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.
