After The Storm. On a rainy ,windy summer afternoon, two parents- Sophie and Andrew Wicks - take two children to the beach. , Maria their own daughter (at eight years old seemingly can be quite persuasive ) is desperate despite the rain and the increasing strength of the wind, to play just for a few minutes along the edge of the ocean. Joe, the six year old son of their two friends, Linda and Chris, both having to work that afternoon will go with them.The two childen don their wet suits. They are only allowed to play, in a small stretch of water , resembling a shallow lake but close to the waters edge. And which both parents can keep a watchful eye on from the comparitive shelter of their beach hut. Andrew is just about go down and call them in, when for a matter of a minute or two he gets distracted. And in that small space of time, both children have vanished. It is this same afternoon which concludes in tragedy, and forms the basis of the story, - one of grief, secrets and ultimately revenge. (excluding still, the unanswerable question why? Why two adult parents should decide to visit the beach, in such awful weather) The novel is divided into the events that occur During the Storm. And those taking place after. Detective Superintendent Sue Willmott is called to the scene of the tragedy . And witnessess and empathies with the grief shown by the devastated parents. Later, she will investigate the cause. As she is questioning Andrew, she gains a sense that he is not telling the whole truth. Sue knows that she will not rest until the answer, or answers are resolved. The outstanding part of the story, for me, is the description of that storm. Plus the search sequences - police; helicopters; surf boarders' and life boat. which occur soon after. The author captures the noise, the impact of the rain storm, and the sheer primitive violence of the ocean. The after effects of that afternoon cotntinue to have consequences, not just for the families involved, but throughout the entire village. With DS Sue Willmott together with Sergeant Mike Adams, facing a battle to uncover the truth before any act of revenge can be committed.

After The Storm. On a rainy ,windy summer afternoon, two parents- Sophie and Andrew Wicks - take two children to the beach. , Maria their own daughter (at eight years old seemingly can be quite persuasive ) is desperate despite the rain and the increasing strength of the wind, to play just for a few minutes along the edge of the ocean. Joe, the six year old son of their two friends, Linda and Chris, both having to work that afternoon will go with them.The two childen don their wet suits. They are only allowed to play, in a small stretch of water , resembling a shallow lake but close to the waters edge. And which both parents can keep a watchful eye on from the comparitive shelter of their beach hut. Andrew is just about go down and call them in, when for a matter of a minute or two he gets distracted. And in that small space of time, both children have vanished. It is this same afternoon which concludes in tragedy, and forms the basis of the story, - one of grief, secrets and ultimately revenge. (excluding still, the unanswerable question why? Why two adult parents should decide to visit the beach, in such awful weather) The novel is divided into the events that occur During the Storm. And those taking place after. Detective Superintendent Sue Willmott is called to the scene of the tragedy . And witnessess and empathies with the grief shown by the devastated parents. Later, she will investigate the cause. As she is questioning Andrew, she gains a sense that he is not telling the whole truth. Sue knows that she will not rest until the answer, or answers are resolved. The outstanding part of the story, for me, is the description of that storm. Plus the search sequences - police; helicopters; surf boarders' and life boat. which occur soon after. The author captures the noise, the impact of the rain storm, and the sheer primitive violence of the ocean. The after effects of that afternoon cotntinue to have consequences, not just for the families involved, but throughout the entire village. With DS Sue Willmott together with Sergeant Mike Adams, facing a battle to uncover the truth before any act of revenge can be committed.

An absolutely cracking debut novel. It’s not for the faint-hearted but wow, it’s gripping! Two families - Andrew, Sophie, and Maria, and Chris, Linda, and Joe – are best friends. Chris is a police officer and Linda a paramedic so, when their shifts clash, Andrew and Sophie look after Joe. One wet, stormy day, the children beg and cajole Andrew and Sophie to take them to the beach, against their better judgement. Joe and Maria are desperate to go in the sea, but they are told that they can only go in the ‘little sea’ which is a natural paddling pool. Andrew was rescued from the sea as a child and it still terrifies him, so he’s keeping a very watchful eye on the children. Sophie is pregnant and, suddenly, an off-lead dog comes racing along and jumps on her. Scared for his wife and their unborn child, Andrew takes his eye off Joe and Maria for a split second so that he can manhandle the wayward dog off Sophie. When he turns back, the children have vanished – into the sea. Lots of unexpected twists and turns kept me hooked, and I read this in record time. I hope that this will be the start of a ‘Beachbrook’ series and I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Difficult to believe is a debut. The writing is accomplished, the characters plausible and the plotting absolutely bang on. It’s the worst nightmare; a day at the beach, two youngsters go into the water and only one comes out. What follows is a twisty psychological thriller and part police procedural. Works at both levels and the lead police characters are personally involved in the aftermath of this tragedy. Clever and compelling. .

This book is absolutely harrowing and heartbreaking! From the first page to the last, it's a gripping, edge-of-your-seat experience. It's brilliant, and I can't stop recommending it since I read it on publication day. I flew through it, totally immersed in the plot, and ended up with the worst book hangover—but it was completely worth it! The pace is relentless, pulling you in right from the start. By the end, you'll feel like you've been tossed around by powerful waves, gasping for breath.