I read this book while I was on holiday, on a cruise!

I liked the premise - someone has gone overboard and is presumed dead. The ship is on a layover in the Caribbean and the crew are reduced to just a few people. And then a dead body is found, followed quickly be another. It gets to the point where one of the crew says they feel as though they are being picked off. Despite this, there is no real police presence or investigation going on - or perhaps there is, but these details are not covered. It is not the focus of the book.

There is also the backstory of the missing person. Initially it seems unconnected to the main story line, but eventually all the pieces come together and it makes sense.

This is a good holiday read. Despite the subject matter I found it a light, easy read - perhaps to the point that it lacked depth. I felt as though there were lots of details missing that should have been there. There was no real sense of place - the ship could have been anywhere in the world as there was nothing for me that described it's Caribbean location, climate, environment etc. I also felt the story lacked any real understanding of what would actually happen in the circumstances - surely the ship would have been overrun with police, especially after the dead body is found? But it is left at sea without any sense of locking down a crime scene for forensic examination. This felt totally unrealistic to me, which spoiled things a bit. But as I've already said, perhaps this was omitted as the investigation is not the focus of the book.

The storytelling is good. So I would recommend this book if you are happy to read something without questioning the details or expecting everything to be covered.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very good
This thriller lived up to its name and I have always wanted to go on a cruise
Maybe not this one when I think about it
Great build up, interesting characters and a great plot to join it all together

A Menacing Undercurrent,,
A glamorous, ritzy cruise ship setting and a plot with a menacing undercurrent combine with a dual timeline tale of past, disturbing and distressing events in this engaging suspense. Intriguing and immersive from the off, the reader may be caught by surprise when the book suddenly changes direction and tone although all will come to light soon enough. An atmospheric read with twists aplenty and a well crafted, character driven narrative.

Having read Cooper's previous books - 'The Chalet' and 'The Chateau' - I knew what to expect. Glamorous settings, a small cast of seriously dodgy people and a twisty mystery that I wouldn't be able to predict!

I wasn't wrong!

This novel is set on a glamorous and luxurious cruise ship in the Caribbean. When one of the dancers goes missing, everyone assumes it is a tragic accident or suicide - and not the first accident to hit the cruise line. Later, as the ship is laid up with only a skeleton staff on board, strange things begin to happen - and it seems that no-one is safe when the crew's secrets begin to come to the surface...

I loved the cruise ship setting - it's a great location for a claustrophobic thriller as there is (quite literally) no escape when the ship is held so far from land. The fact that the ship has a small crew because it is being refurbished works well - this makes for a limited, closed circle of suspects and it allows readers to engage with the different characters. As with Cooper's previous novels, they aren't all a nice bunch and have some pretty shady secrets, which doesn't always make for sympathetic reading.

The plot has a dual timeline so the cruise ship strand is only one (albeit the main) element. There's also the story of a young girl being raised in unconventional and unpleasant circumstances. The two strands seem hugely at odds with each other tonally and it's difficult to see how they will converge. In fact, a lot of the story is pretty unpredictable and there's plenty of twists to keep you reading. My only niggle was that a few of the things seemed a little far-fetched, although this didn't ruin my enjoyment of the novel.

If you've enjoyed Cooper's previous books then you'll know what to expect here - and it delivers. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a bit of escapism with a side order of tension and claustrophobia! You won't want to put it down - or perhaps book a cruise either!

I really enjoyed Catherine Cooper's previous books, The Château and The Chalet, so I was looking forward to The Cruise. (There's definitely a theme going on with the titles.) It didn't disappoint - it was just as gripping a read as its predecessors.

I liked the dual timeline, following current happenings on a cruise ship - none of which, it's fair to say, are particularly good for business - interspersed with lengthy segments from the past, when a young girl suffering from amnesia is admitted to hospital. As we learn more about what led up to that, there's plenty of mystery and intrigue for the reader in trying to figure out how past connects to present. I certainly didn't guess where the story was going for the most part, although a final reveal about the past was a bit predictable, as it was obvious something very like that must have happened.

Another great read. I did end up with Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" stuck in my head, though.

Where to start?! It's an amazing book and my 1st from the author. I paved the setting of the boat and that timeline had me absolutely hooked. The timelines in the past was a bit darker and felt completely isolated from the current timeliness narration but they do sync up and all is revealed at the end. I loved that it was so much more than just a thriller, it was really character driven and did an excellent job of giving each one depth and dimension but without it feeling like it was taking away from the plot moving forward and throwing off the pace. Would def recommend

I really enjoyed this book. It was very different from what I imagined it would be. Which was really good and refreshing. I went in thinking that something terrible had gone on, on the cruise and yes some things did go on, on the cruise. But it was about so much more than that and the characters in the book, had so much depth and some of them were really crazy. This is a really well written book. If you like thrillers with unreliable characters. This one is for you.

Catherine Cooper has done it again! I absolutely loved #TheCruise and the characters and plot worked perfectly.

New Year's Eve on an exclusive cruise ship what could possibly go wrong, well lots as it seems as a womans body is seen going overboard and Lola the dancer is nowhere to be seen.
Fast forward 2 weeks and a modest crew are on layover preparing for next trip. Still missing Lola, friends work through their grief, but the body count still rises.
Also a back story of a teenager growing up in Scotland with just her protective father. You may wonder how the story's link together but the conclusion gives all the answers you need.
I enjoyed the story and read it quite quickly, some likeable characters, if I'm honest I didn't like it as much as other Catherine Cooper books, but it won't stop me reading me from her
3.5 rounded down as I found it far fetched in some areas

I have enjoyed the previous thrillers written by this author and this one is certainly added to the collection. Loved the mystery and thriller surrounding the story! Loved it was actually set on a cruise ship. Definitely one to add to the bookshelves

This is a good read and the characters developed during the book. It was a slightly disturbing story though although I did continue until the end.

This is another 5 star read from Catherine Cooper - her last 2 books were SO good, that I couldn't wait too get into this book and couldn't download it fast enough!!! It did not disappoint, with a storyline that is original, well written and gripping throughout!

A past and present timeline run throughout, this book. The current timeline is set on board a luxury cruise ship, with the crew dropping like flies! The past timeline sees a teenage girl wake up following a hit and run with no memory of who she is, but as the memories come back it is soon apparent that her upbringing has been far from conventional! So much happens, and I wont say more as I absolutely wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone else!

This is one of those rare books that make me wish I could 'unread' it just to have the first time thrill of reading it all over again!!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to0 review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

A cruise seems like a perfect getaway but all that solitude comes with a price. It starts like a conventional summer thriller but this book then takes several unexpected turns. Twisty and original

This was an interesting, absorbing tale of a crew member who goes missing on a cruise. Two weeks later, the ship is in dry dock with a skeleton crew while it is being refurbished, and scary things are happening. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the cruise story-line and learning about the lives of the crew members, some of whom have changed their names and are basically hiding from the pasts. Unfortunately, not all of the novel is set on the cruise ship. There is another story-line about an abused child that I wasn't as engrossed in, and it felt awkwardly meshed together with the cruise story-line later on.

This is a difficult one for me to review, as I am undecided how I really felt about it. I enjoyed a previous book by Catherine Cooper, The Château so I thought I would probably enjoy this one. Although I found the start intriguing, I quickly discovered the book jumps between different timelines and I find that often makes for a disjointed read. The setting on the cruise ship was interesting and I would have preferred more of that, and the character of Alice the chef was my favourite, however the book is at least
half set in the Highlands with a tale of child abduction and abuse really and then the chef character who seems quite prominent early on seems to be disregarded at the end. The behavior of Antonio towards Stuart (I won't
give any spoilers) is unbelievable too, and various characters having changed their names to keep you guessing was a bit convenient too. The ending seems to tie everything up but it’s a bit too neat and quick for me. I did read the book quickly as I wanted to see how it panned out, but I think overall I didn't enjoy the two very different timelines and that it almost felt like two totally different stories crammed into one. Thanks to
NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for a review.

I finished this book in two days, which is very unusual for me but just goes to show how gripped I was by the story. I'm going on a cruise in September and thought this would be fun to read beforehand and it delivered. The story is fast paced and intriguing, I think this is helped by the different settings within the book. Originally this threw me a little but I love how everything came together in the end and although I guessed a couple of plot points, there were. few that threw me right off. The characters felt believable too, which helped sell the story more.

In terms of negatives, personally I wish more of the story did take place on the cruise ship, as I love that as a setting and think it would've been more atmospheric. There are also a couple of story points that threw me off a little as they weren't realistic, but you would only pick up on them if you know how crew parts of a cruise work and this is fiction after all.

Overall I would say this is a very fast and enjoyable read. It's more a 3.5 for me as it's not anything incredibly new or groundbreaking, but it's definitely fun enough and I would recommend people to pick it up if the blurb appeals to them.

4.25 stars
As someone who adores the reality show Below Deck, I'm always drawn to books set on yachts or cruise ships and as soon as I read the blurb I was immediately on board, if you pardon the pun.
But what I was expecting when I first picked this up was not what happened but in a very good way.
I think I expected a run of the mill investigation into what happened when one of the crew seemingly went overboard but the way in which this story was constructed wasn't what I was expecting in the slightest but in a really interesting way.
It was quite sad reading about 'Lola's' life and essentially how every single man in her life had tried to control her her entire life. From her 'dad' in an obvious way, to Fred's treatment of her, to her brother's unusually obsessive ways.
I guess the usage of 'fake' names isn't so unbelievable in an industry like that but it was a bit convenient how many of the main characters had changed their names to ultimately throw us as readers off the scent and give us more than a few twists.
At the end it actually reminded me a bit of How To Kill Your Family and the main character in that, which I liked.
However, a few storylines/characters didn't feel resolved in the end. We get quite a number of chapters from Alice, the chef's, perspective but then nothing at the very end. And it was a grisly way for Stuart to go. That whole section with Antonio and Stuart was one of the only ones where it all felt a bit silly and OTT, to be honest. But I did race through this story.
This is the first book that I've read by Catherine Cooper but I will certainly be going back and reading her other books and look forward to what she does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic book from Catherine Cooper, really liked that it was partly set on a cruise ship. I liked the back story as well, really helped give depth to what happened and why things happened.

After reading Catherine Cooper’s first book, The Chalet, a while back I have had The Chateau, her second book on my to-be-read list for a while. So when her next title, The Cruise, was announced and I received an advanced readers copy of it, I quickly moved this up the list.

What better place to spend New Years Eve than on a luxurious cruise ship, the perfect place to party until a member of the crew goes missing. When the ship returns to dock it is taken out of service for a refurbishment so only a skeleton crew will remain on board during this time. When more people start to go missing it is clear that not all is what it seems, just how many secrets will be uncovered and how many will survive?

I really enjoyed this book and loved all the twists and turns. The author has an incredible writing style which draws you in to the scene without you even realising, the descriptive elements of the cabins, the ship’s layout, you actually feel you are part of it. The background to the final twist is set out perfectly and seamlessly interlinked throughout, keeping you enthralled right up to that final all important chapter. Will be moving The Chateau up the to be read list now that’s for sure!

I was expecting a Who done it? style book from The Cruise...but ending up getting so much more. The story is not always set on the cruise ship, but with this in mind - Catherine Cooper gives us almost two stories in one. The initial first scene is written exceptionally well and had me hooked straight away.

The characters in The Cruise are very well developed and each adds their own importance and context to the story, as none of them are who they first seem. I was captivated by Lola and her journey, the clever writing style really does leave you guessing and wanting more.

The setting of this story works perfectly, a skeleton crew left onboard during a 'lay-up' as one-by-one they begin to be picked off whilst out at sea, providing the perfect mix of gripping plot and suspense.

I really enjoyed how the past and the present were twisted together, all leading to an ultimate ending.

I have read all of Catherine's books and The Cruise is fantastic addition to the already gripping collection.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the chance to review