Tessa Irons lives on the canals of Venice Beach in California. It’s an exclusive community populated by the well-to-do. It’s also a popular tourist attraction, which makes the residents feel like fish in a bowl. But Tessa feels safe there. At least she did.

Tessa designs high-end jewelry, often one-of-a-kind pieces, made with metals and precious stones. Her husband, Gabe, is a trusted fertility specialist who runs his own private fertility clinic. They have what Tessa considers to be a stable life and a solid marriage. She is now very pregnant with her second child, a girl who will be born in a matter of weeks. Their lives seem fairly normal until the body of a woman is found in the canal by their house.

"THE WATER LIES is engaging, the action is fast-paced, and the vivid descriptions of both characters and scenes combine to create a memorable tale."

It isn’t long before Tessa begins to suspect that her husband is keeping secrets from her. Barb Geller shows up in Venice Beach with many questions about the death of her daughter, Regina. She and Tessa team up to find answers. There seems to be a connection between Regina and Gabe, but Tessa tries to convince herself that it can’t be true.

However, when a second person is killed --- a man who works for her husband --- Tessa becomes even more suspicious that he somehow is involved in both murders. Still, she refuses to believe that Gabe is capable of ending a human life. But if he isn’t responsible, then who is, and what do their deaths have to do with him?

Amy Meyerson does a masterful job of not only telling a good story, but also keeping us mostly in the dark until the very end by throwing out any number of possible clues. We get drawn into the mystery, trying to decipher which clues are real and which are simply red herrings.

THE WATER LIES is engaging, the action is fast-paced, and the vivid descriptions of both characters and scenes combine to create a memorable tale. You will not want to put it down until you’ve reached the last page.