‘Introducing Sergeant Mike Adam and DS Sue Willmott, Beachbrook’s best investigators’
– After The Storm
[ About After The Storm ]
TWO CHILDREN WENT INTO THE SEA.
When local couple Andrew and Sophie take their daughter and her friend to the beach on a stormy day, they are momentarily distracted leading both children to get washed out to sea. Andrew dives in, but comes back ashore with only one child – his own daughter, Maria. Joe, the son of his best friend and local police officer, Chris, has drowned. But it was just a tragic accident…wasn’t it?
ONLY ONE CAME OUT ALIVE.
As Sergeant Mike Adams and DS Sue Willmott investigate what really happened in the water that afternoon, the ripple effects of the tragedy tear the community apart. The detectives must discover the truth before their colleague – bereaved and desperate father, Chris – takes the investigation into his own hands…
BUT WHO IS TO BLAME?
[ My Review ]
After The Storm by G.D. Wright published August 1st with Avon and is described as ‘the gripping debut crime novel in which a child’s tragic drowning rips a small community apart with devastating consequences…‘.
Beachbrook is home to a seaside community where the local children love to play on the beach whatever the weather. Married couple Andrew and Sophie have a small beach hut that they use to store bits and pieces, clothing etc and while away many happy hours with their daughter Maria and her best friend Joe. Chris and Linda, Joe’s parents, both work full-time and struggle with child care, so Andrew and Sophie are only too delighted to cover for them. Joe has become like a son to Andrew and Sophie and they count themselves lucky to be in a position to mind him.
One particularly stormy day, Maria and Joe convince Andrew, against his better judgement, to take them to the beach. Sophie joins them but being heavily pregnant, she remains wrapped up in a chair by their hut. As Maria and Joe test their boundaries, Andrew becomes distracted by a dog. When he looks to the sea again, Maria and Joe have suddenly disappeared. Andrew rushes to the waters edge and dives straight in frantically searching for both but eventually only surfacing with one, his own daughter Maria.
The emergency services descend on the beach but it’s too late for Joe, leaving his parents Chris and Linda living the worst nightmare imaginable with the death of their only child. Chris is a policeman and Linda is a paramedic so both are used to scenes of distress but when it lands on their own lap they are completely unprepared for the impact it would have them and their relationship.
Sergeant Mike Adams and DS Sue Wilmott are colleagues of Chris and it is to them that Chris turns to for answers. What happened at the beach that day? And why was his son dead while Maria was pulled out alive? Chris is convinced there is more going on and is unable to step back fully and let the investigating team do their work. Unable to sleep, unable to act in any calm fashion, Chris becomes a loose canon, leaving Mike and Sue in a difficult position. Mike and Sue promise Chris that they will unearth the truth but as the cards tumble, the ripple effect of this tragic event begin to spread with a very unexpected fallout.
After The Storm is a novel that I think holds comparisons to the 2010 novel, The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. It is very much about the aftermath of an event and the consequences that reverberate through a community or a bunch of friends. After The Storm is obviously more of a tragedy as a child dies but both novels focus in on the adults and their reactions and actions. It’s an interesting device to use in a novel and as the repercussions of said events unfold, everyone involved has a very different perspective. G.D. Wright is ex-police, so his knowledge from his time on the force provides him with accurate insights and behaviour but, unfortunately, I found it very difficult to have any empathy for any of the characters. Also, as a parent myself, I found it extraordinary that any parent would let two children loose on a beach in such treacherous conditions, which is central to the whole plot. After The Storm is the first published novel from G.D. Wright and overall it is a promising debut but I personally would like to see a less far-fetched scenario play out in his next one!
[ Bio ]
‘I’ve signed a two book deal with Avon UK (part of the Harper Collins family), and my debut was released in August 2024. It’s called AFTER THE STORM, and it’s a police procedural with a twisty, emotional hook. My second novel, INTO THE FIRE, will be released in Summer 2025.‘ – Read more
