This second thriller by Sam Lloyd is not a sequel to his “The Memory Wood” but it does share one or two features; mainly that of a detective who is struggling with a personal medical crisis even as they try to solve the case and save lives. There is a twist, though, even in that.
There is tension throughout and something of a roller-coaster ride, because the plot unfolds via a series of misperceptions and misconceptions: it becomes obvious that information is missing but it isn’t obvious what this is. While humans plot evil or struggle towards the truth, the sea is an impartial danger, ever ready to kill the good and the wicked. Even so, this is also a portrait of a community where more or less everyone depends on the sea for their living.
It’s also a study of several flawed characters who could be and are perceived in different ways, not just by different observers but even from the same person’s viewpoint at different times. The takeaway for the real world is that assumptions, although sometimes necessary, can be the enemy of investigation. If “the obvious suspects” were reliably guilty, the serious crime clear-up rate might be a multiple of what it actually is. And it’s a dangerous half-truth that “someone close to the victim” commits most serious crimes against the person, because although the statistics might condense to that once an investigation is completed and a successful prosecution mounted, it’s all but impossible for either victims of crime or the police to recall or identify everyone who might count as “close to” the victim in that sense. And because vendettas spring from psychosis as well as events, their triggers are often incomprehensible to anyone but the offender. This novel does not offer a clear insight into the mindset of stalking, but that is not a criticism because the reality does tend to be bewildering.
The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd is published by Random House on the 8th of July 2021
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