Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kai, a sort of has-been musician finds himself flying from London to St. Thomas with his new girlfriend Zina, to accompany her and her parents on a trip on her father Stepan's yacht. Stepan is a very rich Russian and the yacht is equipped with a panic room and has some hired muscle accompanying them on the trip along with the large staff. Of course things start to go wrong once they are out to sea, including a power outage, a storm, and the fact that people on the boat want Stepan and his family dead.

Despite the great Caribbean and yacht settings, this book was just ok for me. I found that it was slow getting going. Later, I felt like there was a lot of action, but not a lot of substance about why Stepan was being targeted, except political differences. I was hoping there would be more twists and turns but there really weren't. I am not a big fan of action sequences or stories of survival, so I think I was sucked in by the Caribbean setting, but the rest of it wasn't my thing.

Started off a bit slower than I prefer but boy am I glad I kept going. It was an absolute belter of a story. Living the high life on a super yacht with a billionaire and his family, what could possibly go wrong for Kai a washed up rockstar? He has a stunning rich girlfriend could life get any better for him or has he made a huge mistake?

An excellent thriller set in the glamorous world of the super-rich, where some people think regular rules do not apply! Loved it!

This is something a little different from William Shaw, all his stories are guaranteed to keep noses to books yet this is something a little different, a real thriller! It has everything, including a glimpse into the world of the super rich, travel to exotic and distant shores, intrigue, plots and counter plots, the world of music and much more.
The further I got in to the story the faster I read, I had to slow myself down so as not to miss anything.
As is usual with William Shaw's books we learn something new about the world around.
A wonderful, exciting read

My full review will be posted on social media and blog a little nearer to publication date

This is an absolutely fabulous summer read. It's beautifully set, fast paced and exciting. A brilliant thriler xx

A book to show how the other half live. Liked the pace of the book and story. A good read definitely one for the beach.

What a fresh and exciting thriller. Lots to love here not to mention the wonderful time I have spent on a luxury yacht after reading this. The opening chapter was a shocker! THAT set the scene very nicely indeed. Oh no spoilers here and I would go into this without reading too many reviews as it's unexpected and totally immersive.

A great book to read while lying by the pool in the sun. Adventure, intrigue and espionage aboard a boat in the Caribbean - it was Below Deck gone very very bad!

One for the holiday reading list.

Fast-paced, perfectly plotted, pure escapism set in a luxury world that most of us can only imagine. I'll be recommending this to everyone.

Pure, unrestrained entertaining. Set on a luxurious yacht on the Caribbean Sea, amongst the family of a wealthy Russian oligarch. You get murder, conspiracy, and siege combined with the sun, splendour, and panache that can remind one of the certain James movies. There is also quite a lot interesting aspects of the sailing craft mentioned, a diverse set of characters, and occasional beaks with the Hollywood cliches, which kept the plot interesting yet familiar enough so you can safely bet you’ll enjoy it.

The writing was easy to follow, dialogues were funny, and the structure of the narrative was refreshing, with a small overlap of the events at each change of POV, and the interestingly presented wrap-up of the story.

This was a breath of fresh air in the thriller world! It's such a different spin on the usual domestic noir and I loved that it was a bit more out there rather than trying to make it all incredibly relatable if that makes sense?! It hooks you in because if the strong story line, fascinating characters and all the drama and twists. It's not one that will leave you checking the doors are locked but it's put escapism to this amazingly glamorous world and all the corruption and danger that goes with it. I actually really enjoyed it and never once felt it was dragging in or getting predictable. The author also has such a beautiful writing style that it just utterly captivates you and leaves you dying to know just who's behind it all

Invited on a free holiday in the Caribbean aboard a super yacht, Kai smith, a has been musician, jumps at the opportunity. His girlfriend of a week Zina has invited him along to spare her boredom while holidaying with her incredibly rich and powerful family.
Aboard the super yacht the crew are prepared for every want and need the affluent family may have.
What they are not prepared for is a killer on board. A killer who will stop at nothing.
Will anyone escape the yacht alive?

Wow I absolutely loved this novel. What a ride from the very start! When kai arrives on the yacht, he is in awe of the vessel and also in shock at how rich his new girlfriend actually is. The glamour soon wears off when it dawns on him and the crew that Zina’s father is in some sort of trouble and he may have a target on his back. The story is a real adventure and I couldn’t predict what was coming next. The plot was unlike anything I’ve read so far which was very welcome. With so much action, the book kept up its momentum from start to finish keeping my full attention. Not knowing who to trust, the fight for survival is on. Thrilling and at times suspenseful, this holiday will be one to remember!

An exciting thriller featuring luxury yachts, Russian oligarchs with a Caribbean setting. Kai is a musician who has passed his prime, he is no longer popular but still tries to maintain the pretense that he is merely undergoing a minor set back. His young art student girlfriend of one week, is suddenly ordered to join her parents on their yacht in the Caribbean, and just to be awkward she insists that Kai goes with her. As Kai marvels at the splendor of the luxury yacht, he finds himself an unwitting player in the political drama that unfolds.
As always, William Shaw's wonderful writing style makes this book a joy to read. As the tension increases, I found I couldn't put the book down. The setting is wonderful with great characters and action scenes and the yachting details were fascinating. Plenty of surprises and twists along the way. A very enjoyable read.

This was an interesting, fast paced, suspenseful and unpredictable read with a good storyline, good narrative and good characters. I really liked it.

A great story involving Russian billionaire oligarchs and the way they live witht their luxury yachts with bespoke crews.But unfortunately Russian politics brings an end to their luxury lifestyle with assassination attempts on the high seas however with everything going on the story has a feel good end well worth a read.

Dead Rich - G W Shaw

I don't usually read books like this, a sprawling international nautical adventure thriller.

Londoner Kai (the formerly successful music producer) has an art school girlfriend whose Daddy turns out to be very rich, and the unexpected invitation to join the family aboard their super yacht sets the story off very nicely.

The characterisation is good, the writing is descriptive, the plot is unpredictable. There are some great action scenes and moments of tension throughout.

The author is one of the finest prose writers in crime series fiction so I had high expectations, and it was an entertaining read. I don't read enough of this particular style of novel to have much to compare it to but would make a great movie and I could easily see it becoming a mainstream hit.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus