Water Lily by Susanna Jones - Book Review

Water Lily by Susanna Jones

If you are looking for a fast paced mystery novel to read then you could do a lot worse than choose this. Water Lily comes highly recommended.

This book was very easy to get into and very easy to read.

It concerns a teacher and pupil who embark on a passionate affair. Nothing unusual in that you might say in the twenty-first century, except the teacher is a young woman in her twenties and the man, or boy, is a kid of sixteen.

Nothing really unusual in that even, not in this day and age, except that this is Japan, and Runa, the teacher, is now in severe trouble.

Someone has seen them leaving a hotel, taken their photograph, threatens to expose them, so it is rumoured.

The other teachers are aware that someone has been having an affair, but they don’t yet know who.

The witch hunt is on.

Runa panics and steals her sister’s passport and flees the town, flees the country.

She jumps on the first ferry for Shanghai, and though she can’t stop thinking of Jun, the kid, she’s committed to running.

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Ralph, a middle aged English shopkeeper has been turned down flat by the comely young ladies at the Japanese Wives Bureau.

He is too old, and too funny looking, big nose you see, for their liking. No thanks! No way. Not a chance.

He’s previously tried a Thai wife and his options are rapidly running out. His Thai beauty, Apple, (why are they always called Apple?) was charming and sweet in Thailand but once back in Carlisle in the cold and windy far north of England, overnight she turned into a sourpuss, and worse still, stayed out all night, engaged on affairs.

No, Ralph, he of the big nose, does not want another Thai bride. Too much trouble for him.

But he has some good news. He’s heard that China is a good bet. The hip place for the modern man to find a pretty young wife.

You can buy anything in China nowadays, so they say, so he too jumps the ferry for Shanghai and of course it is not long before he meets, and falls under the spell of the beautiful, yet streetwise, young Runa.

So begins Water Lily, a novel of mystery, and an excellent one at that, from Susanna Jones.

Ralph and Runa now believe that all their troubles are over, when in fact they are only just beginning, and things are about to rapidly get worse. Much worse.

As I said earlier, this book is incredibly easy to get into. I was hooked by page two and the pace is relentless.

It simply will not let you set it down. Seek it out. You won’t be disappointed.

And for any budding writers out there, you will find lots to inspire and guide you here. Lots of lessons for you to learn on how to write a book to enthrall your audience.

Highly recommended.