Dead Below Deck - by Jan Gangsei (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It was supposed to be the best-ever girls' trip: five days, four friends, one luxury yacht, no parents. But on the final night, as the yacht cruised the deep and dark waters between Florida and Grand Cayman, eighteen-year-old heiress Giselle vanished. She's nowhere to be found the next morning even after a frantic search, until security footage surfaces ... showing Maggie pushing her overboard. But Maggie has no memory of what happened. All she knows is that she woke up with a throbbing headache, thousands of dollars in cash in her safe, a passport that isn't hers, and Giselle's diary. And while Maggie had her own reasons to want Giselle dead, so did everyone else on board: jealous Viv, calculating Emi, even some members of the staff. What really went down on the top deck that night? Maggie will have to work her way backward to uncover the secrets that everyone--even Giselle--kept below deck or she's dead in the water"--

Book Synopsis

When an heiress disappears from her superyacht and security footage shows her getting pushed, the main suspect has to prove her innocence in this thrilling mystery at sea told in reverse chronological order, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Genuine Fraud.

It was supposed to be the best-ever girls' trip: five days, four friends, one luxury yacht, no parents. But on the final night, as the yacht cruised the deep and dark waters between Florida and Grand Cayman, eighteen-year-old heiress Giselle vanished. She's nowhere to be found the next morning even after a frantic search, until security footage surfaces . . . showing Maggie pushing her overboard.

But Maggie has no memory of what happened. All she knows is that she woke up with a throbbing headache, thousands of dollars in cash in her safe, a passport that isn't hers, and Giselle's diary. And while Maggie had her own reasons to want Giselle dead, so did everyone else on board: jealous Viv, calculating Emi, even some members of the staff.

What really went down on the top deck that night? Maggie will have to work her way backward to uncover the secrets that everyone--even Giselle--kept below deck or she's dead in the water.

Jan Gangsei crafts a compulsively readable tale of privilege, family, and identity wrapped in a wholly original mystery that will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the final twist.

One dead heiress. Four friends with secrets. A main suspect with no memory of the crime.

• Locked-Room Mystery at Sea: On a luxury superyacht in the middle of the ocean, everyone is a suspect, and there's nowhere to run when an heiress vanishes.
• Reverse Chronological Order: Told backwards from the moment Giselle disappears, this unique narrative structure will have you racing to piece together the final, shocking moments of that night.
• Girls' Trip Gone Wrong: Four friends, one yacht, and a dream vacation that descends into a nightmare of jealousy, betrayal, and murder.
• Secrets and Lies: Maggie must sift through the web of secrets kept by jealous Viv and calculating Emi, but the biggest secrets of all might be hidden in Giselle's own diary.

Review Quotes

"Dead Below Deck is twisty and thrilling! I read the whole thing on a single plane ride, desperately turning the pages. It's also so much more than just a mystery--an examination of wealth and privilege, a critique of our social-media obsessed culture, and even a look at the aftermath of combat." - April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen and Stay Dead.

"Full of fiendishly fun twists and turns, this vacation on a luxury yacht is a white-knuckle thriller that had me guessing all the way to the end, while the compelling characters and subtle class commentary kept me invested. All aboard for a glitzy, addictive, twisty ride!" - Margot Harrison, award-winning journalist and author of Only She Came Back and The Killer In Me

"Unfolding in reverse chronological order, this novel displays an impressive narrative feat: Readers follow the journey from finish to start. The final reveal is surprising yet well supported by details that appeared earlier in the story. The privileged lifestyles of the wealthy and the resulting friction that arises are a well-presented thematic undercurrent. An epic spring break cruise turns into an intriguing whodunit." - Kirkus Reviews

"A suspenseful, juicy, wholly addictive ride... you'll never be sure who to trust, and you'll love every twisty minute. Dead Below Deck masterfully exposes the secrets and lies hidden under a veneer of wealth and privilege, and Jan Gangsei has created a world where nothing--and nobody--is as it seems. Glittering, glamorous, and dangerous in equal measure." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here