Member Reviews

Absolutely great thriller, full of suspense. I think this would make an excellent tv drama. It keeps you guessing and you begin to suspect everyone. Definitely worth a read.

Was this review helpful?

Solid 4.75 stars!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not wait to finish it!
I must admit, I am a fan of so-called closed room thrillers/mysteries so this book was right up my alley.
The writing was enjoyable, the main character strong, inspiring, yet human and relatable, in my personal opinion.
The set-up was nice, well-described and unusual, the mystery was engaging too, every time I put the book down (life reasons!), I wanted to pick it back up and speed through reading it but also savour it.
I would love to read more from this author, thank you so much for the ARC, NetGalley!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this propulsive thriller set on a billionaire's super yacht. Sarah is an ex-marine suffering from PTSD who takes on a 'simple' job of providing security for the vessel on a routine Atlantic crossing.
Things go wrong from the beginning although there are no obvious culprits. There is a lovely nod to the film Die Hard. In the middle of a horrendous storm, Sarah has to save the ship whilst fending off panic attacks and sabotage.
It's crying out to be made into a film as the action is so much fun.

Was this review helpful?

What a good read.I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense as it built up as the story unfolded. There was only a small number of characters, but they were all really complex, and you did not know until the end who were the good guys. Would make a really good film.

Was this review helpful?

Sarah French, ex-Royal Marine has been hired as security detail to babysit a super yacht across the Atlantic.

Her old friend and new boss Mitch sees it as a way to recuperate following her traumatic departure from the Marines.

As things start to go wrong, it becomes anything but relaxing.

A tense thriller from Cameron Ward that keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the end

Was this review helpful?

I found the book difficult to read and get into. It didn't grip me, as I had hoped it would and I had to force myself to read it at times.

The setting of the book was different to anything I've ever read, and had the foundations to be an amazing thriller. It just never seemed to get going. I found a lot of it predictable, and there were no plots twists to keep you interested. On the occasions it did have my interest, either something irrelevant would happen or something unrealistic would happen.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to read the book, but unfortunately is not one I would recommend

Was this review helpful?

Ex-marine Sarah French has been given a security job on a high value superyacht. A two week trip that was to be an easy journey, with little to worry about, time to relax, and space to work her way through the inner turmoil that lead to her leaving the marines. However, one thing after another starts to go wrong, and Sarah knows there is tension amongst the crew. One by one, theyare picked off, and Sarah realises that anyone could be next, and that everyone is a suspect.
I really loved this fast paced book, and read it in just a couple of sittings. I'd love to read more adventures of Sarah, who I found to be a strong, and likable character.
A great read, and well deserving of the 5 stars I have given.

Was this review helpful?

This was like a 'Die Hard' film only with a badass female lead. It was a totally gripping, fast paced, action thriller but also a bit ridiculous in terms of believability with the fight scenes and Sarah's ability to keep going despite multiple injuries and gun shot wounds. It was also pretty obvious early on who the baddie and their sidekick were but enjoy it for what it is which is a great, over-the-top, fictional, easy read. I liked it a lot!

Was this review helpful?

Set on the Titanic it tells 2 stories. One is based on the author’s forebear. It’s a brilliant book and I enjoyed every minute of it. The 2nd is fiction and they interweave to make a really great book.

Was this review helpful?

First chapter or two started off great but after that I found it slow. Lots of repeated conversations among the crew .
Sarah the main character I found quite tiresome.
Not for me I'm afraid .

Was this review helpful?

Definitely liked the sound of this book- a mystery on a luxury yacht.

It started off fine with a strong opening chapter but after that I found it quite slow going.

I didn’t particularly connect with the main character, Sarah and actually found her quite annoying - how could she not see the obvious indicators of what was going on? I had the bad guys sussed pretty early and I'm usually terrible at it.

Also quite a bit of repetition of phrases and themes which slowed things down even further.

Kept on until the end but ’m afraid I just don’t think this one was for me.

Thanks to Net Galley for early copy

Was this review helpful?

This book started off well and had all the promise of an adventure in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately I found it very slow going and struggled to finish it.

Was this review helpful?

An enjoyable read although the main character Sarah has her demons and seems to be clearly still suffering from PTSD when she takes on this new role as security officer on board a luxurious super yacht. This perhaps explains why she misses some fairly obvious pointers that all is not well.

Overall this was quote well written and reasonably paced and it would be interesting to see if there will be further stories which would allow Sarah to further develop.

Was this review helpful?

Sarah - a new heroine! A troubled ex-Marine with a well-trained, well-honed body and a traumatised mind, it's not clear whether she will rise up to the challenges her new job throws at her. A great plot, with lots of twists and turns, but slightly marred by Sarah missing the obvious indications that something was awry.

Was this review helpful?

Sarah, an ex Royal Navy Marine, has been struggling with her demons since being in civvie street. An old friend, Mitch, also ex services, recruits her to be the security on a billionaire’s yacht.

The premise of this story was intriguing and I looked forward to reading, and if you like action thrillers then this would definitely suit.

However, the plot line was slow and laborious with too many fillers and too much repetition (yes, we know he had a goofy smile), so much so that the action became lost and didn’t really emerge until towards the end of the book. It was also obvious very early on who the baddie and their sidekick were, no surprises there.

A long, drawn out read. Sorry, not what I was expecting.

2.5* upped to 3*

Thank you NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

An ex-marine, Sarah French, is employed as security on a super yacht being delivered to the Caribbean. Only the crew and a couple of ‘guests’ on board. Of course, things go wrong with the weather, equipment on board and crew relationships. Can Sarah fight the baddies, save the ship and help the other crew members? In addition, Sarah has to fight her own emotional/mental demons relating to personal loss and a feeling of guilt. You’ll know the answer to whether she wins through but not quite the where, how and why details.
It kept me reading to the very end, even though the author signposted the baddies too clearly (but not evident enough for our heroine) and the action was rather predictable. Quite well written and you can envision the film rights will be in demand.
Overall, enjoyable enough if you like action thrillers.

Was this review helpful?

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

Was this review helpful?

This novel revolves around Sarah, an ex-marine who joins the crew of a luxury super-yacht to be the security guard on their transatlantic voyage to hand the boat over to new owners.
We get to know her initial impressions of all the crew she is sailing with, but as we go along the book, we find out that not everyone is as they seem.
It's told in the first person of Sarah, which helped understand some of her past issues with PTSD and why this role is so important to her, and her stage of life.
I found the book engaging, and was rooting for Sarah for the most part, as well as wanted to know more about the people she was sailing with. The tension was well paced throughout the book, and I was actually quite happy with the conclusion of the story. The characters were well developed, and you really felt the strength that Sarah had to pull at various times throughout the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thriller, with lots of twists and turns - although potentially not one to read on a cruise holiday!

Was this review helpful?

This novel by Cameron Ward has pulled out all of the stops to make this (not quite, but almost) who-done-it unusual but believable.
Sarah Finch, and ex-marine suffering from PTSD is the narrator. She appears to get an easy job on a super-luxury liner, to help her over her trauma, but as the author tells the reader right at the start this is not to be.
I was amazed by the detail that the author put in this novel and I really was fascinated by the plot, and really enjoyed it.
I will certainly look out for this author again. Well done!
Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A Stranger on board- Cameron Ward

A rollicking read with a tremendous female protagonist up against an unseen enemy whose secrets she struggles to uncover.

This is the story of Sarah, an ex Royal Marine taking on her first civilian security job. But is her frame of mind strong enough to achieve her mission to protect the billionaire’s super-yacht and its dysfunctional crew?

What starts as a simple security jog with use of the luxury facilities, swiftly deteriorates with the yacht providing an evermore claustrophobic and threatening location for the fight of her life.

Sarah makes a convincing hero, the horrors of her service on the front line, having taken a toll on her. Despite this she has the courage, expertise and strength to take on the vicious criminals determined to ensure her failure. I found the luxurious ship-board setting, Sarah’s naval background and the insight into the billionaire’s lifestyle fascinating and really enjoyed this thriller.

C D Winslow

Was this review helpful?