Underwater
Author: Vi Geary
Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Format: eBook (ARC)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.75 stars, rounded up)
Synopsis
Los Angeles, July 2002.
When Detective Gale Blue arrives at what appears to be a suicide scene, it quickly becomes clear that the victim was actually murdered. Soon, another suspicious death with an eerily similar note points to something far more sinister, a serial killer who leaves no obvious pattern behind.
As the body count rises, Gale must race against time to uncover the truth before another life is lost. But while she's chasing a killer through the streets of Los Angeles, she's also battling the lingering effects of PTSD following the death of her former partner, forcing her to confront wounds that have never fully healed.
My Thoughts
The premise of Underwater immediately caught my attention. A murder staged as a suicide, a serial killer with seemingly no pattern, and a detective haunted by her own past made for a very promising setup.
One of the novel's biggest strengths is Detective Gale Blue herself. Beyond the investigation, we get a glimpse into her personal life and the struggles she continues to face. I appreciated seeing how she navigates the lasting effects of PTSD, as well as the prejudice she experiences because of her sexual orientation. These aspects added emotional depth to her character and made her feel like more than just another detective solving a case.
While I thought these elements were important to Gale's story, I occasionally felt that some of her personal storylines covered similar ground, making parts of them feel a little repetitive and, at times, slowing the pace of the investigation. It also took me a little while to warm up to Gale, but by the end of the novel I found myself much more invested in both her and her journey.
I also appreciated the way the novel explored themes of grief, trauma, and mental health. These topics were handled thoughtfully and gave the story additional emotional weight alongside the central mystery.
That said, while I really liked the ideas behind the story, I found myself wishing the overall execution had been a little more polished. The investigation kept me interested throughout, but there were moments where the pacing felt uneven, and I think some additional refinement would have made an already intriguing story even stronger.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed Underwater. It offers an engaging mystery, a compelling protagonist, and thoughtfully explores difficult topics alongside its crime investigation.
Although I had a few reservations about the pacing and felt the novel could have benefited from a bit more polish, I remained invested in Gale's story from beginning to end. Since this is the first book in a series, I'm definitely interested in continuing to see where both Gale's character and the investigations take us next.
⭐ 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)
ARC Disclaimer
Thank you to Vi Geary for providing me with an advance review copy of Underwater. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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