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A review by simplyallytea
The Man in the Water by David Burton
4.0
"Fun little murder mystery that keeps you guessing."
This book was sent to me as part of The Man In The Water blog tour in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This novel follows the story of Shaun, an Australian high schooler who finds a body in a lake on a hot afternoon. After running to the police to tell them of what he found, the body goes missing and no one believes he saw a body in the first place. So Shaun decides to investigate to see if he can figure out the mystery behind the disappearance of the man in the water.
From the first sentence, the reader is thrown into the murder mystery as it slowly consumes Shaun’s every thought. Shaun’s character is fleshed out and felt very real. He truly was a teenager dealing with personal problems, school, wanting the girl he fancied to notice him while trying to prove his small town in the Aussie outback that he wasn’t lying. It reminded me of the days when I was a teen and adults refused to believe me just because I was a kid who didn’t know any better. Shaun was human, desperately seeking approval, attention and making mistakes. But unlike other YA protagonist, Shaun understands his mistakes and tries very hard to make amends rather than brushing them off. We need YA protagonists like this!
The plot overall was enjoyable. David Burton kept me second-guessing on who the “murderer” was and I was pleased that it is revealed in the end. The story also gave us a look into the life of coal workers in the outback which is a point of view I have never encountered since most stories happen in big cities or towns. It touched on topics on how the industry and mining companies affect a community and its families.
The Man in the Water was overall a pleasant read and would recommend to anyone wanting to read a quick YA thriller with an uncommon setting.
This book was sent to me as part of The Man In The Water blog tour in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This novel follows the story of Shaun, an Australian high schooler who finds a body in a lake on a hot afternoon. After running to the police to tell them of what he found, the body goes missing and no one believes he saw a body in the first place. So Shaun decides to investigate to see if he can figure out the mystery behind the disappearance of the man in the water.
From the first sentence, the reader is thrown into the murder mystery as it slowly consumes Shaun’s every thought. Shaun’s character is fleshed out and felt very real. He truly was a teenager dealing with personal problems, school, wanting the girl he fancied to notice him while trying to prove his small town in the Aussie outback that he wasn’t lying. It reminded me of the days when I was a teen and adults refused to believe me just because I was a kid who didn’t know any better. Shaun was human, desperately seeking approval, attention and making mistakes. But unlike other YA protagonist, Shaun understands his mistakes and tries very hard to make amends rather than brushing them off. We need YA protagonists like this!
The plot overall was enjoyable. David Burton kept me second-guessing on who the “murderer” was and I was pleased that it is revealed in the end. The story also gave us a look into the life of coal workers in the outback which is a point of view I have never encountered since most stories happen in big cities or towns. It touched on topics on how the industry and mining companies affect a community and its families.
The Man in the Water was overall a pleasant read and would recommend to anyone wanting to read a quick YA thriller with an uncommon setting.