Book Review for The Water Keeper. From Grief to Grace: A Story of Rescue

I must say, The Water Keeper starts out with all the drama. A burning and sinking yacht, a dying best friend and mentor, a love lost at sea, and seven scared and trafficked girls huddled in a bubble of air, as the ship tilts toward the ocean floor. Yes, gripping suspense, a daring rescue, grief, and the final holy moments of a soul passing on to glory mark the prologue of the Water Keeper.

Once I caught my breath, I was grateful the author slowed the pace and provided (a little) backstory before I was pulled into another kind of action—which I must say surprised me a bit. I had to remind myself this book was written by a man, and let me just say, you can tell. A drunk and flirty, barely clothed teenager tries to seduce an enigmatic and (thank goodness) virtuous main character.

As the story goes, Murphy Shepherd is the groundskeeper of a small private island in the Intracoastal Waterway off North Florida. He also rescues people from human trafficking.

Grief-stricken after the death of his mentor and the woman he loves, Murphy sets off down the Intracoastal Waterway to the Florida Keys, where he intends to spread his mentor’s ashes in the ocean. At different stops on the way south, he encounters and picks up a dog (Gunner), a sickly old man (Clay), a beautiful woman (Summer) whose daughter is a trafficking victim (Angel), and a young stowaway (Ellie). This unlikely group works together, against all odds and ruthless criminals, to find and rescue Angel.

There are some deeply spiritual moments and vulnerable conversations in this story as well as a lot of shocking revelations and surprises. I’ve listed them below… Just kidding!! 😊And for you suspense and drama lovers—the action won’t let you down and will keep you reading late into the night. Hopeful? Yes, this story will leave you hopeful and wanting to read the next book. I’ve completed the second book and just started the third.

Here is one of my favorite lines: “In my life, in my strange line of work, I’d discovered that we as people can’t answer the first [question] until someone else answers the second. It’s a function of design. Belonging comes before identity. Ownership births purpose. Someone speaks whose we are, and out of that we become who we are. It’s just the way the heart works.”

I highly recommend this book.