Dreaming of Water by A.J. Banner ~ A Review

by Susan Roberts

 

A woman’s investigation into her past reveals family secrets and lies in this novel of discovery, redemption, and the mutability of memory.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

October 2023; Lake Union; 978-1662505614
audio, ebook, print (267 pages); psychological thriller

Dreaming of Water is another roller coaster of a book by A.J. Banner that kept me rapidly turning pages and reading way past my bedtime.  The main character is well-written and I could feel her desire to find out the truth of her sister's death.  She faced a stone wall trying to get information from her parents but she was determined to solve the mystery -- she was a really tenacious woman.  Plus the setting was so well described that I felt like I was in the Pacific Northwest at the beach when I was reading it.  For me, this book had all of the elements to make it a fantastic book that will end up in my top 20 books list for 2024.

Astrid swore to never return to Heron Bay after the drowning of her younger sister 17 years earlier and the continuing guilt that she felt because she was babysitting her sister when she disappeared.  Before her sister's death, staying at her Aunt Maude's in Heron Bay made her summers special and she loved the time that she spent there.  Now she's working as a court-qualified forensic document examiner in California.  She and her husband have just split up and she is having trouble accepting the fact that he is now living with her ex-best friend.  When Astrid receives a phone call from her Aunt asking her to return because she has found out some information about her sister's death, she decides to take a few days and go to Heron Bay.  When she arrives at her aunt's house, her aunt is on the floor in a coma -- did she fall or did someone push her?  After the cryptic message from her Aunt, Astrid decides that it's time to find out what really happened to her sister -- did she drown or did someone hold her under the water in the small reflecting pool?  First she questions her parents but they both live different and separate lives and neither one of them even wants to talk about it.  The more she investigates, the more the sad memories of those days and of her lost sister return but she remains determined to find out the truth no matter the cost.

Along with the mystery and suspense, there is a bit of romance to lighten the mood of the book.  This is another fantastic book from this author.  The plot kept me guessing until the end but once the 'bad guy' was revealed, it all made sense.  Clear your calendar before you start reading because you won't want to put it down.  Fantastic book!

Buy Dreaming of Water at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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