Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin and Cameron Ward for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I loved this book from start to finish. I adored the female lead. I read this book in one sitting as I was utterly gripped. Thoroughly recommend.

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Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

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This book started off as a really slow burner for me. I enjoy a book that sets the scene in detail, but this took that to the extreme, with nothing really happening until at least 50% of the way through. Had this been any other genre other than a thriller, I probably would have DNF’d by half way. BUT I love thrillers and worry that I’ll miss a really good twist if I don’t finish the book so I carried on.

Just over halfway the story really does pick up and become quite fast paced. I enjoyed getting to know more about all the characters as time went on, and enjoyed watching the dynamic change as each round of ‘bad luck’ happened.

I didn’t really see any of the twists coming, which is always a bonus, but some of it felt unrealistic. I’m no expert on the Royal Marines so maybe I’m wrong, but parts just felt very unrealistic. I also think some of the clues should have been more obvious to someone who is indeed an ex marine, as a few things happened that she shrugged off that could have alerted her to something being off long before she noticed.

All in all, a thriller that provided some shocks, but also some questions!

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A gripping read with a twisting plot. Imaging Bravo TV's 'Below Deck' series with a murderer on board, Super fun and well written. Highly recommended for fans of Clare Mackintosh's 'The Hostage'.

Cameron Ward draws out each character, keeping the reader guessing until the end!

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*Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a completely bonkers, insane, unbelievable escapade from start to finish and yet I quite enjoyed it! There are some not-great bits - for example, the repetitive incidences of Sarah's PTSD were getting irritating by the end, and the escape and sabotage of the other ship towards the end read as being ripped from a Jason Statham film - but it was overall enjoyable and pretty intense in places.

The review might not sound that positive but I look forward to reading something else by Cameron Ward.

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At first this book started off a bit slow but then it really stepped up! There were plenty of twists and turns and it kept me gripped. Just stick with it and it will be worth it in the end!
Thank you to Cameron Ward, NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Thank you to @netgalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.
Ex-marine Sarah French takes a job as on-board security on a luxury super-yacht to try to get her life and career back on track. The crew all seem nice enough with most of them working together previously, except Sarah. The atmosphere soon turns sour between the crew and Sarah is faced with uncovering a killer and returning the remaining crew and boat back to safety.
I really enjoyed the setting of the super-yacht for this mystery and the terminology used to make it as though I was in the environment with the crew. Although it is set on the yacht, the plot has several strands running through it making it feel much deeper than you’d initially think. Sarah’s backstory is hinted at throughout but is slowly revealed towards the end creating the tension of why Sarah left the marines and why she has flashbacks. There are many twists and turns building excitement along the way with lots of characters to keep you on edge and wondering what might happen next and the overall ‘whodunnit’.
An engaging mystery in a unique setting.

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Sarah, an ex Marine, is recruited as security for a luxury yacht crossing the Atlantic.
The boat gets underway and then one of the crew goes missing and things start to go wrong. Can Sarah work out what's going on in time before they make it to their destination?

A very slow start, but the scene is set in great detail and around half way through things pick up and the action starts in earnest. Red herrings galore and I'm pretty sure I suspected every character at least once.
I loved the setting and especially the main character was female and also ex military, which gave it a strong hook for me.

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What a fantastically gripping book this was. I loved it from the very start. I loved the main character, Sarah was a strong capable ex marine who had a vulnerable side due to things that had happened during her career. I loved the slow reveal of what had happened in her past that had shaped her and caused her to be on this yacht.

The description of the yacht was insane, I can't even imagine being on board such a masterpiece!

There were twists and turns galore and I loved that I couldn't trust a single character!!

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This was a very very slow start but once it got going (about 60% of the way though) it was gripping.

I found it hard to visualise the characters and that may have been due to the slow start, I found myself skim reading a lot.

Easy to read but don't expect much from the beginning!

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A slow burner, pretty slow start and then once things starts going awry hard to put down as I wanted to know what would happen.

Considering Saran is an ex-marine I did find a bit annoying how she missed some pretty big clues at the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Slow to start.
Sarah is an ex marine who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery aboard a yacht.
Lots of twists and who dunnit moments

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Sarah is an ex-Marine still mourning the loss of her partner & suffering from PTSD is trying to pick up the pieces of her life. Working as a marine security guard she is offered a job on a luxury yacht. It has just been built for a multi-millionaire & is to be taken to to the Caribbean with just a skeleton crew on board. Sounds easy & at first it is, but things start to happen. When people start to die Sarah has to work out who to trust.

This was a terrific action packed read that I really enjoyed. The characters were interesting- I loved Sarah & like her I didn't know who to trust. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

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A Stranger On Board is a fast-paced, action-packed, thriller with plenty of twists and suspense throughout. If you enjoy locked-room mysteries, A Stranger on Board is perfect for you. It's a murder mystery set on a luxury superyacht with fascinating characters. Highly recommended!!

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Action packed with plenty of tension and suspense
Good writing with plenty of characters to wonder
Who are the good guys and who are the villains

Thank you netgalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK

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Sarah is an ex marine with a past that haunts her. She is working as security now after her discharge and hops aboard the Escape, a super yacht with a mixed bag of crew who are all seemingly hiding something.

When things start to go wrong Sarah can’t believe the crew as they turn against each other. Things go from bad to worse with fires, water loss and the crew begin to disappear.

This is a good read but there were some parts that I felt went over the same thing, so we’re skim read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a great thriller. From the get go we know something is wrong on the Uber luxury yacht. We’re introduced to ex royal marine, Sarah French who has her own demons but is employed to be the security on a mega yacht as it sails from Palma to Antigua with just a skeleton crew. What could go wrong! We’ll just about everything! Cameron Ward is a master at characterisation and tension building. Given the claustrophobic relationships and the apparent discord on board the reader knows they’re in for a great ride. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to friends. Looking out for the next one.

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This is an edge of your seat action thriller set on a millionaire’s yacht in the middle of the Atlantic! What’s not to like?
When ex Royal Marine, Sarah is hired by former soldier Mitch’s security company to accompany an empty luxury liner as it travels from Europe to the Caribbean she is not sure whether she is up to it. Suffering from PTSD after terrible events In Afghanistan she has decided to quit the Marines despite her experience and expertise as a soldier.
Mitch has faith in her and as she needs a new career she takes the job. However things do not run smoothly. The crew are all at each other’s throats and there is an unexpected passenger on the empty ship.
As the voyage progresses there are several accidents and then members of the crew start to disappear. Sarah is forced to use all her wits to find out what is happening and save the lives of the crew.
This is a really enjoyable action packed read with an excellent female heroine in Sarah. In fact all the female characters in the novel are strong. Sarah seemed to be a one woman fighting machine- in an almost James Bondesque way! I certainly admired her determination and grit, particularly as matters got worse and worse aboard the ship.
I did wonder whether she might return in another book as I definitely would like to read more about her.
The setting itself, a luxury ship, made for a great backdrop and was very well described!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for my Arc.

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When ex-marine Sarah French joins a luxury superyacht as on-board security, it feels like the fresh start she needs. As they head into open water, though, tensions between the crew quickly build. And when someone goes missing, Sarah has a terrifying realisation.

The story started off slow. Nothing much really happened for the first half. There was a lot of filler and unnecessary detail that made the chapters long and tedious.

But, as I’m an absolute sucker for a whodunnit, I stuck with it. The second half picked up and it was very fast paced which kept me reading. However, the plot is unrealistic. The characters also took too long to realise the events weren’t due to “bad luck” which was frustrating.

I also guessed both twists pretty early on.

Overall, I just feel like it was a little too long and a little too predictable, but it would make a decent and easy holiday read.

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I absolutely loved this book. I raced through page after page devouring this gem in just one sitting. It’s a completely addictive and unputdownable read.

I have loved the writing style of this one. This is a book that really pulls you in. Ward makes you feel as though you are there with the characters, you completely sense the claustrophobia and emotions of the characters.

This book is fast paced from the very beginning. Sarah is a great character to go through this book with. I found myself constantly trying to work out where this was going to go!

Reading this one, I was unsure from the beginning who to trust and who not to trust. This has been a rollercoaster ride and one that I didn’t want to get off.

This is well written and transports you to the pages of this one. You feel as though you are with Sarah trying to work out what’s going on.

This is a perfect book for thriller fans. It has the tension and atmosphere, the mix of characters and is completely engaging.

I have no doubt in recommending this gem. I have devoured page after page with no regrets. A superb read and I’m excited to read more by this author.

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