3.5 stars!

Think abandoned Titanic ship but in space rather than in the ocean. Add in paranormal activity, mystery, and creepiness. That’s exactly what this book is! Perfect for reading with the lights dimmed low or even in the dark. The horror scenes are so good and descriptive. I could clearly visualize what was going on. I think this would make a fantastic horror movie or mini-series for this reason! Perfect setting for jump scenes!

The first half was spectacular, I was completely invested in the storyline and finding out what was happening on this abandoned space ship. The second half though is where the book fell a tad flat for me, I wasn’t as interested and was losing connection with the characters and the storyline. The first half jumped back and forth between past and present , then second half was just the present.

I enjoyed the way everything was tied together in the end. Overall, I liked this story and am glad I got the opportunity to read it. I think it could be a big hit for you if you love sci-fi horror!

Thanks so much to Macmillan / Tor publishing group for providing me with this advanced copy!

Pub day : February 7th,2022

Fast moving, intriguing mystery, satisfying resolution - what more can you ask from a horror-thriller? I really enjoyed this one.

They had me at “Titanic” meets “The Shining.”

I knew I was going to love this book before I even started. Last year, I got really into science fiction, and was super shocked to realize sci-fi horror existed. My two favorite genres, mixed. What a treat.

Claire, an antisocial team leader with a traumatic past, is finishing up her last assignment as a commweb maintenance leader. She doesn’t want to go back. Being in space, alone, clears and quiets her mind. When the LINA intercepts a distress beacon on the edge of space, she quickly finds herself in a terrifying situation. The Aurora, a luxury ship missing for 20 years, is calling for help.

Dead Silence is truly terrifying. Everyone soon becomes an unreliable narrator, trapped in a claustrophobic space. Nobody trusts their own minds anymore. Something, or someone, is causing everyone to lose their sanity.

I called the ending pretty early, but that doesn’t mean I’m disappointed. I was very happy with the ending. No spoilers, but you never know who, or what, you can trust.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy. Dead Silence releases on February 8th.

Great genre blender -- horror with sci fi. The "haunted house" is an abandoned luxury spaceship gone missing 20 years ago. And, filled with celebrities and all manner of flashy earthly amenities. The main character, the exploring spaceship's captain, is working through a childhood trauma which is being triggered by her circumstances in this haunted ship. There's also an evil corporation in the mix, and it's our captain's final voyage before she's (unwillingly) going to be put out to pasture. I loved this story and will give it to sci fi fans OR horror fans who are looking for creepy feels but also a main character with depth and heart.

I’m always excited for new sci-fi horror, especially when it’s set in space. Dead Silence was reminiscent of Event Horizon (a favorite!) and was one of the best examples of space horror I’ve seen in recent years. The reader follows the perspective of one main character throughout the novel, and her history is revealed through memories. Her baggage and the isolated environment contribute heavily to the terrifying build-up. This isn’t your typical monster novel, and I enjoyed solving the mystery right along with the characters.

Dead Silence is a Lively Horror Debut

In the prime of the pandemic, two multimillionaires battled it out to see who could shoot themselves into space first. People claim this is the beginning of luxury tourism so rich people won’t run out of things to buy. Many also criticized it as completely out of touch with the reality of many people’s lives. Some found it inspiring and groundbreaking to see such a hodgepodge of people flying into the unknown. While this type of travel won’t be likely anytime soon, S. A. Barnes (who also writes YA romance under the name, Stacey Kade) projects us far into a world of established space journeying, hard work, and posh, glamorous dead people.

Claire Kovalik has not had an easy life. She had a traumatic experience as a young child and she can see ghosts. It’s not made clear if she can see ghosts as a symptom of her traumatic experience or if this is something she has always been able to do. She loves the stillness of space. She’s excellent at her job and believes in her team. The captain of a motley space crew on their way home from their last job repairing the space network systems, before Claire is forced into an early retirement, the crew picks up a distress signal that turns out to be a famous luxury space liner, the Aurora, that disappeared twenty years ago. While they hesitate to take on another job, salvaging the Aurora would set them up for life (there are rumors that the faucets are made of solid gold) and would also reunite many families with the remains of their rich dead relatives. It’s a risk, but if they can pull it off, it would be an all around win. Docking inside the Aurora, they disembark and find that something is very off on this gorgeous piece of spacecraft. The first thing they notice are the creative and horrific deaths of the passengers, followed by the barricading of doors and the blood writing on the wall. These passengers were trying to get away from something, but there is no sign of an intruder or at least, not one that they can see. The tension begins to ratchet up as Claire and one of her crew move through the ship trying to find the ship’s black box, a protected recording device that is found on aircraft to record what happens during a loss of electricity, and then becomes unsettling as the crew decides that they may be able to pilot the entire ship to a base closer to Earth so that their parent company can retrieve it with more resources.

Dead Silence works in that it has a strong, complicated female lead and a steady building of tension. The early scenes where Claire and her crew member are trying to located the black box on the Aurora without gravity was particularly suspenseful in that missing a handhold could have them eternally spinning out of space. The detailed ship description and the inclusion of found footage from a reality tv show (think The Kardashians or The Simple Life) that was being filmed on board before everyone died. The plotting and structure of this story is what I found most impressive. You can tell that the author is having fun and is in control of her craft. There is a shift halfway through that I appreciated and because it felt quite cinematic. The use of a Titanic-like ship being excavated by a working class crew to explore differences of social class and the useless value of say solid gold facets in space. One of the only reasons they decide to take the risk is because of the possibility that the artifacts from the ship will set them for life and unlike the actual Titanic, whose wreckage will most likely be completely gone in 20 years, everything is preserved in a museum of ostentatiousness.

Barnes has said this book was inspired by her interest in the Titanic and its particularly obvious in a scene where Claire and her crew try to remove two angel statues from the Grand Staircase, which has to be an allusion to the cherub at the foot of the Titanic’s iconic staircase located in the upperclass section of the ship. The staircase that also plays a central role in the 1997 James Cameron film of the same name. These details are what made me want to walk around longer inside this book and wish for a film to really feature these details of the ship.

While there are a lot of things that work here, I found some of the characterizations a bit stereotypical. There wasn’t really anyone else on the ship as interesting as the main character Claire. Much of the conflict between ship members feels like heavily treaded territory and a bit stilted. I also found that sometimes Barnes’ ambition throws a lot of things at the reader and that means that not all of them land as well as they could. The romance at times felt unnecessary and might have worked better as a friendship. The switching of perspectives from present to past in the first half of the book made the present perspective (while necessary to the plot) to be a lot less interesting than the ship excavation.

In the entire scope of the book, these issues are minor. The pacing is quick and the atmosphere creepy. It will definitely appeal to fans of space horror and films like Event Horizon, Alien, and The Shining. S. A. Barnes is a high school librarian and YA romance author whose horror debut, Dead Silence, is not quietly entering the scene. While some authors have a hard time transitioning into the horror genre *cough Stephanie Perkins cough,* S. A. Barnes makes it look easy. One of the most anticipated horror releases this January, this sci-fi, psychological, paranormal, horror genre blender takes place in a future where space travel is for the rich and the resourceful.

Dead Silence is published by Tor Nightfire and is available January 22.

TL;DR

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes sees a repair crew stumble upon a long lost luxury liner filled with horror and slaughter. Will the crew survive long enough to claim salvage rights? Recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Once, I was home from college, and after a night out with friends, I returned to my parents house. They had rented some movies for the night. One had the title Event Horizon. Being a science and science fiction fan, I was drawn to that dvd. I knew nothing about the movie, but into the player it went. My parents had been asleep for a while. So, I kept the lights and the sound low. It was just me, a soda, a bag of peanut M&M’s, and the movie. Needless to say, I loved that it ended up being a SF movie. But quickly, it scared the pants off me. The psychological horror of the movie hit its peak right as my sister’s cat jumped into my lap. I screamed. I screamed loud enough to wake my dad. Since that night, I’ve avoided a lot of horror. (Not all, of course.) But if horror is mixed with science fiction, the temptation is usually too strong to pass up. When the opportunity to review S.A. Barnes’s Dead Silence came up, I had to take it. Claire Kovalik and crew finish up their last job when they hear a distress signal. Following that signal, they find a luxury cruise liner at the edge of known space. This cruise liner has been missing for decades. No one knows what happened aboard the ship to cause its disappearance. Claire and crew are about to find out.

Claire Kovalik and her crew of four finish repairs on the network of beacons that facilitate near instantaneous communication in the solar system. This will be their last mission because, from then on, repairs will be conducted by drones. As the crew of the LINA finishes their final beacon, they pick up a distress signal. The crew follows the signal to the edge of known space where they find a luxury cruise liner lost decades prior. What happened to the cruise ship, Aurora, is unknown. It departed with the ultra-rich and the ultra-famous. Claire decides to investigate. No one on the ship responds to Claire and her crew; so, they see an opportunity for salvage. If they could avoid their corporate overlords, the salvage money would set the whole crew up for life. Claire could buy her own ship and get out from underneath the thumb of the Verux Corporation. But once onboard, Claire and crew find a horror scene of dead and mutilated celebrities. What happened to these people? And is it starting to happen again to Claire’s crew?

Dead Silence is a first person point of view horror novel in a science fiction setting. Claire is the main and only viewpoint of the book. She’s complicated, sympathetic, and in a no win situation. The book switches between the present, which has Claire being interviewed by two Verux Corporation suits, and the past where the boarding of the Aurora happened. The themes include mental health and corporate greed. The book reads fast with enough pauses to sit and stew in the atmospheric horror.

Mental Health or Mysticism

Due to Claire’s history, she might see dead people. Or she might have mental health issues that cause her to see and hear ghosts. Or it might be both. It’s hard to tell from the story which is the correct answer. Normally, I don’t like fiction that confuses speculative elements with mental health issues. Often, it’s done in a way that cheapens the mental health issues. However, I think Barnes has walked the fine line here that takes Claire’s illness seriously while still allowing the question of being able to see dead people. I think maybe it’s because Claire struggles with her mental health issues but never denies them. She’s conscious of what is happening, and since it’s something that she’s dealt with all her life, she has coping strategies.

I think it works for me here because her mental health issues aren’t a plot device. They’re an important part of Claire, but, to be clear, they’re not the main part. She’s more than her mental health issues. Barnes treats them seriously while not making them the basis for Claire’s character. It’s a very fine line, and Barnes has walked it well.

What Happened?

The mystery of what happened to the Aurora drove the plot, but the interactions between the characters kept me coming back. Sure, I wanted to know what happened to the cruise liner; however, Claire and crew dealing with each new discovery fascinated me more.

Because of this, I felt a similarity to the end of Event Horizon. The last quarter of the book didn’t engage me as much as the beginning portions. The build up was executed so well, so strong. The delivery seemed rushed and almost too convenient. To be clear, I have this problem with all horror stories. I enjoy the build up, the anticipation, way more than the payoff. Personally, I’ll be seeking out reviews of Dead Silence by horror fans to see what they thought of the ending.

So, if you’re thinking about this book, note that the above paragraph is my subjective opinion. Your view of the novel could be completely different.

Conclusion

S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence delivered on both the horror and sci fi elements the cover and description promised. Claire is a likeable yet complicated protagonist who is just trying to get out from under the corporate thumb. For fans of horror, if you liked the movie Event Horizon, you’ll want to read this book.

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes is available from Tor Nightfire on February 8th, 2022.

Finished this one in less than a day. Really excellent space novel. I enjoyed reading it from Claire's perspective, even if it does take a minor suspension of disbelief to make one premise work. The central mystery "What happened on the Aurora" is really good, unfolding with bits and pieces and the conclusion put all the pieces together. It has some sci Fi elements but doesn't get into the ins and outs of space travel, so if you're into anything with potential ghosts, survival tactics or creepy mysteries this is for you.

Attempting to salvage a haunted luxury space cruiser

Claire Kovalik has been involved with Verux her entire life, first as a child that needs to be rescued from a dangerous situation, then living in a Verux group home, and then serving on Verux maintenance ships.

She is team leader on a final run on a maintenance ship before automation is going to take over, leaving her job and her crew's jobs obsolete, when they pick up a distress call and she decides to follow up on it.

They find the luxury cruiser AURORA that has been missing 25 years since its maiden voyage and decide to claim salvage rights - and the nightmare starts.

I enjoyed this space horror tale and its characters. The action was fast paced and,of course, the storyline reminded me of an Earthbound haunted Titanic, which I've read stories about before and liked.

I recommend this book to those readers that like sci fi horror or tales about the Titanic because there are definitely similarities.

I received this book from Tor NightFire through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Before I get into the review, I have to say a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Tor Nightfire for giving me the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Dead Silence is an adult sci-fi/horror novel that follows a woman and her crew as they stumble upon a multiple decades lost luxury cruiser and find a nightmare that hasn’t yet ended. Dead Silence comes out on February 8th and is available for pre-order now.

Not enough people are talking about this upcoming release. I saw one person mention it in their Anticipated Releases video and instantly signed the fuck up for this book. I paused the video, preordered the book, and asked (begged) the NetGalley gods to give me this book early. And it worked! I marathoned my way through this one over the course of three days and I enjoyed it so much. I will say that this book uses a trope I don’t normally love, but did it in a way that I did. This book uses an unreliable narrator to help sink in the reader’s question of: is this really happening? But the way it was done was masterful and I truly loved our crew aboard the ship. Kane and Nysys can just have my whole heart. And the others were so rich in flaws and details. I think the best thing about this book, besides the character obviously, is the atmosphere and setting. I really felt like I was on the ship when the crew discovered the luxury cruiser. And then I felt the dread and creepiness sink in as they explored the cruiser and things started to devolve from there. This is a perfect sci-fi/horror novel for anyone who wants to be in it.

There were a couple of things that the reader can really see coming a mile away which was a little disappointing and I would have loved more time aboard the luxury cruiser. But I also understand that one of the major themes in this one is more about the horrors humans can inflict upon each others and less about the supernatural and creepy. I still found this to be compelling and such a (digital) page turner.

A terrifically compelling horror-thriller, claustrophobic and unsettling. It's got elements of both ALIEN and ALIENS, as well as any given ghost-ship story (I myself was thinking a lot about the episode of seaQuestDSV where they visit the sunken ghost ship). I liked that the blend of supernatural and human-influenced horror was fluid, but that it never tipped too far in one direction or the other. Even the "flashback/present/flashback/present/present/present" structure really *worked* for me here. And if the ending was a little faster than I would've liked / if I saw some of those final reveals coming, well, that doesn't diminish the fact that they were incredibly enjoyable and that this book kept me awake at night -- both in the reading and in the after-reading-fear.

Read this book. Go buy it as soon as it is available on February 8 (or better yet, just pre-order it). Enjoy it. Rave about it. Talk to me about it. End of story.

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes follows our main character Claire in two timelines, 'then' and 'now.' The past chapters follow Claire and her crewmates in a small spacecraft after they stumble upon a long-lost luxury cruise liner that had gone MIA years earlier. They decide to investigate the ship and discover everyone on board has been subject to brutal deaths. The present chapters follow Claire as she tries to piece together what happened on the ship as she recounts her story to investigators of her employer Verux.

This story is billed as a sci-fi horror book, but I think it feels very much like a sci-fi mystery-thriller. You're following Claire as she tries to figure out what's real and what's not as well as her filling in gaps in her memory. While it does have some gruesome, creepy scenes typical of horror, I didn't feel like it was overall too much to read in the dark (and I'm a big scaredy-cat). I loved that it had this mystery aspect, which I think helped me to keep turning the pages -- I just had to know what was going on and what happened to this old luxury cruise ship!

While at first I thought I wasn't connecting too much to the characters, I realized at the end just how much I cared for them when a tear started forming in my eyes at the thought of them. I ended up really loving the dynamic between Claire and her crewmates.

I also thought Claire had a great character arc and loved following her as she began to navigate her past, her present, and what the future held for her. I didn't think her transformation was so dramatic as to be unbelievable, yet I felt she grew throughout the events of the story, which I appreciated.

While I do have a small list of "cons" from the book, I've actually found I don't like thinking about them. Were there things I wish had gone differently? Yes. Was the book different than what I was expecting? Yes. Could some things have been clearer? Maybe. But overall, I enjoyed the story the author chose to tell.

I do wish there was more time following the crew on the abandoned ship since there was a lot of tension building up to this. It ended a little too quickly for me. But, again, I also wasn't disappointed with the story as written.

Overall, I absolutely love this book and will recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi thriller/horror stories. In fact, I'd even recommend it for those who aren't big sci-fi readers -- I think it has a wide appeal to audiences who want a compulsive, creepy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

There are few things more terrifying to me than space. The only movies I have ever had to walk away from? Space horror. The video games that have me throwing controllers across the room? Space horror. Something about the sense of pure vastness and vulnerability that space horror evokes is just too much for me. Naturally, this is why I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of S.A. Barnes’ space horror Dead Silence.

Described as Titanic meets The Shining, Dead Silence comes out swinging. The first chapters put us in the headspace of Team Lead Claire Kovalik as she is interrogated by two Company Men representing the interests of a gigantic interplanetary corporation called Verux. Through gaps in her memory, Claire tries to answer questions about why she was the sole survivor of an attempt to recover a long-lost luxury cruise spaceship, which ended with her crew being killed. With your interest plenty piqued, the timeline shifts to Claire before the recovery attempt as she contemplates suicide by space float. Like I said, the first act of this book is not messing around.

The rest of the story tells about Claire’s team (consisting of characters of varying likeability) as they stumble across the wreckage of a luxury cruiser called the Aurora. After disappearing years before with some of the wealthiest people on any of the planets, the crew of the LINA hopes to bring back news and closure to the families (as well as the claim to the ship, making them all very rich). As we found out in the first chapter, this mission went terribly wrong.

The second act of the book was the strongest in my opinion, and the scariest. So much of the narrative takes place deep in Claire's thoughts and feelings (sometimes too deep) that we develop a real sense of the crew through her eyes. Some of the scenes of what they find in the wreckage have extremely powerful imagery and Barnes does a great job of bringing the scares.

During the final act, which I won't spoil here, there are some actions that Claire takes that seem a little counterintuitive. While her actions are explained away by spending a lot of time in Claire's head, it comes across as wrangling the character into the narrative. This section of the book could have been tighter, and if it were would have been an absolute thrill ride. Instead, we find ourselves spending so much time being told about Claire's feelings that it takes us out of the action. Still, the story itself remains strong up to it's very tense, very exciting conclusion.

Despite the fact that it could have been shorter overall, the book overall was a blast and a very effective space horror story. I was sold on Claire as a character within the first few chapters. Once the crew was on the Aurora I was all in, devouring the rest of the book in just a few sittings. Barnes absolutely has a gift for fleshing out an immersive setting and engaging characters, and I would love to see her write more in this genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. ,

As someone who was a big fan of 2002 film, Ghost Ship, I was 1000% ready for a space horror of a similar vein and I was not disappointed! Barnes constructs a sense of crowded isolation on the discovered luxury spacecraft that brings a shoulder-lifting eeriness that makes you want to check over your shoulder as you read.

Claire Kovalik is the type of flawed female protagonist I love to root for in horror and her further spiral into destructive madness was a train crash I couldn't tear my eyes from. I found the last quarter of the book to be slightly less polished than the rest regarding plot but it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment. Dead Silence is perfect for fans of Event Horizon, Ghost Ship, The Shinning and Alien!⁠
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CW: death, violence, body horror, suicidal thoughts, confinement, mental disorder

4.5 stars rounded up.

When I heard about the premise of Dead Space I knew I had to read it. Sci-Fi and Horror mixed in one book? Who could say no to that? And, luckily, I wasn’t disappointed. The whole thing reminded me a little of the Game “The dark picture – Man of Medan”, only in space.

The setting was great. A luxury cruise-ship in space – how awesome is that? And from start to finish this book was very suspenseful. There’s only a short introduction and the action begins. The writing style also was straightforward which made it a lot easier to dive into the story.

The characters were interesting. I didn’t really build a connection with them, especially our MC felt a little far away and two-dimensional for me. For some time, I didn’t know how to feel about her, if I liked her or not and I still don’t know.

Over all, I think this was an entertaining read, which I can recommend if you’re into horror or sci-fi.

I’ll admit that Sci-Fi is not my go to genre, but the horror/sci-fi collaboration worked. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and there were suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. Dead Silence is written well, bringing the reader a story that throws you into an action packed adventure full of space, ghosts and surprises.

I must say I didn’t particularly like the anxious, worry-wart main character, but characters are strong. If romance is your thing, there’s a cute little love story between two of the main characters.

The ending is my favorite part of the book. I like how the author added a twist showcasing the greed of major corporations. It’s much like the world we live in today. There’s a nice lesson in there if you read between the lines.

Overall I did enjoy the story and there were a few moments that caught me off-guard. I would totally read more from this author.


Thank you TorNightfire and NetGalley for the ARC

Ok if you are for some reason looking for a horror book to read this first half of the year, absolutely look no further! This book made me terrified to be in my house in the best way possible. I loved the whole premise of a haunted spaceship and a crew experiencing their own version of cabin fever and Barnes completely delivered on that. The only moments I did not read this book was when I was home alone. I would finish work and wait for my boyfriend to come home so I finally felt safe enough to read - and if that is not the perfect way to describe a good horror novel than I don't know what is! Much like how our main characters in this book begin to see things and develop paranoia, you too will begin to feel paranoia. The atmosphere and tension in the novel was top notch. The writing is really strong and the way that Barnes described some of these scenes... HER MIND! THE TALENT! I knocked this one down a star just because it ended a little too convinient for me, but I did find the "reasoning" behind the horror to be a really interesting one! If it was not clear, I highly recommend this one!

I was grabbed from the first chapter and did not want to put this down.
This is a sci-fi horror billed as Titanic (not the movie) meets The Shining.
This is a pretty good comp in my opinion, although I also got some Sixth Sense vibes as well.

I will say that this is a perfect horror for new horror fans, or people who want to get into the horror genre. There were some creepy scenes and huge “what’s even going on?!” moments, but they were spread out throughout the story.

I also really liked the sci-fi elements and the fact that this story was very character-driven along with the mystery of the plot.

I seriously could not be happier to start this new year off with this book! I definitely need to buy this for my collection.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I wanted to pick up DEAD SILENCE the minute I saw it compared to Titanic meets The Shining. There is something so intriguing to me about books set in space with a horror basis. I mean what could be more claustrophobic than setting off to investigate a wreckage where you find all manner of strange things, potential ghost sightings, and voices in your head? Don’t forget about the creepy messages written in blood! Yeah, I don’t want to experience it, but I do want to read about it!

Barnes created a fantastic, atmospheric, and haunting story with DEAD SILENCE. The plot has a great mystery surrounding not only the lost ship, the Aurora, and what happened to the passengers, but also the details of what happened to Claire and her crew. The first half of the story contains flashbacks until we merge with the present situation and each flashback serves to create more intrigue for the reader. While I thought the pacing could have been a bit faster, I did ultimately enjoy the way in which Barnes revealed twists and the truth to the reader. One thing that threw me was the inclusion of a small romantic plot thread. At first I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this aspect, but I found myself drawn to it by the end and felt it served as a solid addition to the story’s progress. This book had just the right mix of science fiction and horror to keep me wanting more and searching for the truth!

A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!

Holy. Shit. I'm at a loss for words over this. This book has been sitting in my NetGalley TBR for a hot minute and I’ve been anxiously awaiting it the entire time. It did not disappoint but I do wish I had read it sooner.

Dead Silence follows Claire and her team on a sniffer (some sort of small rocket for exploration) in the far reaches of space. When they are done with their assignment and about to return, they pick up on a faint distress signal. Claire, who will be essentially deemed insignificant to the space exploration company she works for at the end of this mission, says that it is their responsibility to investigate. They go off track and find the Aurora—society’s only attempt at a luxury space-liner that disappeared during its maiden voyage 20 years prior. Everyone on board was presumed dead as the ship was never found. Will Claire and her team be able to give everyone answers to this mystery? Or were the causes of death on board more nefarious than they once assumed?

I could not put this book down. I was in love with all of the characters and desperately anxious to see how the plot was going to be resolved. I will admit—it did not end up going anywhere near I thought it would. That being said, I still enjoyed it tremendously despite my preconceived notions. I cannot wait to see if S. A. Barnes writes anything else like this. I also think this would make a fabulous movie. 5/5 shining stars.
**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review!