The Flood

by Rachel Bennett

When Daniela Cain returns to her small hometown after seven years’ absence, she finds that flooding has left the village all but deserted. She’s there to collect something she left in her childhood home, then she plans to leave. But upon entering the old house she discovers her younger sister’s body half-submerged in the water. As Daniela tries to work out what happened to Auryn, she uncovers dark secrets from her childhood as one of four sisters in the household, when the Cain’s and another local family begin to turn on each other with devastating results.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2019

About the author

Rachel Bennett currently lives on the Isle of Man (home of fast motorbikes, tailless cats, and very changeable weather). Rachel shares their home with two kids, one angry cat, and an exceptionally patient husband.

Other books by the same author are published under the name Rakie Keig:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniela Cain returns to her hometown after being away for several years only to find that it's been flooded. The village is almost deserted. Daniela has come back to get her share from the sale of the family home. But the house has not been sold and its in a state of disrepair. She decides to have a look inside her old home, but she she can't get in the front door. When she eventually gets in the house, she finds the body of her sister, Auryn. Daniela tries to work out just what happened to her sister. She uncovers secrets from her childhood. Daniela was one of four sisters.

This story is a bit of a slow burner. The plot is intriguing and that's what kept me reading. A lot of the story is taken up around the flood. I did not like any of the characters and I could not find any real sympathy for Daniela. There are twists and secrets but the ending also let this book down. The story is told through the present and past narratives. This story had much more potential. A decent enough read though.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and the author Rachel Bennett for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniela comes home after seven years to collect some money from the sale of her father house. She finds that the house has not been sold yet and is almost derelict. The land is flooded and she is shocked to find her sister's body on the property.
This is the story of four sisters, their upbringing and their family secrets.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this book was a little bit too slow for me. I started it but I just couldn’t carry on reading it. For me it just didn’t work and I’m really sorry.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moving back and forth in time, The Flood is the saga of four sisters and the impact of childhood events in the present. Danielle Cain returns to her village after seven years to find it flooded and mostly empty. With the discovery of a body comes questions, the answers revealing family secrets and whether you ever truly escape the past. An enjoyable enough read with a three-star rating.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins and Rachel Bennett, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars.

What a disappointment. Unfortunately this didn't interest me. I felt it was too slow and nothing really seemed to happen. I had hoped it would have picked up the further into it that I got but it didn't. I can't say anything that I really liked about it other than the cover looks really good.

Based on the description of this, I thought it would be something that I would really quite enjoy. Daniela is one of 4 sisters in her family. One day, many years after leaving home, she returns only to find that her whole hometown is flooded. What she doesn't expect to find is her sisters dead body in their old home.

This just didn't deliver which is unfortunate because it could have been so amazing. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in a mood for a thriller and this one attracted my attention. I’m glad I didn’t read the lackluster reviews it had on GR prior to downloading the book, because I ended up liking it quite a lot. Certainly more than the other two readers. It isn’t perfect, not by a long shot, one can certainly find things to critique here in this tale of four sisters told over the course of fourteen years, but it did work. Yeah, four sisters is probably too many for one family, just insanely high amounts of estrogen all around, it definitely didn’t create any warm and fuzzy connections in this case. In the early years when they were still mostly kids, there was a certain amount of closeness, abandoned by their mother, the girls, different as they were, got along fairly well. In later years as they were in their early 20s, their differences became more difficult to ignore leading to a tragedy that colored their lives then and now, in the present tense narrative. In 2017 the sisters are barely in contact, one pretty much entirely out of the picture and one turns up dead. The story is told from the perspective of Danielle, the second youngest sister, as she returns to their small village looking for her share of their father’s inheritance if she can get past the sister that remained behind in the village and became a cop. And now, of course, there is a murder to solve and Danielle, fresh out from serving a 4.5 year sentence is an easy suspect. So that’s the basic plot. It follows the thriller formula in most respects, split timelines, past secrets, plot twists. And it does all that well. But for me it was the writing that elevated the book. I just found it very immersive…despite the characters, actually, not because of them. In fact, the characters were quite frustrating at times, but the narrative was so atmospheric, it really drew you in, the small village besieged by a seemingly interminable storm came to life, hauntingly so. The book is titled perfectly, it takes place during an epic flood, sure, but it’s the way the author renders it, it becomes…the wettest book you might read. Seriously, sodden, much like the characters. I mean, it goes beyond a mere meteorological event to become its own character, drenching the guilty and the innocent with a brutal indifference. Quite a dramatic backdrop to a long delayed familial showdown. So yeah, I enjoyed this book very much, it’s a perfect read for a rainy day. An auspicious debut. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that i would call an ok read. I did enjoy to some extent, but have never really been fond of books that switches from past to present. There were parts that i felt was a little slow, but taking the story as a whole, it wasn't a bad read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, voluntarily given.

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this book. Five minutes after finishing, the only thing i can recall about it is running, stumbling and sloshing through the woods. The woods were so prominent that the book felt contained and limited, rather than atmospheric. So much repetition, it diluted the actual story. The plot also didn't work for me because for a mystery, for a who-done-it, the suspect pool was too small and therefore the villain reveal at the end was predictable. The entire story needed more characters to bring the story and the village to life; again, it was too confined. And regardless of the lack of characters, the actual plot I found pretty dull. I didn't really care about the people or the outcome.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

I had such high hopes for this book, Sadly, the description of the book is far better than the book itself. The book started so slow yet I kept plugging along hoping the pace would pick up. It did not and I finally gave up when I realized I did not care about any of the characters or the story,
I do not recommend at all. DOn't waste your time on this book when so many other good books exist.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[marlin1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniela returns to her home town to claim something of hers after a number of years away.
But she finds the town in the midst of a major flood and when she finally gets to her old childhood house, as well as it being in a much more rundown condition than she realised, she also finds her younger sister’s half submerged body.
In fear of being accused of her murder, she tries to find out her killed her.

This story is set in two time lines, the present and the events of seven years ago.
This was a slow burn of a book, I had a hard time working out the sisters relationship and who was involved. It held my attention enough to keep reading but I found myself often wondering if I had missed something. The second half of the book had more pace and questions were answered but in hindsight I think there was a whole lot more to the sisters earlier life that was never really touched upon, so for me, I never really felt connected.
Enjoyed it but easy to move on from.
Thank to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

[Denice Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story of how family ties can stretch but never break. Four daughters raised by a single father are the main characters in this story. The chapters alternate between 2010 and 2017, giving us a picture of why three of the daughters left town and what brought them all back...of course, it was the flood. The sisters generate enough tension to keep the story moving, especially once one of them is murdered. This is a good, solid read that will keep your attention to the end.

[Di Worley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sucks you in

Family. The things done, the misunderstandings, the urge to protect and money that may have been stolen from their father's business partner,. The secrets from the past come back to haunt the four sisters, all amidst a village cut off by floodwater. Very atmospheric, good pace, twists and turns along the way - enjoyed it.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dani returns home wanting a share of the family fortune. She finds her home village flooded, her elder sister busy as the local constable and her younger sister murdered in the family homestead. This is a novel about family secrets and the kind of relationships that occur in small areas. It's a bit slow in parts, it's nothing special but it's a decent read.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for the ARC.
I found this book's main plot intriguing so continued just to find out the ending; however, there were so many just-too-long passages revolving around the actual flood-waters and the myriad of paths through forests surrounding the flooded village of Stonecrop - rather drawn-out for me. Anyway:
Four sisters in 2003 live with their father in an isolated house half a mile from the village which is bracketed by 2 rivers. The father is in the antiques business with Henry, having a shop in the village - only it seems the father has contributed more to the partnership than Henry and they fall-out. Six months prior to this the sisters' mother had left the house. She wasn't coming back.
Fourteen years later the village and surrounding area is flooded. Daniela, now 27, returns to Stonecrop to ask her older sister Stephanie for her share of the inheritance from the sale of their isolated home outside the village, following her father's 'accidental' death some time before. Discovering the house hadn't been sold she returns -
Only........returning to her now dilapidated and unkempt home to recover an item she had concealed years earlier, she discovers her younger sister Auryn dead and half-submerged in the floodwater. Stephanie - now the village Police Sergeant doesn't believe she has nothing to do with her death. Can she prove she's innocent?
Well, as said, it's a good-enough story to hold my interest, but took a lot of willpower to push through the endless traipsing through woods and water to get to the conclusion. We gradually learn through past and present narratives the story to the present day, and, yes, it was a good plot.
If you can skim-over some of the aforementioned passages and plod-on, it's a good-enough read.

[Kelly Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family thriller set in Australia, I liked this but it started out stronger then it ended. The ending was kind of just “that’s all?” And you have to deal with a lot of running through the woods that seems unnecessary. But I enjoyed it for the most part. Reminded me of The Dry by Aaron Falk.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC In exchange for an honest review!!

[Jennifer Foden · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping I would really like this book as it sounded promising. Unfortunately I didn’t like it, the story seemed dragged out and quite dull. I do think some people will like it unfortunately I’m not one of them

[Kelly Stine · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're going to feel cold, yucky and miserable the whole time you read this - but it'll be worth it!

That's the way I felt - the story of Dani Cain and her 3 sisters starts out a little slow, but it eventually grips you and doesn't let you go. First, the river and surrounding woods play a pivotal role in the story - when Dani Cain returns home for the first time in 7 years, it is during a major flood. She spends a great deal of her time running thru the woods in the cold, rain, and flooded waters. But when she gets to the old family home, which she expected to find empty - she instead finds the dead body of her sister! From that point on, her plan to get money that she thought was owed to her from her father's estate, and then leaving as quickly as she could, is totally changed!

The story switches back and forth between 2017 the current time, and 2010 when she and her sisters all changed and began going their own ways, and one terrible day that changes everything between them for forever. In 2010 Dani Cain spent a great deal of time in the woods, to avoid her father, her sisters and even other people. She knew them like the back of her hand. When she returns in 2017 the she ends up spending much of her time running around in the woods, but this time their not the safe place for her - it's raining, everywhere including the woods are flooded, or muddy, and she's wet and cold almost thru most of the story. This was so well described that I felt cold, and not exactly wet - because after all I was inside and dry - but Dani's cold, wet discomfort left me feeling cold and clammy.

I grew up the oldest of 4 girls, and although we eventually went our separate ways, some getting married and having kids, myself going into the military, we always stayed close and in touch. I couldn't imagine going 7 years without seeing or keeping in touch with any one of them. I felt sorry for Dani that in both in the 2010 time frame, and later when she returns in 2017 that she felt there was no one that she could trust, and yet she couldn't bring herself to leave until she knew who had killed her sister, and yet between the flooding and on the run from her own older sister - who was the local police - she just keeps getting into more and more trouble and having to hide in the wet and rain soaked and flooded woods.

The ending is a surprise. And when the secrets are revealed, you will find out that it was worth reading this book.

[Ashley Gillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has gotten mixed reviews so far, and I don’t know why. It really intrigued me and I couldn’t stop turning pages. The book is about four sisters, who are like the anti-March sisters. They’re all pretty horrible people, and that made the whole thing deliciously entertaining. Anything could have happened, and I would be fine with it. That’s what made me love it.

Daniela Cain, second youngest sister, returns to her hometown, where sister Stephanie is a police officer and younger sister Auryn recently returned. But when Daniela returns to the family home in the middle of a damaging flood, she discovers Auryn’s body and sets off a reckoning with the past that may take down the entire Cain family.

The novel takes place in two timelines, as it explains both why everyone is mad at Daniella and why she left, as well as the present day, where Daniela returns and makes her terrible discovery. I liked the double perspective, because it essentially created two stories that I liked, instead of just the one. I enjoyed the suspense in both. And there was plenty of suspense. There were some nice twists that I didn’t see coming (and some that I did, but I didn’t really mind).

It’s a book that’s low on intense action, and relies heavily on atmosphere and characters. I found it great, but people looking for nonstop movement might not enjoy that. The descriptions were also great - I could feel the damp and stagnant water at times and that creeped me out even more.

Like I said, you’re not going to love any of the sisters, but I did feel badly for Daniela in a way, because it’s obvious that she had wanted to do better at one point, but life got in the way, as it sometimes does. Stephanie was the one I couldn’t stand at all. But like I said, that just meant there was an atmosphere where anything could happen. Any characters could be next and that was exciting.

I recommend this novel and really enjoyed it. It was a great adventure with nice twists and a good plot. Highly recommended for fans of atmospheric thrillers.

[Lesa Tobiason beach · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was confusing

I normally enjoy a story that goes back and forth, past and present. This one challenged that enjoyment. Not sure what the flood did,if it was meant to make the scene creepier? It wasn't needed because the characters were creepy enough. There wasn't much to like about them - they were one dimensional and bent on fighting and revenge, much like drunk rednecks.The flood and the dialogue were both equally muddy. All these people talked about was the villainous Henry, the father-in-name-only figure, the disappearing mysterious mother, and the content of that didn't add up. The girls mother was included only to provide daughters for this guy and then disappear is what I came up with. What happened to her? And where was Franklyn at?
I gave 2 stars because it was a good idea for a story. It needed editing and her characters needed a little humanity.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book at all. It seemed like somethings were not needed and I didn’t like any of the characters. That does not happened with me very often and I was so disappointed. I honestly wanted to love this book but I just didn’t. I started it so many times then put it down and read something else. I went back to it several times before I gave up. It was just not for me.

Maybe someone else will truly enjoy it but I didn’t. I could not engage with anyone and just didn’t care what may or may not have come next. I’m very sorry but it’s just not one I can recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

I give it 2 stars and that is because I read almost all of it. No recommendation from me but I do say if you want to give it a chance then by all means do. Others like things I don’t sometimes.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book at all. It seemed like somethings were not needed and I didn’t like any of the characters. That does not happened with me very often and I was so disappointed. I honestly wanted to love this book but I just didn’t. I started it so many times then put it down and read something else. I went back to it several times before I gave up. It was just not for me.

Maybe someone else will truly enjoy it but I didn’t. I could not engage with anyone and just didn’t care what may or may not have come next. I’m very sorry but it’s just not one I can recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

I give it 2 stars and that is because I read almost all of it. No recommendation from me but I do say if you want to give it a chance then by all means do. Others like things I don’t sometimes.

[lucyreads_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins when Daniela returns home after seven years to find her home town is completely flooded, her families home has become derelict and then she finds her sisters dead body. We then follow her in the present day after discovering the body while also going back seven years to find out what exactly happened before she left town.

This one took me a bit of time to get into, probably because it begins rather slowly, but once I got into I did enjoy it. It turned out to be a rather fast-paced, twisted novel but I didn't feel quite satisfied with the ending. This was a decent thriller but not a memorable one.

*ARC copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Daniela Cain returns to her small hometown after seven years’ absence, she finds that flooding has left the village all but deserted. She’s there to collect something she left in her childhood home, then she plans to leave. But upon entering the old house she discovers her younger sister’s body half-submerged in the water.

As Daniela tries to work out what happened to Auryn, she uncovers dark secrets from her childhood as one of four sisters in the household, when the Cain’s and another local family begin to turn on each other with devastating results.
A reasonable read.
Was some repetition with the flood water which plays a big part.
It was difficult to feel compassion for the main character although maybe towards the end.
Overall quite enjoyed

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Flood is a very tense and exciting mystery thriller about a girl called Daniela Cain who returns to her small home village after seven years to collect something from her old home. The story goes back and forth between 2010 and 2017 so we can understand why Daniela left the village. When Daniela arrives the village is flooded and she finds her younger sister's body in her old house. She wants to find out what happened to her but things start going wrong.

I was kept on edge throughout the book and is became very fast paced and exciting in the last few chapters. I would definitely recommend this book to any mystery/thriller fans.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy to review.

[Colin Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that this is not the type of book that I normally read, however I had the chance to read an advance copy and took it. I'm glad that I did as whilst I was reading it I became more and more hooked as the story unfolded. The story jumps between the present and 7 years before, with the facts becoming clearer as it progressed : by the end of the book I had to stay awake just to find out what really happened all those years ago.
I enjoyed the book so much that although I had an ARC I actually bought it as well

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so slow and so boring.
I get that the author needed to set the scene but it was so goddamn slow.

I really wanted to like this book as I loved the cover art and the blurb! It was what drew me in but I found myself having no connection with the characters and I didnt really like the deceased in the first few chapters either. Also I didnt like the names which made me irritated all the way through, especially Daniela which really played on me all the way through. These of course are minor things but it really grated on me.

I just didnt like this one..I guess we didnt fit.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flooded town

Four sisters raised by their father in a small country town close to London. They had all left for one reason or another. One went to prison, another was a barrister in London and another just left. The one who stayed is a member of the local police department.
A tale of how their lives had changed and on coming home to the flooded town and the secrets the old home had kept. An interesting story.

[April Isabell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. The story goes between the past and the present. It also explores the strained relationship between the sisters and the interaction of their father's former business partner and his family. The only critique I have is the book never explained what happened to the fourth sister. I recommend the book and hope the story continues

[Laura Engdahl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. Disjointed. Couldn’t tell if the author got confused on past and “present”. Got tired of the main character, Daniela, traipsing through the woods, flood waters, and being cold to freezing and muddy and her boots full of water. That’s my only take away from a long, drawn out boring story. I don’t know why I finished it. Just to see if any of it made sense. Meh.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am going against the grain here but I didn't care for this book. The premise was good, it just fell short for me. It drug all the way for me. Kept going back and forth from the present to the past. First book I have read by her and think it will be my last.