Set on a super yacht in a post covid world, this book had an intriguing feel to it. When one the yachties is involved in an apparent tragic accident, the boat is taken into police custody as they work to uncover what actually happened. The book picks up one year later as Ella and her fellow team return to yacht for the first time, ready to get it set-up for the next charter. As Ella starts to unravel the events of that night, she starts to pull the pieces together.

The book is split across two timelines, following Ella initially before focusing on Annie and Robyn.
The plot is intricate, as both Ella, Annie and Robyn’s lives collide with catastrophic consequences.

A decent read, that is fast paced and gripping.

3.5 star, rounded up to 4.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in return for my honest opinion.
This book follows two time lines I felt that the characters were not well-defined, yet the storyline was interesting
A murder mystery on a yacht, keeps Ella searching for answers. Not all is as it seems

Ella loves working on luxury yacht Ananke. She has worked her way to the top of the housekeeping tree & enjoys coming back to her yachtie family at the start of the season. However this season is a bit different. The last one ended abruptly with the death of one of the stewardesses in an awful accident. Ashley had been a friend to all the crew & will be much missed. Ella wonders if her death was an accident as Ashley had confessed that she felt like she was being stalked

Annie & Robyn were brought up in care & planned to run away to the sun. Although they didn't have passports they managed to get to Athens & in the wake of the Covid pandemic managed to find a place in the tied up ferries. Annie wants to get a proper job whereas Robyn prefers to live off stealing from others.

I really enjoyed this book. Tales of life aboard the yacht was fascinating with a good cast of characters the kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I liked the premise of this novel, a murder mystery set on a super yacht. However, despite the elements of Below Deck, the reality series my attention was not gripped. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Unfortunately this fell flat for me. I didn’t like how the book was split almost into 2 stories. There was lots of mystery but I found it kind of surface level. Nothing I was dying to read.

The below deck reference really made me want to read it. But i didn’t find it as intriguing as originally thought. Not my favourite read unfortunately. The ending was alright but i did see it coming.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I was intrigued that the story was set on a yacht. But after a few chapters I got irritated by the random change of the POV from Ella to Annie. I found her story at first quite boring and could not connect it to Ella. But at that point I was already annoyed by the author’s writing style. There is something off with her writing. I could not picture any of the places or the yacht, there are too many convenient accident and obviously Athens, Greek, is a very small place because you run into the same people all the time. And I doubt that working on a luxury superyacht is actually like that.

I must admit that this book rubbed me the wrong way. I did not care for the characters because they were all flat. We get to know Annie the most, but her paranoia was really annoying. The story got repetitive after a while and it all centered on Annie’s paranoia. And the end… I don’t know. I really did’t care enough anymore at that point but I find it rather unlikely.

In my opinion, this book was shallow and not well written. Sorry.

The Crew

As a huge fan of Below Deck and thriller novels, The Crew really had me intrigued. Murder on a super yacht in the Greek Isles? Ummmm…yes please!!

The Crew starts out very Below Deck-y, which I loved!! J.M. Hewitt has to be a fan of the show, right? Captain Carly Lee is a total blend of Captain Sandy and Captain Lee. We start out a year after a crew member was killed during charter. Captain and crew reunite after that devasting last charter in hopes of healing as a group and pulling together for a great season. Not everyone is happy to be back. Something about the death just isn’t sitting right with Ella, the chief stew, and she sets out to learn more about the mysterious stew that died.

This is where the comparison to Below Deck stops for me and it turns into full out murder mystery with not a lot of yachty life, which was totally fine for me because I love a good mystery!! We go back and forth between present day and the previous year, learning more about the stews backstory, while also getting Ella’s POV during her investigation. Both storylines are really interesting, and I did find myself wanting to keep reading to learn more, but I do wish we had gotten more of a peek into the yachty life.

While I did like the concept of this book, it did feel clunky at times, and the overall execution and writing style was not my cup of tea, which is such a shame because I went into this expecting to love it!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

My Thoughts: 3.75
This book was a combination of a thriller and Below Deck, it wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea as I prefer a cosy mystery and there was some trigger warnings that I did not check, I did however recommend this to my Mum as she loves below deck, she is going to read this when it comes out and I will post her thoughts on Instagram too :)

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo Books for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book. The writing style is unique and told in parts - now and one year ago, rather than time jumps. The characters were all well-defined and there were several exciting twists. It all takes place in the super yachting world in Athens. The Crew is a tight knit group who have worked well together for years. A new member joins them and what seems to be an accidental death becomes the focus of the remaining crew members to find out what really happened. It was hard to put down as the secrets and snippets of facts emerge. The ending was a surprise and I was happy with it. I would recommend this book.

This is a great read.
Told from different points of view it brings you on the journey of the sometimes lost souls, who service the luxury cruise industry, where everyone is running from something.
The setting on board the yacht allows for a locked-in feel, which is a favourite of mine and feeds the paranoia of the characters. Old allegiances are tested to the brink and there are devastating consequences of underestimatimg those who you'd have trusted with your life.

Propulsive Plot..
Set amidst a backdrop of sun, sea, sand and luxury super-yachts, comes an immersive mystery with twists aplenty. Ella returns to the crew of Ananke every year - and now, even following a tragedy the year before, she is back - but lies, secrets and subterfuge follow but how and when will the truth ever out? With a cast of deftly drawn characters, a well imagined backdrop and a propulsive plot bubbling with twists, this is a pacy and compelling read.

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book starts out with an introduction to a character named Ella who is a Chief Stew on a luxury yacht in Greece. An unthinkable thing has happened to one of her staff and the book continues with reliving the timeline leading up to that event.

In the middle we are introduced to Annie and Robyn who arrived in Greece from the UK with no money and no place to live. They depend on each other to make it through each night. The story goes into great detail with how these two characters met and go to that point in the story.

The author really captivated my interest with certain things happening that help figure out the ending. I was surprised at how the ending came about. It was well written.

I would recommend this book if you have enjoyed reality shows such as Below Deck as it reminded me of that to a degree as well as multiple POVs throughout the story.

The Crew by J M Hewitt is a thrilling mystery novel that takes readers on an unforgettable journey.
I really loved this book, it got you hooked from the first few pages which I love, such an intriguing story and so many twists and turns, it had you thinking one way and then another that you could not leave it down, at the end of each page you just had to read on and on.
Overall, this book is brilliantly written page-turner with well-developed characters that keep you guessing until the very end. If you love mystery novels with intricate plots and unexpected twists, then The Crew should definitely be on your reading list!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Canelo for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Canelo Susoense & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Annie and Robin have fled the UK to Greece, hoping to restart their lives after a tumultuous childhood spent in care of the system. Arriving in the middle of a Global pandemic, they struggle with finding food and shelter, why they have no money. One stolen passport later Annie becomes Ashley and gets a job as a stewardess on the Super yacht Ananke.

The crew of the yacht treats Annie (now going by Ashley) as one of their own and really enjoys having her on board. But by the end of the first charter Annie feels like she is being watched by someone. Is it someone from the crew? Or someone who knows the real Ashley here to share the secret that Annie stole the passport? But before Annie is able to figure it all out, she is murdered. And now the crew is trying to piece it all together, because nothing is making sense.

Told in alternating points of view from the crew in the aftermath of Annie’s death, and the time leading up to Annie’s death, a web of jealously and deceit is spun. When I tell you I did not see the twist coming in the last cheaper, I was shocked. My favorite types of thrillers are the ones that wrap the story up with a big bow, and leave absolutely no unanswered questions, and this was one of those!

(Fair warning it did get kind of complicated to be cognizant of Annie and Ashley being interchanged as two names for the same girl, and even more confusing when they also start referring to the real Ashley).

I was excited to read this book because it takes place on a yacht. Boats always bring a sense of claustrophobia to a story and when that story is a thriller you know it's going to be good.

I enjoyed the pacing of this book. The chapters are longer but they are broken up into segments which are easy to read. It is also told from multiple POVS and past/present timelines.

The characters were pretty interesting, especially Annie and Robyn. Their backstories were really interesting. I liked that each character had a specific trait that the story focused on, like guilt and loyalty. This book definitely shows how guilt can ruin a person and how loyalty plays a huge role in making/breaking friendships.

It was a bit predictable at times, but that didn't deter me from wanting to know how it ended. I will say the ending took me by surprise.

If you like boat settings, past/present timelines and murder mysteries, this is the story for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Canelo for the eARC to review. The opinions are my own. This book is available on Oct 19th.

An amazing complicated thriller!
I loved this book, so many twists, with great characters, whose story is unveiled piece by piece, showing how the are inter twined.
The story is told by Ella in the current time, and Ashley one year ago, before a terrible death.
An edge of your seat, race to work out the killer and unravel all the secrets thriller! Brilliant!

For some reason I just always love murder mysteries that are set on boats! I love that added tension caused by the isolation and the characters forced to be in close proximity regardless. I loved it! It was very below deck but darker. It was a really quick and easy read that I flew through in a day

This thriller's synopsis mentioned that it was penned for fans of the reality TV series Below Deck and I was immediately sold! No pleasure should be guilty but the amount of hours I have dedicated to watching that show is a little guilt-inducing.

I thought this initially was an accurate account of boat life, but this is the opinion of someone who is judging it based from what she has seen from a reality TV show so take from that what you will. The work was gruelling, the hours were long, and the living quarters cramped but the cast was young, healthy, and as ready to socialise and party as they were to work hard and receive big tips.

The drama and the crew were a brief and primary focus but a death in their pasts lent a sombreness to their antics on board. They were very different to the people they had once been, working and partying together a year ago and before the death occurred. Very quickly a past perspective was then introduced and the reader learned about the deceased from her own perspective.

This was were the book's focus strayed from where I thought it would be and became an insight to this character's personal history rather than her very brief time aboard a boat and before her death. I did not dislike it but it wasn't personally what I had come into this book looking for.

This was like watching an episode of the television show “Below Deck” and season 2 of “The White Lotus” all at once! I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Crew and finished it in 2 sessions. I highly recommend it as I do with all of J.M. Hewitt’s novels.

Setting a story on a yacht or a cruise ship is a great way of creating a "locked room" environment, and thereby enabling the ratcheting up of natural tension, and creating a heightened sense of atmosphere.

As a book, The Crew delivers well on this front, with Ella's increasing anxieties seeming quite relatable under the circumstances.

Ella loves her job as a crew member on a luxury super yacht, but her return to the job this year is tinged with sadness, given the death of a colleague the previous year. Ashley was popular and well thought of, so her death adversely affects other crew members as well as Ella.

But when Ella finds a diary which seems to indicate that there was more to the story of Ashley's death, including the existence of a possible stalker, things take a decidedly dark turn. It gets even more complicated when it turns out that Ashley was not the crew member's real name. So was anything that she told them about herself real?

It was interesting to see how the two parallel stories show very different experiences of life on the water. And I liked the fact that the captain was female - though not so much that she referred to herself in the third person!

Similarly, a couple of things seemed a little unrealistic, including the level of alcohol consumption and the torrid romance taking place while on the job.

I know nothing about charter life, so perhaps that is an accurate portrayal? The airline industry certainly seems to have a lot of wild living behind the scenes, for example. But here, it probably wouldn't be consistent with the safety standards one would expect of this kind of venture.

Overall, the book was an entertaining read, with some minor caveats, such as those mentioned above. It would be a good choice for those who like murder mysteries with nautical settings.