In the "Drowning Game" readers are plunged into a world of luxury, power, and treachery as sisters Nadia and Cass Brenner navigate the high-stakes industry of superyachts. The Brenner sisters are the heirs to Ocean House, a prestigious empire that caters to the world’s elite, designing and building megayachts for emirs, oligarchs, and industry titans. Their success seems assured with the upcoming commission of a megayacht for a Chinese billionaire, marking their entry into the lucrative Asian market.

However, the sisters' bright future is abruptly shattered when Cass falls from a fortieth-floor hotel balcony in Singapore. The local authorities quickly rule her death a suicide, but Nadia, who knows the business and her sister too well, is not convinced. Her suspicions deepen when she uncovers Cass's involvement in dangerously illicit activities that may have led to her untimely death.

As Nadia digs deeper into the circumstances surrounding her sister’s demise, she finds herself ensnared in the same web of betrayal, lies, and deadly secrets that ensnared Cass. The story follows Nadia on a perilous journey from Seattle to Austria to the South China Sea, where she must rely on the Brenner family motto—Trust no one—to survive.

"the Drowning Game" is a fast-paced thriller that weaves together themes of family loyalty, corporate intrigue, and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of immense wealth. The narrative keeps readers on the edge of their seats as Nadia confronts the dark forces that threaten to destroy her family—and possibly her life. With its exotic settings, complex characters, and relentless suspense, this novel is a must-read for fans of high-octane thrillers.

I wanted to try this book because I was a big fan of the Sydney Parnell series. The Drowning Game is, on the surface, a story about a family whose business is building superyachts for the rich and famous. Cass Brenner is in Singapore overseeing the build of a yacht for a Chinese scientist when she falls from a forty story building. The police rule it suicide but Cass's sister Nadia doesn't believe it. Nadia heads to Singapore to learn more about what her sister was involved in and realizes there is much more to the story. Before long Nadia gets pulled into the same dangerous operation that ensnared her sister. The story is intriguing and sheds light on how much work is involved in building a yacht. The characters are complex and there is a twist near the end which I didn't see coming. Overall a compelling read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Drowning Game is a gritty thriller/mystery set against the world of billionaires and super-yachts, where the dangerous waters of East Asia become the latest battleground for boat building supremacy.

The story centers around Ocean House, a U.S. based boat builder, and their contract to build and launch the biggest and most luxurious ever super-yacht at their dock in Singapore. Cass Brenner, the lead on this build, dies under mysterious circumstances and her sister, Nadia, steps in to finish the pressure-filled project and uncover what happened to her sister. Spies, thugs, and double agents, from the CIA and a variety of Chinese agencies make for duplicitous relationships, not knowing who to trust, and danger that lurks around every corner and behind every back.

It is a high stakes game, however, the author often asks the reader to suspend belief in order to make certain elements of the plot work. The setting is interesting and well developed, which helps make the book an enjoyable escape.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Cass and Nadia are sisters whose family owns a yacht building company. Think super yachts for the rich and famous.

Cass is in Singapore overseeing the building of a yacht for a Chinese scientist who has developed a version of AI. When Cass is found dead, suicide? Nadia goes to Singapore to finish the build. We have the CIA, we have Chinese Spies and Military Intelligence. Nadia knows she's being followed but who does she trust. Her father's motto is Trust No One. We also have a side plot regarding Nazi's.

The book was good but at times it struggled to hold my attention and it seemed too long. I did enjoy the ending.

At first, I was a little unsure of whether I’d like this book. By the end, I loved it! I couldn’t put it down once I fully got into it and ended up reading it in one sitting. It was a slow burn and I couldn’t look away. I look forward to reading more books by Barbara Nickless!

ARC book thank you to Thomas & Mercer and the author Barbara Nickless for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

“The Drowning Game” takes the reader to the far away land of China where the Red Dragon yacht will be the most lavish build for the Ocean House company. When Cass is found dead after a suspected murder called suicide after a fall from a tall building, her sister Nadi is left to uncover the mystery while her father and CEO is dying and uncle seems to be recluse.

Overall a spy novel isn’t really my genre, although it was an interesting tale of CCP, AI and how far revenge will take a person. The ending felt a bit predictable. So I leave this with 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. Right away this sucked me in. This secret life vibe with this woman, Cassandra Brenner. She is in Singapore and it seems like she’s a CIA agent on some secret operation hiding away from something right in the first chapter she tries so much to not get seen and she makes sure she studies her surroundings in the people. There’s two different timelines and first and third pov of Cassandra and her sister. With some of the text though it’s confusing such as what’s supposed to be “text messages” sometimes I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be actual dialogue or not so that really annoys me… I really couldn’t get into this one after chapter one.. it wasn’t keeping my attention enough but I still recommend, I tried reading this when I was sick maybe that wasn’t the best choice but I just didn’t care for the yachts and stuff, not my kind of book.

The Drowning Game by Barbara Nickless was just an okay read for me. I normally am a fan of Barbara Nickless’s other books, but The Drowning Game felt a little flat. I could not connect with the characters and found some of the scenes not plausible. The story was slow in parts, and I wasn’t always eager to pick up this book, but I felt I had to finish it to find out what happened in the end.

I probably was not the right audience for this story, but I do like this author and will check out her other books.

#TheDrowningGame #NetGalley @AmazonPub

Superyachts, spies, exotic locales -- this book has it all!

Nadia Brenner does not think of herself as a courageous person. Her sister Cassandra is the bold and fearless one. Co-heirs to Ocean House, the family's business designing and building superyachts for the ultra-rich, the sisters have always been close. When Cass dies in a fall from a luxury hotel in Singapore the police rule it a suicide. Nadia is left with questions and a determination to find the truth about her sister's death. As she peels back the layers of her sister's life in Singapore and the superyacht project that will be Ocean House's entry to the Asian market, she discovers hidden agendas, secrets, and threats to her own life. What is she willing to risk for her sister's memory, for her family's future, for her own principles?

With a slight shift in genre from her previous books, Barbara Nickless dives into a world of international espionage and intrigue. She has once again delivered a compelling, tightly-plotted story in her usual exceptional prose. The details of the superyacht business, China and geopolitical tensions in East Asia, and developments in artificial intelligence all reflect her flair for research and getting the details right. Also unchanged is her ability to create characters that capture our hearts and locales that come alive. The Drowning Game is a captivating read from start to finish.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book. The scheduled release date is November 19, 2024.

Barbara Nickless is the author of the Sydney Rise Parnell series (about a railroad detective which is very intriguing,) and the Dr. Evan Wilding series (which is ongoing, and features a professor at the University of Chicago whose specialty is symbols. The first one was fabulous and those since have been OK.).

This standalone thriller features sisters Nadia and Cass Brenner, who will be heirs to Ocean House, THE builder of superyachts for the rich and powerful. They are preparing for their debut in the Asian market when Cass falls from a fortieth floor balcony.

The Singapore police rule her death a suicide but Nadia doesn’t buy it, especially when she discovers that Cass had secrets. In fact, everyone has secrets. Secrets all round. Can Nadia figure out what happened and save her own life?

Ok, this book was not for me, and had a major, unexplained plot hole. However, I think there are people out there who may enjoy it. It really depends on how willing you are to swallow all your disbelief and just let it all unfold. That’s not really my style, but lots of people go into books to be swept into a whole new world. So, does it sound like something you would like? Nickless is a good writer, it’s just the plotting that, for me, got away from her this time. More railroad mysteries, please!

To be honest this book was not for me. I found it very boring and I had to really push myself to finish it.

I really enjoyed the Drowning Game. It was a great story about power and greed that kept me guessing until the very end.

The author's prose is sharp and evocative, which instantly drew me into a world of secrets and deception with every page turn. A five-star thriller that grips you from start to finish!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to review this book! It captured my attention, I felt the start was a bit slow and hard to get into, but it made up for it and sucked me into the story! Very interesting with a satisfying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishing company and or the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Drowning Game.

This book isn't my normal type of read but it was still interesting to say the least. I would definitely be reading more books from the author.