I picked up Revenge of the Tide by Elizabeth Haynes after seeing her at the festival, and so it was on the top of my pile of signed copies of books to read when I got home.
Revenge of the Tide is the name of the boat that Genevieve has bought to live on to escape her life in London. As a non London fan I am always glad to get back to Yorkshire after a few days in the ‘big smoke’ so I can see her point! However in order to pay for her boat Genevieve is a sales person by day, and a London pole dancer at an exclusive gentlemen’s club by night. This inevitably leads her into trouble, which follows her when a body turns up near her boat.
I had read Elizabeth Haynes first novel, ‘Into the darkest corner’ a while ago and thought it was excellent, so I was looking forward to reading this. However I hate to say it but I’m afraid it was a little disappointing. Don’t get me wrong it was still a very enjoyable book, I think it just wasn’t as powerful as her first novel. Saying that, her first novel looked at issues surrounding domestic abuse and stalking, so a pole dancer is never really going to be as moving!
Taking this book on its own merit, it was good. The story of Genevieve’s background in pole dancing (along with a very in-depth description of her pole dancing moves) is told in ‘flashback’ alongside the murder investigation of the body by the boat. It brings in all good gangster elements, prostitutes, drug dealers, police informers, and sad old men who pay for sex, all built around a rather naive woman who is just trying to earn a living.
It was a fast read that kept me hooked, although I was a little annoyed by the end. I should say though that my issues with the end are more because I like my heroines to be strong, independent women who can save themselves, rather than as in this case a rather stupid women who fell in love as quickly as she shed her clothes!
I felt the writing was good, and it flipped easily between the two time periods. I loved the descriptions of the boat, and the interactions with the other ‘liveaboards’ and I’d have liked to see more of this cast of characters. The book almost made me want to go and buy a boat (thankfully as I have a complete lack of co-ordination I’ll give the pole dancing a miss!) and it was a good sunday afternoon read. I look forward to her next novel!
A crime readers blog 