The Swimming Group

By: Bella Ellwood-Clayton

Narrated by: Ellie Gossage, Laura Jennings

My name is Emma Brennan, and I never thought I’d find myself in this position—standing on a Cape Cod beach at sunrise, wondering which of my friends is a killer.

I came to the idyllic seaside town of Provincetown, to raise my young niece and figure out what to do next with my life. Eleven months ago, my sister vanished off the coast of Ocracoke Island. No body, no answers. Just a teenage daughter left behind—and me. At the same time, the man I thought I was going to marry cheated on me with a cute young florist.

I joined the Tragic Wives’ Group—a tight-knit, cold-water swimming group with enough personal drama to fill a bestseller. And one of us has put it in a manuscript, spilling all our secrets.

Then she disappears . . . leaving just a pile of clothes on the sand. She’s the second person I’ve lost in twelve months.

A SEXY BLEND OF TENSION AND SUSPENSE WITH AN ENDING YOU WON’T SEE COMING.

This razor-sharp thriller of friendship, obsession, and the secrets we’d do anything to protect is perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Liane Moriarty, Lucy Clarke, Sarah Goodwin, and Shari Lapena.

©2025 Bella Ellwood-Clayton (P)2025 Vibrance Press

Critic reviews

‘A saucy, shocking mystery that masterfully weaves together cold-water swimming and ice-cold deception.’ (SARAH BAILEY, bestselling author of The Housemate)

‘This riveting oceanside mystery will keep you glued from the first page.’ (DAMYANTI BISWAS, bestselling author of the Blue Mumbai thrillers)

Ugh. Why?

I somehow got stuck listening and regret. Super lame listen. I don’t even know how to categorize this.

So much depth to this story!

This book is so much more than your everyday thriller.

It tackles themes of grief, guilt, heartbreak, new love, trust issues and family drama. I was surprised by the depth of the story. Sometimes thrillers can be too plot driven but this one was a good mixture of plot and character growth.

The twists were unexpected and caught me off guard. They came on gradually and as usual I fell for all the red herrings, haha.

My heart broke for Em at times, especially the parts with her family. I just wanted to give her a hug. Also, I loved the theme of water flowing throughout the story. It really channeled Em’s journey.

The ending was soooo good! It wrapped up everything nicely and even made me a tear up a bit.

I primarily read the ebook but I ended up finishing reading via audiobook. The narration was excellent so if audiobooks are more your speed, check this one out.

💋 Romance
🔍 Mystery
🔪 Thriller
🧬 Family Drama
🔀 Twisty

👍🏼 5/5
🌶️ 2/5

Ugh

So juvenile. Ridiculously dumb. The twist is so absurd. I had to double check to make sure it wasn't written by a high school student.