The villa in Capri was only occupied one week a year in July-that was when the Lingate family took a transport boat to the island and did the things only the ultra-rich can do. In July, Capri crawls with tourists, local residents, and arrivistes but the Lingates have nurtured their wealth through several generations and understand the importance of maintaining it. That way, when trouble hits, it's not hard to head it off in the press, social media, and even at the police station. And there was always trouble.
Members of the family included Marcus, the older brother, who knew how to schmooze and make nice, his alcoholic wife Naomi, his younger brother Richard, and Richard's daughter, Helen. Helen's mother Sarah, a New York playwright, died in a fall over the island cliffs, three years after Helen was born. The family speculated that it was accidental or self-inflicted (Sarah wanted a divorce and Richard wouldn't allow it) but the police and the townspeople saw a more sinister reason for her death. Of course the investigation ended abruptly.
Since then, Helen was a virtual prisoner in their house in Bel Air-she wasn't allowed any freedom, friends, jobs, spending money, or alone time, unless she just stayed in her room, which she did a lot. She had fond memories of her babysitter on the island-she was the only one who gave her love and affection, and told her about her mother who Richard neve discussed.
As a young woman, the one thing that she was allowed to do was walk a hiking trail near her university and that's where she met Lorna. A woman about her age, Lorna became her friend and confidant, and when Marcus needed a personal assistant, Helen recommended her and she got the position. She was invited for their annual week in Capri, but of course Lorna had to make all of the arrangements and was always expected to be on call-it was hardly a vacation. But Helen has plans for Lorna-she believed that her mother really had been murdered, and by someone in the family. If Helen could co-opt Lorna in helping find proof that they did it, they could blackmail the brothers and get some well needed cash-they both could use it. The plan was working, but then Lorna disappeared.
The story is told by the various characters on the island, and in multiple flashbacks- when beginning the novel, it's best to make sure you note the chapter heading which also reveals who's narrating. Nothing is as it seems, everybody is hiding something, and I guarantee the reader will reread the novel a few times to help puzzle it out. As Helen's boyfriend says, "we are all two people." Hays' novel goes a long way towards proving it.

When I got chosen to read this book early I was very excited! Saltwater is a book about murder, the lives of rich people, deciet, and how to maintain a rich lifestyle. The book is action packed and a fast read. Defintley a great summer beach read! The plot reminded me quite a bit of White Lotus and at times I felt like I was reading a pilot episode for that show. This book explored the ways rich people explot those around them for their own gains with characters that are un-likable to a fault. Because of the characters and how un-likable they were, I had a difficult time enjoying all of the twists and turns this book offers.

"I used to think the money made you free. And maybe sometimes it does, or it helps you believe you are. But the Lingates aren’t. Even with this garden that stretches to the edge of the Mediterranean, even with these polished terrazzo floors, even with people always waiting to anticipate their needs—they’re not. No one this haunted can ever be free."

I'm starting to recognize a lot of similarities between this style of luxurious mystery and now that I see them it's hard to not see that the books are all following the same formula.

The mystery in this book was also overshadowed by other drama.

It's not bad it's just for me not anything exciting..

Thank you netgalley and Random Hoise Publishing Group Ballantine for giving me an advanced review copy of this book.

Hays’s writing is truly top-notch, and the mystery at the heart of the story was incredibly intriguing. While the book started off a bit slow, it steadily built momentum, and by the end, I couldn’t put it down! A gripping read that keeps you hooked until the final page.

An uber-rich family with wealth stemming from questionable deeds; a private getaway on the exclusive island of Capri; hot summer nights; hand-selected staff with their own agendas; and the thirtieth anniversary of a suspicious accident that killed the mother of a three year old girl. Saltwater, the twisty thriller by Katy Hays, has all this and more. Hays includes all the atmosphere of a Hitchcock film and a locked room mystery. Told by multiple narrators with flashbacks to the days leading up to the death of Sarah Lingate on the treacherous cliffs of the island interspersed with the explosive plans of her daughter Helen to uncover who among her family and close associates might have killed Sarah, the plot careens to its wild ending through the suffocating heat of Capri, the playground of the ultrawealthy.
Hays's writing is top-notch.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

The mystsry was intriguing and did keep asking myself "What actually happened to her?"
But unfortunately, there wasn't a single character i liked within this book. Multiple pov and each one of them selfish & self absorbed. With all of them being bad people with infidenity issues.....I just found myself if not rooting against them, not really caring what happened to them.
And after how everything went down, so sure I liked that ending either 😕

Saltwater is a fascinating entry into the realm of "rich people behaving badly." No one is entirely likable (although some of the family has at least logical reasons for why they do what they do - even if the actions are highly questionable). Sarah Lingate died 30 years ago, and every year the Lingate family still returns to Capri, the island where it happened. They tightly control their image, and by the time we start the story, Helen Lingate is reaching a breaking point.

Brought into Helen's plans is Lorna, the assistant to Marcus Lingate. We also have Naomi, Marcus' wife, and Richard, Helen's father and Sarah's husband. We follow a few days of their lives, from arriving at the island to a culmination of years of secrets and lies and revelations. We also get flashbacks and moments from different points of view. As with any good thriller, nothing should be taken at face value.

I loved the atmosphere created here. It is a slice of life of the extremely wealthy, and everything that they will do do hold onto a tightly controlled image and narrative. No one wants to admit defeat or fault or failure. And in this mess of motives, we also see the darker side of this tight control. The unspoken parts of presenting an image and not caring who you have to ruin to keep your place among the echelons of the rich. I was constantly revising my opinions of who did what, and even at the end was engrossed in what the final outcome would be. It is best to go into this one without too many hints or spoilers, but I will say that the story holds your attention and even though no one is without fault, I truly enjoyed seeing how this family managed to slowly unravel themselves until all that was left were things that maybe should have been left unsaid.

This book kept me guessing and thinking the entire way. It was a book to which I really had to attend in order not to get lost or miss pertinent information. I loved the story of the Lingate family and the depths to which they would go to maintain their secrets. Toward the end of the book, I thought of the twists were done, but I was wrong. This book ended with two, great and unexpected twists that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am excited to dive into more of Hays’ work in the future.

this review will include spoilers.

This book started slow. It took me awhile to care about any of the characters. for the first 30%, I was tempted to put the book down and just give up. However, once Sarah entries started appearing, I was more invested and started understanding the other characters more. by the end, I was flying through it and when the big twist happened, I had to put the book down for a minute.

I do wish that we had more understanding of what Lorna was thinking along the way, but I do understand that we couldn't know she used one of the boat girls because that would give away other details. I wonder if she had any idea who Renata was?

I plan to share this book on my instagram within a few days before publication so around March 24th.

One thing that stood out to me was the descriptive writing - I really felt like I was in Capri! As someone who has been fortunate enough to go twice, it felt familiar. I love a setting that is true to reality.
The book itself was interesting. I am not one who typically steers toward mystery/thriller reads, but this one kept my attention the whole time. I was never bored while reading it. The plot lines twisted together, unraveling several stories at once which display the sad realities of old money, how family can mean something so different to other people, and unfortunate accidents (or not). I love the dual timelines and how everyone and everything was interconnected.
This was a good book - one that I think many people can and will enjoy this summer by the pool - but it did not blow me away. As the events unraveled, I wasn't surprised by what we found out. It was more so, "oh, of course." I wish there was something that truly shocked me. That being said, I do think people will enjoy this one!

Thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this one was a worthwhile slow burn! the beginning was a bit of drudgery, and it led to believe Lorna was going to be more of a protagonist than she ended up being, but once I pushed through the first ~25% it picked up. the ending definitely made the book worth the 4 stars, as between the slow beginning and author's writing style (a bit convoluted, and just too much extra nonsense for me) I wasn't sold on giving this book a great review. a good plane read if you can get past the beginning!

I had to DNF this one. The writing was good but the plot just couldn’t keep me hooked. The setting was fabulous and I wish that I could’ve stayed into it to find out what happened but it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked this book. Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review.  As a thriller and mystery it worked for me. Characters I liked and some not at all, it built quite a story of Helen wanting to escape her wealthy controlling family, while wanting to really know about her mother. The world suspects murder, but was ruled a suicide or accidental death thirty years ago, and this year on her annual vacation to Capri with the family she hopes to get everything she's wanted to know. Lots of history from all the characters with timelines that jump around, but totally makes sense as you read. Great ending with everything pretty much tied up.

This book had some interesting twists, although I did not like any of the characters. I appreciated the setting of the beautiful island of Capri.

The very wealthy Lingate family vacations one week each year on the breath-takingly lovely Italian island of Capri. They have done so for decades, and the death of Sarah Lingate on that very island years ago has never stopped them. The family had once been under suspicion for her murder. If they stopped, what would people think? As a matter of fact, a lot of the Lingate family’s life revolves around that very question. But when the long-lost necklace that Sarah had been wearing when she died shows up, the family feels threatened, once again.


This tale starts off slowly, but once it gets going, it presents lots of surprises. This story also gives us a glimpse of the beautiful island.

This was intriguing to a point. It was almost nostalgic of the white lotus. The vibes were there but the plot was lost. The dramatic scenes felt very cheap and you can’t tell me they didn’t recognize Sarah…unbelievable. It was all very unbelievable. By the end, I was bored and disappointed.

Thank you netgalley and penguin random house for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lingate family has made their annual voyage to Capri, thirty years after the death of Sarah Lingate. So many questions remain about Sarah’s death - was it really an accident? What happened that night? Was the Lingate family involved? Sarah’s daughter, Helen, is working with her friend, Lorna, to try and get some answers when Lorna also disappears. Given the amount of alcohol and drugs everyone is consuming, can anyone remember the night clear enough to know what happened?

This was a fun, atmospheric thriller. The setting is absolutely stunning and made me want to book a trip to southern Italy. The family is dark and aloof, but Helen and Lorna are likeable enough to root for. The twists kept the story engaging - this is a perfect beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, Ballantine Books, and Katy Hays for this gripping ARC!

I enjoy books that keep me guessing until the end, and this one definitely fit the bill with multiple big surprises. While the book was enjoyable, it was long and at times really drawn out. But if you like mysteries, this is definitely one worth reading. It would make a great summer beach book.

One minor detail is that I do not think the title and book cover fit the story. While the book is set on the island of Capri which is technically surrounded by salt water, there are only small parts of the story line that involves salt water. The image on the cover also didn't seem to fit with the overall storyline.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this release in exchange for a honest review. This book was absolutely binge able! I flew through this so fast because I could not put it down. Some moments did feel a bit chaotic but I honestly enjoyed all of it, would recommend this one

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Wow, this one is a lot to unwrap. The premise of the book sounded intriguing and at first it was really good, then it slowed down a little and got a little slow and then BAM the ending was twisty, turny and completely unpredictable.