You might think that as someone not comfortable swimming in the safety of a swimming pool, let alone the wild waters of the Norfolk Broads, this novel might not be for me, but, from the comfort of an armchair, I can appreciate the beckoning pull of the water and the peace achieved in its ‘blissful silence’ as it calms and soothes the hero.

A chilling Prologue, set in 1987, sets the tone and opens the door to the mystery held within the pages of this book. Chapter one is, in a different way, just as chilling: a panic attack, part of the PTSD suffered by the protagonist, Cam Killick, along with the nightmares.

Killick is ex SBS; he was one of an elite team in the lesser known Special Boat Service but now, at just forty, he has been pensioned off. There was one posting too many which left him unable to function as he must. He cannot simply retire to a quiet life, however, and, having discovered a peaceful existence in the rural idyll of the Norfolk Broads, and the comfortable, aptly named, Haven Cottage, he has set himself up as a specialist diver, retrieving whatever has been lost to the waters, often dropped by careless tourists. He knows water, is happiest submerged, and has given himself a new mission on which to focus. At the start of this mysterious tale, he is determined to solve the local mystery of the lost Brindley family. They went missing, thirty years previously, in 1987, and no trace of either the parents or their two young children has ever been found; strangely, the police have little interest. Killick sets himself the task of finding the car which he believes came off the road in some terrible accident and lies in the grim depths. His sympathy lies with the children who, he believes, didn’t deserve to die and simply be forgotten.

It turns out, however, that finding the car, as he does, ‘created more questions than answers’ and attracts the attention of more than just the authorities, especially in view of its contents.

The narrative is slow moving but relentless as it beats a path to the truth. Why was the investigation closed down so abruptly at the time? Who wants to close it down again now? It seems that sinister forces lie not just in the crime world but also within the folds of the constabulary. Someone is wielding considerable power and influence and Cam dices with danger when he refuses to let it go – despite the brutal attacks he endures and the menacing threats which are supposed to be warnings.

It seems that sinister forces lie not just in the crime world but also within the folds of the constabulary. Someone is wielding considerable power and influence...

The narrative is interspersed with chapters flashing back to 1987, told from a little girl’s viewpoint. She doesn’t understand all she witnesses but she knows the scent of fear. The lives of the Brindley family are, to some extent, laid bare for the reader who can deduce a little more than the child.

The novel is narrative led. The characters remain two dimensional: brutish thugs, the charming Chalmers with an ice-cold heart, the dedicated cop, DS Rogers, who realises there comes a time when doing what is right is more important than following orders even if it will jeopardise her career. Johnjo Tabernacle has his secrets but Jess, his daughter, does not know that she is central to them, and then there’s Cam Killick himself, fighting his way through his own terrors with the faithful, four-legged Nala always by his side. We learn enough about each of them; there is no need to know more since the core of the novel is in the mystery which comes to a somewhat dramatic conclusion with the ‘loose ends’ neatly tied, although not perhaps as the villains intended.

... the mystery which comes to a somewhat dramatic conclusion with the ‘loose ends’ neatly tied, although not perhaps as the villains intended.

Parker offers a detailed knowledge of diving and the secret life which exists in the often murky depths, as well as an understanding of and insight to PTSD: the panic attacks, the memories, the visions, the nightmares and the techniques needed to control them – it’s not all drugs. There can be a heavy price to pay for serving your country.

Sold as ‘the start of a brand new crime series’, there is plenty of scope for Cam Killick to return and I’m sure an enthusiastic readership will await.


The Troubled Deep is published by Raven Books