An absolutely captivating story
From the blurb:
Heart-pounding MM romantic suspense thriller set in a dystopian near future where love and loss collide.
Dark water. Deadly secrets. Dangerous love.
Top homicide detective Josiah Raine hasn't touched another man since his husband's brutal murder seven years ago. Notorious bad boy Alexander Lytton hasn't known peace since destroying his privileged life to become Britain's most hated man. When Josiah arrests Alex for murder, the last thing he expects is to fall in love....
London, 2095. Sixty years after rising seas drowned the old world, a corrupt system of servitude keeps the new one afloat.
Josiah leads a double life. At work, he tracks down killers with ruthless efficiency. At home, he's falling apart as he talks to his dead husband. His frozen existence is turned upside down when a celebrity is murdered, and all evidence points to the victim's servant—the beautiful but enigmatic Alexander Lytton.
Everyone is convinced of Alex's guilt except Josiah, who finds himself drawn to the sharp-witted young man. He knows Alex is hiding something, but is it murder or an even darker secret?
Haunted by memories of his husband's last moments, Josiah is running on empty as he tries to solve the case. As he slowly unravels, he finds an unlikely source of comfort—in the arms of his prime suspect.
But in a drowned world where servants are property, falling for Alex could cost him everything. Can he trust instincts numbed by grief, or is he being seduced by a master manipulator?
Immerse yourself in the enthralling first novel in the four-part Dark Water series by MM romance author Xanthe Walter, narrated by Matt Addis.
Mature content suitable for adults only.
Lesetiger's review:
Crocodile Tears is one of those books that I listened to by chance. I didn't know the author or the narrator, and dystopian fiction isn't really my thing—I only read it on rare occasions, but I love crime novels and thrillers. That's why I was curious about the story after reading the blurb.
I didn't really have high expectations for the book. The fact that I listened to the audiobook, which is over 16 hours long, in just three days despite having a full-time job means that the story captivated me very quickly.
It is set in London in 2095. The world has changed significantly due to natural disasters, followed by a severe refugee crisis. The world is very well crafted. The characters are as fascinating as they are profound, and the protagonists are not what they seem at first glance.
The plot is exciting. At first, however, it took me a while to get into the story. There is a story in the present in which a prominent person is murdered. In between, there are repeated flashbacks to both Josiah's and Alexander's past.
Josiah works for a private company and is assigned to investigate the murder case. The victim's serf, Alexander, is suspected of murder.
The jumps in time confused me a little at first, as I couldn't always figure out where the story was set. This was probably due to the format, as the years are read aloud at the beginning. In a book, I would have flipped back to see what time period the story was in, but I couldn't do that with the audiobook.
Eventually, however, I got used to it and was able to fully immerse myself in the story, which became more and more exciting and captivating the more I listened. Some things are repeated quite often, but at some point that didn't bother me anymore.
The further I listened, the more I was captivated by the timelines of the past.
Josiah is an investigator trying to uncover the truth. And even though Alexander might have good reasons to murder his Houder at first glance, Josiah doesn't believe he is guilty. On the contrary, he wants to know why Alexander hides behind a facade and often looks at the world with empty eyes.
The story has some sweet moments, but overall it's pretty dark. As a reader, you get to see Josiah find and lose his great love. But Alexander's past is also very different from what you might think at first.
The suspense case is complex, so it's no surprise that the book ends with a cliffhanger that leaves me eagerly awaiting the next volume.
The audiobook was narrated by Matt Addis, and he did a damn good job. He had a great pace, chose appropriate voices for the characters, and brought the story to life.
Crocodile Tears is currently available as an audiobook, e-book and paperback, and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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