Book review: Revenge of the Tide

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By Elizabeth Haynes
Published by Myriad Editions

It was there when I opened my eyes, that vague feeling of discomfort, the rocking of the boat signalling the receding tide and the wind from the south, blowing upriver, straight into the side of the Revenge of the Tide.

This is how Revenge of the Tide, Elizabeth Haynes’s second novel, begins. I don’t normally take too much notice of the opening sentence of a novel – I’m not one of those people who won’t read a book if they’re not intrigued from the very beginning – but in this case it was different. When I reached that first full stop, I knew that I would love this book.

Revenge of the Tide is the name of the houseboat that London sales executive Genevieve Shipley buys in Kent with the intention of renovating it and taking some time away from a hectic life that’s become too stressful. Not to mention dangerous, after her second job as a dancer in a private club has become more serious than she’d expected. She just wanted to make some easy money while having fun at the same time but not everyone involved had the same agenda.

When the body of a fellow dancer from London washes up against the hull of her boat, Genevieve’s dream of a new life turns into a nightmare. However, she is not as innocent as you might think. She is hiding something too.

Revenge of the Tide simply has everything you could possibly want from a thriller: an intelligent and feisty heroine, a mysterious packet, complicated relationships and a great cast of characters who are not always as guilty or as above suspicion as they might at first appear. Plus, Haynes’s enviable talent for dialogue and descriptions is like the icing on an already delicious cake!

Do you want to add tension and intrigue to your everyday life? Read this novel. Now.

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