Beneath Dark Water

by Nancy Connor

A child is missing. But does anybody care?

Her name may be Talia, or Rachael, or Nico, but to Sherry Henderson, the little girl who shows up unexpectedly on her doorstep one day is simply Child. Sherry's own child is dead, killed in a random terrorist bombing, yet caring for Child somehow helps Sherry fill the aching void in her heart.

Until Child abruptly disappears.

To the police and social services, Child is just another twelve-year-old runaway, of no particular importance. Not even Child's real parents, once Sherry tracks them down, seem too concerned about what has become of her, and Sherry's own, highly judgmental family strongly disapproves of her unhealthy obsession with this lost little girl.

But Sherry will not give up. Nothing, not even menacing letters and phone calls, can stop her from searching tirelessly for the missing girl, venturing deep into dangerous city streets, where no sensible suburban mother would set foot, only to discover that, in order to rescue Child, she must also find the truth about her own daughter's death.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some really pretentious word choices, I very much enjoyed this book. Great plot twist. Multiple mysteries all tangled together and all expertly unwoven and presented in such a surprising way. It's a quick read full of mystery. Finally my mystery jar has given me something good.

[Jan Carlo Foz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Beneath Dark Water! This book shows what a mother is willing to do and sacrifice just to protect a child even if that meant losing her life. At first, I had a hard time immersing myself in it but once I finally got through it I already felt attached to what is happening with Sherry and the Child. I like how they both care for each other in their own way. Sherry, being a caring mother as she is with her deceased daughter, longs to give protection to Rachael even though the child continuously neglects it thinking she doesn't deserve Sherry’s love. Rachael, on the other hand, thinks that the only way she will ever deserve Sherry’s motherly love is to help her solve the case of her murdered daughter.

I was amazed how the author was able to compose such a complicated plot. I didn't even expect that it was Aunt Ruth who killed Elspeth. Everything is still a shock to me now. But, I like how the author put everything in place at the end of the book. Like the way she revealed who the mysterious stalker was and also who the obscene caller was, too. What I didn't understand till now is how Sherry’s mother tolerated everything Ruth did. It’s as if her sister Ruth is more important than her daughter Sherry.

I really like the romance building between Sherry and Thomas. There are scenes between them that left me smiling all the time because it’s too sweet and cute. I like how the author made Thomas a very reliable shoulder to lean on to Sherry and how he takes care of Sherry all the time. Though, I kind of wished that Sherry would also have a time with the father of Elspeth to sort things out between them.

Overall, I had a pretty good time reading Beneath Dark Water. The characters in this book are very likable. I like how they are all connected with each other and play significant parts to the development of the story. I hope I could read more novels from Nancy Connor. She did a good job with this book!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very good! Nicely suspenseful. It's unusual for me to read a fiction novel written mostly in the first person, but since I was listening to this as an audio book it really "made" the story for me. I felt like the main character was really telling me the story. I fell in love with the characters, although Child's character could have been developed a little better.

[Keana Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is breath-taking. A must read for those who likes suspense.