Revenge of the Tide

Revenge of the Tide is the Elizabeth Haynes 2012 standalone thriller, with the protagonist Genevieve having bought a houseboat on the Kent coast and trying to put together a new life after several years working as a high-end pole dancer in London. A body washes up near the marina in the opening chapters. The body is someone Genevieve knew.

Haynes's structural signature in Revenge of the Tide is alternating chapters that gradually fill in the London-dancer years while the present-day suspense builds on the houseboat. The technique works partly because Haynes refuses to make Genevieve's past either glamorous or shameful; the dancer chapters are matter-of-fact about the job and about its specific physical and emotional weight. The way the past pressure becomes the present-day danger is handled with the careful patience that distinguishes Haynes's work. Fans of Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes or Lisa Jewell's domestic thrillers will recognize the careful British psychological-suspense register.

The closing chapters earn themselves. The Kent coast geography is genuinely well-rendered.

Four stars. A solid Elizabeth Haynes standalone. The Revenge of the Tide novel is not the right entry point; new readers should start with Into the Darkest Corner. Recommended for readers of the form who have already worked through her debut.