Saltwater is a challenging read. The story told in present and past voices builds the intrigue and mystery as it is intertwined among aristocracy and the common folk. It definitely holds surprises as it twists and turns to the end.

I am calling this now… this is THE book of the summer.. of the YEAR!!! Katy Hays was a new to me author and MANNNN she did not disappoint! I looooved this book and am so thankful I was able to live in this world for a little while.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a slow burn full of family drama inside a very rich family.

With picturesque descriptions of Italy's Island of Capri, endless drama and jealousy, and death, this really drew me in.

The best thing about a slow burn mystery is crazy twists at the end that you never saw coming. Katy Hays really tricked me, not once, but twice, and I love her for it. The surprises at the end were so shocking to me, I finished this book with my jaw on the floor.

I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a great mystery about a crazy family willing to do whatever it takes to "protect" their own.

Set on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy among the rich and not-so-famous, is the Lingate family who comes once a year to visit their beautiful villa and swim in the salty sea. The terrible secrets these family members carry to maintain their lifestyle are deadly.
I was surprised at the lengths some of them would go to uncover the lies and harm the ones they are supposed to love.
Great book.

#Saltwater
#KathHays
#NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t put it down from the beginning. The multiple POVs and going from the past to the future really helped set the storyline. So many twists I didn’t see coming and the end!!! I truly was not expecting it.

Couldn’t recommend this one enough.

This is a fascinating look at a family and all their secrets from 1992 to the present. Initially, Sarah Lingate's dead, bloated body is found in the sea and no one knows anything, Now in the present, her daughter Helen awaits her best friend, Lorna as it appears they hatched some plot together. But Lorna has apparently disappeared and that worries Helen as "the plan" involved both of them and Lorna wouldn't do this to her. Hays reveals lots of duplicity that leads to blackmail, extortion, and murder which always proves that families can be messy--especially wealthy ones!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I was invited by the publisher to read this book. I have to admit I was very happy when I learned of this book - I enjoyed the author's previous work, The Cloisters, and I was excited to see another book of intrigue coming down the pipeline. Also, as a side note, I really like the cover - it is very eye catching. As for the book itself, I wound up flying through the book - it isn't terribly long, but it just kept my attention from start to finish. I liked how the author had multiple characters in this book and presented convincing reasons why each of these wealthy people could have committed murder in picturesque Capri. There are tons of characters in this book to root for, and dislike! And the twists in the book were engaging, and nothing was very obvious about how everything would play out - especially the last twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good book! I’d didnt see most of it coming and that’s just how I like my books. It was surprising and fresh, the characters were great and the plot was a new twist on an only story. I loved that the author took a common trope and turned it on its head. Brilliantly done!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Katy Hays’ new novel Saltwater might bring us the the most intriguing death since Natalie Wood. From the glitz and glam of Bel Air to the grandiose villas of Capri overlooking cerulean colors of the Mediterranean Sea, mystery follows the Lingate family. Decades after the death of playwright Sarah, her daughter Helen returns once again to the island off the Amalfi Coast with her very twisted cast of characters that make up her family in what seems to be their very own version of Clue. Written from multiple perspectives spanning the decades, Saltwater provides an absolutely gripping family saga worthy of a modern Greek tragedy. Beautifully written and absolutely captivating, Hays gives us an unputdownable read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

“Saltwater” focuses on the old money Lingate family, who return to the same rented villa in Capri every summer, despite the fact that Sarah Lingate, wife of Richard Wingate, died there under mysterious circumstances in 1992, after falling from a cliff behind the property. It was ruled accidental at the time, but lingering suspicions kept the Lingate family out of the public eye, closing ranks to protect the family despite tensions among its members.

The novel focuses on three POVs. The first perspective is Helen, the 33 year old daughter of Richard and Sarah, who is stifled by the family and wants to escape but is not provided money of her own to pursue her own interests outside of the family. The narrative also flashes back in time to Sarah’s perspective (the second POV) in the days leading up to her death. The third POV is Lorna, a friend of Helen’s who is also the personal assistant to Helen’s Uncle Marcus. Her POV includes headings with a countdown to her disappearance. There is also a hint that Lorna and Helen have devised a scheme to extort money from the family, which they will split if they are successful.

The cause of Sarah’s death and who, if anyone, could be responsible, keeps the reader intrigued, while Lorna’s disappearance is an added source of tension. It is hard to categorize this novel, as it is too slow a burn to be considered a thriller, so the best description would be mystery/intrigue with some literary fiction aspects with its theme of decay, both within the Lingate family and the villa in Capri.

On the negative side, the plot seemed slow and meandering at times, while the multiple time periods sometimes made it difficult to keep track of the different storylines, as the reader would lose the thread of a particular storyline when it was ultimately brought back into focus. That being said, the novel was well written with complex characters, a beautiful setting brought to life by vivid prose, and an intriguing plot. Although the ending seemed somewhat improbable, if the reader is willing to suspend disbelief, it makes for an interesting twist.

This was such a great book to read on my cruise. Enthralling and I loved the twists… I can’t wait to share this title with everyone.

Saltwater is a delightful murder mystery/thriller that is brilliantly written and will captivate you from the start! This book honestly gave me “Rebecca” feels, which is one of my all time favorite books, so it’s no wonder I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. While mainly told from Helen’s POV, it does occasionally switch to other characters POV, and you can’t help but picture yourself on the beautiful Italian island of Capri because Hays’ writing style and descriptions are just perfection. The ending delivered a shocking twist that I loved and never saw coming. This was the first book I read by this author, but I absolutely love her writing style so it will not be my last. Also, can we talk about how beautiful the cover is! This book needs to be on my shelf for multiple reasons so I will be snagging a copy when it releases!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballentine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fabulous mystery, loved it and kept me going.. will be the beach read of the summer. I read the earlier book and this was far better.. As I. was reading I could also imagine the screenplay or the tv series... Saltwater meets the white lotus and with the right cast, would be totally amazing.

The characters and stories were really clever and interestingly woven together. I guessed about 90% of the ending but still enjoyed it and looking forward to the authors next book... The one real give away was the regular housekeeper not attending to the villa for the week.. if not for that little clue, I would have only guessed half..

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my review!

Saltwater is a dazzling and intense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. The glamorous setting of Capri is a perfect backdrop for this intricate, high-stakes drama, where family grudges and long-buried secrets ignite like fireworks. The twists are sharp, the stakes are sky-high, and the tension is palpable. I was utterly captivated by this riveting tale, an absolute must-read for fans of thrilling family dramas and dark secrets.

A little predictable but a fun summer read nonetheless! The descriptions of Capri were great, and I found myself really wishing I was there despite the underlying feeling of paranoia and anxiety threaded throughout the book.

I was drawn into the story right from the start! Although told primarily from Helen's point of view, you actually get the point of view of key players at crucial times. The original crime, Sarah's murder, is the kick off for all of the current day events. In the book, Ciro says that we are always both people, meaning that we each have two sides. Interestingly enough, Ciro is the only person in this book that does not wear two faces. Between the public face and the real self, the plan and the subterfuge, each person's actions are suspect. This is a mystery that meanders like a stream at the start, but quickly builds as your perceptions are dashed on the rocks in the torrent of the deceptions. Just when you think you have a grasp on what happened in the past, you are propelled in another direction. Hays is a master story-teller that provides enough twists to ensure that you are astonished at the end! I loved this story - there was not a page that didn't hold me captive to find out more! And the scenery was as beautiful as it was dangerous! This is a must read!!

Rich people problems, murder, power and secrets. Helen wants to find out if her mother`s death which was ruled an accident was really one 30 years later. This was an engaging read. There were characters I liked and and a few I did not. I loved the setting of Capri too. I nice twisty thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the ARC

This was a wonderful thriller! A cast of rich characters you love to hate. Helen and her family return to the island of Capri where her mother mysteriously died 30 years before. Helen is desperate to get away from her claustrophobic life and teams up with her uncle's assistant, Lorna, to help them both escape the grip her family has on them both. Another tragedy unfolds on the island and Helen must uncover all the secrets and lies her family has kept hidden for years. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this one! Great ending. Helen and Lorna were very different personalities but I was rooting for them both the whole time. My only gripe is I was ready for the big reveal and resolution quicker than when it was provided.

I really enjoyed this twisty thriller.

Set in Capri, the book was so well written and an interesting look at a rich family haunted by a tragedy 30 years ago. The main characters are Helen, the daughter of the rich family who lost her mother in an accident? and Lorna, the assistant to Helen's uncle. The book was really, really intriguing. I read it in one day, and I look forward to more from this author.