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Linda Huber
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The Cold Cold Sea: gripping psychological suspense Kindle Edition

by Linda Huber (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,465 ratings
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Maggie stared across the beach. The tide was coming in. But where was her daughter?

When three-year-old Olivia disappears from the beach, a happy family holiday comes to an abrupt end. Maggie is plunged into the darkest nightmare imaginable – what happened to her little girl?

Further along the coast, another mother is having problems too. Jennifer's daughter Hailey is starting school, and it should be such a happy time, but the child has become moody and silent. Family life has never seemed so awkward, and Jennifer struggles to maintain control.

The tide ebbs and flows, and summer dies, but there is no comfort for Maggie, alone now at the cottage, or for Jennifer, still swamped by doubts.

‘A psychologically astute, edge-of-the-seat story.’ Hilary Johnson
‘Unsettling and disturbing… I couldn’t put it down.’ Rebecca Muddiman
‘Breathtaking and utterly compelling.’ Debi Alper
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  1. Print length
    377 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    August 21, 2018
  5. File size
    1609 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Huber effectively explores grief, mental illness, and the destruction that such illness so often leaves in its wake." —Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07GFSDVLG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (August 21, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 21, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1609 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 377 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,465 ratings

About the author

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Linda Huber

Linda Huber

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Linda Huber is an ex-physiotherapist who grew up in Glasgow but has lived over half her life in Switzerland, where she writes psychological suspense novels as Linda Huber and feel-good novels under her pen name Melinda Huber.

The feel-good books are set in her home area in N. E. Switzerland, while the suspense novels, all standalones, have locations in different places around the UK, several in Glasgow and in Cornwall, where she spent happy childhood holidays.

The inspiration for these books comes from everyday life - a family member's struggle with dementia, the discovery that a child in her extended family drowned in the 1940s, and more.

Her newest suspense novel is The Un-Family, published in November 2022 by Hobeck Books. Holly has her dream job, and a lovely home in beautiful English countryside. Pity about the family...

Linda is currently working on another feel-good novel and enjoying life in her adopted country.

Visit Linda's website www.lindahuber.net, and follow her on Twitter @LindaHuber19.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,465 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Camille
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED THIS NOVEL!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
I greatly enjoyed this novel. The story was told from two different POV: that of Maggie and Colin who lost their child Olivia while on a summer holiday to the sea; and that of Jennifer and Phillip who lost their daughter Hailey during a holiday in Turkey. Jennifer has a nervous breakdown and is prescribed valium and therapy. While Phillip is away in America to help his grandmother who’s dying of cancer, Jennifer discovers she’s pregnant with twins and stops her medication and therapy. Soon after her madness is reignited and she forgets her daughter drowned and her body was found in the ocean’s shallows.
I thought Jennifer was a horrible woman! I didn’t feel sorry for her one bit. Her actions were criminal and her behavior reprehensible.
Linda Huber created a marvelous, suspensful story. Her writing was spot on. I loved her descriptions of the British coast——the smell of the air and the beauty of the ocean. She describes Maggie’s agony over her lost daughter and the extent of her guilty feelings of responsibility over Olivia’s loss. Ms. Huber did a great job building the character of Jennifer and her miserable, manipulative personality.
What a terrific, memorable novel!! I recommend it to those readers of psychological suspense and women’s fiction.
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margaret johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars Thriller favorite
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016
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I could not put this book down. What an exciting read. It is sad that people do these things to families. However, with better health care and hospitals we do make a difference. . Thank you for bringing this out into the open and showing such care in your writing. This was a terrific read.
One person found this helpful
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I Morr
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful and Emotional
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015
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I enjoyed "The Cold Cold Sea" I was hooked from the first page. It was an emotional, haunting, and disturbing story. The author gave us a glimpse of human nature, which at times was not pretty and difficult to face.

Two families are confronted with the loss of a child which is devastating. Both of them deal with their grief the best way that they can, but tragedy can cause people to react and do things that they never would have thought possible. In that way I found it sad. One event can set off a chain of events, that change lives for ever.

The characters are complex and relatable. The story moved at a quick pace with enough suspense to keep my interest from the beginning to the end. I felt many emotions as I read this book. It kept me thinking long after the book was finished.
2 people found this helpful
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Christa Polkinhorn
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and heart-wrenching story
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014
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Two families are confronted with one of the most painful and devastating experiences: the loss of a child. Both families deal with their grief in their own way, but in one case, the inability to accept the reality of what happened leads to actions that spin out of control and threaten to destroy the rest of the family.

This is a heart-wrenching as well as heart-warming story, beautifully written, full of tension, and with genuine, flawed, loving, and psychologically complex characters. We feel with them and for them, even if some of their actions are misguided and lead to more suffering.

I couldn’t put this book down and I can highly recommend it.
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Unrealistic
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2016
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Took a while to get through this one. It keeps your attention well enough, but the premise for the whole book was completely unrealistic. It was if the writer was trying to keep the subject of child abduction and abuse pleasant, somehow. Not very believable. Wouldn't recommend.
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Mc&SKow
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, tale of 2 families and 1 little girl
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016
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I couldn't put this book down once I started. Very good writing, and it kept getting better as it progressed. Good characters and back and forth between the 2 families. Good read.
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C. J. Rains
5.0 out of 5 stars It was everything I hoped for, and then some!
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2016
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Linda Huber has quickly become one of my favorite authors. "The Cold Cold Sea" was everything I hoped for, and then some! She has developed vivid characters and situations that we can easily relate to. I could feel all their emotions. The story moves along at a steady pace, adding just enough more to keep those pages turning. It's book I will highly recommend to all my friends and family.
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Beth Wiskochil
5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller with twists
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2016
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I didn't know until near the end which of the characters was which. A good twist on the plot. I would recommend this to anyone interested in psychological fiction. A good read; I finished it in a weekend.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the story line & plot!!
Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2019
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I liked the story line , twists & turns! Well written!!
One person found this helpful
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carla signorini
5.0 out of 5 stars Vera suspence
Reviewed in Italy on September 11, 2020
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Un bel libro, letto in inglese. Ti tiene in suspence fino all' ultimo... Proprio adatto alle ferie
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Froschkönigin
5.0 out of 5 stars Überraschend
Reviewed in Germany on January 7, 2019
Verified Purchase
Sicherlich gibt es ausgeklügeltere Methoden, nach neuen Büchern zu stöbern, die einen interessieren könnten, als nach einem bestimmten „tag“ zu suchen. Man hat damit dann so manches Buch im Regal stehen, das man nicht wirklich gebraucht hätte zum Glücklichsein. Oder man kann unerwartete Glücksmomente erleben. Wie hier.
In diesem Fall suchte ich nach etwas mit "Sea" im Titel, die Kurzbeschreibung sprach mich an, so wagte ich den Kauf, obwohl ich von der Autorin Linda Huber noch nie etwas gehört hatte. Warum eigentlich nicht?
Es handelt sich um eines der ganz, ganz wenigen Bücher, für das ich bis spät in die Nacht aufgeblieben bin. Und es passiert mir auch wirklich nicht so oft, dass mir beim Lesen die Kinnlade auf die Knie zu rutschen droht.
So großartig das Buch zu lesen war, so schwierig ist es allerdings, eine Rezension darüber zu schreiben. Man sollte nämlich kein Wort zuviel über die Handlung verraten. Nur soviel: die dreijährige Olivia verschwindet an einem Sommertag an der Küste Cornwalls, an der ihre Familie unbeschwerte Stunden verbringen will. Nur kurz hat ihre Mutter nicht auf das Kind geachtet, von dem jetzt jede Spur fehlt. Ist Olivia unbeaufsichtigt ins Wasser gegangen und ertrunken? Bald glaubt nur noch Olivias Mutter, wider besseres Wissen, dass Olivia vielleicht noch am Leben ist, und klammert sich an diese Hoffnung, solange sie nicht an Land gespült wird.
Den Rest muss man einfach selber lesen, es lohnt sich.
Ich komme immer noch nicht darüber hinweg, dass mir die Autorin bei meiner ganzen ständigen Suche nach immer neuen Büchern und dem Durchkämmen aller möglichen Buchlisten wirklich noch nie begegnet ist. Dabei ist „The Cold Cold Sea“ nicht ihr einziges Buch. Ich bin gespannt auf ihre anderen Thiller.
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Marcus Case
5.0 out of 5 stars Accomplished, Atmospheric and Memorable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2016
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I read quite a few books that I choose not to review. 'The Cold Cold Sea' is not one of them and thoroughly deserves some words of praise.
This is the first of Huber's titles that I've come across. Immediately struck by the obvious care that she puts into her work, I was not surprised to see in the Acknowledgements that this book was developed over a decade. If not longer, I'd guess, because a piece of writing as solid and substantial as this novel must have taken a great deal of contemplation before the actual writing began.
The story starts with the agonising disappearance of a young child, apparently lost to the sea whilst unawares her family enjoys the nearby beach. In itself, this scenario must be the stuff of any parent's nightmares; but in a clever and powerful master stroke Huber intensifies the anguish by describing the unfolding tragedy from the child's perspective. I found this quite breathtaking and almost unbearable to read.
The narrative slows as the broken, grief-stricken family struggles with the enormity of its loss, and Huber uses this ongoing gentle pace to good effect as the setting moves to a different part of Cornwall where a new thread to the narrative is introduced. All is not as it seems and Huber gradually deepens the characterisation and darkens the atmosphere as she puts everything in place for a psychological thriller that becomes as disarming and disturbing as the best of them. This build-up might perhaps be too slow for some readers but I think she plays it just right.
When Huber's pen decides to bare its teeth, you know all about it, that's for sure. Suddenly the gentle tone of the story to that point is ripped away and the reader comes face to face with a malevolence that startles and shocks in equal measure. The risk of spoilers necessitates caution at this point but, of the various perspectives used throughout the narrative, I felt that one in particular had the potency of the child's in the sea at the start of the story. When I read the scenes in question, I felt distinctly uncomfortable and uneasy, and hopeful that this character would meet a deserving end (I was not disappointed).
Did I enjoy this novel? Yes, in as much as a sad and grim tale can evoke 'pleasure', as such. Without a doubt I'd say this novel is accomplished, atmospheric and memorable. It's a really good read and I'm already looking forward to enjoying Huber's other books. I'll be more than satisfied if they reach the standard she sets in 'The Cold Cold Sea'.
12 people found this helpful
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Giulia
4.0 out of 5 stars Met my expectations
Reviewed in Brazil on July 18, 2015
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It was a intelligently and well written book. Not sure it was one of my favorite thrillers, since you can actually figure out what happens in the first part of the book. I wanted to be a little more intrigued I guess. Kind of like I was in "The Girl on The Train", but that is a mystery book so...
That said, it definitely fits the "Psychological Thriller" genre, and it took me to a point where I was almost just going to the last page to find out if everything would just be fine.
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