Alex knows she risks getting fired from her law firm if she takes on another unpaid case, but when she hears Rosa’s desperate voice at the other end of the phone, she knows she has to the body of Rosa’s shy teenage sister, Natalia, has been dragged, lifeless, from the Thames. Alex can’t help but think of her own missing little sister. She knows how a lack of answers can eat you alive.
Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary, and is eager to finally put the dark and tragic part of her past behind her. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, she begins to wonder whether her seemingly perfect new boss could be involved. Then she she’s shocked to discover a letter that raises worrying questions about a girl found drowned in London… Natalia.
There are complex and painful reasons for Alex and Kat not to work together, but when it becomes clear that there are powerful people involved in Natalia’s death, and that other girls are at risk, Alex and Kat must overcome their differences to find answers. Will they save the girls and discover the truth? Or will the high-powered players in this game stop Alex and Kat for good?
Book Info: Print Length: 298 pages. Publisher: Orion. Publication date: 23 Jan 2025
My Thoughts:
Anna Sharpe is the pseudonym of Anna Mazzola, the acclaimed historical novelist and her most recent historical novel The Book of Secrets was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year in 2025.
When she’s not writing, Anna works as a human rights and criminal justice solicitor acting for survivors of crime and it’s this knowledge and experience that provides Notes on a Drowning the authenticity and credibility throughout.
The story has two main characters, Alex, a legal aid lawyer working in London and Kat, a Special Adviser to the Home Secretary. A tragic history links these women together, but it’s when Alex takes on the case of Natalia, a teenager found drowned in the Thames that their paths cross again, putting their lives in danger.
This is a tight and fast paced legal thriller that covers political corruption, human trafficking and the abuse of power.
If you enjoy smart, socially conscious legal thrillers with strong female leads, then you will enjoy Notes on a Drowning.
