I couldn’t put this down! Saltwater is set in Italy on the island of Capri. This novel is narrated from different members of the wealthy Lingate family and those who work for them. Jealously, murder, and wealth are the major themes in this absorbing mystery with lots of twists and turn and a surprise ending.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

There is a lot to like about this book, but also some aspects of this that I found challenging. The plot involves a wealthy family, old money, who vacation on the island of Capri. Thirty years earlier, the wife of one of the family members, was found dead, mysteriously. She (Sarah) was a playwright and was completing a play called Saltwater at the time of her death. Sarah's husband did not want to see this play see the light of day. Thirty years later, the death was being reinvestigated, prompting a series of actions by the family and some support staff members.

The portrayal of this wealthy family was well done. The plot twists in the last quarter of the book were surprising and they kept on coming. The writing quality was excellent, though sometimes the author gets lost in her words. I was challenged by the slow start of the book. It was hard to figure out who was who at first. I also was confused at time by the changing points of view combined with the timeline flipping back and forth between the present and past. I stayed with it and eventually the confusion disappeared and I was rewarded with the book's superb conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my ARC of Saltwater.

The title intrigued me, the setting intrigued me.

Once I started reading, I realized how the beauty of Capri contrasted so starkly with the ugliness of the characters---all rich people behaving badly.

The Lingates are a powerful and old-monied family. Watching them implode on the pages of this book is equivalent to a train wreck, tragic but hard to look away. Sadly, not a single characters is likable, but between simmering hostiles and crafty manipulations, the story weaves a spellbinding web.

Decades ago, while on vacation, Richard Lingate's wife died under questionable circumstances, her daughter just a child of three. Now an adult, Helen returns to Capri and the site of her mother's death but with her own agenda.

The story plays out like a glossy soap opera replete with old wounds, squabbling, and the downward spiral of a family imploding. Therein lies the train wreck, disaster looming like thunder clouds on the horizon. I applaud the author for the number of slick twists at the end. One I expected (though I had no idea how it would be pulled off), the other completely blindsided me. That one had me replaying several scenes in my head, re-examining puzzle pieces that slotted cleverly into place. All in all, I found Saltwater a captivating read.

If you enjoy exotic settings, family dramas, and slow-build mysteries, this story is a winner.

Despite a Kindle and bookshelves full of TBRs, I flew through this twisty armchair travel thriller.

The author whisks the reader away to sun splashed Capri for a whodunnit linking past and present, On the ride, she explores themes of money, power, and feminism. In what ways does marrying money or being born into it free a person, and in what ways does it constrain them?

My problem with many thrillers is shallow characters and themes. This book managed to keep me guessing through the end AND quench my thirst for weighty characters and ideas.

I loved the descriptions of a luxury trip to Italy, delicious food, and glamorous homes. A great beach read that would be just as good as book club fiction.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
This was hard for me to get into as it starts out slow. I like a book that grabs you from the start but it was given good reviews so I kept reading. It picks up and it makes for a good beach read. I love the setting of Capri and could picture the scenery. I enjoyed this book when I got into the second half.

This story spanning a 30 year period revolving around the deaths of two women in/involved with the ultra wealthy Lingate family was captivating and set in one of the most beautiful locations, Capri. I was definitely caught off guard in a good way with where the story went - the second half was much faster paced and engrossing than the first. While this is definitely one of those stories where I didn’t particularly like any of the characters it was well done and I’d love to watch this as a movie. Having recently been on vacation in Capri, it was fun to read the many real life names of places, hotels, restaurants and it brought the story to life in my mind.

I loved this book! The perfect mystery beach read. Think White Lotus meets Knives Out. There were secrets upon secrets in this Italian villa. I couldn’t put it down!

This book combines an exotic local (the Isle of Capri) with intergenerational family drama for a great beach read. Helen Lingate is subject to almost complete control of her life by her wealthy and dysfunctional family, all of whom have been scarred by the untimely death of Helen's mother, Sarah, when Helen was a young girl. Was it suicide or murder? The book goes back and forth in time between the days surrounding Sarah's death and the present, when Helen's friend and her uncle's assistant Lorna disappears. Family secrets are slowly teased out, with an explosive finale.

Overall a good read, although it was a little disjointed at times. It was hard to tell who to root for (and that's probably the point) because no one seemed very likeable. Everyone seemed to have a secret agenda, and the author did a good job of teasing these out throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy for an honest review. Such an intriguing book! Helen is the scion of a suffocatingly wealthy family; Lorna is the beleaguered assistant to Helen's uncle and Helen's confidante; Sarah is Helen's mother, dead by murder or suicide when Helen was a toddler. This is a family bonded by secrets, and Helen, now a young woman, seeks to gain her independence by breaking those bonds, Hays has artfully pieced together a narrative timeline by letting the characters relate in Rashomon style both very recent and long past events on the beautiful isle of Capri.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a solid beach read that checked all the boxes: a beautiful coastal setting, a mysterious death, wealth, secrets...lots of potential. Ultimately I just found the characters too unlikeable and the twists too unbelievable. It was a quick read and I found myself intrigued, but this isn't one that will stick with me.

3.5 ⭐️

Decent thriller set in picturesque Capri. Throughout the book I was definitely confused on the motivations of all the characters. Even once things started to come together it seemed like they were all trying a little too hard to protect secrets that weren’t worth murder.

A lot of the twists I didn’t see coming, so that helped my rating. But man, think people would learn to stay away from the edge of those cliffs..

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. It was enjoyable and think will be a popular thriller when it releases!

Wow, what a ride this novel took me on! Although it started out a bit slow, it quickly picked up and I flew through it. Secrets, lies, and more twists than I can count. The story is told from mutliple points of view as we learn the story of the Lingate family and how they would do pretty much anything to protect their family legacy.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. This book started out slow but by part 2 of the book. I was hooked and did not want to put it down. This story changes back and forth between 1992 and present time. The majority of this book is set in Capri. This book has secrets, old money, betrayals and mystery. This book has complex characters. Every time I thought I had this book figured out it took another twist and I was back in the dark. This book is a great thriller with a nice twist of mystery.

This is a haunting thriller that I truly enjoyed reading. Dating back to 1992 in Capri, hidden family secrets explode beyond my imagination. I was hooked on this twisty limoncello scary book

This is a murder mystery in reverse: you know who died but don't know the circumstances. Over the course of the plot, you find out more about the situation from various family members' points of view. Normally, I find this structure annoying but it works for this novel. By the end of the book, you aren't even certain who did what to whom. The action takes place mostly around Capri on the Italian coast in some pretty fancy digs, and the family members are all scions of wealth, or so it seems. I liked how things were tied up by the end which I can't go into more details, the characters were all fascinating studies of family dysfunction and seemed very realistically drawn. Highly recommended.

Twenty years ago, Sarah Lingate was found dead under the cliffs of Capri. The Lingate family comes to the villa every year for one week in the summer. Many people believed that Sarah's husband, Richard Lingate, was responsible for her death. Helen Lingate was 3 at the time of her mother's death. Even after this happened, the Lingates continue to return every year. There is Helen, Richard, his brother and sister-in-law- Marcus and Naomi. Marcus' personal assistant, Lorna, is also accompanying them, as well as Freddie- Helen's boyfriend. Renata is the permanent caretaker of the villa, along with her adult son Ciro. One night, Lorna disappears, and the fun begins!

The story is told in a different way. It is told through multiple POV's- Lorna, Helen, Sarah, Naomi, and Renata. Some are told from the past of 20 years ago, and some from the present. However, Lorna's is told by how many hours previous to her disappearance. Be sure to read the chapter heads, because if not for those I would not have known who was speaking at times. This story moves forward not through action, but through the observations and thoughts of the characters. It is a slow burn, until the last fourth of the book. I felt that sometimes it was a little wordy and repetitive. The descriptions of Capri were gorgeous though! And there are so many secrets to keep track of.

I'll be honest, I really did not like most of the characters. I also struggled with how controlling and weird the family was to Helen. She is 33, and doesn't have anything of her own. She still has to get permission to go places from her family. However, Helen is the one character I liked the best. And even though they were unlikable, I continued reading because I wanted to know what happened.

The conclusion! The last fourth of the book picks up fast. There are twists I did not see coming, and was surprised by the last one. I felt like I was living that old joke, "Who's on First"! You have to really suspend belief! Especially as it pertains to Sarah and her death.
I was also confused about why Lorna wanted so badly to investigate and reveal things about Sarah's death. There was no backstory really as to why she was so invested in it.

Overall, I was engaged because I was trying to figure out everyone's secrets, then piece it all together. I am thinking of reading the author's other book to see if the suspension of belief is integral to the conclusion of that book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Saltwater is the perfect beach read. If you enjoy reading thrillers about wealthy families, you will love this.
I was on the edge of my seat until the end!

I had read this author's previous book and throughly enjoyed, This one was a little slow for me to get into but I did finish it. Family secrets kept hidden for years are revealed in the present. Am exciting thriller that will keep the reader guesing who did what and when.. The description of the islands are superb; another place on my bucket list to see.

Saltwater is a juicy book about old money family relationships and MURDER! The premise hooked me right off the bat when the author introduces the Lingate family and the death of Sarah Lingate. The reader gets a glimpse into the lifestyles of the family where all the glitters is definitely not gold. I appreciated the different timelines (1992 when Sarah died & the 2022 current timeline) and thought the author weaved those well together. A solid 4 star for me, I would read more by Katy Hays.

Gosh, I don't know where to begin....... Amazing story! I loved this book!! The ending was so perfect that I will never like another ending in another book ever!! I was entertained throughout the whole book and finished it in 1 night, because there wasn't a place in the story that I felt I could stop and pick up at another time. I had to finish it.
The main character, Helen has been raised by her father after the death of her mother. The death is ruled an accident, but because they are a wealthy family everyone questions this ruling. Helen has lived in the shadow of her mother's questionable death her whole life and hasn't been allowed to live a life of freedom. Her father and uncle protect everything she does or says. Helen hatches a plan to get out of under their thumb. This triggers a bunch of events that changes the lives of many people.
If you are a fan of murder, family drama and reading about the lives of rich people this is the book for you.