Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Water Keeper cover art

The Water Keeper

Written by: Charles Martin
Narrated by: Jonathan K. Riggs
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $6.99

Buy Now for $6.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A riveting new story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds.

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past - and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

With Charles Martin’s trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story and a heartrending search for freedom.

"I’m telling you, it’s an action-packed, classic Charles Martin romance novel unlike anything I’ve ever read. And remember...the day you pick up this book is the day you become temporarily unavailable to the world." (Charlie Martin, son of Charles Martin)

"Charles Martin fans rejoice, because he’s done it again...a multilayered story woven together with grace and redemption, and packed tight with tension and achingly real characters." (Lauren Denton, USA Today best-selling author of The Hideaway)

"In The Water Keeper Charles Martin crafts a compelling story with skill and sensitivity. Open the pages of this book and you’ll enter the world of characters caught up in a real-life drama that grips the heart. As with all of Charles’s books you never finish it - you continue to live there in your own imagination. Current fans won’t be disappointed; new readers will understand why Charles Martin is on the short list of contemporary authors I recommend above all others." (Robert Whitlow, best-selling author)

The first story in a new series from Charles Martin.

Full-length novel (c. 110,000 words).

Also by Charles Martin: The Mountain Between Us, Send Down the Rain, Long Way Gone, When Crickets Cry.

©2020 Charles Martin (P)2020 Thomas Nelson

What listeners say about The Water Keeper

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I wanted to like it more…

Story caused me to roll my eyes often… corny and predictable. Narrators monotone didn’t help. It is an action packed adventure, but quite unbelievable. Subject matter is very serious and important, however.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting

I really like the narrator of this novel. The story grabbed my attention from the first page. It was hard to hear about how these girls are preyed upon by traffickers, but I was caught up in the story throughout the whole narration. Beautiful descriptions and detail in every paragraph.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

all around great read

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great narrator and engaging story. Sometimes the message is just what the reader needs to hear.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Wow this was an amazing book. It was a little slow at first but then it got really good. The narrator was awesome as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sort of annoying

Decent storyline and action but way too much "feelings" stuff. I wanted to barf half the time. And the narrator's voice grated on me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

4 stars

This is my second completed book by this author, though I own many. I have the other two audiobooks in this series. The narrator, Jonathon K. Riggs, is terrific.

It took me awhile to get into this book. About a 1/4 way through, I was more immersed. Lots of action but many sweet and tender moments.

The author keeps you guessing but it’s largely due to not giving you all the info until toward the end. There were a few points where I was trying to make sense of some stuff, only to learn that important info wasn’t shared. So it wasn’t a matter of keeping me guessing. I really had no choice. I both disliked and liked that.

However, it was still a good novel and I’ll be listening to the others. Trafficking is something that I’m passionate about because too many do not believe how huge and how broad it is.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Love - hate relationship with this one!

All I can say is, it’s like a roller coaster for the heart & there’d better be a sequel coming, FAST!
Like every novel by Martin, I was hooked, and this one had me crying, laughing, shocked and screaming at the book at each swerve the story took. Well written, but I must say, I can’t handle the ending! I NEED a sequel! Haha.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Wow. What a great book. Captivating, intriguing, uplifting... I couldn’t pause this story. Highly recommend!!! Great narration also.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Narrator!

The Story was breathtaking, the descriptions of the Florida areas was superb! Loved it from beginning to end! Thank you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Started off well but then became ridiculous.

The narrator's performance was good, and I'm surprised he could read the ridiculous, childish ending without laughing. Sorry I stuck this one out.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!