Jennifer McMahon produces literary fiction that is heavily based on familial relationships but with a nice dose of the supernatural. Her latest novel, THE DROWNING KIND, is no exception as it pulls you into the story of two very unique sisters and may cause you to look over your shoulder late into the night as you turn each suspense-filled page.

The book begins in the year 2000 as two extremely close sisters, Jax and Lexie, are swimming in the local spa-infused pool in the backyard of their grandmother’s Vermont home, Sparrow Crest, where they often spend their summer vacations. Against their grandmother’s warnings, they strike the “dead-man’s” floating pose as they open their eyes beneath the blackish water to look for the legendary dead who are purported to still exist at the bottom of the pool. They are alone but together in this moment, being watched by whatever ghostly denizens might be lurking underneath.

"THE DROWNING KIND is a chilling novel that will tug at your heartstrings while simultaneously creeping you out beyond belief, and will linger in your mind for a long time to come."

Nineteen years later, Lexie resides in Sparrow Crest, while Jax, who is now a social worker, lives in Washington State. They have had a complicated relationship in recent years and can go several months without speaking. But in June 2019, Jax avoids dozens of phone messages from Lexie, each one sounding more bizarre and cryptic than the last. Jax’s counselor encourages her to keep her distance from Lexie as she is the reason for much of her anxiety. Regrettably, that tactic will soon lead to unbearable guilt when Jax receives a late-night call from her Aunt Diane informing her that Lexie is dead, her nude body found floating in the pool at Sparrow Crest.

Jax travels to Vermont to be with her small family and attend the funeral. She is also determined to find out what was behind those crazy messages and the role that they may have played in Lexie's suicide. Her sister's journal focuses on the handful of known former residents who drowned in the pool, mostly when Sparrow Crest was an infamous hotel.

Jax had always heard stories about the legendary spa water and what it was capable of, but she never faced it in the same way as Lexie, who was obviously obsessed with it. Aunt Diane, always a non-believer of these tales, confesses that the water holds more power and mystery than most people understand. Legend states that it cannot just heal, it also grants wishes. However, for every wish that is granted, something must be given back to the water --- often with tragic consequences.

Lexie’s notes speak directly to Jax as if she knew this very situation would happen. She asks Jax to question their aunt about Rita, a relative who drowned in the pool decades earlier, and to discover who her “imaginary friend” Martha really was. Jax is having a hard time unpacking all of this, not to mention her own feelings of guilt, especially when she finds a small note written to her in crayon that reads: “Why didn’t you pick up the phone?”

McMahon also devotes several chapters to the years 1929 and 1930, which feature correspondence from a young doctor named Will and his wife, Ethel, who are staying at the hotel and, through a strange twist of fate, end up owning the place. They have a child born with serious heart ailments that most likely will cause death within a year. That is, until Ethel finds out about the legends of the springs and the spa water that can save their baby. Of course, we also learn about the severe price that will have to be paid in exchange for this miracle.

While back in town, Jax reconnects with Ryan, an old friend, and they go to the nursing home where his grandmother, Shirley, is living. It turns out that Lexie spent a great deal of time there and became exceedingly popular with the residents. Shirley is a fountain of information (no pun intended) about the history of the area and the enchanted springs. She also had shared the dark side of this legend with Lexie, complete with talk about those who still haunted the pool and were never released from its hold. Of course, McMahon finds a way to connect the story from 1929 with Shirley in a very haunting way.

THE DROWNING KIND is a chilling novel that will tug at your heartstrings while simultaneously creeping you out beyond belief, and will linger in your mind for a long time to come.