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Dark Waters
Brendan Reilly, a.k.a. Danny Boy, is a veteran of the Overlords, a Melbourne outlaw motorcycle club. A near-fatal accident leads him to an he is determined to quit the life and reconnect with his ex-wife and son. At the same time, the Overlords are preparing for war against a rival gang, the Golden Jackals, and with Brendan's loyalty in question he is pushed further into the war when all he wants is a way out. Dark Waters is an exploration of love, duty and redemption played against the backdrop of Australia's criminal underbelly. Includes bonus Ronnie and Rita
256 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2014
20 people are currently reading
1030 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Sheldon
80 books280 followersI'm a multi-award-winning author and anthology editor from Melbourne, Australia. I write poetry, short stories, novelettes, novellas and novels across the darker spectrum of horror, crime and noir. My latest titles are the novel Nightmare Reef and the poetry collection The Broonie and Other Dark Poems.
My award-winning titles include the novella Redhead Town and the collection Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories. My award-nominated titles include the novels Nightmare Reef, Bodily Harm, Cretaceous Canyon, Body Farm Z, Contrition and Devil Dragon; the novella Thylacines; and the collections Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories and Liminal Spaces: Horror Stories.
My short fiction has appeared in many well-respected magazines, been shortlisted for numerous awards, translated, and included in various 'best of' anthologies.
I've won the Australasian Shadows 'Best Edited Work' Award three times: for Midnight Echo 14, and for the anthologies I conceived and edited, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, and Killer Creatures Down Under: Horror Stories with Bite.
Other credits include TV scripts such as NEIGHBOURS, feature articles, non-fiction books published by Reed Books and Random House, stage plays, award-nominated poetry, and award-winning medical writing including Better Health Channel.
My award-winning titles include the novella Redhead Town and the collection Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories. My award-nominated titles include the novels Nightmare Reef, Bodily Harm, Cretaceous Canyon, Body Farm Z, Contrition and Devil Dragon; the novella Thylacines; and the collections Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories and Liminal Spaces: Horror Stories.
My short fiction has appeared in many well-respected magazines, been shortlisted for numerous awards, translated, and included in various 'best of' anthologies.
I've won the Australasian Shadows 'Best Edited Work' Award three times: for Midnight Echo 14, and for the anthologies I conceived and edited, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, and Killer Creatures Down Under: Horror Stories with Bite.
Other credits include TV scripts such as NEIGHBOURS, feature articles, non-fiction books published by Reed Books and Random House, stage plays, award-nominated poetry, and award-winning medical writing including Better Health Channel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 28, 2017
I admit I was skeptical that the biker gang scenario would appeal to me, but every part of the story built and then the crime and intensity pegged full throttle and never backed off. A really wonderful 130 pages that satisfies like only hard crime and a good noir ending will. Very balanced , it's not all cold hearted either, lot's of life, love, and humanity. Just a real kickass ride!
November 25, 2015
A great insight into the bikie world, this read almost like a true to life story. The characters were believable and well constructed, the story harrowing and suspenseful. I do adore when a writer can take me by surprise and the ending here did just that. You almost find yourself shouting at Danny to turn around, stop!!! Loved this, would highly recommend it to anyone!
May 15, 2015
DARK WATERS is a brief yet bloody glimpse at life inside the criminal element of the fictitious and notorious Melbourne biker gang - the Overlords. Author Deborah Sheldon tells this tale of violence, redemption, love, and death while looking over the shoulder of veteran biker Danny Boy - a longtime member of the Overlords who suffered a near death experience which ultimately made him want to start a new chapter of his life - one that takes him far away form his brothers on bikes.
Much like RONNIE AND RITA, Deborah Sheldon's Aussie noir novella, DARK WATERS packs a punch in a short space of time, thrusting the reader head first into the underbelly of crime while also establishing Danny Boy as a likable character with loads of reason to redeem.
Throughout the course of the story Danny Boy rekindles his relationship with his ex-wife and is reunited with his young son. At the same time he's beating up rival biker gang members and collecting protection money from tattoo parlors. It's an interesting double life; one that comes to a head on collision by the books end.
DARK WATERS is a triumph through tragedy; a dark and uncompromising noir-like tale that is as much about the violence as it is about one man trying to escape it.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Much like RONNIE AND RITA, Deborah Sheldon's Aussie noir novella, DARK WATERS packs a punch in a short space of time, thrusting the reader head first into the underbelly of crime while also establishing Danny Boy as a likable character with loads of reason to redeem.
Throughout the course of the story Danny Boy rekindles his relationship with his ex-wife and is reunited with his young son. At the same time he's beating up rival biker gang members and collecting protection money from tattoo parlors. It's an interesting double life; one that comes to a head on collision by the books end.
DARK WATERS is a triumph through tragedy; a dark and uncompromising noir-like tale that is as much about the violence as it is about one man trying to escape it.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
February 3, 2015
The two stories in this collection give us an insight into men who have made the wrong choices, and now have to live with the unpalatable consequences.
What struck me most about Sheldon's stories where their solidity and simplicity. She carries us gently into the lives and insecurities of two lonely men, one a gardener and one a bikie with less than savoury responsibilities. Where the latter longs to go clean after a car accident that leads him to question the path his existence has taken, the other is dragged by the woman he fancies he loves into a nightmare.
The writing is solid and stark and very sad. The endings of both novellas are easy to guess but satisfying despite that. You wish for better outcomes but know in your heart that when you go as far as these characters have gone, nothing but disaster can be the result.
A strong release from a relatively new publisher. Recommended.
What struck me most about Sheldon's stories where their solidity and simplicity. She carries us gently into the lives and insecurities of two lonely men, one a gardener and one a bikie with less than savoury responsibilities. Where the latter longs to go clean after a car accident that leads him to question the path his existence has taken, the other is dragged by the woman he fancies he loves into a nightmare.
The writing is solid and stark and very sad. The endings of both novellas are easy to guess but satisfying despite that. You wish for better outcomes but know in your heart that when you go as far as these characters have gone, nothing but disaster can be the result.
A strong release from a relatively new publisher. Recommended.
July 23, 2015
This novella hooked me from page one. Tight yet evocative writing, excellent pacing and tension, believable characters for whom I had empathy, even though the protagonist is a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang. This publication also contains the bonus novella Ronnie and Rita, which I had already read. I highly recommend this novella as well for the same reasons as above and I rate Ronnie and Rita as one of the best novellas I've ever read. Looking forward to more crime noir from this author.
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May 27, 2016Enjoyed this book. It held my interest and I will read another by this author.
February 22, 2017
I absolutely loved the first book in this series and couldn't wait to jump into the next one. As a series, it has so much going for it. The Psi Academy teaches young cadets about fringe science. Every child at the academy has an ability of some sort. It's like magic, but it's real. Everything is well-researched and it's explained in a manner that young children can understand.
When I picked up the second book, I had a bit of an issue. It's a little slow in the beginning. You really need to start reading the second book as soon as you finish the first. It needs that momentum to get you through the beginning. After that, however, there's so much excitement! Instead of focusing so much on science and teaching, this book deals more with strategy. There are some great science lessons, but it's more adventurous than the first. We get to hang out with the kids as they battle the big bad in this one. If you begin the second book immediately after the first, you'll be thankful for the breathing time in the beginning.
The best part of this series for me is that it give the reader a chance for unexpected knowledge. I remember as a young child, I read about Irma Baumlein and I learned what 'cerulean' meant. That's stuck with me my entire life. I was reading along, and BAM!, there was something I didn't know, and I had to find out. This entire series is full of unexpected tidbits like that. It's a fantastic way for kids to get lost in an adventure and start asking questions.
In the first book, we were able to attend lessons and have our world set up for us. It was absolutely riveting! This second book, we're out in the field more. I'm anxious to see where Scarsella goes with the third book. He hasn't announced he's working on it, but he left himself wide open at the end of this one, so I have no doubt that he is.
When I picked up the second book, I had a bit of an issue. It's a little slow in the beginning. You really need to start reading the second book as soon as you finish the first. It needs that momentum to get you through the beginning. After that, however, there's so much excitement! Instead of focusing so much on science and teaching, this book deals more with strategy. There are some great science lessons, but it's more adventurous than the first. We get to hang out with the kids as they battle the big bad in this one. If you begin the second book immediately after the first, you'll be thankful for the breathing time in the beginning.
The best part of this series for me is that it give the reader a chance for unexpected knowledge. I remember as a young child, I read about Irma Baumlein and I learned what 'cerulean' meant. That's stuck with me my entire life. I was reading along, and BAM!, there was something I didn't know, and I had to find out. This entire series is full of unexpected tidbits like that. It's a fantastic way for kids to get lost in an adventure and start asking questions.
In the first book, we were able to attend lessons and have our world set up for us. It was absolutely riveting! This second book, we're out in the field more. I'm anxious to see where Scarsella goes with the third book. He hasn't announced he's working on it, but he left himself wide open at the end of this one, so I have no doubt that he is.
June 4, 2022
In this novella, I explored wrong choices and the consequences of atoning for those choices. This is perhaps my most morally ambiguous story. To those who decide to read it, I hope you like it.
January 2, 2025
I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT WAS COMING UNTIL I DIDN'T
Both these novellas are crime-noir horror thrillers with male main characters who get in far over their heads. Though both take different ways out of their problems, each tale is riveting and satisfying in a way only Deborah Sheldon can manage.
I finished DARK WATERS just after midnight and decided I'd read a few pages of RONNIE AND RITA. It's 4 am now, and I'm writing this review because I don't think I'll be able to sleep for awhile.
DARK WATERS is probably my favorite of the two, but the ending is the more unexpected of the two—I was sorely tempted to contact Deborah and ask WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? She builds the main character and your attachment to them up masterfully, then sweeps your feet from under you.
RONNIE AND RITA focuses more on loneliness, and the ways lonely people can be taken advantage of. Ronnie is a well-developed loner character who encounters a lover too good to be true. The twists and turns are fantastic, ending in the way you know it has to, but with a twist that will catch you off guard.
American readers don't know what they're missing in Deborah Sheldon!
Both these novellas are crime-noir horror thrillers with male main characters who get in far over their heads. Though both take different ways out of their problems, each tale is riveting and satisfying in a way only Deborah Sheldon can manage.
I finished DARK WATERS just after midnight and decided I'd read a few pages of RONNIE AND RITA. It's 4 am now, and I'm writing this review because I don't think I'll be able to sleep for awhile.
DARK WATERS is probably my favorite of the two, but the ending is the more unexpected of the two—I was sorely tempted to contact Deborah and ask WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? She builds the main character and your attachment to them up masterfully, then sweeps your feet from under you.
RONNIE AND RITA focuses more on loneliness, and the ways lonely people can be taken advantage of. Ronnie is a well-developed loner character who encounters a lover too good to be true. The twists and turns are fantastic, ending in the way you know it has to, but with a twist that will catch you off guard.
American readers don't know what they're missing in Deborah Sheldon!
April 30, 2019
Wow!
I really liked this, it was very creative! Vincent Scarsella created a very believable story filled with friendship, hardship, and the workings of the 13-year-old boy's mind. Great book for all!
I really liked this, it was very creative! Vincent Scarsella created a very believable story filled with friendship, hardship, and the workings of the 13-year-old boy's mind. Great book for all!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews