The River Dark by Nicholas Bennett.

This is an odd novel set in the fictional Cotswold town of Measton. It centers on the dark events involving the river that runs through the town. This book is a mystery of the secrets that the river holds and the supernatural events that happen to the locals.

It is easy when I walk my dog along a river bank to day dream about the life, out of sight, that the river holds. This is the mood the reader must take as they plough through this very long novel. There is a lot of darkness in this book as very slowly the mystery begins to unfold. There are lots of characters involved in this story and it is easy to loose track of who is who.

Gradually the plot moves on from what you first thought was a regular crime thriller, through something creepy, then something supernatural to a nightmare of ghoulish proportions. My reading pleasure ranged day by day as I read through this book. At first I thought it was interesting, then a little slow with no progression. Slowly I got drawn into the mystery of the river and what dark secrets lay behind it's history. Then my interest waned somewhat as the story lost it's realism and it became a little bit of nonsense.

Overall this is a good book that captures your imagination as you dream of the possible secret world beyond the river. Rivers can be very creepy with many deaths taking place over the years with the victims taking their secrets to their watery graves. Some victims are never found and the mystery surrounding the river deepens.

Nicholas writes in an easy to understand British way with quite a lot of social commentary thrown in for good measure. The ending was a bit of a let down but the journey through the darkness of life around the river was a good one that I will vote 4 stars.