back story. This case had a more personal angle that the first and a brought to light a more emotional side of Cat and I readily admit that in all this fretting acted as a detraction from the action. I saw enough of Cat Connolly and what she can do when firing on all cylinders in book one to ensure I read the third book in the series, but all in all I was a little disappointed by this follow-up.
At twenty-five-years-old, having joined the Garda Síochána straight out of school as the youngest female detective in the ranks, Cat has already seen a lifetime of action, taking a bullet for O’Rourke and putting her body on the line. Driven and fiercely determined, the road back has seen her set herself a wealth of new goals and even loftier ambitions; specifically to reclaim her national kickboxing title, secure a first in the Masters course in Forensic Psychology that she is studying part-time at Dublin City University (DCU) and become the first female Garda profiler! In Deep Water opens with Cat awaiting her training partner, best friend and fellow student at DCU, Sarah Jane Hansen. The ever reliable Sarah Jane effortlessly combines studying journalism and training with a part-time job as a waitress at one of the city’s swankiest restaurants, The Rookery, so when she fails to show for training, Cat worries. A fraught call from Sarah’s mother, Oonagh Hansen, an artist based in rural Kerry informs Cat that she has not had contact with her daughter for several days and that Sarah Jane’s father, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist working for CNN, had warned her off investigating a story which had the potential to endanger her safety and caused an argument. With experience in Syria and knowledge of terrorism, Ted Hansen, knows better than anyone the dangers of intrepid journalism but Sarah Jane is made of similar headstrong stuff to Cat, who is well aware that like her, a warning to steer clear will be wilfully ignored!
This second case is a very different novel to the first, and the linear plot which focuses on a single and relatively straightforward missing persons case felt a little underwhelming after the plotting mastery and skill of managing the multiple threads of the first. Attention to detail was faultless in Little Bones and indeed, the research in this follow-up is exceptional, but simply by the very nature that this is a more routine police procedural with the next steps unravelling in a self-explanatory manner, the early part of this novel felt lacklustre and somewhat plodding in comparison. The sparks of genius that characterised the first and saw Cat charge off in headlong pursuit and paid unexpected dividends were absent as the first half largely concentrated on Cat batting around her internal ideas and brooding about Sarah Jane’s situation, establishing that her room has been broken into and ransacked and the routine chasing up on CCTV and establishing her last known movements. Despite Sarah Jane’s investigation beginning as an unofficial matter, Cat’s support network rally round and make initial enquiries. I had some quibbles with the credibility of the plot at this point and there were a couple of situations where things felt far-fetched, specifically the briefing around Cat’s kitchen table with her parents, sister-in-law Assistant Commissioner, Niamh and O’Rourke felt a little contrived. I missed the dynamism and passion that marked Little Bones out as refreshingly innovative, as chasing CCTV and evasive avoidance of questioning will not set anybody’s world alight. I felt that Cat had been corralled into a more restrained character and some of the fire in her belly had been quenched.
Sarah Jane Hansen has quite a back story and the early part of this novel sees that relayed to readers and necessitates perseverance, particularly when she wasn’t even a name checked character in the first novel and seems plucked out of thin air only to then assume such importance. The second half of the novel does pick up the pace and progresses past the CCTV, when another young female with links to Sarah Jane is reported missing, a dismembered body is discovered and Cat and O’Rourke are drawn closer to the sinister world of human trafficking. This issue was treated sensitively, but at times it did feel like box-checking to display empathy and the word perfect English of a frightened young girl from Belarus all reduced credibility. Cat’s hotheaded temperament also sees her compromise the investigation in several ways, and there is only so much of the eye rolling and acceptance from O’Rourke before it feels cliched, likewise with the spectacular final heroics from Cat which see her rely on both O’Rourke and McIntyre to act as a safety net.
Whereas I found the investigative aspects and developments of Little Bones consumed me, I certainly cared less about the disappearance of Sarah Jane, perhaps because readers only got to see her through Cat’s eyes, and she never felt very ‘real’. I suspect that if she had been introduced prior to her disappearance I might have felt more invested in achieving a successful outcome. Ultimately, In Deep Water didn’t feed my imagination and it felt like I met a less well defined version of Garda Cat Connolly that lacked the spark and the witty rapport that previously characterised her interactions with her boss, colleagues and three brothers. Certainly I felt Blake’s characterisation of DI Dawson O’Rourke and several of those closely involved in the drama was more finely honed in Little Bones and hence I was interested in their fate too. In Deep Water rather glossed over the whole aspect of the importance of well defined secondary characters and I readily admit that this case lacked the drive, energy and vibrancy of the first and did disappoint me. For me it was only the rather marginal scenes featuring Rebecca Ryan and her eight-year-old Asperger’s suffering son, Jacob, that showed the skill of the first novel and drew the reader closer to their own predicament. However, I found myself largely indifferent and unmoved by the glamorous, privileged Sarah Jane Hansen and given her father's own scrapes as a war reporter, I felt she should have had more foresight.
In Deep Water is a novel that can be read as a standalone, but as ever in a continuing series will benefit from having read the first and gaining a ‘feel’ for the characters and their back story. This case had a more personal angle that the first and a brought to light a more emotional side of Cat and I readily admit that in all this fretting acted as a detraction from the action. I saw enough of Cat Connolly and what she can do when firing on all cylinders in book one to ensure I read the third book in the series, but all in all I was a little disappointed by this follow-up.
May 24, 2017
The one blew me away - a 5-star thriller. Cat Connolly is searching for her missing best friend and, in the process, trips over a human trafficking operation. The search for the friend, Sarah Jane, and the investigation of the various clues pan out at just the right pace to keep you glued to the page. I enjoyed the read and like the character Cat Connolly. I like that she's tough and intuitive - wanting to be a profiler - but that she's impulsive and vulnerable as well.
Thanks to Sam Blake and Bonnaire Zaffre through NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Sam Blake and Bonnaire Zaffre through NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2017
In Deep Water is the second instalment in the Cathy Connolly series by Sam Blake and it's every bit as gripping as the first one.
When Cathy's friend Sarah Jane fails to show up for a boxing session, she immediately fears the worst. Sarah Jane is normally incredibly reliable. When Cathy checks out Sarah Jane's house and finds her room completely ransacked, she knows her best friend isn't only missing but possibly in serious danger. What was she working on that could have attracted the attention from the wrong people?
What starts as a seemingly straight-forward missing persons case soon turns out into something way darker and disturbing. With the clock ticking, can Cathy find her friend before it's too late?
Cathy is still struggling with the after-effects from events in the previous book. I really like how the author explores that and doesn't just gloss over the mental and physical scars. It makes Cathy so much more human and realistic.
I won't say any more about the plot, you'll just have to read the book for yourself. Suffice to say there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Gripping and compelling, it leads you through the streets of Dublin and its criminality. You'll end up wondering who Cathy can trust and you'll be rooting for her every step of the way.
In Deep Water is a worthy follow-up to Little Bones. Sam Blake has truly found her voice and I can't wait to see where she takes us next.
Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for my advanced copy, which I chose to review.
When Cathy's friend Sarah Jane fails to show up for a boxing session, she immediately fears the worst. Sarah Jane is normally incredibly reliable. When Cathy checks out Sarah Jane's house and finds her room completely ransacked, she knows her best friend isn't only missing but possibly in serious danger. What was she working on that could have attracted the attention from the wrong people?
What starts as a seemingly straight-forward missing persons case soon turns out into something way darker and disturbing. With the clock ticking, can Cathy find her friend before it's too late?
Cathy is still struggling with the after-effects from events in the previous book. I really like how the author explores that and doesn't just gloss over the mental and physical scars. It makes Cathy so much more human and realistic.
I won't say any more about the plot, you'll just have to read the book for yourself. Suffice to say there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Gripping and compelling, it leads you through the streets of Dublin and its criminality. You'll end up wondering who Cathy can trust and you'll be rooting for her every step of the way.
In Deep Water is a worthy follow-up to Little Bones. Sam Blake has truly found her voice and I can't wait to see where she takes us next.
Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for my advanced copy, which I chose to review.
May 28, 2017
I do like it when despite being part of a series, the author takes an entirely different scenario for their subsequent book. Yes we have Cat Connolly, a boxer, feisty and willing to do what she thinks is right in her role in Garda Síochána, but rather than a crime that spanned generations which we had in Little Bones, In Deep Water focus is on a crime which is very much of the present when journalist, Cat’s best friend and training partner Sarah Jane Hansen goes missing.
The first inkling that all is not well is when Sarah Jane fails to make a training session with Cat and her coach and doesn’t answer her phone. When Cat takes a call from Sarah Jane’s mother saying that she’s worried and her husband Ted Hansen, a reporter for CNN currently on location had warned her off a story, it isn’t long before Cat formally reports her friend as a missing person.
One of the pleasures of reading series is that the successful ones develop the key characters by adding layers to what has already been gleaned; Sam Blake has fully achieved this brief as by the very nature of having Cat investigate the disappearance of her friend, we get to see more of her vulnerabilities. After the investigation in the first book we have more of an insight into her relationship with her boss, DI Dawson O’ Rourke, a man who has become more protective of her following the mental and physical scars that resulted from their previous investigation. This interplay is entirely convincing, a bonus as I do like to feel that what I read in crime fiction is realistic. Fortunately despite the horrifying end to the last book, it soon becomes clear that Cat, despite her struggle to regain her previous fitness levels, was her desire to be a profiler within Garda Síochána and so she is studying as well as training and working. I have to be honest Cat’s schedule exhausted me just reading about it.
Sam Blake doesn’t neglect the secondary characters either, each one was well-drawn and yet distinct and pleasingly quite diverse while avoiding the easy short-hand clichés. We meet the highly successful business men and women, the coach with his own battle scars, a young boy with autism and some young women who are living a life I simply didn’t want to imagine.
There is no doubt that this was a superbly well-researched novel, a proper police procedural with the aspects of the investigation qualified with plenty of explanations which only rarely impinged on the flow of the storyline.
In Deep Water steps into the darker areas of crime, giving the book a real edgy feel helped along by plenty of action. This is one scary ride as the team retrace Sarah Jane’s last known movements, a journey that takes in the seedier aspects of life, one that if dwelt upon could be very depressing. Fortunately with many strands of storyline to juggle there is no time to dwell as this accomplished author pulls the strands skilfully together.
The first inkling that all is not well is when Sarah Jane fails to make a training session with Cat and her coach and doesn’t answer her phone. When Cat takes a call from Sarah Jane’s mother saying that she’s worried and her husband Ted Hansen, a reporter for CNN currently on location had warned her off a story, it isn’t long before Cat formally reports her friend as a missing person.
One of the pleasures of reading series is that the successful ones develop the key characters by adding layers to what has already been gleaned; Sam Blake has fully achieved this brief as by the very nature of having Cat investigate the disappearance of her friend, we get to see more of her vulnerabilities. After the investigation in the first book we have more of an insight into her relationship with her boss, DI Dawson O’ Rourke, a man who has become more protective of her following the mental and physical scars that resulted from their previous investigation. This interplay is entirely convincing, a bonus as I do like to feel that what I read in crime fiction is realistic. Fortunately despite the horrifying end to the last book, it soon becomes clear that Cat, despite her struggle to regain her previous fitness levels, was her desire to be a profiler within Garda Síochána and so she is studying as well as training and working. I have to be honest Cat’s schedule exhausted me just reading about it.
Sam Blake doesn’t neglect the secondary characters either, each one was well-drawn and yet distinct and pleasingly quite diverse while avoiding the easy short-hand clichés. We meet the highly successful business men and women, the coach with his own battle scars, a young boy with autism and some young women who are living a life I simply didn’t want to imagine.
There is no doubt that this was a superbly well-researched novel, a proper police procedural with the aspects of the investigation qualified with plenty of explanations which only rarely impinged on the flow of the storyline.
In Deep Water steps into the darker areas of crime, giving the book a real edgy feel helped along by plenty of action. This is one scary ride as the team retrace Sarah Jane’s last known movements, a journey that takes in the seedier aspects of life, one that if dwelt upon could be very depressing. Fortunately with many strands of storyline to juggle there is no time to dwell as this accomplished author pulls the strands skilfully together.
May 25, 2017
Copy courtesy of NetGalley
Cathy Connolly is the worst protagonist- she does not inspire confidence, lives in her head constantly, is whiny and yet thinks she's great. She detracted from the real story to such an extent that reading became a chore.
Cathy Connolly is the worst protagonist- she does not inspire confidence, lives in her head constantly, is whiny and yet thinks she's great. She detracted from the real story to such an extent that reading became a chore.
April 6, 2017
‘In the world of missing persons every second counts, but with the clock ticking…’
In Deep Water is Book 2 in the Cat Connolly police/crime fiction series from Sam Blake. Published by Bonnier Zaffre on 6th April 2017 (today!!!), this was a book I had been eager to get my paws on for quite some time
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Little Bones, Book 1 in the Cat Connolly series from Sam Blake , I knew i could expect a good read with In Deep Water.
Cat Connolly is back on the force after an horrific crime-related explosion that nearly took her life. Refusing to let the trauma relating to the incident consume her, Cat is back in the gym, intent on regaining her position as a top kick boxing champion. Honestly, reading about the exercise regime of this woman would wear you out!!!! She’s a phenomenal athlete with steely determination and a drive to be the best at everything she does.
Reunited with her colleagues, Cat is readjusting to her busy schedule when she discovers that her closest friend, Sarah Jane Hansen, has gone missing. Her immediate gut reaction is that something serious is after happening. Sarah Jane is the daughter of a CNN journalist, Ted Hansen, a man who has travelled to some of the most dangerous locations in the world. After separating from his wife, Sarah Jane became the product of a broken marriage but she was not one to garner sympathy. She worked hard, always fighting against the image the world had of her and willing to prove, to herself and all, that she was just so much more than a pretty face. Cat knows, although at time scatter-brained, it was not like Sarah Jane to just disappear on a whim.
Cat confides in the one person she knows she can trust and who also knew Sarah Jane, her boss DI Dawson O’ Rourke. Initially O’ Rourke is skeptical. Sarah Jane is an adult. She has the right to disappear for awhile if she wishes.
But O’ Rourke and Cat have a very strong bond and he trusts her instincts. These instincts have been correct many times in the past, though with some dire consequences, yet O’ Rourke decides to take on board Cat’s concerns and starts to look into the possibility of Sarah Jane’s life being in trouble.
As they follow a trail that keeps leading them up a dead end, Cat and O’ Rourke begin to suspect that Sarah Jane has got herself involved in something that is way over her head. As they trawl through CCTV cameras and question those who were aware of her last known location, Cat begins to seriously worry about her friend’s safety.
In Deep Water is a book that will keep you completely immersed in it’s pages. With the backdrop of Dublin city and the hills of Wicklow, the reader is taken on a fast paced, seriously heart-thumping race to the finish. Cat Connolly is a gutsy heroine. She is a born fighter…'The Boss called it her fight instinct. The raw emotion – aggression, if they were truthful – that made her a winner. Fight and win. Kill or be killed.’
Sam Blake takes the reader on a journey revealing a very seedy, dark world that exists behind closed doors. The fear of some of the characters is palpable. There is a loneliness etched into many of the pages which you will have to read to understand what I mean. We are exposed to a cast of unsavory personalities who have little respect for a life lost. There are scenes in this book that will make your stomach turn, to think that there are human beings in our civilised culture capable of such acts of debasement and exploitation.
In Deep Water is a crime/police procedural but it is also more than that. There is a very human story running through the pages. Not alone do we get to learn a little more about Cat Connolly but we also get to learn more about the society that we have created today. It is a very frightening depiction and yet, unfortunately very real.
In Deep Water is Book 2 in the Cat Connolly police/crime fiction series from Sam Blake. Published by Bonnier Zaffre on 6th April 2017 (today!!!), this was a book I had been eager to get my paws on for quite some time
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Little Bones, Book 1 in the Cat Connolly series from Sam Blake , I knew i could expect a good read with In Deep Water.
Cat Connolly is back on the force after an horrific crime-related explosion that nearly took her life. Refusing to let the trauma relating to the incident consume her, Cat is back in the gym, intent on regaining her position as a top kick boxing champion. Honestly, reading about the exercise regime of this woman would wear you out!!!! She’s a phenomenal athlete with steely determination and a drive to be the best at everything she does.
Reunited with her colleagues, Cat is readjusting to her busy schedule when she discovers that her closest friend, Sarah Jane Hansen, has gone missing. Her immediate gut reaction is that something serious is after happening. Sarah Jane is the daughter of a CNN journalist, Ted Hansen, a man who has travelled to some of the most dangerous locations in the world. After separating from his wife, Sarah Jane became the product of a broken marriage but she was not one to garner sympathy. She worked hard, always fighting against the image the world had of her and willing to prove, to herself and all, that she was just so much more than a pretty face. Cat knows, although at time scatter-brained, it was not like Sarah Jane to just disappear on a whim.
Cat confides in the one person she knows she can trust and who also knew Sarah Jane, her boss DI Dawson O’ Rourke. Initially O’ Rourke is skeptical. Sarah Jane is an adult. She has the right to disappear for awhile if she wishes.
But O’ Rourke and Cat have a very strong bond and he trusts her instincts. These instincts have been correct many times in the past, though with some dire consequences, yet O’ Rourke decides to take on board Cat’s concerns and starts to look into the possibility of Sarah Jane’s life being in trouble.
As they follow a trail that keeps leading them up a dead end, Cat and O’ Rourke begin to suspect that Sarah Jane has got herself involved in something that is way over her head. As they trawl through CCTV cameras and question those who were aware of her last known location, Cat begins to seriously worry about her friend’s safety.
In Deep Water is a book that will keep you completely immersed in it’s pages. With the backdrop of Dublin city and the hills of Wicklow, the reader is taken on a fast paced, seriously heart-thumping race to the finish. Cat Connolly is a gutsy heroine. She is a born fighter…'The Boss called it her fight instinct. The raw emotion – aggression, if they were truthful – that made her a winner. Fight and win. Kill or be killed.’
Sam Blake takes the reader on a journey revealing a very seedy, dark world that exists behind closed doors. The fear of some of the characters is palpable. There is a loneliness etched into many of the pages which you will have to read to understand what I mean. We are exposed to a cast of unsavory personalities who have little respect for a life lost. There are scenes in this book that will make your stomach turn, to think that there are human beings in our civilised culture capable of such acts of debasement and exploitation.
In Deep Water is a crime/police procedural but it is also more than that. There is a very human story running through the pages. Not alone do we get to learn a little more about Cat Connolly but we also get to learn more about the society that we have created today. It is a very frightening depiction and yet, unfortunately very real.
August 27, 2017
What a great read and a good follow up to the author's first book. Cat Connolly is stubborn and won't leave a stone unturned in her investigations but will this case prove too much for her as she races time to find a much loved friend who as gone missing. I loved the book thank you for the ARC
August 17, 2021
The start feels slow to me, because for several chapters we see a Garda fretting that her friend hasn't got in touch, and that lady is normally reliable. We have no reason to think anything bad has occurred, and adults are allowed to have private lives. Some other writers give us an initial moment of drama, so we know a crime has been committed. Then they cut to the worried friend. Gradually the issues of concern for our Garda mount, and after quite a few chapters, and backstory dumps, we start to learn about a possible trafficking situation in Dublin. This seems at odds with the story on horses and ponies in Ballymun that the missing person was working on, so it takes some time for us (me anyway) to want to get involved. The detail turns out to be well researched and puts a human face on the crime.
By the last few chapters the tension has mounted, the heavy crimes are evident, the players known and everyone is driving around in the dark countryside. This part I found absolutely gripping.
I think the tale could have done with another editing pass, because when you are out of doors and want to hold a conversation with someone, 150 yards away is far too far. You would need semaphore. 15 feet would do (loudly, which the horse would not like). The horse owner would have said, "keep your hands low and move slowly, don't get behind the horse." The Dublin Guards should think in metres. All the road traffic guidance is now metric. Also, I see no possible reason for the last scene of drama needing to be back in Ballymun, except the author wishing to revisit an earlier location and minor character. And that horse had better be okay.
Oh yes, and a Master's degree should be written that way, requiring the possessive apostrophe, because it is Master of Arts or Master of Science, but the character keeps saying she needs to work for her masters, which would mean men plural in charge of her.
Four and a half stars from me. Because I'm picky. This is a good solid crime story about police work and unpleasant criminals. The inclusion of a boy on the autism spectrum works well. Bonus points for the modern Irish setting. Crime fans have a good involving read to enjoy.
Disclaimer: as Ireland is small, I have met the author. However, I borrowed this book from a library and read in my own time. I chose to write a review. This is an unbiased review.
By the last few chapters the tension has mounted, the heavy crimes are evident, the players known and everyone is driving around in the dark countryside. This part I found absolutely gripping.
I think the tale could have done with another editing pass, because when you are out of doors and want to hold a conversation with someone, 150 yards away is far too far. You would need semaphore. 15 feet would do (loudly, which the horse would not like). The horse owner would have said, "keep your hands low and move slowly, don't get behind the horse." The Dublin Guards should think in metres. All the road traffic guidance is now metric. Also, I see no possible reason for the last scene of drama needing to be back in Ballymun, except the author wishing to revisit an earlier location and minor character. And that horse had better be okay.
Oh yes, and a Master's degree should be written that way, requiring the possessive apostrophe, because it is Master of Arts or Master of Science, but the character keeps saying she needs to work for her masters, which would mean men plural in charge of her.
Four and a half stars from me. Because I'm picky. This is a good solid crime story about police work and unpleasant criminals. The inclusion of a boy on the autism spectrum works well. Bonus points for the modern Irish setting. Crime fans have a good involving read to enjoy.
Disclaimer: as Ireland is small, I have met the author. However, I borrowed this book from a library and read in my own time. I chose to write a review. This is an unbiased review.
May 4, 2018
Following the ending of Same Blake’s debut novel, Little Bones, I was pretty eager to dive into the second Cathy Connolly book. Despite my mixed feelings on the first book, the ending left me desperate to see what came next. Thus, I was more than willing to dive into In Deep Water a few days later.
The mixed feelings I experienced towards book one seem to have travelled over to book two, leaving me equally unsure as to how I feel in regards to this series. It was enjoyable enough, but I wasn’t crazy about it; I was curious to see how things would play out, but I wasn’t desperately turning pages; I was willing to work through the entire book, but I wasn’t entirely invested in what was playing out. In truth, In Deep Water has left me unsure as to whether I will read more of this series. At present, with such mixed feelings, I’m doubtful I will. I may pick up book three if I find it on offer, but it is not a book I will go out of my way to purchase.
As with the first book, plenty occurred within this book. It wasn’t quite what I had thought it would be, though. With the big ending of book one, I expected a lot of emotional turmoil and events that followed on from the prior book. As it was, this book took place over a year later and could be read as a standalone novel. It left me rather disappointed, as I feel we missed out on plenty of good things that could have been linked back to book one. Sure, references were made, yet it was never the big moment I thought it would be considering it was such a cliff-hanger of an ending – if anything, it merely confirmed it was a way to get people purchasing the next book.
Despite how the story was not quite what I had expected, I enjoyed the crime element of this story more than I enjoyed the story of the prior book. I enjoy it when crimes have a personal connection to the main character, allowing us deep into their world. Although this one did not dig as deep as some stories, although I never felt the emotional impact I had hoped to, I was intrigued by the way things developed.
Overall, if you enjoyed the first book you’ll probably enjoy this second book. For me, it didn’t shift my view of the series into an overly positive light, and due to that I doubt I’ll be reading more.
The mixed feelings I experienced towards book one seem to have travelled over to book two, leaving me equally unsure as to how I feel in regards to this series. It was enjoyable enough, but I wasn’t crazy about it; I was curious to see how things would play out, but I wasn’t desperately turning pages; I was willing to work through the entire book, but I wasn’t entirely invested in what was playing out. In truth, In Deep Water has left me unsure as to whether I will read more of this series. At present, with such mixed feelings, I’m doubtful I will. I may pick up book three if I find it on offer, but it is not a book I will go out of my way to purchase.
As with the first book, plenty occurred within this book. It wasn’t quite what I had thought it would be, though. With the big ending of book one, I expected a lot of emotional turmoil and events that followed on from the prior book. As it was, this book took place over a year later and could be read as a standalone novel. It left me rather disappointed, as I feel we missed out on plenty of good things that could have been linked back to book one. Sure, references were made, yet it was never the big moment I thought it would be considering it was such a cliff-hanger of an ending – if anything, it merely confirmed it was a way to get people purchasing the next book.
Despite how the story was not quite what I had expected, I enjoyed the crime element of this story more than I enjoyed the story of the prior book. I enjoy it when crimes have a personal connection to the main character, allowing us deep into their world. Although this one did not dig as deep as some stories, although I never felt the emotional impact I had hoped to, I was intrigued by the way things developed.
Overall, if you enjoyed the first book you’ll probably enjoy this second book. For me, it didn’t shift my view of the series into an overly positive light, and due to that I doubt I’ll be reading more.
April 5, 2017
Review to follow...
March 30, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of In Deep Water, the second novel to feature Cathy Connolly of the Dublin Gardai.
Cathy has recovered from her injuries sustained in the previous novel, Little Bones, and is in training for the National Kickboxing Championship when her friend and sparring partner, Sarah Jane Hansen, doesn't turn up for a pre-arranged practice session and isn't answering her phone. This worries Cathy as Sarah Jane is very reliable and when she finds Sarah Jane's room ransacked she presses the alarm bell. Soon an unofficial enquiry is launched.
I thoroughly enjoyed In Deep Water. It is a well plotted, fast paced novel with plenty of twists and action. What starts as a missing person enquiry soon broadens out into much more and it takes Cathy all her time to keep up with developments as panic about Sarah Jane's fate threatens to engulf her. It makes for an interesting, absorbing read and I was glued to the pages wondering what was coming next.
Cathy kicks ass, both literally and as a protagonist. She is dogged and smart - many of the developments in the plot come from her clear thinking but she is also vulnerable after her trauma. She is a well developed, likeable character and her strong friendships bring a warmth to the plot that the subject matter doesn't.
In Deep Water is a great read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
Cathy has recovered from her injuries sustained in the previous novel, Little Bones, and is in training for the National Kickboxing Championship when her friend and sparring partner, Sarah Jane Hansen, doesn't turn up for a pre-arranged practice session and isn't answering her phone. This worries Cathy as Sarah Jane is very reliable and when she finds Sarah Jane's room ransacked she presses the alarm bell. Soon an unofficial enquiry is launched.
I thoroughly enjoyed In Deep Water. It is a well plotted, fast paced novel with plenty of twists and action. What starts as a missing person enquiry soon broadens out into much more and it takes Cathy all her time to keep up with developments as panic about Sarah Jane's fate threatens to engulf her. It makes for an interesting, absorbing read and I was glued to the pages wondering what was coming next.
Cathy kicks ass, both literally and as a protagonist. She is dogged and smart - many of the developments in the plot come from her clear thinking but she is also vulnerable after her trauma. She is a well developed, likeable character and her strong friendships bring a warmth to the plot that the subject matter doesn't.
In Deep Water is a great read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
January 25, 2018
I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Sam Blake, and the publisher, Bonnier Zaffre, for this opportunity.
I thought that the plot of this novel was excellent overall. It was a really thrilling story about the abduction of a close friend of the main character, Cat Connolly, but it was so much more than that. There are so many amazing twists in the plot that by the end you don't know who to trust. I also enjoyed the ending which was fairly ambiguous. It leaves you on the edge of your seat and it definitely leaves you wanting more from the series. One aspect of the plot I could have done without was the romance aspects. I say this with most thrillers but I think romance can really distract from the plot by interrupting the flow of the book. I did love that it was set in the Republic of Ireland though because I've never read a book set in ROI before.
The characters were all well-written and the female characters were particularly great. I did like Cat but she was a tad annoying when thinking about her love life. Sarah Jane was also a great character because you see her from Cat's perspective in this book and Cat really highlights her best qualities while still mentioning her flaws, like good friends do. Blake's writing overall was very descriptive and full of action. I think one of the main strengths of this novel is Blake's characterisation as she's excellent at building strong female characters who aren't too perfect.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but I could have done with Cat's whiny moments and the romantic aspects of the book. It detracted from the plot which was incredibly thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable. I would recommend this book but I think I'd suggest reading the first book before picking this one up even though I didn't.
I thought that the plot of this novel was excellent overall. It was a really thrilling story about the abduction of a close friend of the main character, Cat Connolly, but it was so much more than that. There are so many amazing twists in the plot that by the end you don't know who to trust. I also enjoyed the ending which was fairly ambiguous. It leaves you on the edge of your seat and it definitely leaves you wanting more from the series. One aspect of the plot I could have done without was the romance aspects. I say this with most thrillers but I think romance can really distract from the plot by interrupting the flow of the book. I did love that it was set in the Republic of Ireland though because I've never read a book set in ROI before.
The characters were all well-written and the female characters were particularly great. I did like Cat but she was a tad annoying when thinking about her love life. Sarah Jane was also a great character because you see her from Cat's perspective in this book and Cat really highlights her best qualities while still mentioning her flaws, like good friends do. Blake's writing overall was very descriptive and full of action. I think one of the main strengths of this novel is Blake's characterisation as she's excellent at building strong female characters who aren't too perfect.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but I could have done with Cat's whiny moments and the romantic aspects of the book. It detracted from the plot which was incredibly thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable. I would recommend this book but I think I'd suggest reading the first book before picking this one up even though I didn't.
September 2, 2018
3.5 stars. I’m really enjoying this series, I love Detective Cat Connolly. She is badass, intelligent, athletic, and competitive. All the traits I love. The Dublin setting is realistic and not viewed through rose tinted glasses. Another plus is the pace is fast and snappy.
I’m dropping my rating a bit for the too obvious twist. And the over use of “feck” as that really annoyed me. Cat is definitely someone who would say fuck not feck.
But what’s really telling is that I’ve immediately moved on to the next book in the series. So that’s a pretty good indication that I’m invested in these characters.
I’m dropping my rating a bit for the too obvious twist. And the over use of “feck” as that really annoyed me. Cat is definitely someone who would say fuck not feck.
But what’s really telling is that I’ve immediately moved on to the next book in the series. So that’s a pretty good indication that I’m invested in these characters.
August 27, 2017
It's been a while since I read a book that I disliked as much as I disliked In Deep Water. It was just so bad. The writing was stilted, the plot was stupid and Cat just got dumber since the last book. And the explosion at the end of book one? Yeah, don't expect to hear much about that. It's been A YEAR since it happened, and although Cat is "deeply" traumatized, she doesn't want to talk about it. She's just got the hots for her boss and some other dude and her hormones are hoppin'. It was just so bad. Do not even bother with this one. The author should have added an epilogue to book one and called it quits.
April 9, 2018
The 2nd novel by Sam Blake, featuring protagonist Cat Connolly is once again set in Dublin. Cat is still intense, hard-working but more importantly believable. Her character does not develop at the same speed of the first novel but she definitely has depth & a vulnerability that connects you to her fallibility.
This novel relies on your well-established connection to the characters and focuses more on plot. The devastating underworld crime of human trafficking is incorporated with finesse & accuracy. Another excellent multi-layered, gripping psychological thriller.
This novel relies on your well-established connection to the characters and focuses more on plot. The devastating underworld crime of human trafficking is incorporated with finesse & accuracy. Another excellent multi-layered, gripping psychological thriller.
August 21, 2019
Cat is back to work after her trauma at the end of the first book in this series. She has (I think rather conveniently) suffered a miscarriage and is still reeling from this and recovering physically and mentally from her injuries. Her sparing partner fails to turn up for their usual practice at the gym and so begins the story of finding Sarah. The lead in seems to take a long time and the story doesn’t really warm up for quite a while. The last quarter of the book is good and moves along well. Is there ever going to be anything happening with her boss? A good modern story.
August 25, 2018
I enjoyed this one more than the first in this series just bcc I knew more about the main characters and their back story. This one ending with a few twists and was very intense. This is a great series if you’re a fan of kick ass female police characters such as the Helen Grace series(MJ Arlidge). Onto the 3rd book now!
March 16, 2023
#BorrowBox
#audiobook
#read23in2023
#23in23
#mystery
Read a book by an English author
A totally unexpected book, thrilling which I binged listened to. Another recommendation for this brilliant author
#audiobook
#read23in2023
#23in23
#mystery
Read a book by an English author
A totally unexpected book, thrilling which I binged listened to. Another recommendation for this brilliant author
August 30, 2025
Really enjoyed this book a lot. Score: 4.75/5.
April 5, 2017
Brilliant just brilliant start to finish, when is the next one out? If you like Jane Casey and Claire Macgowan you will love this. So much brilliant Irish crime fiction around at the moment.
December 28, 2018
Didn't really grab me, maybe it was because I didn't read the other books in the series, though there wasn't really too much non tell, where references we're made back to the previous books in this series.
I felt the characters were.all a bit too easy and one dimensional, was it the dialogue? I felt reading it, it just didn't sound like the normal flow of conversation. The MC herself was quite well portrayed, though the main protagonist ORourke, just seemed to fall into line with Cat too easily. As much as a professional relationship goes, a boss will always be the boss, he seemed to be beating to Cat's drum all the time. I do think that there could have been some more conflicting interest here, and Cat being a bit more confrontational, it would had made the book far more interesting and gritty, rather than neutral and lacking interest at times.
The one thing that really got my goat about this book too was that she was constantly saying "feck, fecker, fecking" all the time. Is it that the author didn't want to offend the reader by using the proper 'f' word, I think that Cat would had used that word more often but with the letter u in it rather than the e. If it was the case that Cat was just obsessed with using the word feck all the time rather than the obvious choice, fair enough. Though if it was a case that the author was avoiding using swear words in the book, this wasn't actually the case, because the s word describing human waste, the f word describing copulation and the c word referring to a man's appendage are all used. So why didn't Cat have a looser tongue, I would have preferred to see it.
Another thing that really turned me off about this book was its distinct lack of editorial finishing. On the notes about the author it tells us about how much of a great authoress Vanessa has become(Sam is her writing pseudonym) how she got into writing novels because Hubby left her to go off yachting around the oceans. All very good and congratulations to Mrs O'Loughlin. But if all is so good, why do I spot typos into double figures? Personally I do feel it gives a work a certain lacking, considering that this is part of a series from a 'Number one best selling author' well that is what it says on the cover anyway. One would expect that Sam has an editor to check over her work before publishing. Sadly though, this seems to be the case a bit too much these days with a lot of popular literature , just can't get the staff! Over all it was an ok book, glad I read it, note to self; don't read anymore Sam Blake novels.
I felt the characters were.all a bit too easy and one dimensional, was it the dialogue? I felt reading it, it just didn't sound like the normal flow of conversation. The MC herself was quite well portrayed, though the main protagonist ORourke, just seemed to fall into line with Cat too easily. As much as a professional relationship goes, a boss will always be the boss, he seemed to be beating to Cat's drum all the time. I do think that there could have been some more conflicting interest here, and Cat being a bit more confrontational, it would had made the book far more interesting and gritty, rather than neutral and lacking interest at times.
The one thing that really got my goat about this book too was that she was constantly saying "feck, fecker, fecking" all the time. Is it that the author didn't want to offend the reader by using the proper 'f' word, I think that Cat would had used that word more often but with the letter u in it rather than the e. If it was the case that Cat was just obsessed with using the word feck all the time rather than the obvious choice, fair enough. Though if it was a case that the author was avoiding using swear words in the book, this wasn't actually the case, because the s word describing human waste, the f word describing copulation and the c word referring to a man's appendage are all used. So why didn't Cat have a looser tongue, I would have preferred to see it.
Another thing that really turned me off about this book was its distinct lack of editorial finishing. On the notes about the author it tells us about how much of a great authoress Vanessa has become(Sam is her writing pseudonym) how she got into writing novels because Hubby left her to go off yachting around the oceans. All very good and congratulations to Mrs O'Loughlin. But if all is so good, why do I spot typos into double figures? Personally I do feel it gives a work a certain lacking, considering that this is part of a series from a 'Number one best selling author' well that is what it says on the cover anyway. One would expect that Sam has an editor to check over her work before publishing. Sadly though, this seems to be the case a bit too much these days with a lot of popular literature , just can't get the staff! Over all it was an ok book, glad I read it, note to self; don't read anymore Sam Blake novels.
March 4, 2018
In Deep Water (Cathy Connolly #2) by Sam Blake was a good read. 2018 has been packed with a number of thrillers for me. It has been my go to genre this year. While this is my first book by Sam Blake it will not be my last. Cathy Connolly is a very well written character and moves the story along well, my only downfall is that since this is the second book I needed a little more back story. Cathy “Cat” Connolly has recently returned to Dublin’s An Garda Síochána following a close brush with death on her last case (book #1). Now she’s fighting fit thanks to long hours of physical therapy & rehab. She’s a national kick boxing champ & when her usual sparring partner doesn’t turn up one day, Cat knows it’s time to get worried.
Sarah Jane Hansen is a hard-working journalism student, Cat’s best friend & training buddy I loved the character of Sarah because you could tell that she is resilient and crafty and I love how the end ties the story up nicely. You don’t know if Sarah will live or die but you know that Cat won’t stop trying. I felt the plot believable and the story flowed well. It builds tension nicely while some parts could be shorter all an all a great read if you’re looking for a good cop read. 3.5 starts from me because while I connected with it and would read more from the author I just needed a little bit more about Cathy to connect with her a bit more.
Sarah Jane Hansen is a hard-working journalism student, Cat’s best friend & training buddy I loved the character of Sarah because you could tell that she is resilient and crafty and I love how the end ties the story up nicely. You don’t know if Sarah will live or die but you know that Cat won’t stop trying. I felt the plot believable and the story flowed well. It builds tension nicely while some parts could be shorter all an all a great read if you’re looking for a good cop read. 3.5 starts from me because while I connected with it and would read more from the author I just needed a little bit more about Cathy to connect with her a bit more.
August 18, 2018
2.5 stars, just edging over to three...
Hmmm well not the most memorable book I’ve ever read, but it did keep me engaged enough to want to finish it! In some ways I like Cat, but she doesn’t seem quite as real as she did in Little Bones (book 1). Maybe it’s the fact that she consistently runs stupidly off on her own and manages to save the day that irritates me slightly? Or is it the fact that she dives into her male superior officer’s comforting arms each time she risks her life.... argh just get it on, and move on! It’s clearly made for TV and there are a few silly plot components, but it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.
Hmmm well not the most memorable book I’ve ever read, but it did keep me engaged enough to want to finish it! In some ways I like Cat, but she doesn’t seem quite as real as she did in Little Bones (book 1). Maybe it’s the fact that she consistently runs stupidly off on her own and manages to save the day that irritates me slightly? Or is it the fact that she dives into her male superior officer’s comforting arms each time she risks her life.... argh just get it on, and move on! It’s clearly made for TV and there are a few silly plot components, but it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.
December 7, 2017
*Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Just like the first book in the Cat Connolly trilogy, “In Deep Water” is very slow to begin. But unlike the other book, it’s full of clichés and trite sentiments.
I’ve realised I just don’t like the main character Cat. I find it implausible that she’s the youngest detective in the force, an All-Ireland kickboxing champion, studying criminology and has time for a disastrous love life!
I won’t be reading any of Sam Blake’s books again.
Just like the first book in the Cat Connolly trilogy, “In Deep Water” is very slow to begin. But unlike the other book, it’s full of clichés and trite sentiments.
I’ve realised I just don’t like the main character Cat. I find it implausible that she’s the youngest detective in the force, an All-Ireland kickboxing champion, studying criminology and has time for a disastrous love life!
I won’t be reading any of Sam Blake’s books again.
July 7, 2017
There was much more urgency in book 2 than book 1 which is why I enjoyed it more. Cat's best friend has been abducted and therefore there was more urgency in finding her alive, and soon. There was one particular part which I felt wasn't realistic (when an 8 year old was recounting an overheard conversation) but it was later explained by a very unexpected twist. The drama was definitely maintained till the end of the book.
February 7, 2018
I was eager to read the second in the series of Cat Connelly books, because the first, Little Bones was such a corker and ended with such a heart stopping moment that I couldn’t wait for the next in the series.
Cathy Connolly is a member of the Garda. Following a difficult, traumatising and deadly case, she has now gone back to work and has resumed her kick boxing training at the local gym. Though far from mentally or physically recovered; she is still suffering from PTSD – she is determined to get on with her life and make the best of her considerable drive and skills. She resumes her studies in Forensic Psychology and is making serious strides to regain her kick boxing awards under the tutelage of Niall McIntyre, an ex-para who has coached her since she was a teenager.
She works out with her best friend and fellow student at Dublin University, Sarah Jane Hansen and so, when Sarah Jane fails to show and cannot be found anywhere, Cat must take action to establish what has happened to her. Sarah Jane is a journalism student – unsurprisingly since her dad is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and also works in one of Dublin’s most expensive restaurants as a waitress.
When Sarah Jane’s mother phones Cat to say she is worried and Cat learns that she and her father had argued about a story she was working on which he felt had the potential to lead her into danger, Cat grows seriously concerned for Sarah Jane’s safety.
Under the watchful eye of her boss and detective partner, DI Dawson O’Rourke, Cat sets out to track Sarah Jane’s movements.
This is almost a book of two halves; in the first half of the book we learn about Sarah Jane through Cat and follow Cat’s retracing of SJ’s steps and as she discovers that something has gone seriously awry. Then the pace of the book picks up as a young woman who had contact with Sarah Jane also goes missing, and the case leads Cat and O’Rourke into the ruthless world of Dublin organised crime and human trafficking.
As ever, Cat is prone to rushing in where others would have cooler heads, but I didn’t always feel that this was successful as O’Rourke felt somewhat too tolerant of Cat’s behaviour for this to be a convincing reflection of a police case.
Because I had become invested in the characters in Little Bones, I was a wee bit disappointed that O’Rourke and McIntyre did not progress much in character development and I felt the lack of that personal connection as the book progressed.
I did, however, very much enjoy the character of Jacob; a young boy with Asperger’s who gave reader a much needed personal stake in the outcome of the investigation. Sensitively drawn, Jacob provides an emotional connection with the reader that really worked for me.
For me, In Deep Water lacked the pace and drive of the first book and I found aspects of the plot a little too contrived, and the ending, though explosive, a touch unbelievable, but overall it was a decent read and the Dublin and Enniskerry settings are very enjoyable.
Cathy Connolly is a member of the Garda. Following a difficult, traumatising and deadly case, she has now gone back to work and has resumed her kick boxing training at the local gym. Though far from mentally or physically recovered; she is still suffering from PTSD – she is determined to get on with her life and make the best of her considerable drive and skills. She resumes her studies in Forensic Psychology and is making serious strides to regain her kick boxing awards under the tutelage of Niall McIntyre, an ex-para who has coached her since she was a teenager.
She works out with her best friend and fellow student at Dublin University, Sarah Jane Hansen and so, when Sarah Jane fails to show and cannot be found anywhere, Cat must take action to establish what has happened to her. Sarah Jane is a journalism student – unsurprisingly since her dad is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and also works in one of Dublin’s most expensive restaurants as a waitress.
When Sarah Jane’s mother phones Cat to say she is worried and Cat learns that she and her father had argued about a story she was working on which he felt had the potential to lead her into danger, Cat grows seriously concerned for Sarah Jane’s safety.
Under the watchful eye of her boss and detective partner, DI Dawson O’Rourke, Cat sets out to track Sarah Jane’s movements.
This is almost a book of two halves; in the first half of the book we learn about Sarah Jane through Cat and follow Cat’s retracing of SJ’s steps and as she discovers that something has gone seriously awry. Then the pace of the book picks up as a young woman who had contact with Sarah Jane also goes missing, and the case leads Cat and O’Rourke into the ruthless world of Dublin organised crime and human trafficking.
As ever, Cat is prone to rushing in where others would have cooler heads, but I didn’t always feel that this was successful as O’Rourke felt somewhat too tolerant of Cat’s behaviour for this to be a convincing reflection of a police case.
Because I had become invested in the characters in Little Bones, I was a wee bit disappointed that O’Rourke and McIntyre did not progress much in character development and I felt the lack of that personal connection as the book progressed.
I did, however, very much enjoy the character of Jacob; a young boy with Asperger’s who gave reader a much needed personal stake in the outcome of the investigation. Sensitively drawn, Jacob provides an emotional connection with the reader that really worked for me.
For me, In Deep Water lacked the pace and drive of the first book and I found aspects of the plot a little too contrived, and the ending, though explosive, a touch unbelievable, but overall it was a decent read and the Dublin and Enniskerry settings are very enjoyable.
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