Book Review: "Dead in the Water" by John Marrs

The last time I read a book by John Marrs, it was the deceptively clever book The Good Samaritan, which I thought was incredible. So, of course when books by him are going for cheaper than usual - I will be on the look out to get them. Dead in the Water has a shocking opening chapter and then, is followed by a slightly slow burning start. I quite enjoyed learning more about the characters and the way in which their lives intertwine. By the end of the book, I was left enthralled by what had just happened, though I won't share the ending I will say that even though it is predictable - you won't be able to see the bigger picture unless you've understood all the turns. The question here is: were you really paying attention?

Damon is a man who knows and remembers very little about his past for a man who is only in his late 20s and as we learn more about him we find out his parents died when he was young. The problem is that he believes his mother died committing suicide and yet, he cannot for the life of him remember how that happened. He turns it over in his brain trying to recall the situation, believing he may have found the body. But it is far more complicated than that. This is not what starts off the story, but I've started off my review this way to get you, readers, to understand the main character we are dealing with. Damon is one of the narrators, and as we understand and see him - we also get to see a woman who looked after him, his ex-wife and a host of other characters around him. But this is who he is to begin with.

The story of course, starts off in a weird way. I'm not going to reveal the opening chapter's shocker because again - it would kind of be a spoiler. But I will say that after that opening chapter, we see Damon drown and get rescued by his ex-wife Melissa. In this drowning, Damon states that he found a boy that he believes he has killed. But he cannot be sure about what happened. As the story progresses, he starts seeing visions of this boy everywhere and all the time, only fended off by the presence of other people. In the moments where his life flashed before his eyes whilst dying, Damon sees things he doesn't fully understand and knows instinctively that in order to get rid of this living nightmare he must be dragged to the end again. He starts wanting to die and then be brought back. This is risky yes, but he does it a few times and every time he does, he brings someone back with him.

John Marrs creates a half-horror, half-psychological masterpiece out of this character whom the reader is meant to believe is an emotional burden on the people around him. Damon, I believe, is meant to be deeply unlikeable. He is needy and troubled, and atop of this he makes it everyone else's problem whilst never doing anything remotely nice for anyone else. For example: his ex-wife and her new partner are trying for a baby and want to use Damon as a sperm donor, but he never really pulls through for them and is only ever focused on himself. I believe this is one of the markers which John Marrs reveals parts of Damon to us that we have not yet become accustomed to. As the book progresses, we find Damon very hard to grapple with as the idea of him becomes more and more pathetic.

I would say that if you're looking for a thriller that becomes more and more fast-paced and twisted as the story goes on, then this might be the one for you. John Marrs' writing is quite brilliant and because I loved The Good Samaritan, I think I can understand why he has written Dead in the Water the way he has. It is a brilliant psycho-drama of hallucinations and double-takes, it will definitely have you looking over your shoulder. The big question by the end of the book is whether you have chosen to accept what has happened. It is all quite enthralling.