Jennifer McMahon is known for her suspense novels with a supernatural bent. I greatly enjoyed The Winter People and have had several others of her novels on my to-read list. Her newest book, The Drowning Kind, available now, is a past-and-present story of family, mental illness, and of course, ghosts.
Present day: When Jackie’s sister, Lexie, calls and leaves increasingly manic voicemails, Jackie doesn’t pick up the phone. Lex is clearly off her meds, and Jax just can’t handle it anymore. But when Lexie is found dead in the swimming pool on the family estate, Jackie is wracked with guilt.
90 years ago: Ethel is blissfully in love with her husband, Will, and the only that would make her happier is to have a baby. So when they have difficulty getting pregnant, Will takes her to a new hotel in Maine that claims to have a spring with magical healing water. Only the locals warn that while the water gives, it also takes. If Ethel gets her heart’s desire, what will she lose in return?
The Drowning Kind takes some time to pick up, and the pace is uneven at times. But I enjoyed the super eerie pool and house, which Jackie’s father calls Dracula’s Castle, and trying to figure out how Jackie’s and Ethel’s stories are connected. I figured out some of the connections but not all of them. The ending is left open to interpretation, which is good for discussion of the book.
If you like books that are super creepy, intense, and heart-stopping, check out The Drowning Kind.