The Rising Tide: The heart-stopping and addictive thriller from the Richard and Judy author

Sam Lloyd

Jun 2021 · Random House

About this ebook

The new pulse-pounding thriller from the bestselling author of THE MEMORY WOOD.

'Beautifully written, incredibly evocative with a real sense of place and of the sea. Heart-stoppingly tense' Catherine Cooper, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE CHALET

'Fiendishly clever' Sunday Times

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HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

The news doesn't strike cleanly, like a guillotine's blade. Nothing so merciful. This news is a slovenly traveller, dragging its feet, gradually revealing its horrors. And it announces itself first with violence - the urgent hammering of fists on the front door.

Life can change in a heartbeat.

Lucy has everything she could wish for: a beautiful home high on the clifftops, a devoted husband and two beloved children.

Then one morning, time stops. Their family yacht is recovered, abandoned far out at sea. Lucy's husband is nowhere to be found and as the seconds tick by, she begins to wonder - what if he was the one who took the boat?

And if so, where is he now?

As a once-in-a-generation storm frustrates the rescue operation, Lucy pieces together what happened onboard. And then she makes a fresh discovery. One that plunges her into a living nightmare . . .

Wherever her husband is, he isn't alone. Because their children are missing, too.

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Praise for Sam Lloyd:

'Lloyd is a rare new thriller talent.' Daily Mail

'Stunning prose and compulsive reading.' Lesley Kara

'An intense, atmospheric, and truly original thriller.' Shari Lapena

'A beautifully written, fast-paced thriller.' Heat

'A darkly chilling and original novel . . . a series of twists keeps readers captivated until a shocking climax.' Daily Express

'Brilliant writing, a terrifying story, and characters so real it feels like you know them.' Samantha Downing

'A truly chilling story.' Woman & Home


Sam Lloyd, Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, Winter 2020

Ratings and reviews

The Rising Tide is the second novel by British author, Sam Lloyd. As soon as she hears Daniel is missing, Lucy Locke wonders if it is intentional. After the appalling disloyalty of his business partner, Nick Povey, things aren’t going well at Locke-Povey Marine and she knows Daniel is worried that they will lose everything. He has taken their forty-year-old yacht, The Lazy Susan out on a morning when a monster storm is imminent. Is her beloved husband taking the most radical step he can to ensure his family’s survival? Does he think that insurance money will replace a husband and father? Lucy is grateful that seven-year-old Fin is at school and his eighteen-year-old half-sister Billie, at college, so she can deal with this without distraction. The reality, as it is gradually revealed, turns out to be much worse. The whole of Skentel mobilises, and the Drift Net, Lucy’s own café/gallery/live music venue becomes a hub for managing the search. The media are, of course, drawn to the tiny Devon fishing village for the drama; an ailing DI Abraham Rose arrives to ascertain exactly what has led to this potentially tragic incident, and if it can be mitigated; a case likely to be his last. The reasons for Daniel’s actions, as they are eventually disclosed, are shocking, chilling even. More cannot be said without spoilers. This is a cleverly constructed atmospheric thriller that keeps the reader guessing with every twist and turn of the plot. The main narrative is carried by Lucy, of whom the reader will begin to wonder quite how reliable, how honest, how selective the story she tells might be. Interspersed with this are occasional pieces from an anonymous voice whose sanity is quickly under question. An utterly superb, wonderfully atmospheric British thriller. This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Pigeonhole and Transworld Digital.

A highly recommend read. Brilliant and thrilling!!!

About the author

Sam Lloyd grew up in Hampshire, where he learned his love of storytelling. These days he lives in Surrey with his wife, three young sons and a dog that likes to howl. His debut thriller, The Memory Wood, was published to huge critical acclaim in 2020. His second thriller, THE RISING TIDE, was published to great critical acclaim in 2021.