The Swimmer

Forty-year-old social misfit Chloe Cooper is a bartender, caregiver to her ailing mother and a voyeur/stalker. Her latest obsession is with her new neighbors, the glamorous Jemma Spengler and her doctor husband Adam. They have moved to the Pacific Northwest to rebuild their lives and their marriage after tragic losses.

While walking her mother’s dog on the beach early one morning Chloe witnesses a jet ski striking a swimmer, then it makes a sharp turn and strikes again. The jet ski and its operator then vanish into the fog leaving a body floating in its wake. Chloe is certain that it must be Jemma who was struck because she has been watching and she knows Jemma’s early-morning swim routine. She makes a 911 call and informs police that she suspects the killer is Adam because she has seen the couple arguing and she knows the good doctor is having an affair. As events unfold we find out that not everything is at it appears and we are left not knowing who to trust or what to believe.

This intricate, well-plotted story weaves a tangled web of secrets, lies, misconceptions and vengeance. The short chapters, multiple points of view and well-placed plot twists make this a faced paced, action-packed thrill ride of a read. Loreth Anne White, the author of the mega-hit The Maid’s Diary, has another sure-fire chart topper on her hands.