Sometimes small towns hold the biggest secrets.

Ambitious young attorney Tom Crane is about to become a partner in a high-profile Atlanta law firm. But first he must clear one final matter from his docket—the closing of his deceased father’s law practice in his hometown of Bethel, Georgia. Killed in a mysterious boating accident, John Crane didn’t appear to leave his son anything except the hassle of wrapping up loose ends.
But instead of celebrating his promotion, Tom finds himself packing up his office, having suddenly been “consolidated.” To add insult to injury, that same night his girlfriend breaks up with him . . . by letter.


Returning to Bethel with no sense of his future and no faith to fall back on, Tom just wants to settle his father’s final affairs and get back to Atlanta. But then he runs into an unexpected roadblock—two million dollars of unclaimed money stashed in a secret bank account. And evidence that his father’s death may not have been accidental. Worse still, a trail of data suggests his father played a role in an international fraud operation.


Tom follows the money into a tangled web of lies, theft, and betrayal. Along the way, he meets a woman who is as beguiling as she is beautiful. And her interest in the outcome of the case is just as high as his. She challenges Tom’s assumptions . . . and his faith. Now he has to decide who he can trust—and how far a father’s love can reach.

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595544518
• ISBN-13: 9781595544513
• Product Dimensions: 5.40 x 8.10 x 1.30 inches

Reader Quotes

ReaderI have been a fan of Robert Whitlow for a number of years having read a number of his books. When I discovered that he was coming out with a new book and (at the same time) starting a new series, I became excited. And waiting has been worth the effort. Water’s Edge is one of Robert Whitlow’s best. Thomas Joshua Crane had lost everything: his father had died in an unexpected fishing accident, he lost his job as his employer made cutbacks because of the economy, and his girlfriend broke up with him taking his cat with her. And that is in the first chapter. Before the month was over, his life would get worse – even as his faith grew. After receiving the book, I could not put it down – and even in the midst of writing the week’s sermon, I would pick it up in order to break up each day. And as I did, it brought tears, laughter, anger, and joy. Robert Whitlow, a practicing lawyer in North Carolina, gives insight into law (expected in a legal thriller), but he allows us to also connect with the characters. With them I did cry, laugh, get angry, and rejoice. As I did this, I also found myself examining my own spiritual life. Most importantly, I was challenged to look at my own devotional life. Let me give one example. It becomes easy to study the scripture each week to prepare a sermon. Remembering to read the scriptures so that if changes my life is a more difficult task. I am surrounded by computer indexes, I have access to multiple Study Bibles, a theological library is across the street. But I also have a responsibility to let the scriptures speak to me. It was a lesson the protagonist had to learn and a lesson I had to be reminded of. If you have not previously read Robert Whitlow, Water’s Edge is a good place to begin. I eagerly await the next book in this new series from an accomplished author and lawyer.

ReaderBeneath the charming facade of small-town Bethel lies corruption, betrayal, and murder. Tom returns to Bethel after having lost all that he thought was important to him. Expecting to simply shut down his father’s legal practice before moving back to the big city to pursue his dream of becoming partner in a law firm, Tom instead begins to realize that all is not as it seems. What he discovers challenges everything he’s always believed…and threatens his very life. Robert Whitlow has woven a tale of action-packed drama with well-developed characters and a mystery that keeps the pages turning. Just when I would think I’d figured everything out, another twist would be revealed that changed everything. The novel was skillfully written, providing an enjoyable read that lived up to his reputation as being a master of legal suspense. I greatly enjoyed the quirkiness of Uncle Elias, who’s intimate walk with God challenged me to pursue a similar life of prayer. Tom’s own journey of faith found me both agonizing and rejoicing along with him as he wrestled with difficult decisions and sought to find his purpose in life. For myself, I will walk away thinking about Tom’s words stated in the epilogue: “I’m learning that God placed me in this world, not so other people can serve me, but so I can serve them. Only when we focus our attention on others can we become who we’re intended to be ourselves.” An admirable challenge indeed. Highly Recommended. 5 of 5 stars.

ReaderJeremiah 6:16 is written at the very beginning of this book. – “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…” We’ve all faced crossroads in our lives. We’ve wondered which choice is the right one. We’ve prayed about it, and sometimes still wondered in the end if we had made the right decision. In this fictional story, ambitious young attorney, Tom Crane faces many crossroads of his own. It seems like he has lost just about everything. His father passed away, he is fired from his job, and his girlfriend dumped him and even took his cat. He heads back to his hometown of Bethel, Georgia to close his father law practice. He hopes to settle his father’s affairs quickly and head back to Atlanta to start over. But while going through his father’s things, he uncovers evidence that his father’s death may not have been an accident. It’s a true page turner filled with theft, lies, betrayal, and even a little romance! I would highly recommend this book to anyone! Robert Whitlow is my new favorite author! I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishing through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

ReaderI confess, Robert Whitlow is one of my top three favorite authors!! I love legal fiction and Robert Whitlow writes some of the best legal fiction, in my opinion! I was not disappointed a bit with one of his latest novels. I loved the characters he brought into this story. Real people, like you and me. The main character, Tom Crane, expects to make partner any day, and instead is told that he is being let go. This happens to Tom shortly after his father’s unexpected drowning back home.
When Tom returns home he goes back to his past and must reexamine many areas of his life. As Tom closes down his father’s law practice, he is pulled into investigating exactly what was going on before his father’s tragic death. There are many twists and turns, and this book will keep you up until you finish it! I love how Mr. Whitlow creates a thrilling story while including a spiritual depth that few other legal fiction books offer. Seeing how many of the characters inspire and live out God’s truth is encouraging in our own lives. I highly recommend this book by Robert Whitlow if you enjoy a John Grisham story, yet long for a more powerful moral message. You will find yourself unable to put this book down until you get to the last page, then you will be sorry to say goodbye to new friends.

ReaderI give this book five stars, and I can’t wait to read more from Robert Whitlow!

ReaderA powerful story written with beautiful details. I found myself absorbed in the story, in the setting, and in the outcome. I wanted to warn Tom about potential dangers I “saw,” and I loved the twists and turns of the plot. Reading Water’s Edge made me feel like I was a part of the town of Bethel, Georgia, living out the drama with the characters in the story.

ReaderWhy have I not heard of Robert Whitlow before?!?!? A Christian author who writes in a similar style to John Grisham and is a best-seller, and I’ve never heard of him?!? I’m seriously going to be checking out ALL of his books from our library this week!!

Reader The book begins with Tom losing his dad, his job and his girlfriend almost all at once.
He returns home to settle his father’s estate and becomes involved in a mess.
It involves mystery money, unsettled estates, murder and trust issues.
He doesn’t know who to trust and comes very close to losing everything.
Yet amidst all of the deceit and evil he finds Someone who’s honest and faithful.
I really, really enjoyed this book. I usually notice errors (spelling or grammar) and bad writing. This book either didn’t have any or I was to involved in the story to notice. There was suspense, unexpected twists and a great plot. I became so wrapped up in the story that I didn’t notice anything going on around me.
The spiritual aspect was also refreshing. Sometimes a book reads as if the author is simply putting phrases and thoughts into a book to make it “Christian”. This author has experienced God in a real and personal and it shows.
I’ve never read anything by this author before, but will definitely be buying more of his books.