2 out of 4 stars
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Plot wise, It's Never Water Under the Bridge is straightforward. We open on Tess Iverson receiving a strange note related to her husband's disappearance some five years prior. She gets in contact with the police while we see Andrew in his prison, held captive by three men who won't answer any of his questions or give any reason for why they've kidnapped and tortured him all this time. The story follows the two as they each search for answers and try to make sense of this tragic event.
The book has some truly tense moments which will bring any reader to their seat's edge. There's always a sense that these characters are just barely hanging in there, which makes for suspenseful meetings with old friends and Andrew's captors. Neither character can truly trust anyone outside of each other. Tess can't even trust the police anymore, which injects fear for Tess's safety into every phone call with an officer.
My problems with this book are two-fold. The first and biggest problem was the ending. The novel builds and builds to answering one question: why was Andrew kidnapped? The answer, unfortunately, did not satisfy this reader's inner detective. I suppose I expected a twist, or at least a deeper reason than the one given. As is, the reveal left me distinctly disappointed.
Secondly, Tess and Andrew love each other very much and we're told as such at nearly every opportunity. I have nothing against love (love it, in fact), but every spare thought Tess and Andrew have is inevitably about how fantastic their partner is, even when they're literally waving weapons in each other's faces. Our protagonists, then, felt hollow, as if the only thing that defines them is their spouse. I would have loved to have seen more from these characters, especially with the trauma they've experienced. There's a lot to explore, but I was left with the impression that book mainly focuses on how it affects their relationship and little else.
It's a pretty good book, in the end. I think most casual fans of the genre will be more forgiving of its faults than I am. After all, its suspenseful moments are truly suspenseful, which makes for a quick, exciting read. Typos are just about non-existent, and the realistic dialog adds to the book's strengths. Still, I give it 2 out of 4 stars, largely for the ending.
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It's Never Water Under the Bridge
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