Saltwater is a twisty thriller set (mostly) on the stunning island of Capri. It starts out slow but picks up in the middle and overall I really enjoyed it. The story is told in multiple POV: Lorna and Helen in modern day, and Helen’s mother, Sarah, 20 years prior. There are lots of secrets which are revealed slowly as we peel back the layers of the mystery of the death of Sarah in 1992.

The tension is high as we learn slowly both what unfolded in 1992 and what is happening current day. Capri is a beautiful yet dangerous setting and you can feel the heat of the sun, the sharp edges of the cliffs, and the danger hidden in the water. Although I did find myself struggling to stay engaged in the first half, it did pick up in the second half and was a really exciting ride all the way to the very end.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC to review.

Saltwater was a great dramatic thriller. It started off a bit slow for me, but by halfway through the book I couldn’t put it down. There were lots of twists and turns all the way to the end of the book! I mostly enjoyed reading about the setting of Capri. I’ve never been to Italy but after reading this book I really want to go! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

If there is one thing Katy Hays excels at, it's setting a scene. This book was dripping with decadence, old money, betrayals, murder, and sunny Capri, Italy. If you liked The Cloisters, you'll like this.

The Pros:
Amazing scenery, interesting characters, and a story that really comes to life visually. The characters were developed enough that you love and then hate them and then back again. No one is one-dimensional.

The Cons:
Much like the Cloisters, the ending of the book ends up in twist after twist after twist. While interesting, it makes it feel far-fetched and confusing. Just one of the twists would have been the perfect ending.

I'm sure this will be a hit thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

This is not my usual type of read but I wanted to add more to our library collection and I am so glad I read this one! It will teach me to branch out more. The story and the characters were so captivating and intriguing. It painted such great descriptions - can’t wait to recommend and add to our library.

Saltwater by Katy Hays is a book with many POV. I'm not a big fan of jumping around like that, I think there is a bit of laziness on the part of the author. I don't know what category this book would go under: mystery, thriller. It is a mediocre book that stretches all sense of belief. There is an hysteria about all the characters. It opens with two female friends seemingly plotting to pull a con on the family of one of the woman. But it takes many chapters to figure that out. The family is wealthy, the 1% if we believe these two, and has homes in LA and Capri, an island off the coast of Naples. Most of the action takes place in Capri where the mother of one of the women died thirty years earlier.. Trying t figure out what is going on is like pulling teeth. I got quite bored and skipped ahead in places and didn't feel I had missed anything.

And like all mediocre books that are not well written, it has twists at the end that are simply not believable.
It's too bad. All the ingredients for a good mystery is right there but this one just didn't jell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this ARC!

"Saltwater" by Katy Hays is a haunting and atmospheric novel that masterfully blends mystery and psychological drama. Set in a small coastal town, the story follows Mara, who uncovers dark secrets about her family's past while dealing with her own troubled mind. Hays' writing is evocative and richly descriptive, capturing the eerie beauty of the seaside setting. The plot is filled with twists and turns, keeping readers on edge as Mara's discoveries unfold. Overall, "Saltwater" is a compelling and deeply immersive read that leaves a lasting impression.

The vibes here are so good, I loved the Italian vacation setting with a mystery and some chic vibes. Twists, turns, and throwbacks to 90s and early millennium - this was great.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Saltwater (releases March 2025)
By Katy Hays
Penguin Random House, 336 pages
★★★★

Booze, money, doppelgängers, paranoia, murder, and sun-blasted Capri… What else do you need? Saltwater, the new novel from Katy Hays (The Cloisters), will keep you off-guard. It contrasts old money with new, the latter of which scores low on the character and honesty scales.

The loaded Lingate family owes its wealth to a grandfather, an oil baron. As the old saying goes, you need money to make money. The parental generation swelled the coffers and sons Richard and Marcus have done well in Los Angeles, though Richard is mostly pomp and ego, and Marcus is all business.

Capri is where the Lingates summer. Those of us who’ve been there can attest it is stunningly beautiful, but also precarious. Unlike most islands in the Gulf of Naples it’s not volcanic, but its karstic landscape is filled with cliffs, caves, and rugged terrain. The Roman emperor Tiberius dispatched enemies by having them pushed into the sea from a high balcony of Villa Jovis. That method may have been the fate of Sarah Lingate, Richard’s wife, in 1992. Her body was identified after she “fell” from a cliffside wall in villa in which the family was staying. Local authorities suspected foul play, but evidence was scant and money buys attorneys and allies in high places.

Part I of Saltwater tells Sarah’s tale in her voice. She was a celebrated East Coast playwright before marrying Richard and moving to Los Angeles. After three years she is bored and angered by the controlling ways of the Lingates. They are reminiscent of movie mob families in their preoccupation with the “family,” which they interpret as a collective in which the will of individuals is secondary. That includes working wives, but Sarah is too intelligent, ambitious, and free-spirited. Not only does she want a divorce, she has written an utterly brilliant play that could be seen as confessional. Bumbling Richard and forceful Marcus try to dissuade her from a reputation-damaging divorce, but she has a plan to free herself–until she drowns after falling from a cliff. Hays tells her tale in the form of a sequential countdown of days and hours before she dies. Horrible accident or murder? A fancy necklace might hold the clue.

Part II jumps to 2022 and focuses on Helen, Sarah and Richard’s daughter who was three when her mother died. Capri is again the site of family drama and melodrama. This part of the novel involves a new investigation into Sarah’s death and throws the Lingates into a tizzy. Not only is family honor at stake, but it’s bad for pending business transactions. Marcus’ assistant Lorna Moreno plays a major role as well. The hours before her disappearance structures Part II.

Helen is pivotal, though as she’s the presumptive heir to the Lingate fortune. Marcus is married to Naomi, though they are childless. Naomi plays the part of an unreliable narrator, as we never know if she’s scheming, drunk, or too vacuous for anything except spending time and money in the boutiques along Capri’s Via Camerelle. Richard, Marcus, and Naomi all want to see Helen properly married, but she has her mother’s mind. She dallies with clueless Freddy but is also attracted to Ciro, whom she has known since both were children. The Lingates disapprove of Ciro, as he is the son of the villa’s caretaker Marina Piccola. (Marina has private thoughts on Sarah’s death.)

Lorna is an especially interesting character. It’s never entirely clear whose side she’s on, if any. She might be a con artist, Helen’s ally, or an innocent victim. All we know for sure is that millions of Euros change hands, but where they go to is a mystery within the mystery. Will the Lingate castle crumble or will money prop up the foundations? You will not know until the end who is guilty of what. Hays intersperses newspaper clippings to build the drama.

Hays spins a riveting, page-turning yarn. One wonders, though, how readers will respond to the novel’s Deus ex machina resolutions. Some might find them very satisfying, others unconvincingly neat. I’m mostly in the second camp and was bothered by the contrivance of parallel plot lines. I had to remind myself that’s it fiction, not biography. It’s an exciting read no matter how you slice it–unless strict morality is your personal touchstone.

Rob Weir
https://off-centerviews.blogspot.com/

This was SUCH a good book. I absolutely devoured it!

Succession meets White Lotus, which happen to be two of my favorite shows. I loved being transported to the island of Capri, where Helen is trying to figure out what actually happened when her mother died when she was three. The web she's trying to unravel gets even bigger and more complicated the more she discovers, and she can't figure out who she can trust.

I love love love messed up rich people, so this book hit the nail on the head for me! I'll be recommending it to everyone I know!

The Lingates are a typical untouchable, filthy rich family heading to their yearly vacation to Capri. This year, the head of the family, Marcus, brought his assistant, Lorna, along. She knows she doesn’t fit in with their wealth and status, but is good friends with Helen, Marcus’s niece, so she’s not too out of her element.

Although the Lingates are catered to on Capri, it’s no secret that the locals blame the family, specifically Helen’s father, Richard, for the death of Helen’s mother, Sarah, thirty years ago. It’s made worse because they keep coming back every year, staying at the same property where her body is found. Almost as if daring anyone to do anything about it. But Lorna and Helen have a plan to expose them that’s put in play almost as soon as they arrive. Unfortunately, no one counted on Lorna disappearing. Will she be another victim of the Lingates? And is Helen next?

I was pleasantly surprised by the story – the characters had a depth I wasn’t expecting and there were surprises everywhere. As soon as you think you figured it out, you realize that nope, you sure didn’t! The atmosphere makes you feel like you’re right there on Capri, amongst all the luxury and scandal. The beauty of the location shines through the pages and it’s a perfect read for your own vacation. You may not be relaxing at an island villa, but at least you’ll be safe reading about it!

This is an interesting mystery set in gorgeous Capri. I really enjoyed the alternating timelines and different character perspectives although at times I got a bit confused about where we were in the story. I gravitate towards rich people behaving badly and this book delivers on that front. Sarah died a mysterious death in Capri and her wealthy family returns years later with many questions still lingering. Helen, Sarah's daughter, is determined to get to the bottom of her murder and how her family is involved. I found the pace a bit slow in parts but overall I was interesting in how it would all wrap up and then ending was solid. I think mystery readers will enjoy this one, especially for the beautiful setting. Thanks to Katy Hays, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book...I think I liked it. It will definitely keep you guessing. The family drama is engaging. The setting (Capri) is well-described. The characters are full of flaws. There's a twist at the very end that will surprise you. As a mom, it's a little farfetched - not the Sarah/Helen part, but the Renata/Ciro part (3 year olds know their moms). Saltwater is a quick, mysterious read.

Family drama that alternates between the (murder/suicide/accidental) death of Sarah on the island of Capri and the return of the family to that site years later. Different perspectives reveal the events of 1992 and the tragedy that unfolds with Sarah's daughter, Helen, and her friend, Lorna, when the family returns to the villa. Surprising revelations keep changing what you think happened to Sarah and Lorna as well as your perceptions of the characters right up to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This was a wild ride of a book with murder, wealthy family, secrets, lies all within the setting of Capri. The story follows the wealthy Lingate family with dueling timelines of the death of Sarah Lingate in Capri to present. Helen Lingate sets to find out what happened to her mother and begins to suspect her own family. The book was a little slow moving at times, but the last 100 pages had me on the edge of my seat. The ending was brilliant! Highly recommend this thrilling mystery layered with jealousy, family drama and the dark side of wealth and fame.

I had not read anything by Katy Hays and Im happy to have come across this book. It contained everything from mystery, secrets, murder and all set in an island, Capri. How fabulous!

The characters were so well written that I found myself hating some of them, which is how you know the writing is splendid. The multiple characters POV made it a little difficult at first to follow along with. It also has some time hops which also made it a cumbersome at first but once I got used to reading the format, I felt a little better about the progress.

I think because of the stated this book took me a little longer to read. I can see how this book can be enjoyed by a big population. It wont be the last book I read by Hays.

Well written mystery/thriller with a fantastic setting but does not enter new territory. Just an enjoyable read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215362444

Saltwater is a suspense novel about rich people behaving badly. Set in Capri during a family vacation, it is perfect for a summer read.

**Rounded up from 3.5 ⭐️s**

The beginning was hard to navigate. There are a lot of characters and three timelines, so it was a bit confusing to follow storylines and character relationships. However, everything comes together 40-50% in. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this summer drama.

Writing Style - 3.5/5 ⭐️s
Plot - 3/5 ⭐️s
Character Development - 4/5 ⭐️s
Readability - 3.5/5 ⭐️s
Gut Rating - 3.5/5 ⭐️s

Overall, I enjoyed Saltwater. If you like books about family drama, especially involving the super wealthy, you'll like it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an ARC.

I loved everything about this book!!!!!!! It was the perfect marriage of everything I loved and more. What a fun, twisty book. Cannot wait for this one to come out!

Richard Lingates wife died on the island of Capri under questionable circumstances 30 years ago. this is a mystery and will keep you guessing.

This book was an incredible read! I couldn't put it down all weekend. It's one of the best books I've read all year. There were twists, turns and unexpected connections throughout, with a major twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The twist was both shocking and heartwarming at the same time, and this murder mystery had a happy ending in the end.