The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

Brenda’s review

Hot Diggity Dang, this is one I am excited to talk about!!! Warning: It is no beach read! Don’t read this one while lounging around any water!!!

Why have I waited so long to read a book by this author? I now have a few other books waiting for Lindsay and me to dive into right away.

The Drowning Kind has all the elements I love in a thriller and more with the supernatural elements to the story. It’s haunting, thrilling, suspenseful, atmospheric, devilishly horrifying, and full of tension. It has one of the best protagonist I have seen in a story, but not one I want to get up close with. Not only is it the protagonist, but it’s also the setting, and it one vivid, creepy, and chilling in more ways than one.

After a tragic loss, Jax returns to her Grandma’s estate, where she and her sister Lexie spent summers swimming in the pool, and Lexie lived. The pool is fed by a natural spring, but that not all that feeds it. It’s filled with frigid, pitch-black water that appears to be bottomless. Doesn’t sound so inviting does it? The pool has a history of giving and taking something from its visitors. It has secrets it’s not quickly going to give up. It’s perfectly paced and layered with the pool giving up its horrifying and haunting secrets, twists, turns, and reveals just at the right time to send those delightful chills up my spine. It has a great beginning and ending, and the tension builds with each page right up to that chilling ending that left me reeling after finishing. I highly recommend it.

Lindsay’s review

Suspenseful. Mysterious. Engrossing. Gothic. Atmospheric.

Jax returns to the home her sister, Lexie, inherited when their grandmother passed away. Lexie tragically drowned in the pool and Jax needs to clean up the house and determine what will happen with the property that has been in the family for generations. The house, pool and property have a very complicated and heavy history with her family. Many claim that the spring water filled pool has healing powers. Locals fear that the pool gives and can provide miracles, but it also takes away and causes irreversible loss.

I was intrigued and entranced by this story from the first to last page. The characters, the plot, the pace and flow, the atmosphere, the mystery — they were all so well developed and engrossing that I was completely consumed by every page. The novel unfolds through Past and Present timelines which I loved. Both timelines were enthralling and tension-filled. I was fully invested in both storylines. There are family secrets and mysteries that kept me guessing how everything would come together.

The writing was exquisite. This was my first book by this author and I quickly reserved her backlist from my library after finishing this one. Looking forward to diving into those!

Generally, I am not one for supernatural stories. This book does have that element but I didn’t doubt it for a minute. I was hanging on every word. As I was reading, I felt creeped out and worried, but couldn’t possibly put the book down. I highly recommend!

We received copies from the publisher on NetGalley!