A Drowning Tide

Merry lives a simple life. For work, she writes cryptic crosswordpuzzles. For pleasure, she swims in the icy cold sea. And in between she keepsa careful eye on her neighbour, Lucas Manning, the son of her late best friendJulia. One day Lucas's wife reports him missing. Merry has known Lucas hiswhole life; he would never walk out like this. Bad things have always hoveredaround the Manning family. Lucas's abusive criminal father disappeared decadesago, and his brother Sean is in jail. But Lucas is different. A good man. Hewas the one who turned Sean in to the police, after all. Although Sean hasspent every day since professing his innocence. As she begins to dig intoLucas's life, Merry forms an uneasy alliance with a private investigator doingthe same. Gareth was hired by Lucas's employers, who are also desperate tolocate him - and the sensitive work project he has absconded with. Merry mightbe a cryptic crossword mastermind, but reading people is hard. Was she wrongabout Lucas? Did the wrong brother go down all those years ago? This is nostraightforward disappearing act: something much more sinister is at play. Butas she get closer to the truth, Merry must confront her own dark past with theManning family, which she has fought so long to keep buried. Who can she trustwith her secrets?