Release date: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Synopsis:
On a weekend voyage, the power-hungry children of an aging billionaire are unprepared for a storm of deceptions in a novel about ruthless family ambition by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.
You are cordially invited to an overnight voyage on the Splendid Seas.
An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win.
Then Richard’s estranged live-wire daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. She’s the least of the night’s surprises. As the stakes for the inheritance of the Kingsley legacy are raised, the beautiful waters of the Pacific look more like a menacing illusion.
Let the games begin for a family who has everything money can buy, and has used lies, deception, and more to keep it. This weekend one of them will be crowned heir. One is in line to lose everything. That’s the plan. But in the coming storm, so much can go dangerously wrong.
Review:
There’s something about the authors books that keep pulling me back year after year even if my ratings of them aren’t the best. I’m not sure what keeps me coming back exactly but something about her style always ends up speaking to me. Maybe it’s because I know what to expect from her, I know I’ll get unlikable characters that are just fun to read about alongside a plot that is total brain candy, they almost feel like taking a break and provide a much needed escape. This time around you get a family of narcissists who hate each other and they’re taking an overnight luxury cruise together. So the setup was fun, I like a locked room style mystery and the cattiness and drama this family provided was entertaining enough. Things did start to feel repetitive fairly quickly but I was interested to see where it would go and I have to say, I was kind of surprised with the direction it took. If you like dramatic stories about bickering families fighting over power and money this one was decent.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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