Madeline Hyde, along with her new husband Ellis and his best friend, Hank, have fled to Scotland after disgracing themselves at a society party in Philadelphia, US, to welcome in 1945. After Ellis’ allowance is reduced to a pittance by his ashamed father, Ellis and Hank decide to search for evidence that the Loch Ness monster exists, thus succeeding where Ellis’ father failed and restoring the cash flow.
But wartime Scotland is very different to a wartime US. Every man and woman in the remote highland village is working towards the war effort and rationing is in force. The villagers have no time for three self-indulgent Americans on a glory-seeking mission. The two men leave Madeline to her own devices while they go off chasing Nessie. Out of sheer boredom, she offers to help the young women who work at the hotel. As their friendship develops, Maddie begins to see her husband and his best friend for the cruel and self-interested men they really are. And at the same time, she finds herself drawn to the dark and brooding Angus Grant.
When Maddie discovers that Ellis lied about his reasons for being unable to enlist, she realises she is in a precarious position. His father, a war veteran, is already appalled by the thought that Ellis has been rendered unfit for duty – if he were to discover Ellis lied, he would disown him. But Maddie has no-one she can turn to. Her mother is dead, her father has never wanted her, and the only people who care if she lives or dies are Ellis and Hank. And Ellis, it appears, wants her gone. Will her new friends be able to save Maddie before it’s too late?
At the Water’s Edge is a great little page turner from the author of Water for Elephants – and would that every woman trapped in an unhappy marriage had a dark and brooding Highlander to rescue her!