One of the best parts of Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint series is her main character's growth. From someone adept at masking her true self, a self who doesn't play well with others, Lacey is slowing growing and learning to become part of a team. She has flashes of true brilliance as a homicide detective, but her prickly, standoffish nature has made most (but not all) of her fellow detectives unwilling to work with her. In A Dark and Twisted Tide, Lacey almost fits in with her fellow detectives, and it will be interesting to see the progress she may-- or may not-- make in the next book.

There's not another writer today who can make the River Thames a living, breathing, and at times malevolent character the way Bolton does. I've learned so much about the river, its behavior, and its history from following Lacey. I've also learned that the Thames can be so eerie and menacing that it can make chills run down my spine.

Combined with her two main characters-- Lacey and the Thames-- Bolton adds a tightly woven plot with plenty of twists and turns. Moreover, although there are dead bodies, women in extreme danger, and those scenes that make you jump out of your skin if there's the slightest noise behind you as you read, Bolton doesn't create her tension with graphic violence, torture, or gore. There are quite a few writers who could learn a lot from her.

A Dark and Twisted Tide can be read as a standalone, but to appreciate fully the character of Lacey Flint, I'd suggest that you begin at the beginning with Now You See Me. If you do, I'll envy your being able to meet this extraordinary character for the very first time.

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Lacey is at her best when she is in the water!
The story starts from the first page and the intensity continues till the very last.
Twists-boy are there some wonderful what the heck twists!

You are getting more details of Mark and Lacey.
Lacey still has a lot of baggage from her past that she has to unpack and deal with, you see her starting to do that.
Life on the Thames will never seem as peaceful after this book.

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Lacey Flint is living and working on the River Thames. She discovers a body while swimming in the river and is immediately drawn into an investigation. Who are these women and where have they come from? The book starts out slow but becomes more and more interesting as Lacey unmasks the secrets of the people living on the river. Her relationship with Mark Joesbury is moving forward and Lacey seems happier. This is the last book in the series but does not feel like full closure to me. In order to read this series, I suggest starting with Book 1 Now You See Me in order to fully understand the character of Lacey Flint. I look forward to reading some of her standalones and recommend this series to those who love mystery thrillers.

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