afox98's review against another edition
3.0
I love the series, but I didn't love this book. I never really could get into it. Lacey has gone from being detective back into uniform after dealing with some traumatic cases. She's living in a house boat and dead women keep popping up, shrouded in white linen. Overall strange premise and just not as engaging as the previous books.
wanderaven's review against another edition
3.0
Apparently, S.J. Bolton is now known as Sharon Bolton!
I’ve been reading Bolton since 2008, and my memory of the early books (which I had to order from amazon.uk, since it took far too long for her to become popular here) was that her author biography in the back was also non-specific as to her gender. Maybe I’m wrong, since I’ve long passed those books on, but I do recall being curious back then as to why all the secrecy. My assumption has always been that perhaps the publishers were concerned that no one would take seriously a woman writer who wrote dark and gritty novels. I’ve always found this strange because even then I thought that literary society was progressed enough for this not to be an issue, and there were other successful women crime writers back then. I didn’t know, back then, whether she was male or female, but I do remember finishing her first book and sensing she was female. In any case…. apparently they’re no longer worried abut the stigma (and if you want dark, Gillian Flynn is definitely the prime contemporary example of this acceptance… and if you’ve only read Gone Girl, I found that to be the least dark of her three novels).
A Dark and Twisted Tide is Bolton's fourth (full length) Lacey Flint novel. I'm first going to go ahead and reiterate my difficult-to-put-into-words criticism that I've had for the last couple of books about the character of Lacey which does, unfortunately, continue with this novel.
Ah, Lacey, my Lacey. I know you're dark. I know you're beautiful. I know you're damaged and unfathomable, and all that. That's why I like you! Where would a great, dark mystery protagonist be without at least a couple of those qualifications? But... but still I remain frustrated that your backstory is so special and secretive that even your readers are rarely given a glimpse. This doesn't feel, to me, like a situation in which you're teasing me and I just can't wait to read more to find out what deep, dark secrets you hold. After four novels (and a Kindle single), it's feeling less like an exquisitely drawn out reveal and more like there may be less substance to a secret upon which the tease cannot possibly deliver.
But I'll still walk by your side. For now. If my suspicions are correct, though, I may have to punch you.
(At least she's not suspected to be the serial killer this time, thank God.)
Lacey's living on a boat, now, still pining after Joesbury, and has returned to uniform. She's swimming in the Thames (yeah, ewwwww) in the dark hours, which she justifies in all sorts of ways. Lacey being Lacey, she instantly runs into a corpse, out there on the Thames.
Societal differences, immigration, Joesbury pops in and out, Lacey's still dark, and lots of water. Lots and lots of water.
Bolton was actually one of my first introductions to crime/mystery novels, and remains a favourite. She gets me through the tough times between Tana French books. I like Lacey, but I do hope to see a new stand-alone novel, or perhaps even the consideration of a different series, in the future.
I’ve been reading Bolton since 2008, and my memory of the early books (which I had to order from amazon.uk, since it took far too long for her to become popular here) was that her author biography in the back was also non-specific as to her gender. Maybe I’m wrong, since I’ve long passed those books on, but I do recall being curious back then as to why all the secrecy. My assumption has always been that perhaps the publishers were concerned that no one would take seriously a woman writer who wrote dark and gritty novels. I’ve always found this strange because even then I thought that literary society was progressed enough for this not to be an issue, and there were other successful women crime writers back then. I didn’t know, back then, whether she was male or female, but I do remember finishing her first book and sensing she was female. In any case…. apparently they’re no longer worried abut the stigma (and if you want dark, Gillian Flynn is definitely the prime contemporary example of this acceptance… and if you’ve only read Gone Girl, I found that to be the least dark of her three novels).
A Dark and Twisted Tide is Bolton's fourth (full length) Lacey Flint novel. I'm first going to go ahead and reiterate my difficult-to-put-into-words criticism that I've had for the last couple of books about the character of Lacey which does, unfortunately, continue with this novel.
Ah, Lacey, my Lacey. I know you're dark. I know you're beautiful. I know you're damaged and unfathomable, and all that. That's why I like you! Where would a great, dark mystery protagonist be without at least a couple of those qualifications? But... but still I remain frustrated that your backstory is so special and secretive that even your readers are rarely given a glimpse. This doesn't feel, to me, like a situation in which you're teasing me and I just can't wait to read more to find out what deep, dark secrets you hold. After four novels (and a Kindle single), it's feeling less like an exquisitely drawn out reveal and more like there may be less substance to a secret upon which the tease cannot possibly deliver.
But I'll still walk by your side. For now. If my suspicions are correct, though, I may have to punch you.
(At least she's not suspected to be the serial killer this time, thank God.)
Lacey's living on a boat, now, still pining after Joesbury, and has returned to uniform. She's swimming in the Thames (yeah, ewwwww) in the dark hours, which she justifies in all sorts of ways. Lacey being Lacey, she instantly runs into a corpse, out there on the Thames.
Societal differences, immigration, Joesbury pops in and out, Lacey's still dark, and lots of water. Lots and lots of water.
Bolton was actually one of my first introductions to crime/mystery novels, and remains a favourite. She gets me through the tough times between Tana French books. I like Lacey, but I do hope to see a new stand-alone novel, or perhaps even the consideration of a different series, in the future.
alibi313's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable crime thriller, but I feel I need to go back and read previous books in the series to figure out some of what was going on. Lots of things hinted at, but not thoroughly explained about protagonist's past, which was a little frustrating at times. But it's a sign of a good book that I do want to read the first three in the series to find out more about her.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
In A Dark and Twisted Tide, Sharon Bolton's newest addition to the Lacey Flint series, the River Thames is an intriguing and unique setting for a murder investigation. Ex-homicide detective Lacey Flint not only lives on the Thames, but as a member of the Marine Unit, she also works there as well. After she discovers the shrouded remains of a young woman, the subsequent investigation reveals an eerie similarity to previously recovered remains.
With her curiosity piqued by the body she discovered, Lacey tries to remain on the periphery of the ensuing investigation. However, it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to draw her attention to the unnoticed deaths. Unexplained gifts, glimpses of a mysterious swimmer and the blatant display of the latest victim make it obvious that someone wants Lacey involved in the case. So Lacey, along with DCI Dana Tulloch, keep digging for any possible connection between the victims, but fitting together the pieces of this perplexing mystery is virtually impossible.
Lacey is still the fascinating, if somewhat mysterious, heroine that she has always been. She has carved out a quiet life on the Thames and she has become friends with a few of her neighbors, but she still closely guards her secrets. Lacey's romance with fellow detective Mark Joesbury is hindered by his current case which takes him deep undercover, but they do make a little progress during his quick, but meaningful, visits. Her uneasy professional relationship with Dana Tulloch becomes less rocky and they actually work well together once their investigation begins to produce results.
The mystery element of A Dark and Twisted Tide is full of unexpected twists and turns and easily keeps the reader guessing the killer's identity for much of the novel. While I had a good idea that some of the secondary characters were somehow involved in the unfolding story, I could not figure out how or why. The chapters shift between different viewpoints and while interesting, there is little context to fit these different perspectives into the investigation. The pacing is a little slow until the last quarter of the novel and then it rushes at a breakneck speed to a dramatic and very surprising conclusion.
A Dark and Twisted Tide is another superb installment in Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint series and although it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend the entire series.
With her curiosity piqued by the body she discovered, Lacey tries to remain on the periphery of the ensuing investigation. However, it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to draw her attention to the unnoticed deaths. Unexplained gifts, glimpses of a mysterious swimmer and the blatant display of the latest victim make it obvious that someone wants Lacey involved in the case. So Lacey, along with DCI Dana Tulloch, keep digging for any possible connection between the victims, but fitting together the pieces of this perplexing mystery is virtually impossible.
Lacey is still the fascinating, if somewhat mysterious, heroine that she has always been. She has carved out a quiet life on the Thames and she has become friends with a few of her neighbors, but she still closely guards her secrets. Lacey's romance with fellow detective Mark Joesbury is hindered by his current case which takes him deep undercover, but they do make a little progress during his quick, but meaningful, visits. Her uneasy professional relationship with Dana Tulloch becomes less rocky and they actually work well together once their investigation begins to produce results.
The mystery element of A Dark and Twisted Tide is full of unexpected twists and turns and easily keeps the reader guessing the killer's identity for much of the novel. While I had a good idea that some of the secondary characters were somehow involved in the unfolding story, I could not figure out how or why. The chapters shift between different viewpoints and while interesting, there is little context to fit these different perspectives into the investigation. The pacing is a little slow until the last quarter of the novel and then it rushes at a breakneck speed to a dramatic and very surprising conclusion.
A Dark and Twisted Tide is another superb installment in Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint series and although it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend the entire series.
stevensabby's review against another edition
4.0
My first encounter with this author, and it was good enough I read it in 2 days.
bet27's review against another edition
4.0
Another intriguing read in the Lacey Flint series. Bolton has a way of bringing lesser known cultures and experiences to light so that you reconsider your typical views, all while unraveling an atypical mystery.
dbrand12's review against another edition
3.0
I am a big fan of SJ Bolton & her Lacey Flint charachter. However, I found this book at little hard to follow as there were so many chapters by charachters that you didn't know who they were, but it came together with a suprise twist in the end.
puella_ignotum's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0