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Drowned Lives
Set in and around the dark, misty canals of Lichfield, Stephen Booth's new historical standalone novel is awash with mystery.
When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an strange old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away.
But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on Chris's doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers.
As he begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he'll realise was better kept buried.
When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an strange old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away.
But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on Chris's doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers.
As he begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he'll realise was better kept buried.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2019
62 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Booth
55 books674 followersStephen Booth is the author of 18 novels in the Cooper & Fry series, all set around England's Peak District, and a standalone novel DROWNED LIVES, published in August 2019.
The Cooper & Fry series has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and Detective Constable Cooper has been a finalist for the Sherlock Award for Best Detective created by a British author. The Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers most pleasure.”
The novels are sold all around the world, with translations in 16 languages. The most recent title is FALL DOWN DEAD.
A new Stephen Booth standalone novel with a historical theme, DROWNED LIVES, will be published in August 2019:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drowned-Live...
In recent years, Stephen has become a Library Champion in support of the UK’s ‘Love Libraries’ campaign. He's represented British literature at the Helsinki Book Fair in Finland, appeared with Alexander McCall Smith at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia, filmed a documentary for 20th Century Fox on the French detective Vidocq, taken part in online chats for World Book Day, taught crime writing courses, and visited prisons to talk to prisoners about writing.
He lives in Nottinghamshire.
The Cooper & Fry series has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and Detective Constable Cooper has been a finalist for the Sherlock Award for Best Detective created by a British author. The Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers most pleasure.”
The novels are sold all around the world, with translations in 16 languages. The most recent title is FALL DOWN DEAD.
A new Stephen Booth standalone novel with a historical theme, DROWNED LIVES, will be published in August 2019:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drowned-Live...
In recent years, Stephen has become a Library Champion in support of the UK’s ‘Love Libraries’ campaign. He's represented British literature at the Helsinki Book Fair in Finland, appeared with Alexander McCall Smith at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia, filmed a documentary for 20th Century Fox on the French detective Vidocq, taken part in online chats for World Book Day, taught crime writing courses, and visited prisons to talk to prisoners about writing.
He lives in Nottinghamshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
July 26, 2019
Stephen Booth writes an intricate, complex, and richly detailed family drama and mystery that spans two centuries right up to the 1990s, set in Lichfield, Staffordshire. 32 year old Chris Buckley is a PR council officer, soon to be made redundant, business partner in a new internet venture with Dan Hyde, and freelance journalist. He is a socially awkward man, a loner, who shuns any emotional entanglements, who feels no particular attachment to family or the past, he is the sole remaining Buckley with the recent death of his parents, and is focused on the future. He is writing a story on the Water Recovery Group (WRG) intent on uncovering a part of the long lost Ogley and Huddersfield Canal, and the protests against a proposed road that endangers the project when he meets the elderly Samuel Longden. Longden claims to be a long estranged family friend of the Buckley family in the past.
Samuel is obsessed by and speaks of family feuds, betrayal, and murders that goes back to the 19th century, of the ruined reputation of William Buckley, the first engineer on the canal, of betrayal and of wrongs that need to be righted. He wants Chris to get involved in his project and gives him a huge bundle of his research that include family letters, and other documention. The only trouble is that Chris has little interest in it, until Samuel dies in suspicious circumstances that bring the police to his doorstep. His dire financial circumstances force him to take on the project and write a book. He finds himself letting his neighbour, the divorced Rachel help him, help he needs as he is so poorly equipped for the task. Chris discovers he is far from the last family member as he meets Frank Chaplin, and Caroline Longden, Samuel's daughter and a whole host of characters enter his life. As he continues to cover the progress of the WRG, who have managed to snag the interest and support of MP Lindley Simpson, he finds there are forces who will do anything to prevent him digging into his family's past, with his home burgled, his life is in deadly danger and he has no idea who he can trust.
Booth's real strengths in this compulsive read is his attention to detail and his stellar creation of Chris, a man that I found hard to get a handle on and didn't like at the beginning, I wondered if he was possibly autistic. However, as the narrative progresses we learn precisely why he is not keen on family or other people, with his traumatic childhood and the emotional damage it wreaked on him. We follow Chris as he stumbles through his family history, all at sea when it comes to making astute judgements of people, but slowly he begins to let people in his life, connect with his family and understand family is not always about blood. All this even has him perhaps considering that a future that he thought was impossible could be his. I found this an excellent read, but it may not be for everyone, some might find the depth of historical and other details a little too dry for their tastes and Chris's character too difficult to invest in. I loved it! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
Samuel is obsessed by and speaks of family feuds, betrayal, and murders that goes back to the 19th century, of the ruined reputation of William Buckley, the first engineer on the canal, of betrayal and of wrongs that need to be righted. He wants Chris to get involved in his project and gives him a huge bundle of his research that include family letters, and other documention. The only trouble is that Chris has little interest in it, until Samuel dies in suspicious circumstances that bring the police to his doorstep. His dire financial circumstances force him to take on the project and write a book. He finds himself letting his neighbour, the divorced Rachel help him, help he needs as he is so poorly equipped for the task. Chris discovers he is far from the last family member as he meets Frank Chaplin, and Caroline Longden, Samuel's daughter and a whole host of characters enter his life. As he continues to cover the progress of the WRG, who have managed to snag the interest and support of MP Lindley Simpson, he finds there are forces who will do anything to prevent him digging into his family's past, with his home burgled, his life is in deadly danger and he has no idea who he can trust.
Booth's real strengths in this compulsive read is his attention to detail and his stellar creation of Chris, a man that I found hard to get a handle on and didn't like at the beginning, I wondered if he was possibly autistic. However, as the narrative progresses we learn precisely why he is not keen on family or other people, with his traumatic childhood and the emotional damage it wreaked on him. We follow Chris as he stumbles through his family history, all at sea when it comes to making astute judgements of people, but slowly he begins to let people in his life, connect with his family and understand family is not always about blood. All this even has him perhaps considering that a future that he thought was impossible could be his. I found this an excellent read, but it may not be for everyone, some might find the depth of historical and other details a little too dry for their tastes and Chris's character too difficult to invest in. I loved it! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
August 8, 2019
Being a massive fan of Stephen Booth’s Ben Cooper and Diane Fry series I was very intrigued to read this stand alone book.
Chris Buckley 32 is approached by Samuel Longden who claims he is a distant relative of Chris. He has been working on a project and wants Chris to help, Chris is reluctant at first until Samuel dies in suspicious circumstances and he is offered a large sum of money to get the book published that Samuel was working on.
Chris discovers many secrets from his family who he did not really know. But there are people out there that will stop at nothing to stop to conceal these secrets.
This family drama has an interesting blend of history, including the canal restoration that gave the book a different angle. There are plenty of twists towards the later part of the book that had me hooked.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
Chris Buckley 32 is approached by Samuel Longden who claims he is a distant relative of Chris. He has been working on a project and wants Chris to help, Chris is reluctant at first until Samuel dies in suspicious circumstances and he is offered a large sum of money to get the book published that Samuel was working on.
Chris discovers many secrets from his family who he did not really know. But there are people out there that will stop at nothing to stop to conceal these secrets.
This family drama has an interesting blend of history, including the canal restoration that gave the book a different angle. There are plenty of twists towards the later part of the book that had me hooked.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
August 2, 2020
I am/was so impressed with this book. Booth's writing style was atmospheric, beautifully plotted and superb descriptive prose. All of which emphasised his historical fiction account (200 years of Lichfield canal history) and the solving of particular family feuding over that time period.
Unputdownable
Unputdownable
August 10, 2019
Unfortunately, the main character, Chris, annoyed me. I mean, on old man is coming to tell you he is related to you and you are not curious to take it further? And he is a journalist too. To much talk about anything else, not the family lies and the mystery that must be solve, just to fill the pages.
Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.
Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.
March 23, 2024
Well written, yet a bit tedious. Reckon I’m not much into family dramas. Quit at the halfway mark. Hard to recommend.
August 7, 2019
In brief - Good story idea but I found the characters less than convincing.
In full
Set mainly in Lichfield in the Midlands this is about Chris Buckley and canals in the area. Chris is an about to be redundant council officer who is finding himself rather short of money. His parents have both died now and his life seems to be going nowhere. His divorcee neighbour has other ideas though and so does the strange old man he meets at a canal restoration project. Chris is making a bit of money from freelance journalism and is covering the project. The old man wants Chris's help to investigate an ancient family rift which has canal connections. Chris is not that interested and then the old man dies.
I liked the opening of this book - it created a good atmosphere. We follow Chris as his life changes and becomes increasingly complicated due to the old man's request for help. Chris as a character is somewhat depressed and the canal history makes for a rather bleak background. Initially I found the story simple and it had a haunting quality which drew me in.
I did enjoy this book until about halfway through. However the very bleakness and depressed nature of Chris's life and personality began to irritate me. Sometimes I felt like simply shouting at him - often things I would probably not put in a review! Nevertheless the story as a whole kept me engaged combining history with family troubles.
BUT - and there often is one - I found the balance of my interested shifted and Chris's flaws seemed to dominate. In addition the family mystery started to become something that did not hold the same appeal as earlier parts. There came a point when I simply wanted it to be over I'm afraid. The writing here is fine and I guess the pace is ok too. However, for me, Chris's character and my irritation with him (!!) left me fairly uninterested with the outcome.
There is no question others will like this story. The basic idea of a family feud over generations centred on the canal network is very good. The location, descriptive writing is fine. However, while I enjoyed the early parts, overall this didn't deliver what I'd hoped for.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/fiction/drowne...
In full
Set mainly in Lichfield in the Midlands this is about Chris Buckley and canals in the area. Chris is an about to be redundant council officer who is finding himself rather short of money. His parents have both died now and his life seems to be going nowhere. His divorcee neighbour has other ideas though and so does the strange old man he meets at a canal restoration project. Chris is making a bit of money from freelance journalism and is covering the project. The old man wants Chris's help to investigate an ancient family rift which has canal connections. Chris is not that interested and then the old man dies.
I liked the opening of this book - it created a good atmosphere. We follow Chris as his life changes and becomes increasingly complicated due to the old man's request for help. Chris as a character is somewhat depressed and the canal history makes for a rather bleak background. Initially I found the story simple and it had a haunting quality which drew me in.
I did enjoy this book until about halfway through. However the very bleakness and depressed nature of Chris's life and personality began to irritate me. Sometimes I felt like simply shouting at him - often things I would probably not put in a review! Nevertheless the story as a whole kept me engaged combining history with family troubles.
BUT - and there often is one - I found the balance of my interested shifted and Chris's flaws seemed to dominate. In addition the family mystery started to become something that did not hold the same appeal as earlier parts. There came a point when I simply wanted it to be over I'm afraid. The writing here is fine and I guess the pace is ok too. However, for me, Chris's character and my irritation with him (!!) left me fairly uninterested with the outcome.
There is no question others will like this story. The basic idea of a family feud over generations centred on the canal network is very good. The location, descriptive writing is fine. However, while I enjoyed the early parts, overall this didn't deliver what I'd hoped for.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/fiction/drowne...
August 14, 2019
Stephen Booth is one of my favourite authors and I love the Cooper and Fry series. Stand alone Drowned Lives, however, is a bit of a mixed offering. I really enjoyed the setting in Lichfield, a place I know quite well. I'm also fascinated by industrial archaeology and so I love what we learn here about the history, role and secrets of the town's canal, in the past and in the present. What I did struggle with is the characterisation. I hated our main protagonist Chris Buckley. What an unsympathetic and really rather dim character! I just did not want to spend time with him. And his neighbour is even worse. Every time I heard about Chris's struggling startup business, I audibly groaned. Nevertheless, it's an intriguing story, especially in the past, which I was drawn to. 2.5 stars.
November 9, 2019
I found this book really hard to read and struggled with keeping reading. I wasn't as invested in this suspense-family drama as I originally thought I would be, going by the glowing reviews others left and of course the blurb which promises the reader a first-rate mystery. However, halfway in I was in for a surprise. I felt the first half to be too stretchy and I did not relate to or empathize with the main character Christopher Buckley. The supporting characters were a different story. They are what kept me going till the end.
When Christopher Buckley is approached by Samuel Longden a frail old man requesting his help with healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away. Christopher doesn't know who Samuel is and doesn't believe the man when he claims to be an estranged family member. He sends Samuel away and turns him down repeatedly. But when Samuel is allegedly killed in a hit-and-run, Chris along with his neighbor Rachel starts to unravel the mystery behind who Samuel is and what is it that he wanted from Chris. Initially disinterested in his family's origins, Chris slowly uncovers the secrets of the Buckley family tree. In doing so, he encounters shocking truths that someone is trying hard for them to stay buried. Will Chris uncover his family's dark past before he becomes a target himself?
The story started off very slowly and Chris, the vapid character that he is, is excruciatingly irritating. Chris is uninterested in his own origins and that was something I couldn't get my head around, with him being a writer and all. The rest of the characters are really good and add some color to the story. By the time it started to get exciting, I was already more than halfway past the book. There were too many chapters on Samuel's drowning in melancholy and being infuriatingly cryptic. Of course, in the end, his obsessive nostalgia made sense, but they were one too many such lapses of his grip on the present and tendency to focus on the past. This is by no means your average crime book and me going in thinking this was one was maybe why I missed connecting with it. If you like crime books deeply seated in history and family drama, then this one definitely should be on your list.
Thank You, NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Stephen Booth for an arc!
When Christopher Buckley is approached by Samuel Longden a frail old man requesting his help with healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away. Christopher doesn't know who Samuel is and doesn't believe the man when he claims to be an estranged family member. He sends Samuel away and turns him down repeatedly. But when Samuel is allegedly killed in a hit-and-run, Chris along with his neighbor Rachel starts to unravel the mystery behind who Samuel is and what is it that he wanted from Chris. Initially disinterested in his family's origins, Chris slowly uncovers the secrets of the Buckley family tree. In doing so, he encounters shocking truths that someone is trying hard for them to stay buried. Will Chris uncover his family's dark past before he becomes a target himself?
The story started off very slowly and Chris, the vapid character that he is, is excruciatingly irritating. Chris is uninterested in his own origins and that was something I couldn't get my head around, with him being a writer and all. The rest of the characters are really good and add some color to the story. By the time it started to get exciting, I was already more than halfway past the book. There were too many chapters on Samuel's drowning in melancholy and being infuriatingly cryptic. Of course, in the end, his obsessive nostalgia made sense, but they were one too many such lapses of his grip on the present and tendency to focus on the past. This is by no means your average crime book and me going in thinking this was one was maybe why I missed connecting with it. If you like crime books deeply seated in history and family drama, then this one definitely should be on your list.
Thank You, NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Stephen Booth for an arc!
August 31, 2019
Being a fan of the Fry & Cooper series, I eagerly picked this up from the library. Oh dear! The pace to this is slower than the average snail - I eventually gave up completely just over 100 pages into it.
January 11, 2020
Boring. I couldn't get past page 88. I'm disappointed.
November 10, 2019
For his first standalone novel, Stephen Booth has, not only, given Ben Cooper and Diane Fry a rest, but also moved the action southwards from the Peak District to the small market city of Litchfield, Staffordshire: famous for its three-towered Gothic cathedral and its canals.
In fact, It’s canals that form the central theme of the whole novel. It’s whilst visiting a canal restoration site that council officer Chris Buckley is introduced to 83-year-old Samuel Longden. Although Chris has never seen the old man before, it turns out they are distantly related. Samuel has been researching the Buckley family history and requests Chris’s assistance. Shortly afterwards, Samuel is mysteriously killed in a hit-and-run incident. As Chris’s research continues, he discovers there are those who are determined that the truth about a two centuries old dispute between two families doesn’t come to light.
I’ve always enjoyed Stephen Booth’s vivid location descriptions, and here he is just as adept describing the Midlands waterways as he is with the rugged mountainscapes of The Dark Peak. Also, in Chris Buckley, a man hitherto victim of his own misfortunes and poor judgements, he has created a wonderfully complex and engaging protagonist.
Although I’ve no doubt he’ll be returning to Ben and Diane soon, this is a very welcome and assured departure from a highly experienced author.
In fact, It’s canals that form the central theme of the whole novel. It’s whilst visiting a canal restoration site that council officer Chris Buckley is introduced to 83-year-old Samuel Longden. Although Chris has never seen the old man before, it turns out they are distantly related. Samuel has been researching the Buckley family history and requests Chris’s assistance. Shortly afterwards, Samuel is mysteriously killed in a hit-and-run incident. As Chris’s research continues, he discovers there are those who are determined that the truth about a two centuries old dispute between two families doesn’t come to light.
I’ve always enjoyed Stephen Booth’s vivid location descriptions, and here he is just as adept describing the Midlands waterways as he is with the rugged mountainscapes of The Dark Peak. Also, in Chris Buckley, a man hitherto victim of his own misfortunes and poor judgements, he has created a wonderfully complex and engaging protagonist.
Although I’ve no doubt he’ll be returning to Ben and Diane soon, this is a very welcome and assured departure from a highly experienced author.
June 14, 2020
As much as I like the Cooper and Fry novels, I disliked this one. The main character in this book was so uninterested in everything he drove me crazy. I fought my way thru 2/3rds and finally just skipped to the end.
August 5, 2019
I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for and advance copy of Drowned Lives, a stand alone set in Lichfield.
In 1998 Chris Buckley is approached by an old man looking for help. The man is Samuel Longden and he claims to be a long lost relative, but with other problems on his mind Chris brushes him off until Samuel is killed. This sets Chris on a quest to finish Samuel’s history of the family.
I quite enjoyed Drowned Lives because it is well written and rich in detail but I found it hard to work up any enthusiasm for the Buckley family history as it didn’t really interest me. I learned more about canals than I ever wanted to know but if you have an interest it is very informative.
The novel has two mysteries, one set in 1800 with the mysterious disappearance of William Buckley, resident engineer at the Ogley and Huddleford canal, and the present day one where Chris tries to unravel both Buckley and Samuel Longden’s deaths. They are both quite convoluted and long drawn out with the latter having a fairly idealistic, unbelievable and disappointing solution. It is told in the first person by Chris Buckley with some strange dreamlike episodes from the past and several of William Buckley’s letters to a friend interspersed throughout.
Chris Buckley is an interesting character in that he seems unfocused. At 32 he still doesn’t seem to know what he wants and seems to drift through life. What that means is that he doesn’t have the intellectual rigour for the investigation, taking people at face value and jumping too quickly to conclusions. It adds interest to the read as the reader only has his viewpoint to go on.
Drowned Lives is a well written novel with a good thread of mystery through it so many readers will enjoy it. Unfortunately it didn’t appeal to me.
In 1998 Chris Buckley is approached by an old man looking for help. The man is Samuel Longden and he claims to be a long lost relative, but with other problems on his mind Chris brushes him off until Samuel is killed. This sets Chris on a quest to finish Samuel’s history of the family.
I quite enjoyed Drowned Lives because it is well written and rich in detail but I found it hard to work up any enthusiasm for the Buckley family history as it didn’t really interest me. I learned more about canals than I ever wanted to know but if you have an interest it is very informative.
The novel has two mysteries, one set in 1800 with the mysterious disappearance of William Buckley, resident engineer at the Ogley and Huddleford canal, and the present day one where Chris tries to unravel both Buckley and Samuel Longden’s deaths. They are both quite convoluted and long drawn out with the latter having a fairly idealistic, unbelievable and disappointing solution. It is told in the first person by Chris Buckley with some strange dreamlike episodes from the past and several of William Buckley’s letters to a friend interspersed throughout.
Chris Buckley is an interesting character in that he seems unfocused. At 32 he still doesn’t seem to know what he wants and seems to drift through life. What that means is that he doesn’t have the intellectual rigour for the investigation, taking people at face value and jumping too quickly to conclusions. It adds interest to the read as the reader only has his viewpoint to go on.
Drowned Lives is a well written novel with a good thread of mystery through it so many readers will enjoy it. Unfortunately it didn’t appeal to me.
August 14, 2019
Drowned Lives by Stephen Booth 4.5*
In a departure from his excellent Cooper and Fry detective series, Stephen Booth brings us a standalone mystery story set in 1998 in the historic city of Lichfield in Staffordshire and its waterways. The main character is Chris Buckley, a 32 year old man who has become used to his own company since the death of his parents, has few friends or interests and whose job with the council is coming to an end very shortly leaving him to eek out a meagre existence writing newspaper and magazine articles. He and his old flatmate are trying to set up a dot.com business with little success. Together with writing about the M6 Toll road protestors, one of his other main reporting jobs has been about the restoration of the lost Ogley to Huddlesford stretch of canal in Lichfield where a team of enthusiastic volunteers are working hard. On one such visit to photograph and report on their progress he is approached by an elderly man who asks for his help delving into history. The old man gives him a bundle of paperwork and letters and tries to ignite Chris's curiosity, but before Chris can tell him he has no interest in the past the man is murdered. Enlisting the help of his enthusiastic neighbour Rachel, and feeling a little sorry for the old man, Chris finds himself delving back in time into a 200 year old canal boat mystery and a decades-old family rift. A rift that seems to involve his family history too. As he progresses he discovers how little he actually knows about his own family and how many people now seem to be trying to keep secrets from him. One suspicious death seems to lead to another over the centuries and Chris finds himself with many different events to investigate, but the more he discovers the more danger Chris finds himself in since someone seems intent on keeping the past well and truly buried. I very much enjoyed this book, particularly as I have lived in and around Lichfield all my life. I could picture every road name, village and landmark and it made the whole story all that more real. The characters are strong and very well defined in the book, and I liked the change in Chris from someone quite insular into a man who starts to embrace his family and develop a keen interest in his ancestry. He also becomes far more responsible and deals very well with the need for justice, however belated. There is much detail and a lot of historical facts in the book, and it certainly is not a quick read, but more so a book that should be savoured as the reader is taken along Chris's historical journey. Maybe not for everyone but certainly very enjoyable for those who love their history with a great mystery thrown in! 4.5*
In a departure from his excellent Cooper and Fry detective series, Stephen Booth brings us a standalone mystery story set in 1998 in the historic city of Lichfield in Staffordshire and its waterways. The main character is Chris Buckley, a 32 year old man who has become used to his own company since the death of his parents, has few friends or interests and whose job with the council is coming to an end very shortly leaving him to eek out a meagre existence writing newspaper and magazine articles. He and his old flatmate are trying to set up a dot.com business with little success. Together with writing about the M6 Toll road protestors, one of his other main reporting jobs has been about the restoration of the lost Ogley to Huddlesford stretch of canal in Lichfield where a team of enthusiastic volunteers are working hard. On one such visit to photograph and report on their progress he is approached by an elderly man who asks for his help delving into history. The old man gives him a bundle of paperwork and letters and tries to ignite Chris's curiosity, but before Chris can tell him he has no interest in the past the man is murdered. Enlisting the help of his enthusiastic neighbour Rachel, and feeling a little sorry for the old man, Chris finds himself delving back in time into a 200 year old canal boat mystery and a decades-old family rift. A rift that seems to involve his family history too. As he progresses he discovers how little he actually knows about his own family and how many people now seem to be trying to keep secrets from him. One suspicious death seems to lead to another over the centuries and Chris finds himself with many different events to investigate, but the more he discovers the more danger Chris finds himself in since someone seems intent on keeping the past well and truly buried. I very much enjoyed this book, particularly as I have lived in and around Lichfield all my life. I could picture every road name, village and landmark and it made the whole story all that more real. The characters are strong and very well defined in the book, and I liked the change in Chris from someone quite insular into a man who starts to embrace his family and develop a keen interest in his ancestry. He also becomes far more responsible and deals very well with the need for justice, however belated. There is much detail and a lot of historical facts in the book, and it certainly is not a quick read, but more so a book that should be savoured as the reader is taken along Chris's historical journey. Maybe not for everyone but certainly very enjoyable for those who love their history with a great mystery thrown in! 4.5*
May 25, 2021
I love the Cooper and Fry series written by this author but did not enjoy this one at all .
March 23, 2020
I am not sure that this book worked. I admit that I prefer a conventional detective book . I found this one too complex and couldn't always work out who was who and the relationship between the many characters across the centuries. Plus the way in which characters swapped names and sides was just too much. I didn't like many of the characters , except perhaps for Rachel. After all of the plot twists many questions remained unanswered.
I thought that in this book Stephen was being too clever. Bring back the police please.
I thought that in this book Stephen was being too clever. Bring back the police please.
August 15, 2019
I have really enjoyed Stephen Booth's writing in the past and did enjoy some elements of this. The atmospheric descriptions of the canal are good and I enjoyed the background with the waterways recovery group. The family background story when introduced seemed interesting however there are so many other things that disappointed me about this book that they overshadow the positives. The pacing of the book is poor, the first third is a long introduction before anything happens, this gives the whole book a slightly glacial feel add this to the fact that the main character is not relatable then the book falls flat a little. I can't in all honesty recommend this book but do like some aspects of the writing.
#DrownedLives #NetGalley
#DrownedLives #NetGalley
December 16, 2025
Lots of good elements to this story that combines family history, feuding, love and of course, money. Lots of elements for the best mysteries. The book reads well and goes along at a steady pace, keeping the interest throughout. The character of Chris Buckley was frustrating at the least, but at times, he is frustrating in his naivety. He accepts too many things and does not stop to look at the practicalities or ask enough questions. He drinks too much for a young man with no means. Rachel is clearly very keen on him, but he fails to realise this until it is nearly too late. In the end, it kept my interest and came out to a 4 star read.
February 20, 2020
Having read all of Stephen Booths previous novels I was pleased to find Drowned Loves on the library shelf. However I was disappointed and found it heavy going, I did finish it, only because I had enjoyed all his other books and felt I should out of a sort of loyalty.
March 26, 2025
I've read several books by this author in the Cooper/Frye series and been impressed by the quality of his characters, setting and atmosphere, and stories. This is a stand alone novel and I was disappointed. It started very slowly, the plot was very complicated and the characters not very sympathetic. I was never really able to feel involved with the story although the history of the canal region was interesting.
January 13, 2020
This was slow reading with lots of detail, but it appealed to me with the mix of canal history, family history/intrigue, a murder mystery and a somewhat lost main character struggling with the death of his parents and no siblings. But I can see how some readers would find it frustrating or give up. The writing style is slower going than common these days and I did find all the family relationships a little complicated. I have not read any other books by this author, so did not have any expectations.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
September 11, 2019
It was a brave move for Stephen Booth to write a stand alone crime novel set somewhere different and I was pleased to find he had pulled it off. It's not a police procedural, and it is told in the first person... and then there's one more difference.
Chris Buckley reminds me a little of Booth's Diane Fry, at least as he is at this point in his life. Low key spiky, rejecting, lacklustre even, prone to making poor decisions. So he can be quite exasperating. It's very interesting that although billed as 'a council officer', he's really a journalist, Booth's own former profession and I thought some of the details of that worked well. He reluctantly gets drawn into a tangled, matted even, investigation of the past... and the present when the old man trying to get him involved is killed in a hit and run incident.
The relationships with women are not overdone - perhaps because Chris may be fairly close to a clinical depression. The Lichfield and canal history and restoration setting works well... I had to smile at some classic Booth over-specificity about narrowboat engines. Bet he'd been watching some of those nerd/scenery porn crossover videos on YouTube.
I found it fascinating that with all the new departures, he'd also chosen to set the book in the near past, in the 90s and give himself a further challenge. He references some language issues at the end, but it also explains what with hindsight might seem extreme gullibility about a dot com enterprise.
I don't know whether there's the faintest notion of more from Chris Buckley journalist, but Jim Kelly has shown this works with his Philip Dryden and Ely, so given the way the book ends, there could be a promising little investigative duo to carry on having adventures.
Chris Buckley reminds me a little of Booth's Diane Fry, at least as he is at this point in his life. Low key spiky, rejecting, lacklustre even, prone to making poor decisions. So he can be quite exasperating. It's very interesting that although billed as 'a council officer', he's really a journalist, Booth's own former profession and I thought some of the details of that worked well. He reluctantly gets drawn into a tangled, matted even, investigation of the past... and the present when the old man trying to get him involved is killed in a hit and run incident.
The relationships with women are not overdone - perhaps because Chris may be fairly close to a clinical depression. The Lichfield and canal history and restoration setting works well... I had to smile at some classic Booth over-specificity about narrowboat engines. Bet he'd been watching some of those nerd/scenery porn crossover videos on YouTube.
I found it fascinating that with all the new departures, he'd also chosen to set the book in the near past, in the 90s and give himself a further challenge. He references some language issues at the end, but it also explains what with hindsight might seem extreme gullibility about a dot com enterprise.
I don't know whether there's the faintest notion of more from Chris Buckley journalist, but Jim Kelly has shown this works with his Philip Dryden and Ely, so given the way the book ends, there could be a promising little investigative duo to carry on having adventures.
July 28, 2019
An historical mystery story set in 1999. It's an unusual story which involves the unravelling of a family history. Towards the end there are plenty of twists, as you would expect from a Stephen Booth book.
There's quite a lot of historical detail and I found the canal restoration element very interesting.
Unfortunately, I found the story not very convincing and at times rather far-fetched. In addition, the character of Chris tended to frustrate me. He lacked the appeal of Fry and Cooper.
This stand alone novel is reasonably entertaining but if you're expecting something similar to the standard of the Fry and Cooper series, you will be disappointed.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
There's quite a lot of historical detail and I found the canal restoration element very interesting.
Unfortunately, I found the story not very convincing and at times rather far-fetched. In addition, the character of Chris tended to frustrate me. He lacked the appeal of Fry and Cooper.
This stand alone novel is reasonably entertaining but if you're expecting something similar to the standard of the Fry and Cooper series, you will be disappointed.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
August 12, 2019
This stand alone novel is a well researched and thorough novel telling a tale of mystery and intrigue.
This tale tells the story of two families intricately involved over centuries.
It is so thoroughly researched and is a credit to the author for the immense amount of work that has been put in.
It does keep you reading compulsively and the plot flows at a steady pace.
There is a lot of language that is specific to canal boats and canals but I do not think this distracted from the enjoyment of the book.
This is the first novel I have read by this author and I look forward to reading more.
This tale tells the story of two families intricately involved over centuries.
It is so thoroughly researched and is a credit to the author for the immense amount of work that has been put in.
It does keep you reading compulsively and the plot flows at a steady pace.
There is a lot of language that is specific to canal boats and canals but I do not think this distracted from the enjoyment of the book.
This is the first novel I have read by this author and I look forward to reading more.
November 16, 2019
A stand alone historical mystery novel set in Staffordshire's canal district.
Chris Buckley, a lonely man about to be unemployed and penniless, is approached by Samuel Longden, a strange old man who claims he is Chris Great-Uncle and that he wants Chris to help him solve a generational feud. Chris knows nothing about the man and wants nothing to do with him. Then Longden is murdered and Chris finds himself, against his will, involved in his family history and long buried secrets.
A well written story in a vividly created setting , this book is a little improbable in places but still a good read.
Chris Buckley, a lonely man about to be unemployed and penniless, is approached by Samuel Longden, a strange old man who claims he is Chris Great-Uncle and that he wants Chris to help him solve a generational feud. Chris knows nothing about the man and wants nothing to do with him. Then Longden is murdered and Chris finds himself, against his will, involved in his family history and long buried secrets.
A well written story in a vividly created setting , this book is a little improbable in places but still a good read.
September 19, 2020
So boring. So slow. So dull.
This really isnt very good - there is no pace (the death occurs on about page 90) and it is so dragged out it is irritating.
I've read most of the Peak District series which i enjoyed in the main (the latter ones got very same-y and i got fed up with one-dimensional female characters)... but this isnt an improvement - its a shame as there is lots of interesting stories that could have been woven around the setting.
This really isnt very good - there is no pace (the death occurs on about page 90) and it is so dragged out it is irritating.
I've read most of the Peak District series which i enjoyed in the main (the latter ones got very same-y and i got fed up with one-dimensional female characters)... but this isnt an improvement - its a shame as there is lots of interesting stories that could have been woven around the setting.
November 7, 2019
I got into parts of this, but it felt to me like the characters were from the 50s not the 90s.
October 21, 2019
Steven Booth is well known for his 18 books in the Cooper and Fry series which for a few years now has been under development as a TV series. These books have been a favorite of mine and his last one in the series was one of the best. It is for this reason that I was eager to pre-order (from England) his newest book which is his first stand-alone book. And although I did work my way through DROWNED LIVES, I found this book told in the first-person disappointing. It is well written and atmospheric but lacks suspense perhaps because the story line explores a two-hundred-year-old family feud as discovered by the books disinterested first-person narrator. (It takes place in 1998 so the family tree info has to be collected first hand before the advent of internet.)
The book starts out with an interesting premise which is very slowly revealed. An old man approaches the narrator, Chris Buckley, about his family’s history and Chris wants nothing to do with the old man or his stories. Chris’s disinterest seems due to the fact that his parents recently died and he is going though redundancy (being laid off) from his job. In addition, his business partner informs him that their start up dot.com business is nearing bankruptcy. Meanwhile the local community is refurbishing their historic canals that were at one time it’s main commercial lifeline until the local expressway was built. And, of course, a body is found in the canal’s muddy bottom during its excavation.
I don’t want to reveal much more of the story line except to say it moves at a slow pace (I almost quit after the first third) and numerous characters are introduced who are mostly underdeveloped. There are three female characters… a heart of gold neighbor who should have been given more story time, a gorgeous mysterious researcher whom Chris should have questioned her motives rather than being distracted by her charms, and the daughter of the old man who seems mostly a plot devise.
The books problem, as I see it, is that the narrator Chris is to uninterested in this story until motivated by money. His first-person narration comes mainly from others who are helping with his research and the plots resolution revolves around his awaking from personal blind spots a bit too late. I actually think it might have been interesting if the story were told from the view point of Chris’s next-door neighbor Rachel.
The book like all of Booth’s is very invested in the local atmosphere and if you are familiar with this particular UK geography you may be more willing to ride along with the descriptive canal boat information. My hope it that Mr. Booth will get back to Cooper and Fry next time but no matter what he writes I will look forward to it. It is just that I found this one a disappointment.
The book starts out with an interesting premise which is very slowly revealed. An old man approaches the narrator, Chris Buckley, about his family’s history and Chris wants nothing to do with the old man or his stories. Chris’s disinterest seems due to the fact that his parents recently died and he is going though redundancy (being laid off) from his job. In addition, his business partner informs him that their start up dot.com business is nearing bankruptcy. Meanwhile the local community is refurbishing their historic canals that were at one time it’s main commercial lifeline until the local expressway was built. And, of course, a body is found in the canal’s muddy bottom during its excavation.
I don’t want to reveal much more of the story line except to say it moves at a slow pace (I almost quit after the first third) and numerous characters are introduced who are mostly underdeveloped. There are three female characters… a heart of gold neighbor who should have been given more story time, a gorgeous mysterious researcher whom Chris should have questioned her motives rather than being distracted by her charms, and the daughter of the old man who seems mostly a plot devise.
The books problem, as I see it, is that the narrator Chris is to uninterested in this story until motivated by money. His first-person narration comes mainly from others who are helping with his research and the plots resolution revolves around his awaking from personal blind spots a bit too late. I actually think it might have been interesting if the story were told from the view point of Chris’s next-door neighbor Rachel.
The book like all of Booth’s is very invested in the local atmosphere and if you are familiar with this particular UK geography you may be more willing to ride along with the descriptive canal boat information. My hope it that Mr. Booth will get back to Cooper and Fry next time but no matter what he writes I will look forward to it. It is just that I found this one a disappointment.
October 28, 2019
Stephen Booth is a master storyteller. When he combines character description with the enthusiasm of an excitable devotee of an age, an industrial history, and a location, the result is both enthralling and exciting.
Drowned Lives is not a police procedural. Our ‘hero’, Chris Buckley, is an everyday man facing redundancy, an uncertain future and a poorly paid role as a freelance reporter, mainly covering the reconstruction and conservation of a stretch of inland waterway. Into his life falls a family history running back a couple of centuries that involves feuding, alongside mysterious deaths and possible corruption. Dangling, like as carrot, is a prize that would solve his problems.
Buckley, though, doesn’t care about tackling a difficult task; his only interest is the prize, and a few beers. He is no Sherlock Holmes or even Rebus, so he inveigles others to do the research while he makes mistakes at almost every turn. Chris Buckley is not a particularly lovable character, but he is mesmerising, dogged and is always going to court disaster, even death.
Stephen Booth has been writing a long time. He develops characters with flaws and foibles. Each one has at least three dimensions and he adds many more through their thoughts, inconsistencies and failings.
The inland waterways of England, and especially the Midlands, were the bloodlines of the Industrial Revolution. Drowned Lives delves deeply into the business interests of the families involved. The industry, as a feeder for manufacturing, died a swift death with the advent of the railways: fortunes were lost, resentment blossomed. The characters of Drowned Lives, set two centuries after canals fell from grace, remain enmeshed in those difficult times.
To become absorbed in a plot, the reader must feel part of the plot and the scene: Drowned Lives takes that a stage further and creates an atmosphere that captivates and holds. It’s as if the events are happening as we read … thankfully Drowned Lives is all fiction?
Drowned Lives is not a police procedural. Our ‘hero’, Chris Buckley, is an everyday man facing redundancy, an uncertain future and a poorly paid role as a freelance reporter, mainly covering the reconstruction and conservation of a stretch of inland waterway. Into his life falls a family history running back a couple of centuries that involves feuding, alongside mysterious deaths and possible corruption. Dangling, like as carrot, is a prize that would solve his problems.
Buckley, though, doesn’t care about tackling a difficult task; his only interest is the prize, and a few beers. He is no Sherlock Holmes or even Rebus, so he inveigles others to do the research while he makes mistakes at almost every turn. Chris Buckley is not a particularly lovable character, but he is mesmerising, dogged and is always going to court disaster, even death.
Stephen Booth has been writing a long time. He develops characters with flaws and foibles. Each one has at least three dimensions and he adds many more through their thoughts, inconsistencies and failings.
The inland waterways of England, and especially the Midlands, were the bloodlines of the Industrial Revolution. Drowned Lives delves deeply into the business interests of the families involved. The industry, as a feeder for manufacturing, died a swift death with the advent of the railways: fortunes were lost, resentment blossomed. The characters of Drowned Lives, set two centuries after canals fell from grace, remain enmeshed in those difficult times.
To become absorbed in a plot, the reader must feel part of the plot and the scene: Drowned Lives takes that a stage further and creates an atmosphere that captivates and holds. It’s as if the events are happening as we read … thankfully Drowned Lives is all fiction?
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