Book Review: The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

We’re just about into summer vacation here in my house and I was looking for something lighter (but with murder), so I picked up The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding. Thriller readers in Canada will recognize Harding’s name as she has written seven other books, most of them in this genre, and they often hit our bestseller lists. I read and enjoyed a previous work of hers, Her Pretty Face, and I also interviewed her onstage about her writing process, so I can attest that she’s a true delight, and a writer to follow if you like reading domestic thrillers. This book was admittedly a HOT read for summer 2023 so I’m a year behind, but it’s a page-turner no matter when you pick it up.

Plot Summary

Lee has fallen very far, very fast in her life. She used to be a highly regarded chef with her own restaurant, fulfilling her dream of having her own successful business with lots of friends surrounding her. But when the pandemic hit she felt forced to take a loan from a seedy man with a violent history, and unable to pay him back, she fled the east coast for Seattle, with nothing but the clothes on her back. Living in her car with only a meagre wage from a job at a local diner, she is sick and tired of sleeping in fear, but things begin to improve for her as she meets two new people who offer solace from her nightmare situation. Hazel is a wealthy woman who lives in a huge house by the ocean and brings Lee breakfast in her car when she’s parked in her neighborhood for the evening. Jesse is an attractive personal trainer who doesn’t know about Lee’s living situation, and they quickly start up a physical relationship that acts as a wonderful distraction. Admittedly, Lee met both through strange circumstances; Hazel was on the verge of drowning herself trying to escape her abusive marraige when Lee came to her rescue, and Jesse seemed to appear out of nowhere with a kind smile and no questions asked. Hazel eventually asks Lee to help her disappear, offering a hefty cash reward for her efforts, so how could Lee say no? But both Jesse and Hazel are not what they seem, and Lee quickly learns that her trust was once again misplaced.

My Thoughts

Books like these are much more enjoyable to read if you don’t get caught up in the details. By nitpicking situations and reactions, one can easily get caught up in the ‘this is unbelievable’ mindset. Reading thrillers, especially domestic thrillers, is much more fun when you can just go with the flow of the story. Yes, some of Lee’s backstory seemed like a bit of a stretch, but once I moved past these initial doubts, I was easily swept along into her present day nightmare.

The narrative switches between Lee and Hazel’s perspectives, eventually leaving behind Lee and focusing only on Hazel for the last half of the book. Because their situations are so different (rich/poor, unmarried/married) yet their goals are one and the same (freedom), their characterization became so much stronger the closer they came to one another. I was almost disappointed when realizing we weren’t going to hear much more from Lee, simply because I liked reading about them together more than apart. Both women were victims, but not completely blameless either, as Harding is careful to include their bad deeds along with their redeeming features. As I read more domestic thrillers I’m realizing this is a common trope; most characters cannot be labelled as either good or bad, everyone has a few skeletons in their closet, which ups the suspense and sets the stage for future twists and red herrings.

This is a quick and entertaining read, perfect for passing a sunny afternoon in the backyard. There are really only four characters in it, so the storyline is simple, not requiring much brain power to get through. The ending isn’t surprising but it’s satisfying, so all things considered it deserves its ‘hot’ book of the summer label.