In Crocodile Tears, the world is broken. So are they.

Top homicide detective Josiah Raine hasn't touched another man since his husband's brutal murder seven years ago. Notorious bad boy Alexander Lytton hasn't known peace since destroying his privileged life to become Britain's most hated man. When Josiah arrests Alex for murder, the last thing he expects is to fall in love…

London, 2095. Sixty years after rising seas drowned the old world, a corrupt system of servitude keeps the new one afloat.

Josiah leads a double life. At work, he tracks down killers with ruthless efficiency. At home, he's falling apart as he talks to his dead husband. His frozen existence turns upside down when a celebrity is murdered, and all evidence points to the victim's servant—the beautiful but enigmatic Alexander Lytton.

Everyone is convinced of Alex's guilt except Josiah, who finds himself drawn to the sharp-witted young man. He knows Alex is hiding something, but is it murder or an even darker secret?

Haunted by memories of his husband's last moments, Josiah is running on empty as he tries to solve the case. As he slowly unravels, he finds an unlikely source of comfort—in the arms of his prime suspect.

But in a drowned world where servants are property, falling for Alex could cost him everything. Can he trust instincts numbed by grief, or is he being seduced by a master manipulator?

Immerse yourself in the enthralling first novel in the Dark Water series by MM romance author Xanthe Walter.

Dark water. Deadly secrets. Dangerous love.

Crocodile Tears by Xanthe Walter

In a future where the relentless force of the sea reshaped the earth's landscape, humanity struggles to redefine itself amid the ruins. In the year 2095, cities once thriving now lie beneath the waves, their remnants submerged, replaced by a new society built on the fragile framework of power and servitude. The past lingers like a ghost, and memories serve as both refuge and prison.

Josiah Raine stands at the forefront of this fractured reality. A detective marked by loss, he carries the weight of unspeakable tragedy on his shoulders. Seven years passed since his husband died, and Josiah still feels trapped in a cycle of grief. He immerses himself in his work, hunting down murderers with precision, while at home he converses with the memories of a love gone too soon. Each case draws him further away from the warmth he once knew, yet every breakthrough offers a fleeting glimpse of purpose.

When the murder of a well-known figure leaves evidence that points to Alexander Lytton, a servant whose name is synonymous with scandal, Josiah's world shifts. Lytton, a man with a troubled past and striking looks, challenges Josiah's perceptions. He is not merely another suspect; he is a puzzle, layered and intriguing. As the investigation unfolds, so does a complex web of secrets that intertwines their lives in ways neither expected.

A former elite, Alex, now branded and demonized by society, yields to the tumult of the times. From the heights of privilege to the abyss of servitude, he's forced to navigate a society that deems him less than human. Each interaction with Josiah stirs emotions he thought long buried, a sense of connection that complicates his existence. Their exchanges crackle with tension, teasing the boundaries between desire and duty.

The murky waters of this new world test loyalty and trust, both rare commodities. Josiah faces his hardest choice yet. As he investigates Alex, he unravels layers of both the case and himself. Is Alex the murderer the evidence suggests, or does his past hold darker truths? And as they inch toward intimacy, Josiah wrestles with the dangers of falling for a man who might not only hold the key to solving a crime but could also shatter the remnants of his heart.

Can love emerge from the shadows in a world where hope is submerged beneath the tides of despair?

Tropes: Broken Boys, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Forced Proximity, Touch-Starved/Emotional Awakening, Redemption Arc

This book series contains intense content intended for mature readers. Please consult the content advisory page listed in the Author's Notes to make an informed reading decision.

Reviewer Dani: Crocodile Tears is a blend of drama, emotion, angst, heart, and action, and is smartly crafted and absolutely divine. You will be unable to put it down once you start reading.