Book Review: The Silver Tide by J.H.Mann

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming J.H.Mann back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, The Silver Tide.

Cornwall, 1863. On a windswept beach, Maggie Pascoe watches in horror as her family is lost to the sea. Her father and three brothers are among dozens of fishermen from the town of St Branok who perish in a summer storm.

Destitute and alone, she finds comfort in her friendship with widow Norah Bray, whose young son also drowned in the disaster.

But the tragedy was no accident. As Maggie battles to uncover the truth, she hides a devastating secret – one that could destroy her bond with Norah forever.

Inspired by a true story, The Silver Tide is a powerful tale of love, betrayal and one woman’s courageous fight for justice.

*****

When an unexpected summer storm devastates the town of St Branok, Maggie loses everything when the sea claims her father and three brothers. She finds comfort in the company of her friend, Norah whose own son also died. 

As time passes, something isn’t adding up for Maggie. As she begins to investigate the tragedy, she meets opposition at nearly every turn. 

Can she find out what happened whilst keeping herself safe? Can she keep a secret from Norah that threatens to tear their friendship apart? 

Having previously enjoyed The Echoing Shore, I was eager to return to St Branok and the latest book in the Wild Cornwall series. 

If The Silver Tide is your introduction to this set of books, it can be read as a standalone. I do recommend the previous novels. They are excellent. 

The author wastes no time in pulling the reader right into the action whilst setting a heart-breaking scene. I felt like I was there, willing them to stay on land, knowing what awaited them on the water. 

Maggie is a strong character who has the courage of her convictions despite losing everything. She has a huge sense of justice and puts herself in danger in the pursuit of it. She represents the behaviour you’d hope to have if in her position. The story is told from her point of view and I couldn’t help but root for her. 

The supporting cast are a great mixture and I wasn’t quite sure who to trust. I don’t want to say too much apart from Jed Hoskin gave me big Mr Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life vibes. 

The plot unveils itself well and I just keep thinking ‘one more page.’ As with The Echoing Shore, I couldn’t stop reading. The scene of St Branok and Cornwall is described so well and it felt very atmospheric. I do like the stories that are based on real people. It’s definitely sparked an interest in wanting to know more about the woman on which Maggie is based.  J.H Mann has a great ability to completely immerse you in the stories he creates. 

I live in a town with a big RNLI presence and understand the importance of this organisation. My husband even spent some time volunteering with a group of people who assisted the local lifeboat station. Any piece of literature that highlights their importance is fine by me. 

The Silver Tide is a compelling story full of little twists and turns and a big mystery to solve. It has moments of loss but also has a life affirming message in its main character. 

I loved it. 

(Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review). 

About J.H.Mann –

J.H.Mann is an award-winning journalist and writer living in the South West of England. His previous novel The Echoing Shore was a Yeovil Literary Prize award winner and the Adult Fiction Winner of the 2025 Selfies Book Awards at the London Book Fair.

He has strong family links with Cornwall. His novels are inspired by the many stories told by his mother and father and his own experiences as a shore-based volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

He lives with his wife, Nicola, and their lively whippet Patch.

Say hi via his website, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok.

The Silver Tide is part of the Wild Cornwall series and was released in August 2025. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US. 

Praise for J.H.Mann:

‘J.H. Mann writes compelling fiction set in Cornwall. He transports his readers to rugged coasts…and introduces us to fascinating characters’ – Margaret James, Writing Magazine.

‘If you love Cornwall, storms at sea and an engrossing mystery then look no further’

– Cathie Hartigan, author of Notes from the Lost and the bestselling Secret of the Song.

‘J.H. Mann lovingly evokes the Cornish landscape, from the Atlantic coast to the bleak and threatening moors, for his gripping stories’ – Debi Alper, author of the Nirvana series of thrillers.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.