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Review: Call of the Undertow

Call of the Undertow Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I want to wallow in the cold Scottish waters of this story but this book was a full on 5 star read for me.

I received this through my Moth Box Books Subscription box this month and is published by Freight Books a smaller and new publisher to me.

Linda Cracknell's scenic and character descriptions draw you in and pull you like a harpie to the sea's of the northern Scottish coastline.

The main story is that of Maggie, a female cartographer who has moved away from her Oxford home to escape the encompassing grief of an event that has taken place and impacted greatly on her. When she arrives to the small Scottish village, she is pretty much left to her own devices until such time as she befriends Graham in the local bird watching office. From this point her exposure to the small community she is living in opens up to her and she is asked by the local school to do a presentation and instil some interest in their students for a project they are doing.

Trothan is one of the students in the cartography presentation, he stands out immediately with his quirky looks and concentration on Maggie during her class. They strike up a mutual friendship based on their interest in maps.

This fondness takes them on a journey together through the beautiful landscape of coastal Scotland, abandoned churches and mythology as Trothan creates his own map.

This book lyrically draws you through the reason for Maggie's arrival in Scotland, her new friendships in Scotland and a shocking exposure leading to a turn of events nobody will expect.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, if you want a good winter read, this highly atmospheric book is the one for you.

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