REVIEW: Dark Water by Caro Ramsay

Dark Water (Anderson & Costello #3) by Caro Ramsay

Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery

Read: 15th October 2018
Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

★★★ 3 stars

DARK WATER is the third in the Anderson and Costello series by Caro Ramsay set in the Partickhill Police station in Glasgow. Each book is a standalone story on its own but it does help with character development and background to begin with the first book "Absolution" - a book which in itself is a little different from the those that follow. But that is another review (and story) altogether.

It's been a good while since I read "Singing to the Dead" - the last one in the series - that I can't really remember what took place there. I do recall that it took a lot to live up to the very first book in the series that I found it slow going and didn't feel the need to hurry to the next one. I guess I am used to faster paced books, as after the first book, I found these next two much slower in pace that it was hard to believe it was the same series. I think because "Absolution" had such a turnaround with its main characters you are left wondering just who are the main characters in the series! Still readers should read "Absolution" before any of the others as it does give you more insight into the characters. 

So enough of that, and on with the review!

So DARK WATER is set in the midst of some extreme weather conditions and a very dense foggy spell in Glasgow with freezing temperatures and it's with that that the pace moves about as fast as the fog in places. It begins some 10 years prior on New Years Eve on the eve of the new millenium and the violent rape of young Emily Corbett who was on her way home. Fast forward a decade and the team find themselves invesitgating the death of the man originally identified as Emily's rapist - who'd absconded abroad to avoid prosecution after the attack - and was now found hanging in an abandoned tenement with his head caved in. His injuries are not unlike those of Emily's and soon the team discover a pattern of rapes and possible suspects in those attacks. But there is a similar vein to all of them. They all claim to be held at gunpoint, blindfolded with the gun pointed at their heads and the cocking of the weapon. All but one. She says the sound "was not a gun cocking". So what was it? The team soon refer to the sound as simply "a click" as that is how the victims all describe it - a click. While the team refer to this man as "the other" most of us refer to him (or her) as Mr Click.

There is a lot detailed in this book with many characters that some may find confusing at times, and I have to admit, there were several red herrings thrown our way to confuse us - and it worked because there were so many characters we were left wondering just how they were all involved. Caro Ramsay delves into the relationships of each and how they all interact with one another. It is deep, dark and in some ways, twisted. And then there is the narcissism factor thrown in. Most of us toss around the term "narcissist" without understanding the true nature of narcissism. The author, by way of the criminal profiler/psychologist, introduces us to pathological narcissism which is far more than just pride and vanity, which is the form of narcissism that most are familiar with. We are reminded of Narcissus, in Greek mythology, who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pond and because he could not have what he desired, he then killed himself. While most may see this as an extension of extreme vanity, I feel it is more than that - it is a self adoration and self love that places themselves far above others that in their own eyes make them above reproach and above their counterparts, which in turn affects their behaviour. But here he talks about pathological narcissism which is entirely different - an ultimately destructive.

I couldn't read this book quickly and it definitely isn't one you can fly through. I was surprised to find it took me 7 days to get through it when I usually average about 2 books a week! However, that is not to say I didn't enjoy it - I did. It is just a different kind of read, one that you need to absorb and take in. It is slower paced but with a lot going at the same time, so you do need to take your time with it to absorb everything. Particularly as there soon appears to be more than one case the team are dealing with.

Although DARK WATER is a slower read, I was still able to detect a few things myself - such as my suspicions about Mr Click and the attack on Itsy. But nothing prepared me for the mystery of Costello's past! Whilst it threw me a tad, I thought it was a nice touch to help us get to know more about DS Costello.

If you enjoy police procedurals with a dark undertone but still with a human element, then be sure to add DARK WATER - along with the rest of the series - to your list. It is an enjoyable slow read, giving one insight as to what it is like to be a police detective chasing down the twisted and deranged and the toll it takes - especially if the hunter and the hunted have a little more than usual in common!