Book Review: The Water Keeper by Charles Martin

A riveting new story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds.

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds for a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

With Martin's trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story a heartrending search for freedom, and a reminder that the needs of the one outweigh those of the ninety-nine.

Series: Murphy Shepherd, book #1

My rating:

Honestly, this one didn't hit as hard as other Martin books have in the past. Maybe I'm just used to other emotional reads and this one wasn't quite as...I don't know...evocative, maybe?

The fact remains, however, that the plot and premise were FANTASTIC. Murphy Shepherd, a priest who is way more than meets the eye, secretly working for the government to save young girls from traffickers? Sooooo good.

Anyway. I really enjoyed Murphy's character. Matter-of-fact, didn't let emotions get in the way of common sense (but often throwing common sense out the window if someone needed help), huge heart for helping people. His heartbreaking backstory and how it led him to where he is now was just...*cries* GUYS THIS POOR DUDE. Such a broken lil' cinnamon roll.

Summer was an endearing character...at first I thought she'd grate on my nerves, but nah. I actually liked her (me? Actually liking the strong female character in the story? *gasp* shocking, I know), and there was one of her quotes that I especially appreciated...something about how in a marriage, the man leads and the woman is beside him as a partner, 'cause you can't have two leaders. Or something like that.

The one thing that bothered me the most about this book was the fact that since Murphy was hunting down a trafficking ring, there was talk of a lot of half-naked (or completely naked) people. I know it's realistic, but it personally made me slightly uncomfortable. My hyperactive imagination didn't leave much room for guessing, heh.

But the fight scenes? *grins* YASSSSS. I ain't gonna lie, when good ol' Murph got injured (I'm gonna try to avoid giving away spoilers here), I'm just like "I feel sorry for ya dude but NOW PEOPLE CAN COME LOVE ON YOU" and I just wanted to go join him in laying in hammocks. 'Cause I haven't lain in a hammock in y e a r s. Random but true fact that you probably didn't wanna know.

One thing that confused me was the whole part about Fingers and Marie and all that. I know that it was supposed to be a little bit confusing, but there were a few things that just didn't make sense until the end that I would've liked to have found out before that. But it wasn't too bad so I can't really complain. *shrugs*

Also let's just have a moment of appreciation for Bones.

What was the last book you read featuring a character with a heartbreaking backstory?