Manuela’s Review of “Copper Waters” by Marlene M. Bell

By: Manuela Soares

Still reeling from events not long passed, and tension with her almost fiancé Alec, Annalisse Drury receives a message from an old farm hand about her MIA mother. Desperate for some space from the tension and issues with Alec, Anna takes off to New Zealand to try and track down her elusive mother and get the answers she dearly wants. She’s joined by Bill Drake, a detective friend of Alec and Anna, sent by Alec, as a traveling companion/bodyguard, who together find themselves embroiled in two murders in a matter of days upon their arrival.

With her Murder, She Wrote like curiosity, Anna and Bill, with assistance from Alec when he joins them, begin their own investigation into the murders. Secrets are close to being uncovered, questions are amassed, a near-death miss happens, and a corrupt police system stands in their way, but they push on and uncover something that no one wants to believe.

Copper Waters is the fourth book in the Annalisse series by Marlene M. Bell and the first one that I’ve read by this author. This can be read on its own as it does provide enough basic details to know what’s happened in the first three books. That said, if you’re a detail-orientated reader, you may want to read the beginning of this series first to have a better understanding of the events that have led up to where the characters are now and why they do the things they do.

For me, this is a solid three-star read. It’s a good book but it was a slow one to get into for me. The writing is wonderful, it’s very descriptive and easy to follow, but it takes a while to really get into the nitty-gritty of it. Aside from the first murder and some answers to questions (that lead to more questions) that were likely asked in prior books, not a whole lot takes place in the first 40%; it’s just bits and pieces that don’t fully make sense until later.  It is a very dialogue-driven book, which I enjoyed as it moved the story along nicely and it gave more background into the characters and their relationships.

It does pick up a bit once you pass the halfway point and it has a somewhat surprising twist that is technically fully resolved but leaves readers with questions while also being somewhat satisfying. It’s a strange mix.

If you’re looking for a clean, succinct, and easy-to-read mystery, give this one a go. The writing is great and it does flow nicely once the juicier bits start. This definitely has me wanting to read the beginning of the series and learn more about these characters and what they’ve been through.

Thanks so much to R&R Book Tours and Marlene M. Bell for a copy of the book in exchange to read and review.

This review will also be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, and Fathoms Amidst the Lines.