Penguin Books Ltd The Drowning Girls.

by Helen Callaghan

Local girls are going missing.
And the secrets lie close to home...
__________

Following their father's death, Cass and her sister Sid will do whatever it takes to keep their family's dive school afloat.

It used to be the go-to destination in Cornwall for those keen to explore the ocean's hidden depths. But when Cass returns from a long trip, she's shocked to discover how bad things have become.

The business is in decline. Sid's new boyfriend has far too much control over the accounts - and her sister.

Then, Cass discovers a body in the water. And as more girls go missing, she wonders just how far someone will go to keep their secrets buried...

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2023

About the author

My name is Helen Callaghan and I write fiction whenever I’m left unsupervised. I live in Guildford amongst teetering piles of books.

I’ve always written, it’s my one constant. I was at various points a student nurse, barmaid and drama student. Eventually I settled into bookselling, working as a fiction specialist and buyer for a variety of bookshops, and did that for nearly ten years. In the end I became restless and studied for A-levels at night school. I achieved a place at Cambridge University as a mature student, where I studied Archaeology.

My debut novel, Dear Amy (2016), was a top ten Sunday Times bestseller. Everything is Lies followed in 2018 and Night Falls, Still Missing in 2020. My latest novel, The Drowning Girls, was published in 2023 by Penguin Michael Joseph.

Reviews

[Nat Eveleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Cass and Sid are sisters who run their fathers dive school. Their father died a couple of years previous, and Cass goes off to Australia knowing the dive school is in safe hands so, naturally, Cass is shocked when she returns to find the dive school isn’t how it was, and neither is her sister. Add that with girls who have gone missing, and we have many questions that Cass is determined to find the answers.

I’ve read all this authors work and this one was right up my street. The writing was convincing and made the book a page turner. The characters were great, with Cass being very relatable, although Sid was irritating at times, which worked perfectly for the story. An excellent read I’d happily recommend!!

[Janaya Kabamba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like it was going to such an original storyline from the premise and it definitely delivered. I had no clue what was going to happen next and loved the suspense and intrigue that was built up. I liked the characters and found them well written and complex and the plot moved forward at a good pace woth a few really good twists and turns throw in

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass returns to Cornwall after a two-year stay in Australia to help her sister Sid run their family's dive school, which - once a thriving business - has suffered massively due to Covid-19. Sid's new boyfriend Adam has obviously taken over the dive school after the death of the sisters' father, and Cass is shocked when she discovers how bad things really are. Another thing that worries Cass is how much control Adam has not only over their business but also over Sid, who seems depressed and hardly ever leaves her house.

Things come to a head when Cass discovers the body of a girl in the water one night while exploring the famous ship wreck near the coast. Could that be the body of the girl who went missing just before Cass's arrival from Australia? As it turns out, that girl is not the only one who went missing and the more Cass is trying to find out the truth, the more it becomes clear to her that the killer must be someone close to her ...

I couldn't put this book down once I started reading. I was hooked from the beginning and raced through the twisty plot in no time. I especially loved the thrilling dive scenes, which really left me breathless. I could also relate to the well-crafted characters. My only criticism is that I guessed who the culprit was pretty quickly since only a small number of characters could possibly be the killer.

Nevertheless, I would highly recommend reading this fantastic thriller by Helen Callaghan!

[Chloe Montagnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique plot that kept me guessing, and I loved that it was set it Cornwall. The first book I have read from this author, and I would like to read another!

[Rebekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book was incredible. So much so I did not put it down and tried to race to the end just to know who the culprit was. This was such an easy read for me and kept pulling me in. I just needed to know what happens at the end and finished it within one sitting.

I thought this book was going to have the usual crime/who done it story line. But this book definitely delivered.

Cass & Sid are sisters who run their fathers diving school, so a lot of this book takes place in and around water/shipwrecks. Their father had died a couple of years ago and Cass goes off to Australia with the thought the dive school is in safe hands.

Cass is shocked when she comes back and neither the dive school or her sister are how they where before she left.
With that girls who have gone missing, Cass has many questions she is determined to find the answers.

I am now going to look at this Author's other work as I now want more

[Julie Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a real pager.I finished it in a day and a half.A new author for me and already I am searching for more stories from Helen Callaghan.The story is set in Cornwell and centres around a dive school run by 2 sisters.Cass has just returned home from working in Australia.She is alarmed to discover what a mess the diving school is now in under her sisters and her boyfriends care.The girls lost their father in a tragic diving accident a few years ago.Their father ran a very successful and respected business.Cass is shocked to see how the wheels have fallen off and what is wrong with Sid her sister?She is not herself at all.There is also the worrying fact that several local girls have mysteriously vanished.I worked out pretty quickly who the culprit was and I am usually hopeless at working it out.That did not deter from my enjoyment of the book.I really liked Cass and the atmosphere,especially the diving scenes of which there is a lot, were taut and chilling.I do not know much about deep sea diving but the authors detailed explanations were very interesting.I understand why there is such stringent rules and safety checks for divers.if you are not well prepared,so many things can go wrong.The 2nd last chapter is truly nail biting.Loved it

[Mii · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple 3 stars. This book was neither here nor there, an easy and interesting read. Cass, the main character, became increasingly more frustrating in the last third of the novel. I didn't expect so much of the book to be happening while diving and those parts bored me. Overall it was a fun one day read but nothing special. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a light thriller mystery, especially if you are a diver you can get even more out of it.

...what's up with this author repeatedly describing people's scent as "animal scent"??? Animal scent??? Really???

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the unexpected death of their father, Cass leaves for a prearranged secondment opportunity in Australia, leaving her sister Sid (Cressida) to run their family's diving school and shop in Cornwall. Returning considerably later, the pandemic having intervened, Cass finds things aren't quite as she left them. Her sister's boyfriend Adam seems to be controlling everything, including her sister; Sid herself is a shadow of her former self. Meanwhile, young women are going missing...

I liked Cass's character, and this was an engaging and intriguing read with plenty of local colour. I did guess the outcome to some extent, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment.

There's a lot of scuba diving in the book and a fair few scenes take place underwater, in and around a wrecked ship, the Undine. I don't really know anything about scuba diving, nor am I that interested in finding out, but it was a great read nevertheless and the diving scenes are atmospherically written.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy!

[Victoria Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Drowning Girls was an interesting and addictive read. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout with its many twists and turns. As a diver I enjoyed that element of the book and the fact that some of the story took place underwater. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

[Sharon Valler: Live Love Read Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise and storyline is great!

I loved reading about the dives in the wreck and the descriptions were brilliantly written.

Cass, Jimmy and Erik were well developed characters, I did feel that Sid and Adam needed a bit more depth to them.

I did feel it was fairly obvious who the killer was, quite early on in the book and was actually expecting a big twist that would prove me wrong, but I called it correctly!

Still a brilliant read though and a bit different to the usual domestic thrillers.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Helen Callaghan and Penguin for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Rebecca MacAleese · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into it as I wasn’t able to find much time to read… I read the second half in one weekend and was really invested. ‘Below III’ gripped me so much that my heart rate really increased and I was desperate to find out who the killer was. And I was surprised by the answer! Would recommend.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a journey this book has twists and turns galore. I got the killer wrong but loved the fact that I did.. I seriously didn't want to put it down, well crafted, great characters and brilliantly described. 5 stars from me. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

[Sara Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read from Helen Callaghan - really had me hooked! I was looking forward to my daily commute just so I could read a bit more on the train.

The dive scenes are also very realistic; and feel well researched.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the storylines of Cass and Sid and the events Following their fathers unexpected death. Cass leaves to go on her work secondment in Australia and Sid is left to run the family's driving school in Cornwall.

Cass's trip gets extended due to events of the pandemic keeping her in Australia longer than she thought that she would be there. When she returns she realises everything has changed. Sid is a shell of herself and her controlling boyfriend Adam has taken over everything. There is also a storyline of a missing woman in the book too that you have to work out what has happened to.

I did work out the ended before it happened. But it was still good.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will put you off diving! Nail-biting - couldn’t put it down although the end came a bit suddenly.

[Linda Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lttle bit thriller, little bit dark, little bit twist and turn, little bit page turner .. little bit predictable, then not then ‘ knew it’
Great holiday mystery murder.

[Zubeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for supplying this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

This was an absorbing read which kept me hooked from start to finish.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and loved all of Helen Callaghan’s books and this one is certainly no exception. They are based around a different theme, which have obviously well researched because they are all convincingly knowledgeable.

The way Helen writes such beautiful description, makes me pause and take a moment. It brings the scenes to life without it feeling heavily overladen, it just works brilliantly.

Cass and Sid couldn’t be more different, Cass being strong and independent whilst Sid appears weak, easily influenced and suffering from some kind of mental illness. The additional characters were well-structured and add depth to the network of people surrounding the girls and I found myself changing my opinions about each, as the plot develops.

I was totally enthralled by the thrilling dive scenes and could imagine the story happening as if I was a bystander, feeling the tension mounting.

The plot itself involves missing girls amongst other mysteries, whilst adding unique, dark twists with a fast pace. No plot spoilers here, this is a great psychological thriller.

[KAREN PARSONS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book a really suspense filled tale that kept you guessing until the end

[Carole Tyrrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass Brownings has returned from Queensland, Australia to the sleepy Cornish coastal town of Anvil Rock. It’s been two years since she last saw it and it still holds memories of seeing her father come up from the sea, dying, after a diving accident.
But all is not well. Sid, her younger sister is still running the family diving business, ‘Blue Horizons’, but there are fewer bookings, the school is down to its last £5k and even worse it is no longer insured which is vital to cover their diving pupils safety. Sid seems a shadow of her former self and her partner, Adam, has moved in with her. Clearly, he is in charge and takes Sid’s phone and, even worse, he has the Grange Hill theme tune on his.
There is a local wreck, the Undine, which is classed as a mass grave, and Cass undertakes a dive down to it. She senses that she is not alone as she explores. To her horror as she goes further into the Undine, the naked body of a dead girl floats towards her. She has obviously been murdered but the police are baffled. She is not the missing woman for which they are currently searching. When another young woman goes missing without leaving a trace, it’s obvious that the quiet little town is hiding a dark secret…
I really enjoyed this book. Its location of a sleepy Cornish town with a mystery, Cass’s return to find some many changes and the superb diving scenes. These were really convincing and made me visualise Cass’s exploration of the Undine so well. I felt as if I was exploring it with her. There was plenty of information about diving and its methods which, I felt, gave authenticity to the plot.
There were some good red herrings such as Ben, someone that Cass had hooked up with prior to Australia and her hopes, that perhaps this time, something that might develop, her suspicions about Adam, the significance of a tartan suitcase and also the book’s title. These are combined with some excellent plot twists which made for a good, solid thriller with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing right up the end.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read. Although I gotta say I was kind of disappointed with that ending (It is not bad but I expected something else).

Really well-crafted characters and such an entertaining story. To be honest, I bought the book since I’m interested in diving topics, and as a thriller lover, I could not afford missing on this read.

100% recommended.

[Christina Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for my copy of The Drowning Girls by Helen Callaghan.
A good read with an exciting ending, just a bit too much emphasis on the diving technicalities for me.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advance copy of The Drowning Girls, a stand-alone thriller set in Cornwall.

When Cass returns from working in Australia she finds the dive school her recently deceased father founded in a mess. It is no longer the premier dive school in Cornwall, the finances are in a bad position and her sister, Sid, has given her boyfriend, Adam, too much control over both her and the business. Then, on her first dive back she finds a body and not that of the missing tourist.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Drowning Girls, which is a tense, event filled read with several twists and turns. I must admit that I didn’t find the diving details very interesting, but the story is well enough done to make me want to search out the author’s other works, hopefully set in a more congenial location.

The novel is mostly told from Cass’s point of view with the odd description of the kidnapping of other women told from their experience. These kidnappings are a background to the body in the wreck and provide mystery and a sense of menace to the reader. It’s an extra frisson that strictly speaking adds little to the plot but atmosphere. I’m not sure what to say about Cass. She’s highly strung and tends to overreact, jumping to conclusions without definitive proof and obsessing about Adam and his controlling behaviour. Probably pretty much like how many of us would react, but we’re in fiction land so I would have liked to see more measured thought as she’s a scientist and supposedly logical. I found her not quite unlikeable, but certainly annoying.

I found the plot to be compulsive reading. Obviously there is the mystery of the body on the wreck, the who, why, how of the murderer and the identity of the victim. This is very well done with a gradual release of information and strategic reveals culminating in an exciting underwater showdown with so many twists I lost count. Alongside this there is the drama of the failing business and the clash between the submissive to Adam Sid and the rather histrionic Cass, who can’t fail to see that there is something seriously amiss. There are surprises in this narrative as well. The author has a way of drawing the reader in and not letting go.

The Drowning Girls is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Aafreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good plot idea and was written well, it made me want to carry on reading etc but the plot was so predictable that I have to give it three stars amongst other more minor issues.
The first being the characters. I understand being set in a small village but I don't think there were enough characters for the plot to develop out enough. This meant that the plot twist was a toss up between only really 3 men. And it was quite obviously not Adam because of how much Cassie thought it was him. And Jimmy displayed shifty and suspicious behaviour from the half-way mark so him being the murderer was really not surprising in the slightest- in fact, I think his reasons for doing it weren't explored enough. And did he cause the fathers death? That would have been another good angle to take. And the focus on the same 7 characters meant that any other character was just irrelevant and not necessary. Grace was one of the victims but everything about her working for them and having a youtube channel and her relationship with Erik was completely irrelevant. And Ben? Who had two conversations with Cassie and otherwise did absolutely nothing. I can't really tell if he was supposed to be one of the possible suspects but I didn't suspect him for a second just because of how irrelevant he was.
And besides the relevance of the characters, some of them were just borderline unlikeable. I could get behind Erik and Cass's relationship if she hadn't started by describing him as 'he reminds me of my dad'. Um. And Sid was insanely unlikeable for the whole entire book. Even at the end, it seems that he still couldn't compute the severity of Adam's flaws. And, despite being common in many mystery thrillers, I really dislike when books build awful male characters but then 'they weren't the murderer so we like them now' no we don't, he got killed and was somewhat a victim but he was still an awful boyfriend and it wasn't touched on enough at the end as to how awful he was.

[K.D. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've never read one of Helen Callaghan's thrillers, I highly recommend you do just that. I've read all of Helen's novels and I was gripped by each one, but also stunned by how every novel raises the bar still higher. The Drowning Girls has cost me a lot of sleep -- always the sign of a good read. It most definitely is a book that will not allow the reader to walk away until they've read the last nail-biting word. The Drowning Girls fully immerses the reader into the claustrophobic, dangerous world of wreck diving off the Coast of Cornwall. As lockdown finally ends, marine biologist, Casandra Brownrigg returns from Australia to help her sister, Cid, salvage the family's financially floundering dive school. If it's not bad enough to find her sister's controlling boyfriend running the business into the ground, her first day back at the school, on what should have been a routine wreck training dive, Cass discovers the body of a woman inside one of the ships cabins. It quickly becomes evident this body might not be the only one.

From the uneasy homecoming to the last nail biting scene, The Drowning girls had me gripped, happy to visit the dark world of wreck diving vicariously -- especially when murder is afoot. From the edgy, neurotic and beautifully drawn, characters, to the tightly woven plot driven to a fever pitch to the sense of place - both the beautiful Cornish Coast and the dark waters of the wrecked ship, the Undine, this novel is a stunner. Can't recommend it enough. Thanks Helen Callaghan!

[Yahya · Rating 5 out of 5]

*The Drowning Girls* proved to be a captivating and enthralling read, showcasing Helen Callaghan's talent for storytelling.
Her ability to weave a compelling plot with intricate twists, alongside vividly drawn characters, ensured that the narrative held my attention from start to finish.

The open-ended conclusion, which I had anticipated based on Helen’s previous work, was both satisfying and thought-provoking..

The title, while evocative, led me to expect a certain fate for one of the sisters, leaving me feeling somewhat misled.
I was trying to keep an open mind to find out how did it (I had my suspicions).. I got the right person for the wrong reasons
Yet, this divergence between expectation and reality only enhanced my engagement with the novel.

[Maya Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Drowning Girls had me hooked from the first chapter. The ocean setting in Cornwall gives the whole story this eerie, heavy atmosphere, and I loved how the dive school became its own sort of character beautiful, but hiding danger underneath.
Cass is easy to root for as she comes home to find everything unraveling: a failing business, a sister who feels out of reach, and a boyfriend who sets off every alarm bell. When she discovers a body, the tension really kicks in, and from there the mystery just keeps tightening.
The missing girls storyline is unsettling in all the right ways, and the slow reveal of who’s hiding what kept me guessing. Dark, suspenseful, and filled with family tension and secrets definitely a solid read for thriller fans.

[Ashy Khaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one grabbed me in a way I was not expecting. I went in thinking I had a rough idea of where things were headed, only for the story to pull the rug out from under me with a twist that genuinely caught me off guard. I felt everything from disgust to anger. The characters were messy, complicated, and frustrating in the most believable way, especially when it came to family and how love does not magically make things easy or healthy. The pandemic setting mixed with the diving world added this tense, boxed in feeling that made the whole story feel heavier and more immersive, and it gave the book a vibe that felt different from anything I usually read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn into this book right from the outset. It has a punchy first chapter which hints at the intrigue which is to follow.

I liked the way in which Helen Callaghan develops the characters. This is a fast paced novel which is centred around Cass and her sister, who are struggling to save their failing dive business.

There are sufficient red herrings to keep the book interesting until a dramatic conclusion.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Penguin, Random House (Michael Joseph) for a copy in exchange for this review.

[Kim F · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a great book that you can’t put down, this is the novel for you. This was my first of Helen Callaghan’s writing and it won’t be the last. Usually with a thriller/crime novel, I find it quite easy to piece together the ending, but Callaghan’s impeccable writing and unique storyline kept me on my toes the entire way through.

The Drowning Girls is a fantastic read and a well-deserved feather in Callaghan’s cap. I highly recommend!!