Dark and Lonely Water by Graeme Reynolds – Book Review

Dark and Lonely Water by Graeme Reynolds – A Horror Book Review by Jim Mcleod

There have been far too many lunar cycles since the last time Graeme Reynolds published a novel, his High Moor Trilogy, cemented his reputation as the master of the werewolf novel, with a genuinely brilliant trilogy of books, but sadly his time running one of the UK’s most crucial indie publishing houses took time away from his writing. Thankfully Graeme has found his muse again, and his latest novel from Crystal Lake Publishing,  Dark and Lonely Water, is unleashed this Saturday. But has the wolfmeister managed to retain his bite, or is Dark and Lonely Water more of a wet dog?  

Samantha Ashlyn is a single mother and a journalist. When she is strong-armed into covering a story about a series of missing people, she is thrust back into a world that she thought she had long left behind, a world where old rules and old ways reign, where a dark secret has shaped not only her hometown but her life as well. Aided by a disgraced police diver, Samantha must fight for her life in a battle that will reveal secrets no one could ever have guessed.  

Review note

Since writing this review, recent events in the UK around Nicola Bulley might mean that this is a difficult read, as it concerns missing people, disgraced police divers and the waterways of the north of England.  

I was one of the first people to review Reynolds High Moor, and even way back then, I knew I was reading an author with a talent for writing horror stories that bring a grin to my face. Brought up on Masterton, Lumley, Herbert and Smith, the “monster of the week” horror novel has always been a firm favourite of mine; sadly, this horror subgenre has somewhat fallen by the wayside over the years. Many authors and publishers are desperate to push boundaries and explore the new narrative structure, which is no bad thing. Still, sometimes you crave an exceptionally well-told tale of heroes versus unspeakable evil.  Dark and Lonely Water fills that hole, scratches that itch, and warms the cockles with a brilliant mix of tight writing, a rocket-paced narrative and well-thought-out characters that are at once recognisable without falling into the pitfalls of genre cliches.  

Reynolds has a writing style that is cinematic in its scope;

the set pieces in this novel are epic in scope, and even the smaller ones, such as when the monster is first encountered, are delivered in glorious technicolour, resulting in a punchy no holds barred narrative that cannot fail to keep the reader fully engaged.  

However, Dark and Lonely Water has much more to offer than action set pieces strung together with the thinnest of bridging chapters. Never mind loading the story with a dark, sinister subplot about secrets and pacts. Reynolds packs this novel with rich descriptive passages and a character arc for the two protagonists that are well thought out, logical and completely satisfactory. Reynolds cleverly and out from the left field will leave you reeling with pure WTF as he reveals the creature’s true nature.  

And as for the creature, Reynolds goes full-on Masterton with its use; like Masterton, Reynolds takes what could have easily been a one-dimensional monster and gives it a new life with a proper backstory about what it is. Small touches like these lift Dark and Lonely Water from a great read to an exceptional read.  

Similarly, his handling of Samantha as the focus of this story is also handled with a solid emphasis on believability and development;

a strong, single-minded parent, who goes from being somewhat passive to full-on Ellen Ripley, could easily have come across as a weak point of the novel. Still, Reynolds writes this character with a sympathetic ear, and through her journey, you will be rooting for her with all of your heart and shedding a tear on more than one occasion. The scene where she reconnects with her estranged family is genuinely heartwarming.  

But this is a horror novel, and Reynolds doesn’t shy away from the horror; At the same time, it might not have the same level of blood and gore as any of his werewolf novels, Dark and Lonely Water, will keep the gore hounds more than happy if leaving them somewhat wary of any body of water bigger than a small puddle. I know I have been somewhat on edge while walking the dog along the river since reading this book.  

Dark and Lonely Water is an exciting creature feature that works on so many levels, hopefully marking the return of a writer who has once again realised that he is a great writer who needs to be more active on the writing front. I have missed reading Reynolds over these past few years, and this book was everything I could have hoped for and so much more.  ​

DARK AND LONELY WATER BY GRAEME REYNOLDS ​

When Samantha Ashlyn is forced to return to her home town to write an article on a series of drownings, she initially resists, finding disturbing similarities to her childhood experiences. However, once she starts looking into the assignment, she finds that things are not what they seem. An ancient evil is rising again, aided by what appears to be a centuries-old conspiracy to keep it hidden. With the help of a disgraced police diver, Sam races to stop the nightmare before more lives are lost. Not realising that her investigation has put herself and those she loves in terrible danger.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.