‘Bleak Water’ by Danuta Reah

Published by HarperCollins,
5 June 2002.
ISBN: 978-0-00711629-2 (HB)

Eliza Eliot, creator of a small innovative gallery has pulled off a significant coup with a chance to exhibit The Triumph of Death, the work of a well-known artist Daniel Flynn.

Both the gallery and Eliza’s flat are housed in one of the old warehouses beyond the expensive and redeveloped canal basin that seemed to be the demarcation line between new Sheffield and old Sheffield. In this dark and lonely area, the body of a young woman is found just 24 hours after Eliza had attended the funeral of her friend Maggie Chapaman, whose nine-year-old daughter, Ellie was found murdered on almost the same spot four years earlier,

Whilst Eliza is the main narrator, giving insight into the artist Danial Flynn by flashbacks to her time in Madrid and her friendship with Maggie as she undertakes to clear her friend’s belongings from her rented flat where she discovers the long campaign waged by Maggie against her child’s killer, who is shortly to be released from prison. We also see another side of the story from the point of view of Kerry Fraser, friend of Ellie, and daughter of Mark Fraser, Ellie’s killer.

DC Tina Barraclough who is the investigating officer is fighting her own demons, and it appears fighting a loosing battle, which is slowly coming to the attention of her superior Roy Farnham, who is in charge of the murder hunt.

The story has many interesting characters, moody Jonathan Massey, the gallery director, Cara the single mother, and stroppy gallery assistant Mel Young. As the story unfolds the complexity of their lives in relation to each other is skilfully woven into a fascinating mystery, as is the feeling of menace which surrounds the gallery, but overriding everything is the brooding presence of the canal.

Atmospheric and rich in characters.  Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

Danuta Reah who also writes under the name Carla Banks, was born in South Yorkshire. She comes from an academic family but opted out of formal education at the age of 16.  She went to university as a mature student and then went on to teach adults in Further and Higher Education. She taught linguistics and creative writing, and in the course of this, refined her own writing style. Danuta is the author of four novels of psychological suspense. Silent Playgrounds, Only Darkness, Night Angels and Bleak Water. Her most recent books in the UK, under the name Carla Banks are Strangers and Forest of Souls. In 2005 she won the CWA Short Story Dagger for No Flies on Frank (which was included in the The Best British Mysteries IV anthology published by Allison & Busby in 2006.  Danuta Reah is a past Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. She also publishes academic books, valued as resources for the study of language. She lives in South Yorkshire.