I received this book from Grand Central Publishing to review.

Martin and his wife, Alexandra, escaped the hustle and bustle of the big city. They have settled on Orust, a quiet area, to raise their family. Martin has made some missteps while settling on the island. Hopefully the sabotage he has experienced will blow over once people become acquainted with him. He is happy to have a “boys weekend” with his son while his wife and baby daughter visit family. He prepares for a walk down to the beach with Adam. He is momentarily distracted by a phone call. He tells Adam to wait in the doorway. When Martin returns, Adam is gone. He runs down to the beach but cannot find Adam. The authorities are called and the search begins. Did Adam go out into the water? Why did he disobey his father?

Winter Water is a thriller that explores the deep desperation of parents with a missing child. Each parent falls apart in their own way, grieving their missing son. Martin becomes mired in his grief. Can he come to terms with not knowing what happened to Adam or will he lose his wife as she moves on? Are the authorities doing all the can? A visiting photographer, Maya, begins spending time with Martin. Alexandra doesn’t know how to help Martin. She retreats to her childhood home, hoping the comfort will help her heal.

Maya encourages Martin to try moving on while in the background she tries looking for Martin’s son. Will this photographer stumble upon something? They haven’t recovered a body and Martin hold out hope that his son is alive. Martin finally seems to awaken. He showers, cleans up, and leaves the house. He is making tentative steps toward life. Realizing that he has nothing in the cupboard or refrigerator, he stops at the local market. As he waits to be checked out, he sees a picture of the phone his son Adam was playing with when he disappears! Someone has found it and is looking for the owner. Hope blossoms as he realizes that he must look for his son. Is Adam really alive?

Susanne Jansson writes a quick paced story that doesn’t skimp on details. Her characters are likable and easy to sympathize with. Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. You can’t put the book down as Maya and Martin begin looking for Adam. The descriptions of Orust encourage the reader to visit this sleepy seaside village. How will she resolve Adam’s disappearance? You have to read the book to find out!

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5

Additional Thoughts: When she was a toddler, my daughter got away from me in a store. The fear and panic are horrible. The store was locked down and the search began. My husband and I were crawling on the floor hoping to see little feet peeking out from under some type of display. After a couple of minutes the store security guard came walking up with her! Oh the relief!! She was heading out into the Mall when he saw her.

Of course this doesn’t begin to compare with the fear and terror Martin experienced in the story. Losing your child is horrible. This book takes that fear that we have and uses it to tell a story. Susanne Jansson isn’t cruel, she just knows what buttons to push. A good author can take that knowledge and use it to keep us all turning pages.