Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning by Amy Doak

Title: Eleanor Jones is Not Drowning

Author: Amy Doak

Genre: Crime

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Published: 30^th June 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 336

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: A new installment in the award-winning and bestselling series about teen detective Eleanor Jones is here . . .

Eleanor Jones is over the rain. The drought has finally broken, and the Cooinda River is rising – fast.

When fellow student Letisha Sabri asks her to prove her boyfriend’s death was not an accident or suicide, but rather murder, Eleanor is thrown back into detective mode. The more Eleanor investigates – which she fits in around school, spending time with Troy and planning for the upcoming Deb Ball – the more it seems like Letisha might be right.

As the riverbank starts to spill over and reveal its secrets, it becomes increasingly difficult for Eleanor to keep her head above water.

~*~

Eleanor Jones is back with a new mystery to solve in Cooinda. After months of drought, and fires that covered up other crimes in the previous book, the rains are tumbling down, soaking the ground and causing the waterways to rise.

Between school and getting ready for a local debutante ball, Eleanor is determined to stop getting involved in crimes. She’s even promised the local detective, Holly, that she will stop. Yet when fellow student, Letisha Sabri comes to Eleanor about her boyfriend’s death, Eleanor and her friends are drawn into an investigation that will have so many threads and secrets leading them into a world of corruption and secrets that could bring down important people in Cooinda.

Xavi Bettina drowned while he was painting one of the bridges in Cooinda, something he was commissioned to do by the council. Everyone thinks it was an accident, yet Letisha is sure it was murder. She’s sure that Xavi wouldn’t have taken the risk everyone is saying he did, and of course, there is more to the story than everyone is getting.

But bow can Eleanor get involved when she has promised she won’t? Her friends are going along with it, even as everyone is on edge with the floods and the potential for Cooinda to be devastated by the encroaching water. The water is as much a threat as the people Eleanor suspects are behind what happened to Xavi, but getting Holly to listen to her is challenging. Even though Eleanor is learning to go to her when she had information now.

The events of this book are at the mercy of nature, the water, Eleanor’s recklessness, and apparent alliances that dictate how the case and Eleanor’s investigations are going to proceed throughout the novel. Not to mention the ongoing conflict with Tyler at school. Who knew that moving to a country town could be so filled with drama?

As the fourth book in the series, Eleanor is developing well as a character, and watching her grow and change throughout the series, adapting to her school and those around her has been great to see. It shows that she is willing to listen. To a point. Her curiosity often gets the better of her, and ends up contributing to solving the case. It’s a fun series, where teens can see a world that is relatable, characters doing things they enjoy, as every character has a different interest, and the diverse world of Cooinda really comes to life. At the same time, it shows what it is like to stand out because of who you are, your culture, your family, or even simply what you like doing with your free time.

In this series, nobody is immune from bullying or people seeing them as different. It is a reminder that embracing what makes us unique is powerful and solving mysteries can make you part of a community. But also, don’t do it. It likely won’t end as well as it does in this series.