Title: The Drowning Kind
By: Jennifer McMahon
Call #: FIC McMahon
Published: 2021
http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=mcmahon&title=drowning
This is the eerie sort of story I tend to associate with Jennifer McMahon and I was glad she didn't disappoint. After avoiding manic phone calls from her sister Lexie, Jax is startled to hear that she suddenly turned up dead in the family pool. Although Lexie suffered from bi-polar disorder and was clearly off her meds, Jax suspects that this wasn’t an accident or suicide. The clues Lexie left behind clear point to something amiss with the family pool but too many people are chalking it up to Lexie’s mental health. However, rumors have long since circulated that the pool was cursed and Lexie was not the first person to drown in the murky water. As Jax tries to uncover what her sister was working on, the mysterious history of the pool reveals a sinister past.
The story captivates from the beginning. The novel is written in a dual timeline (2019 and 1929) and both stories have a steady build of unease as the truth about the pool and the surrounding property unfurls. The 1929 story focuses on Ethel’s visit to a resort where she learns the springs there have magical powers to help wishes come true. When she makes a wish, she soon discovers that even wishes come at a cost. The connections between Ethel and Jax’s story run far deeper than location, which creates a slow burn of the creep factor throughout the book, something that might leave the reader unsettled until the very end. If you enjoyed McMahon's The Winter People and The Night Sister, definitely pick this one up.
This is the eerie sort of story I tend to associate with Jennifer McMahon and I was glad she didn't disappoint. After avoiding manic phone calls from her sister Lexie, Jax is startled to hear that she suddenly turned up dead in the family pool. Although Lexie suffered from bi-polar disorder and was clearly off her meds, Jax suspects that this wasn’t an accident or suicide. The clues Lexie left behind clear point to something amiss with the family pool but too many people are chalking it up to Lexie’s mental health. However, rumors have long since circulated that the pool was cursed and Lexie was not the first person to drown in the murky water. As Jax tries to uncover what her sister was working on, the mysterious history of the pool reveals a sinister past.
The story captivates from the beginning. The novel is written in a dual timeline (2019 and 1929) and both stories have a steady build of unease as the truth about the pool and the surrounding property unfurls. The 1929 story focuses on Ethel’s visit to a resort where she learns the springs there have magical powers to help wishes come true. When she makes a wish, she soon discovers that even wishes come at a cost. The connections between Ethel and Jax’s story run far deeper than location, which creates a slow burn of the creep factor throughout the book, something that might leave the reader unsettled until the very end. If you enjoyed McMahon's The Winter People and The Night Sister, definitely pick this one up.
Mary-Megan Kalvig
Popular Materials Asst.