I didn’t like Hawkins’ previous novel The Girl on the the Train much and I don’t like this one much either. It’s a solid story muddled by being told from no less than ten different perspectives – hard to keep up with who is who. The supernatural element – an old woman who hears the voices of the dead- is consistently irritating and the constant references to previous deaths in the river (suspected witches, suicides) don’t quite succeed in creating the ominous atmosphere Hawkins is aiming for. It feels like she is throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. There’s a good murder story in there but it’s way over manipulated.
