
Notes on a Drowning
'A high-octane, page-turning thriller' Jennie Godfrey
Anna Sharpe(Author)
Orion (Publisher)
Published on 29. January 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-3987-1559-2 (ISBN)
Description
'A high-octane, page-turning thriller' JENNIE GODFREY
'Brilliantly pacy' DAILY EXPRESS
'I loved it' T.M. LOGAN
'A tense and fast-moving thriller' GUARDIAN
'Zips along like a high-end Netflix drama you can't help but binge' JANE CASEY
A MURDERED GIRL. A DEADLY COVER-UP.
Alex risks losing her job if she takes on more unpaid legal work, but then comes a case she can't refuse. A young girl's lifeless body has been dragged from the Thames and her sister is convinced it wasn't an accident. Still haunted by the disappearance of her own sister Alex begins to investigate.
Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary and is determined to keep dark events from her youth in the past. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, and a letter that raises questions about a drowned girl, Kat wonders if her seemingly perfect boss could be involved.
As Alex and Kat delve deeper, it becomes clear that other girls are at risk. Can the women overcome their differences and uncover the full story in time to save them? Or will the powerful men pulling the strings silence them for good?
Readers love Notes on a Drowning:
'Powerful' ?????
'Gripping'?????
'High-octane' ?????
'Grabs you' ?????
'Atmospheric' ?????
'Timely' ?????
'Brilliantly pacy' DAILY EXPRESS
'I loved it' T.M. LOGAN
'A tense and fast-moving thriller' GUARDIAN
'Zips along like a high-end Netflix drama you can't help but binge' JANE CASEY
A MURDERED GIRL. A DEADLY COVER-UP.
Alex risks losing her job if she takes on more unpaid legal work, but then comes a case she can't refuse. A young girl's lifeless body has been dragged from the Thames and her sister is convinced it wasn't an accident. Still haunted by the disappearance of her own sister Alex begins to investigate.
Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary and is determined to keep dark events from her youth in the past. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, and a letter that raises questions about a drowned girl, Kat wonders if her seemingly perfect boss could be involved.
As Alex and Kat delve deeper, it becomes clear that other girls are at risk. Can the women overcome their differences and uncover the full story in time to save them? Or will the powerful men pulling the strings silence them for good?
Readers love Notes on a Drowning:
'Powerful' ?????
'Gripping'?????
'High-octane' ?????
'Grabs you' ?????
'Atmospheric' ?????
'Timely' ?????
Reviews / Votes
A propulsive, authentic, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, written with biting wit and real heart * Erin Kelly * A sharp sense of the realities of power in modern Britain * Daily Mail * My kind of thriller: pacy, absorbing and smart, with great characters and brilliant dialogue on every page. I loved it! * TM Logan * Her characters actually speak like real people - a rarity in thrillers - and her depiction of the men who do as they please in the corridors of power and behind the shutters of Mayfair has the tang of righteous anger. * The Times * A witty and warm political thriller -- Adele Parks Whip-smart political thriller... A brilliantly pacy page-turner with a deeply compassionate centre. Topical and thought-provoking. -- Matt Nixson * The Express * Razor-sharp writing, a gripping plot and a level of authenticity that comes straight from years of legal experience right at the coal face. Highly recommended. * Harriet Tyce * A whip-smart thriller, and I adored Alex... Both gripping and compassionate, I really hope this is a series, and it would be perfect for TV. * Jo Callaghan * A whip-smart, taut thriller from the pen of the brilliant Anna Sharpe about powerful people behaving badly, written with compassion for their victims as well as an astute eye for the world of politics and the law. What is the connection between a dead Moldovan girl found floating in the Thames and a young woman's experiences in Tokyo years earlier? It zips along like a high-end Netflix drama you can't help but binge. Out in January! * Jane Casey * I loved Notes on a Drowning... A tense political thriller but one that never forgets its heart. A new venture from mega-talented Anna Sharpe. Read it! * Elly Griffiths * A rare thing - a high-octane, page turning thriller, but with characters who are fully rounded -- Jennie Godfrey Thought-provoking, timely, and elegant in execution... a novel that marries the intelligence of legal noir with the tension of a cutting-edge thriller... Simply outstanding. * Abir Mukherjee, Sunday Times bestselling and CWA award-winning author of Hunted * Anna Sharpe is a masterful storyteller. Here, she crafts a riveting account of corruption at the dark heart of Westminster. Smart, propulsive and horrifyingly believable, Notes on a Drowning explores the cowardice of the powerful and the courage of those they subjugate. Along with a shockingly timely theme, I found not one but two of that ever-elusive heroine: tough and resilient but also human and relatable. I desperately hope to see Alex and Kat again. -- Kia Abdullah A compelling, emotional and unputdownable thriller * Nadine Matheson * A timely and hugely entertaining political thriller written with humour and sensitivity, and an important story at its heart. Anna Sharpe has created something fresh and new, and I can't wait for the next one. * Charlotte Philby * Smart, sharp, and restlessly entertaining with dialogue that dances off the page, Notes on a Drowning is riveting from the get-go. Loved this trip into the seedy underbelly of politics and corruption. * Sam Holland, award-winning and bestselling author of The Echo Man * Well that was a ride and a half. Brava @Anna_Mazz If you want murder and thrills and mafias and spooks and some trafficking oh and drowning obviously. This is your book. Oh and lawyers too. Breakneck plot skilfully delivered with writing to die for ??????' * Imran Mahmood * A belter of a book. Shrewd, powerful, and constructed of smoke and mirrors, it's contemporary thriller writing at its breathless best. Anna Sharpe knows how to weave a tale. Slick, stylish and sharp as a tack, I really enjoyed this wry and urgent novel from a blistering new voice in contemporary crime. -- Holly Seddon Two women united by a painful secret take on the establishment in this tense, big-hearted, super-smart legal thriller. Anna Sharpe is one to watch. * Tammy Cohen * This Anna Sharpe is a bit good. Compelling characters, glamorous locations with a deep dive into a dark and murky world. Loved it! * Rachel Wolf * A gripping political thriller from an exciting new voice. I can't wait to read what Anna Sharpe writes next. * Cass Green * 1) It is ridiculously good. Taut, tense, all too heartbreakingly true. And also very funny.2) Alex and Kat should definitely ride again.
3) There should be more cats called Steve. * Caz Frear * Slick, stylish and sharp as a tack, I really enjoyed this wry and urgent novel from a blistering new voice in contemporary crime. * Holly Seddon * Ooo, this is a belter. Slick, pacy, with tension that ratchets up in the most delicious way. Add in masterful plotting, witty dialogue, some sleazy, powerful people behaving badly, and you've a surefire hit. * Amanda Jennings * A terrific, gripping page turner that tackles societal and political issues with sensitivity and a subtle touch of humour. Loved it. * Nikki Smith * A gripping thriller * Heat *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
268 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3987-1559-2 (9781398715592)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2025
Orion
€2.99
Available for download
Person
Anna Sharpe is the pseudonym of Anna Mazzola. She's the award-winning author of three historical thrillers plus one ghost novel. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award in the US. Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in 18th century Paris, reached number 11 in the Sunday Times Chart