Wednesday, August 03, 2022

Dead Rich b y G.W. Shaw

First Line: They arrive at luxury marinas, slipping up the Thames, shadowing the pink mansion houses that fringe the shores of Portofino, edging slowly into fat moorings off Brooklyn Marina.
 
When Kai's new girlfriend invites him to join her and her family on a Caribbean cruise, he accepts. After all, his once-thriving music career has been slowly sliding into the sunset for a few years now, and he can't drum up enough enthusiasm to attempt anything new.
 
When he steps aboard the super yacht Zinaida, he's in for some culture shock. His girlfriend, Zina, happens to be the daughter of Russian oligarch, Stepan Pirumov, and Pirumov has spared no expense in the building of his floating castle. Fortress-like, the Zinaida has a security officer who checks everyone thoroughly as they board, and there's a state-of-the-art panic room for the family and guests should the unthinkable happen.

Kai spends a lot of time wandering the yacht as it leaves St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Having very little in common with Zina's parents, he spends some time chatting with various crew members like the first officer, a rather standoffish woman named Erin. Then things begin to go pear-shaped. The security officer is arrested and put in jail. The new person in charge of security does little to allay Kai's feelings that something's not right. Zina's parents are on edge. Why? And why does it seem that the worst is yet to come?

In no time at all, Kai is going to find out that there's only one person on board this floating palace that he can trust-- Erin-- and his life is going to depend on her.

~

When I learned that one of my favorite authors, William Shaw, had written a thriller under the name G.W. Shaw, I had to get my hands on it. I was in the mood for murder and mayhem on the high seas, and Dead Rich delivered exactly what I needed. If this book had been available last year, I could probably have read it with less prejudice, but it didn't. Now I've read too many articles about Russian oligarchs having their yachts impounded and how many hundreds of millions of dollars these yachts cost to build. It's obvious from my reaction to this obscene display of wealth that I have quite a few serfs in the upper branches of my family tree.

The story in Dead Rich boils down to two characters: Kai and Erin. Kai, once a well-known name in the music industry, has had his dream fulfilled but is now resigned to watching it slip away. On the other hand, events in Erin's life have always prevented her from fulfilling her dreams. Her life has taught her to be wary and distrustful. From the first, I found myself holding back from Kai while finding myself completely on Erin's side.
 
Once things begin to go wrong on board the Zinaida, Dead Rich turns into a white-knuckle ride, and I loved every minute of watching Kai and Erin fight for survival. There may be serfs in my family tree, but there are also a few generations of sailors. I am of the opinion that a well-written tale of skullduggery on the high seas is one of the best kinds of locked room mysteries, and Shaw certainly delivers the goods. Dead Rich is my favorite escapist read of the year so far. 
 
Dead Rich by G.W. Shaw
ISBN: 9781529420029
riverrun © 2022
Hardcover, 409 pages
 
Standalone Thriller
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from Amazon UK. 

14 comments:

  1. It's so interesting how things like what's in the news impact our reading, Cathy! The same book can have very different effects on readers depending on when it's read. This one does sound intriguing. I like the 'on the high seas' context, and the characters sound interesting, too. It sounds as though there's a little thriller mixed in with this, too, and that's not easy to pull off!

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    1. No, it's not easy to pull off, but Shaw does it.

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  2. It is too bad that William Shaw's books are difficult to get in the U.S.. I have this book coming to me from Book Depository. I have ordered several of the Alex Cupidi series from there too. I think the first two Alex books are in the library system here but not the others. I started reading his books due to your blog and he is one of my favorite authors now. Thanks!

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    1. You're so welcome, Lynn! I'm hoping to turn on enough people to Shaw's books that they will be readily available on this side of the pond. It certainly would be nice...

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  3. An A+ read - wow! You really, really liked this one. I haven't read any of Shaw's books but perhaps I should make his acquaintance.

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    1. Yes, you should. His Alex Cupidi series is marvelous. (Start with The Birdwatcher on that one.)

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  4. I come from a long line of serfs myself. ;D As soon as I read Russian oligarch in your review I knew something bad was about to happen. This sounds like a fun thriller.

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    1. It is a lot of fun, Lark-- and it's nice to communicate with a fellow serf descendant! ;-)

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  5. My family has Irish peasant ancestors, which are close enough to serfs to count ;)

    I'll definitely check this book out after that review, and you've also reminded me that The Birdwatcher has been sitting on that same list (likely also due to your influence, I might add). This may be the time for me to branch out from Thriftbooks and try Book Depository.

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    1. Actually, my ancestors tend to be garden variety peasants, too. I just used the term serfs because of the Russian oligarch connection. ;-)

      Definitely time to branch out. I really enjoy Shaw's writing!

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  6. I agree about William Shaw and the Alex Cupidi series, and starting with The Birdwatcher. Shaw is a writer who just pulls in the reader and you won't come up for air until you finish the book. I don't know if I have serfs in my family tree, but definitely poor people from Ireland and from Poland/Russia (1907 migrated). This sounds like a fun book. (sigh)

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    1. We all have peasants in our family trees-- even in the trees of those "blue bloods" who like to stick their noses up in the air. I wish everyone could be handed a copy of their family tree. Most would have some eye-opening experiences.

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  7. True. Most people are not related to famous or wealthy people, royalty. They are just related to workers, peasants, serfs, tenant farmers (Ireland, for one). I would not claim wealthy or famous ancestors, simply not true nor do I want to be. I'm fine with my ancestral background. I just wish they hadn't gone through such suffering that they had to flee their homelands.

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    1. I am a true mongrel: the blood of the wealthy, the famous, the peasants, and the outlaws all flow through my veins. The only reason I may have paid more attention to numbers 1,2, and 4 is because their histories are more easily uncovered. Which am I more proud of? #3 for making it through every single day, no matter what was thrown at them. Nothing was handed to them; they had to work hard for everything they had.

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