Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published by: Avon Books
Publication date: 18th June 2026
Content warnings: dementia, bereavement, death of parent, rape, suicide, alcoholism, miscarriage

“The truth is rising. And it’s pulling him under.”

BLOODY HELL. He’s only gone and done it again, hasn’t he?! But, if you’re already a massive fan of Gaz’s books like I am, you probably already know it’s going to be another corker before you’ve even picked it up (and without me even telling you!) I love Gaz’s books. I adore them. But this one… it hit different. Yes, I inhaled it. Yes, it made me cry. And yes, I think this is his best book yet. It certainly has a special place in my heart for so many reasons. So thrilled to be sharing my review of Against the Tide by my mate G.D. Wright!

About the book

DC Vinny Robson has spent his career seeking justice for others, but when an elderly couple are violently murdered in his hometown of Beachbrook, the investigation takes a devastating turn – one that cuts straight through his own family.

With the help of DS Sue Wilmott, Vinny discovers his ailing mother’s forgotten diaries, and with them the secrets she fought to keep hidden her entire life.

As Vinny dives deeper, the case becomes more than a pursuit of a killer – it’s a fight against the undertow of his own past. But in chasing the truth, will he finally find justice, or will he drown in the wreckage of everything he thought he knew?

Some truths should stay submerged. But once the tide turns, there’s no stopping what comes to light.

The beginning

Right, prepare yourselves, because I guarantee you’ll be a blubbering mess before the end of chapter one. Jesus-bloody-christ. Gaz’s words are something else, and what is explored so early on was really close to home. In this book, we follow DC Vinny Robson and instantly see what he’s dealing with in his personal life. His mother is living at a care home facility, the dementia slowly taking hold. He visits her as often as he can, usually just before his shift starts. But as well as everything he’s going through in his personal life, his professional life was about to get just as stressful, just as intense. There are burglars terrorising Beachbrook and after an elderly couple are brutally murdered, Vinny acts as Family Liaison Officer and joins in the investigation. My attachment to Vinny was instant. I could relate to him in many ways and I admired his strength right from the start. His kindness to Natalie, a therapist and the daughter of the deceased couple, was enough to set the tears off again and it was really interesting reading from her perspective at times. Two characters holding so much pain.

“They say time is a healer. I keep praying for it to pass. For the healing to begin. That’s all I can do. Watch the seconds. Count the minutes. Tally up the hours. Live each day as it comes. Because after darkness comes light. From rain comes rainbows. Good can be found if you know where to look for it. I’ll continue to search. Continue to live.”

Of course, Beachbrook wouldn’t be complete without our loveable DS Sue Willmott, and we see even more of her character development in this book. I love Sue. She’s pretty much married to her job, yet the introduction of a new character, Sergeant Elliott Stokes, sparked some hope in me that she would finally let her hair down a bit, get more of a work/life balance, maybe spend time with Elliott outside of a professional capacity. It was clear they had chemistry and a history, their banter and memory-sharing really warmed my heart. She was also incredible when it came to looking after her team, especially knowing what Vinny is going though. The exploration of dementia in this book was so raw, so hauntingly real. I couldn’t see the words on the page at times because my eyes were swimming in tears. So heartbreaking, yet beautiful. So sincere, so sad. But one thing Vinny’s mother says to him one day out of the blue stops him in his tracks. Was there a lifelong secret his parents never told him? Alongside the investigation, he needs to find out his own truth.

The middle

I felt so much for every character in different ways. Natalie for the intense, brutal loss she’d suffered. Sue and the entire police force for the horrors they had to deal with. And of course, Vinny and everything going on with his lovely mum. The emotion seeps into every corner of this book and at times, it hits you like a ton of bricks. But it’s written with a gentleness and care that is just unmatched. I loved learning how Vinny’s mother used to love to write, and this effortlessly leads into another captivating plot point. She kept diaries. If Vinny could find them, read them, he might be able to decipher exactly what his mother meant by her cryptic sentence. We uncover shocking discoveries from her diary entries which are cleverly sprinkled into the book in between chapters, transporting us back to painful years, a time that changed so much for Vinny’s parents. I understood why she’d kept these things a secret from Vinny for his entire life, but it would be a lot for him to process when it all came out. Gaz doesn’t shy away from the raw emotion. I genuinely think he writes it better than anyone else.

“What goes on behind closed doors isn’t always obvious. Life gets to people who you’d least expect.”

I loved the many different relationships between all these characters, and I was properly rooting for a deep, lifelong friendship (or something more) between Vinny and Natalie. They continued to help each other with everything going on in their lives and although a relationship would be frowned upon as the case was ongoing, I had hope they could find happiness at the right time, whenever that would be. The complexities of grief and loss are written in a way that catches you off guard at times. It’s so deeply sad, but the most real thing in the world. I felt so much alongside these characters and the amount of times I completely forgot this was fiction was too many to count. As Vinny experiences his own loss, I felt every ounce of his pain. It’s something we just know is coming at some point. It’s inevitable. But my god, it’s a lot. It made me sad for days but I don’t think this could have been written more perfectly. I loved it when that first twist hit; it caught me off guard and how we learn of it from Vinny’s mum’s diary, even before the characters make the connection, was pure brilliance.

The end

As more information comes to light about the brutal murders, Vinny connects the dots. His heartache, his anger, his upset, his torment was never-ending. How could he ever overcome all this? As he digs deeper, he understands what this means. For him. For those closest to him. For Natalie. It’s so tightly plotted, the meticulous detail and effortless tension a thing of beauty. Each puzzle piece slotted neatly into the previous. Everything would change now. There’s blow after blow, each reveal a punch in the gut. It was so bloody emotional in so many ways. Life-changing. These chapters felt so mentally exhausting for me but I could not get enough. I cared so much for Vinny as a character and about everything that was to come for him that it was, quite literally, all I could think about. But when there’s another burglary, this time his parents’ home as the target, Vinny sees red. And his life changes again in ways he could never have imagined. We’re thrown curveball after curveball and I sensed there was more to all this. The pacing was intense and my heart was in my mouth!

“Death may take away life, but it could never take away love.”

I know how Gaz’s books go. I just know that when I hit that moment where everything feels resolved, where things are neatly tied up, there will be another fantastic twist in those final moments that completely flips everything on it’s head. And my god do we get that in this book too! In those ending moments, we read more and more sporadic diary entries from Vinny’s mother with more information about that horrific time in her life, and then one final, very hidden entry. This was the ending I’d hoped for and then some! I closed that final page buzzing with such a dramatic, dizzying finale, and it’s all I’ve been able to think about for days. Gaz never disappoints and even after loving his first two books with my whole being, I think this book is his best yet. It’s so good that I’m not quite sure how he’ll top it with book four, but let’s face it; he’ll find a way! If you’re a fan of a gripping police procedural, but you’re a sucker for a family drama, get Gaz’s books on your radar. The best of both worlds! If you want to start this series from scratch, check out my reviews for After the Storm and Into the Fire.

Overall thoughts

Against the Tide is an exceptional crime drama, a real masterclass in emotional depth with relatable characters and heart-pounding scenarios that command every bit of your attention. The third book from G.D. Wright focuses on DC Vinny Robson who is acting as Family Liaison Officer in a new case, with our favourite DS Sue Willmott; there are burglars terrorising Beachbrook, and an elderly couple are found brutally murdered in their home. But alongside this horrific investigation, Vinny also has to navigate his way through the most testing of times as his mother battles dementia. He discovers her lost diaries from years gone by and uncovers painful truths that would change his entire life. His personal and professional life collide in the most unimaginable of ways and let me tell you – it’s an absolutely phenomenal read.

I was once again completely absorbed in this author’s writing. It’s so easy to read and so incredibly engrossing that before you know it, the sun’s gone down and you’ve missed a meal. But let’s face it, those are the kind of books you want in your life. The pacing was perfectly balanced, the shocking discoveries (and there are loads) punch you in the gut and have you thinking about what you’d do in a situation, how you’d cope, how you’d heal and move on. The delicate attention given to grief and people affected by dementia had me in tears. I felt everything so deeply and I was so moved by it. On one hand, it’s a story of strength, of community, of family and friendship. But on the other, it’s about dark, buried secrets, a haunting, unthinkable past, and a mother’s desire to protect. And that ending? Oooooff!! It’s already effortlessly slipped into my top reads of the year, no question! Book four, where are you?!

Huge, endless thanks to the incomparable G.D. Wright and the fantastic team at Avon Books for my gorgeous proof copy! You can order your own copy of Against the Tide right now from Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Made sure you’re following Gaz on Instagram for more updates!

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