A most engaging read with interesting characters, a mystery and roller coaster action in a challenging environment. Sarah is an ex Royal Marine with PTSD. She reluctantly takes on a job as a Security Officer on a super yacht to ensure the safe transit of a valuable cargo of artifacts for the owner from the Med to the Caribbean. After loading with undue haste, the yacht sets off with a skeleton crew, the owner’s agent and the owner’s niece in a rush for a quick voyage. There seems little to concern the security officer except as she gets to learn about the layout of the yacht and to assess the people on board who turn out to be quite an enigmatic mix of characters and relationships. It turns out to be an ill-fated voyage as things mysteriously breakdown with a loss of essential systems and supplies all blamed on the rushed departure. Tensions mount when thr captain refuses to break the voyage to make good, driving on at full speed into the eye of a storm. The Security Officer struggling with her PTSD blackouts and reoccurring nightmares, senses danger and has to be on full alert, then the Captain disappears, followed by the chief engineer. Isolated in mid Atlantic she has to figure out what plot is being played and who is behind it, who to trust. When she realised that the ship and its cargo must be the reason, she has to play for high stakes and doing so overcomes her PISD nightmares at the expense of barely surviving physically intact to win through.

The story is set on a super yacht with envy-inducing descriptions of a lavish life style. Sarah, ex military, is the security on board for the crossing, with an unexpected guest. I couldn’t really empathise with the main character, so only 4 stars. Many people will probably enjoy the style of writing.

A solid read, which was a bit plodding and slow, but ramped up considerably towards the end. Nothing memorable, but an entertaining and undemanding holiday read.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

An action-packed locked-room thriller, A Stranger On Board will have you gripped from the moment this luxury yacht leaves the dock, and keep your intrigue running with every suspenseful turn.

Although I expected this one to feel quite cliche or at least feel very similar to other books in its genre, I have to say that I actually found this to be a very original and refreshing thriller by the end.

A large reason for that is the lead character, Sarah French, who is very strong but also very approachable. The action is really well written, too, successfully building the tension throughout and constantly bouncing your suspicion around the deck.

The murders could have been more impactful, for me, as they mainly happen behind closed doors, so everything feels very stealthy rather than vengeful. But I ended up quite liking the 90s-action feel to it, and I could definitely see this being made into a film.

If you love a thriller based on a luxury holiday gone wrong, then you'll definitely want to pick up A Stranger On Board this summer!

Well, this is certainly a roller coaster of a read. I could not put it down. When former Royal Marine Sarah is employed to protect a luxury super yacht it is assumed she is just there for an easy ride. With only a skeleton crew, when things onboard start to go wrong and sabotage is suspected then Sarah doesn’t know who to trust.

Ex marine Sarah takes on the role of security officer on 'The Escape', a luxury, multi million pound super yacht.
As unexplained events happen, tensions rise and the hunt for the saboteur begins.
I liked the detail in this story and the way the characters were slowly introduced so that the reader got to know them and their backgrounds.
Subtle clues and misdirection made this a page turning read.

Overall 4.5*
The book is a slow burner however to me that just added to tension as you know something is going to happen but just not when. The whole concept of being stuck in the middle of the Atlantic in a storm when it all goes wrong, irrespective of being on a super yacht, would be my idea of hell and that only enhanced the story for me. What is good from a female perspective, is to have the lead character as a strong ex marine woman who still has her sensitive and emotional side, but when the going gets tough...................

This is a book which I received from Netgalley without requesting. Would I have chosen to read it otherwise - maybe not, however I am so glad that I got the chance to review it. I really enjoyed it.

Apologies but not for me at all, it sounded really up my street but after the first few chapters knew wasn’t for me

Overall a solid and interesting read. The main characters were all personified well and it really helped to get into the story. Regarding the plot, I feel it built up to a bit of an anti-climax. The first 3 quarters of the book kept me wanting to keep reading, but I was quite disappointed with how it all panned out.

Ex Royal Marine Sarah French is tasked by her boss to work on board a multi-million pound superyacht as security. It will be an easy job, there will only be a skeleton crew on board as it sails from Europe to the Caribbean and Sarah is only there to tick a box on the insurance form. It will give her the time she needs to think and relax and move on from her traumatic past. Or so her boss says.
It quickly becomes apparent that all is not as it seems and as things begin to go wrong Sarah will need to call on all her training to uncover the truth. Not knowing who she can trust, all she has is her training and instincts but will that be enough to keep her and the crew alive.
I must admit that at times I actually felt claustrophobic reading this. It might be set on a superyacht but when that yacht is the only thing on a vast ocean it becomes a really small space and you could sense that from the writing. Had me gripped from first to last page.
Sarah is a really strong, relatable character and I was willing her on, all the way. I had my suspicions as to who the saboteur was but I was totally wrong. I honestly thought it was Hannah and Jason! I would love to see another book featuring Sarah.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc ebook.
I loved the main character - it's refreshing to have a female action lead.
The pace builds the tension well. The only reason I'm not giving it full marks is I guessed something early on, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment overall.

The description of this book really drew me in and it made a real change for the ex marine / hero to be a female. The book started really strongly for me and held me gripped for about the first half of the novel but then I’m afraid i felt it dragged a bit and I lost the feeling of tension and started to check how far I had left to read which is never a good sign. I did finish the novel and I would recommend it as an interesting thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this novel.

I really enjoyed this book. We are introduced to Sarah, an ex marine, who is now working in the security business although the author indicates that some kind of traumatic event took place prior to her leaving the marines. She has a new job on a luxury yacht which should give her time to gather herself together. However that is not to be. A picture is built with the different characters on board the yacht and it becomes apparent that not all the crew get on together. The tension builds as time goes on and strange things happen on the yacht leading to the people on board being stranded in a storm and a killer on board. It was a page turner right to the end. Thanks to net galley for this free read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Really gripping read and lots of interesting characters, this book will have you in suspense from the first page.

This is a really gripping fast paced read with a storyline that will keep you guessing to the end.
Sarah French an ex marine who has PTSD & is battling with grief that at times is all consuming.
She needs a fresh start & is given what is supposed to be a cushy Job as security on a luxury super yacht.
As they reach the open sea tensions are a little fraught as a crew member goes missing.
Were they killed or was this a case of man overboard which to her seems unlikely & which puts Sarah on high alert.
There’s a storm brewing & things are going from bad to worse.
There are so many things happening & going wrong, as slowly the dark secrets between the crew start to unfold.
Can Sarah hold herself together while all around she is facing the danger of the sea & whatever’s happening on board.
This is an intriguing exciting read with well developed characters & a strong female lead.
Would definitely read more by this author I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An ex marine Sarah joins the security detail on a super yacht , and hopes this a fresh start both for her life and her career.
The crew all seem friendly enough but then things start to go wrong and tensions build and Sarah begins to see people in a different light.
Is Sarah enough to get the yacht back on track?
The story hooked me in from the first chapter , Sarah comes across as a genuine character she has her flaws and baggage but doesn’t everyone?
The writing is fast paced and contains lots of twists and turns and kept me gripped.
Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc of A Stranger on Board by Cameron Ward in return for my honest review. I was hooked from the very first chapter, the story is told from the main characters point of view, Sarah is an ex marine who is hired as the security for a super yacht. When things start to go wrong from the start of the journey is this just bad luck or sabotage and who can she trust… Every time I put this book down I just wanted to pick it up again, this is a really well written thriller with a cast of interesting characters lots of twists and turns. I would defiantly recommend reading.

I've never read anything by this author before, but after finishing A Stranger on Board I immediately went and looked at his author bio and ordered another novel (under his Adam Southward pen name).

I thought this book was brilliant - high-stakes, great characterisation, a plot line that kept you guessing and the best setting for this type of thriller that I've seen in a long time. Using a super-yacht for what can generally be thought of as a locked room mystery was inspired, and the encroaching weather and use of description with the interiors of the yacht really added to the tense atmosphere.

What I really enjoyed was the fact the lead protagonist was a woman; usually these kind of thrillers - with lots of physical action thrown in - would have male leads, so it made a refreshing change that Sarah French, troubled ex-marine, was the heroine. I'd love to read other books with her in them. I'd also like to see this book made into a film - I think it would work so well on the big screen.

With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Sarah joins a skeleton crew on a yacht as the security as it is transported across the Atlantic to its owner. It is supposed to be a cushy job, but things go wrong from the start. As people start dying, Sarah has to work out who the killer is and how to survive.
I enjoyed this story as it led me to make incorrect assumptions. The open ocean has never felt so claustrophobic.

Sarah is an ex marine who is trying to deal with her grief. A security detail on a 12 day cruise sounds like a good way to do this. Easy money, easy task…or so she thought!

A stranger onboard may seem a bit slow to start but soon picks up the pace! Sarah soon realises she has much more to do than she thought, the bodies start appearing and Sarah has to work out who the bad guys are and how on Earth she can stop them in the middle of the ocean with ever decreasing resources!

Lots of twists and turns in this exciting tale of mutiny.