The Waterfall
- Amanda Llwyd
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
by Gareth Rubin
SYNOPSIS
A story about stories within stories, as four interconnected mysteries take the reader through the ages, from Shakespeare’s day to a 19th-century Gothic former Priory, to 1920s Venice, and finally to 1940s California, from the internationally bestselling author of The Turnglass.
We begin with the last testament of William Shakespeare as he investigates the real-life murder mystery of his friend, playwright Christopher Marlowe.
The second story is a 19th-century Gothic tale about the discovery of Shakespeare’s manuscript, set in an isolated former Priory, now a clinic for those who cannot sleep.
The third is a lighter Golden Age detective tale set in Venice, where private investigator Honora Feldman looks into a baffling case of theft and murder in the British expat community, with the Gothic story at its heart.
And finally, a 1940s American Noir, as Ken Kourian finds that a serial killer is recreating all the murders in The Waterfall, the companion book to his friend Oliver Tooke’s The Turnglass.
The Waterfall is a beguiling and intricate mystery that cements Gareth Rubin’s position as one of the most original authors writing today.
REVIEW
Gareth Rubin is such an intelligent writer, I honestly can't get over the fact that he managed put these stories together and link the mystery so seamlessly. The Waterfall consists of four interlocking stories, each set in a different time, different place and featuring different characters. The thing that pulls these elements together is a book called The Waterfall and this is where I was 100% sold. I love any book within a book mystery, looking for clues and working out where the different parts are going to collide.
I am usually drawn to Golden-Age or more contemporary crime novels, but in this case it was actually the first story that I found myself really intrigued by. I loved the fact that this section focused on two real people from history - William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe - the speculation that Marlowe was a spy for the government and the mystery surrounding his death. I was totally transported to the era and could have read a whole book based on this mystery alone.
This is a complex read, you need to fully concentrate to keep up with all of the characters and different settings but, as a big fan of The Turnglass, it was well worth working my way through it all. The return of Ken Kourian in the final section was the icing on the cake and I was thrilled to see the way this linked in with the author's previous book.
Gareth Rubin has such a unique voice and writing style. Because there is so much content and so many things going on, every sentence is purposeful and necessary to the plot - whether this is world-building to set the scene and atmosphere of each separate story, or information needed to solve the mystery. As you can tell, it was a big hit for me and I was very excited to see at the end of the book that he has a Christmas themed choose-your-own-adventure style Murder Mystery coming soon! Looking forward to adding that to my Christmas Crime TBR!
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Gareth Rubin @GarethRubin and Simon Schuster UK @simonschusterUK for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK Genre: Historical Thriller
ISBN: 978-1398535381
Pages: 528pp
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