I hope you don’t find him. And if you do, I hope he’s dead
and that he suffered…
Real-estate mogul Martin Cresswell-Smith is the best thing that has ever
happened to Ellie. After her daughter’s devastating death, a divorce, and an
emotional breakdown, he’s helped her move as far as possible from the grief,
the rage, and the monsters of her past. Ellie imagines her new home with Martin
in an Australian coastal town will be like living a fairy tale. But behind
closed doors is another story—one that ends in Martin’s brutal murder. And
Ellie seems almost relieved…
Naturally, everyone thinks Mrs. Cresswell-Smith is guilty.
Senior Constable Lozza Bianchi has reasonable doubt. She sees evidence of a
twisted psychological battle and a couple who seemed to bring out the worst in
each other—adultery, abuse, betrayal, and revenge. If anything Ellie says can
be believed, that is. As the case takes twist after spiraling twist, Lozza
can’t shake the gut instinct that she’s being manipulated. That Ellie is hiding
something. That there are secrets yet to surface. Lozza has no idea.
There’s a scene in IN THE DEEP that takes place during a magic show. Martin Creswell-Smith is telling Ellie Tyler that a magician must successfully misdirect the audience to achieve their aim; they need to make viewers look one way, while something slips past another way. Well, Loreth Anne White, you got me. I do my best to unravel a mystery before the book’s denouement, but the big twist in this book got away from me.
One indisputable fact we learn early on is that Martin Creswell-Smith is dead. From their whirlwind courtship, followed by a brief, tumultuous marriage that ends in murder, Martin and Ellie’s relationship plays out publicly and privately. There is physical and verbal abuse, there are games and secrets and infidelity. There is Ellie’s battle with alcohol and drugs; a battle that she often loses, resulting in loss of memory. It’s no wonder she’s a prime suspect in Martin’s murder. Ellie certainly had the means, motive and opportunity, but things aren’t quite fitting together. Is Ellie clever enough to get away with it? Or is there something else at play?
IN THE DEEP kept me entertained and invested in the story. I was unsure of who killed Martin until the reveal. Frankly, it got to the point where I could argue that multiple characters seemed suspicious but that final nail in the coffin was missing.
I enjoyed White’s writing style. The words flowed smoothly, and I particularly enjoyed her description of the NSW South Coast; I could feel the heat, see the landscape and hear the screeching of those pesky bats and other – unfamiliar to Ellie – animals.
I’ll definitely be looking to read more of this author’s work.
Loreth Anne White is an Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense. With well over 2 million books sold around the world, she is a three-time RITA finalist, an overall Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Arthur Ellis finalist, and winner of multiple industry awards.
A recovering journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now calls Canada home. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, dividing time between Victoria on Vancouver Island, the ski resort of Whistler in the Coast Mountains, and a rustic lakeside cabin in the Cariboo. When she’s not writing or dreaming up plots, you will find her on the lakes, in the ocean, or on the trails with her dog where she tries—unsuccessfully—to avoid bears.
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