‘The Woman Underwater,’ a Compelling Mystery

Charleston Resident Penny Goetjen Takes Slight Detour with Her Sixth Novel 

By: Jeff Walker, Book Review

Award winning murder mystery writer Penny Goetjen takes a slight detour with her sixth novel, offering up a compelling and thrilling suspense tale in ‘The Woman Underwater’. Seven years after the unsolved disappearance of her husband Robert, Victoria Sands faces a myriad of uncertainties, leaving her with several unanswered questions.

With no eyewitnesses and nary a trace of evidence, how could an upstanding history teacher at Litchfield Academy, an all-male boarding school just vanish into thin air after an overnight field trip. The unresolved circumstances surrounding his presumed demise is enough to keep Victoria on edge and drowning in unfinished dreams leading to night sweats. Will her visions help bring about closure or serve as a pre-cursor to her own future.

With her youngest son Jameson about to finish his senior year at the same revered prep school, Victoria appears to be even more haunted by the past. New and existing relationships buzz around her, but family ties to Litchfield as well as Victoria’s recurring dream allow for several plot twists to unfold in Goetjen’s 300-page emotional mystery.

Victoria’s life has been marred by tragedy, losing her sister and father all within the same year during Victoria’s childhood. Decades later is she following in the footsteps of her mother, raising two children alone, facing several ‘what ifs’, and desperately trying to keep her head above water financially and emotionally.

Although investigators have pretty much given up and her closest friends urge her to move on, Victoria cannot seem to declare Robert legally dead, leaving a glimmer of hope he may still be alive, perhaps suffering from an extended bout of amnesia. Now that Victoria is being courted by two very different gentlemen, both who could make her life easier should she let go of the past, holding on to only memories of Robert.

Aborted nightmares, premonitions, a brush with death, and history repeated all lead to unpredictability. So many avenues, so many dead ends. Will her tech-friendly eldest son Harrison who lives 3000 miles away be able to provide answers? Does Victoria’s obsession and fear of water have anything to do with Robert’s disappearance? Goetjen keeps readers guessing throughout 95 percent of the storyline, allowing for several assumed conclusions.

A half dozen books into her decade long career Goetjen has developed a unique writing style that appears to have captivated her avid readers. A CPA in her formative years, Goetjen is careful and calculated in describing the array of characters in her narrative, especially depicting them early on as Victoria’s mystifying account evolves.

‘A Woman Underwater’ is a thoroughly intriguing tale that is not only easy to read but will keep readers speculating throughout. For more on Penny Goetjen and to check out her first five murder mystery novels visit her website at https://pennygoetjen.com/

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