Dead Water by Simon Toyne

A body, missing its head and hands, is washed up on the banks of the Thames. When a name is found scrawled on the body it hints at danger for Dr. Laughton Rees.

Dead Water by Simon Toyne is a fitting addition to the Rees and Khan series. I loved the first two books in the series, Dark Objects (review here) and The Clearing (review here). The Clearing has recently been republished as Blood Traces. While you don't need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy Dead Water they do give an understanding of the history and relationships of the people involved in the story, both of which are very significant.

The story takes place almost a year after the events of The Clearing and Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan are ready to take their relationship to the next level - moving in together. The only stumbling block is Laughton's teenage daughter, Gracie, who hasn't really warmed to Khan. The plan is to sit down together and break the news to Gracie when Khan is called to the discovery of a body.

The rising tide puts time constraints on the inspection of the body, but a scrawled message on its arm immediately makes Khan believe that Laughton may be in danger. Across town Laughton and Gracie are having a heated discussion, Gracie is resentful of Khan becoming part of their lives. One of the major reasons for Gracie's hostility is that she doesn't know who her own father is. Deciding that Gracie is old enough to understand, Laughton explains what happened to her as a teenager.

All of this is the build-up to a knock on the door which plunges Laughton back into a past she thought she'd put behind her. Shadowy figures strain relationships and put lives in danger as someone linked to Laughton's dead father is out for revenge. The pace never lets up in a frantic race against time, the use of the tide patterns of the River Thames really adds to the time pressure of the storyline. I particularly enjoyed the way in which policing, the media and political ambition were woven into the story, reflecting the things that we are seeing in life.

As the momentum built I found my heart racing, wondering how more deaths could be prevented. The final scenes are enough to make you hold your breath, literally! The ending leaves a feeling of uncertainty, I hope we don't have to wait long for the next book in the series.

Dead Water by Simon Toyne will be published on 22nd May 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Simon Toyne is the international bestselling author of Dark Objects, the Sanctus trilogy and the Solomon Creed series. He wrote Sanctus after quitting his job as a TV executive and it became the biggest selling debut thriller of 2011 in the UK. His books have been translated into 29 languages and published in over 50 countries.