catherine steadman something in the water

A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. As events tangle further, Erin and Mark careen to the edges of international espionage and domestic disaster.Ī darkly glittering gem of a thriller from a new writer to watch.Īre we not men? We are-well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).Ī zombie apocalypse is one thing. So Erin can add Interpol to the list of people surveilling her every move. DCI Andy Foster, a Special Operative for Counterterrorism, questions how much Erin knew about Holli’s post-prison plans. Meanwhile, Holli has been released and disappears with her boyfriend, who appears to be associated with Islamic extremists in Syria. Caught in a game they do not understand, Erin and Mark are swiftly beset by ominous Russian figures, mysterious text messages, and shadowy stalkers. What they find in the water, however, skews their moral compasses. Although they've economized on their wedding, the honeymoon is meant to be a final splurge.

While Erin presses on with her film, Mark, an investment banker, has lost his job, and prospects for a new one are dim. She has focused on three inmates: Alexa, an engaging 42-year-old incarcerated for helping her mother die Holli, a sullen young woman imprisoned for setting a bus on fire during a riot and Eddie, a charmingly dangerous local mob kingpin doing time for money laundering. A documentary filmmaker, Erin has been working on a project exploring how prisoners envision their lives upon release. Opening with Erin digging her husband’s grave, the novel descends abruptly-how did the honeymoon end so disastrously? The timeline backs up to set Erin and Mark’s roller coaster in motion. With unreliable characters, wry voices, exquisite pacing, and a twisting plot, Steadman potently draws upon her acting chops. Simply begging to be filmed, British actress Steadman’s debut novel has already been optioned by Fox 2000 Pictures. While scuba diving in Bora Bora, honeymooners Erin and Mark find something in the water that will test their marriage and imperil their very lives.

Catherine steadman something in the water