A Breath After Drowning

Author: Alice Blanchard
Genre: Suspense
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 437
Source: advanced copy from Publisher
Publisher: Titan Books
First Published: April 10, 2018
First Line: "Kate Wolfe's 3pm appointment stood in the doorway wearing a jaw-dropping miniskirt, a light blue tee, plaid knee socks, and chunky platform heels."

Book Description from GoodReads: Child psychiatrist Kate Wolfe's world comes crashing down when one of her young patients commits suicide, so when a troubled girl is left at the hospital ward, she doubts her ability to help. But the girl knows things about Kate's past, things she shouldn't know, forcing Kate to face the murky evidence surrounding her own sister's murder sixteen years before, bringing Kate face to face with her deepest fear.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (a really good read)

My Review: A Breath After Drowning is a psychological thriller that kept me guessing and made for an enjoyable weekend read. The first part of the book is character driven as Blanchard guides her readers through Kate's past, her current job as a psychiatrist and her personal life. As the book progresses, twists are thrown in and a fair number of subplots and themes are explored in varying degrees.  

While I enjoyed the impressive number of culprits who kept me speculating about how it would end, I can't say I was equally enamoured with Kate. Her profession lends itself to interesting story lines, but her many insecurities often get the best of her and I couldn't believe that a highly educated woman would make so many rash and immature decisions. When you add in her super saccharine dialogue with her boyfriend (and fellow psychiatrist) James, Kate was the weakest part of the book for me.

But I did enjoy this book, really! I liked the premise and loved the twists. This was more of a mystery than a suspense read for me, so I'd recommend it to readers who like slow building tension that concludes with a nail-biting and action-packed ending.   

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.