My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have read a couple of books by this author and after reading the 3rd novel, I must say this, Jennifer McMahon is hands down one of the best authors in creating an atmosphere. If The Invited had a whole plot of land playing the monster of the nightmare, the Drowning Kind has a swimming pool. How in the world did she manage to create such visceral terror in the heart of a reader with just a pool, honestly, I cannot put it into words. But the alarming dread that lurks underneath the pool is tangible and terrifying. No, Thank You, it doesn’t matter what cure that dark and malodorous water offers, I absolutely don’t want any part of it.

The tale of 2 sisters Jax and Lexie and their history with the house called Sparrow’s Crest is utterly gripping and a compelling read. The story alternates between Jax in the present and Ethel in the past and both timelines are equally absorbing. There’s a tantalizing glimpse of something just not right with the pool with talks of curses and sacrifices as vocalized by the locals. The twists and turns in the story keep the reader in a constant state of agitation with a chilly and atmospheric menace ever permeating from the fetid waters of the pool.

The relationship of the sisters was quite fascinating to read but I was not too keen about how every member of the family treats Jax differently. That ENDING, phew, itself deserves an additional star. It was such a cross-eyed, staring into the void moment for me that I had to re-read it to fully grasp the situation.

Freaking awesome ⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️and once again McMahon excels in a dual time-line mystery thriller with a supernatural vibe.

Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

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