Deep Water

About the book

The dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple reveals their daunting experience on a remote island to their rescuers-only to realize they’re still in the grips of the island’s secrets-in this intense and startling debut in the tradition of Into the Jungle and The Ruins.

When a Navy vessel comes across a yacht in distress in the middle of the vast Indian Ocean, Captain Danial Tengku orders his ship to rush to its aid. On board the yacht is a British couple: a horribly injured man, Jake, and his traumatized wife, Virginie, who breathlessly confesses, ‘It’s all my fault. I killed them.’

Trembling with fear, she reveals their shocking story to Danial. Months earlier, the couple had spent all their savings on a yacht, full of excitement for exploring the high seas and exotic lands together. They start at the busy harbors of Malaysia and, through word of mouth, Jake and Virginie learn about a tiny, isolated island full of unspoiled beaches. When they arrive, they discover they are not the only visitors and quickly become entangled with a motley crew of expat sailors. Soon, Jake and Virginie’s adventurous dream turns into a terrifying nightmare.

Now, it’s up to Danial to determine just how much truth there is in Virginie’s alarming tale. But when his crew make a shocking discovery, he realizes that if he doesn’t act soon, they could all fall under the dark spell of the island.

Praise for this book:

"Powered by a subtle, ominous tension. I loved this book." - Lee Child

"A debut thriller that unfolds with the inexorable force of a nightmare, and an object lesson in why some paradises should stay lost." - John Connolly

"A mirage of a novel, seductive and slippery. Turn a page (you'll turn them fast) and the story shimmering before you might shape-shift: now it's a game of domestic cat-and-mouse, now a merciless survival narrative, now a feat of literary suspense... Above all, though, Emma Bamford's Deep Water - also the title of an early work by Patricia Highsmith, whose cool and control Bamford has inherited - is that most exciting, most evolved species of psychological thriller, one in which the darkest dangers lurk not in the next room, not in a secret kiss, not even in the ocean depths, but in a suspicious mind and a guilty heart. Perhaps you'll hear echoes of Alex Garland's The Beach, or Catherine Steadman's Something in the Water, or any number of distinctive mind-benders - yet Deep Water conjures a black magic entirely its own. Can't remember the last time a novel surprised you? Deep Water is the next time a novel surprises you." - A J Finn

"Gripping and pacy... A perfect summer read." - Imran Mahmood

"Suspenseful, evocative and beautifully written, I devoured it." - L V Matthews

"An incredible debut." - B A Paris

"Paradise never felt so sinister." - Ruth Ware