Saltwater by Katy Hays is a thrilling ride that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story delves into the lives of a wealthy family and the lengths they’ll go to protect their reputation. Full of mystery and intrigue, the plot keeps you guessing as you unravel the “whodunnit(s).”

While I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, I suspect this was intentional on the author’s part, adding to the tension and complexity of the story. The setting in Capri, Italy, was a highlight for me. Even with the drama and dark twists, it was easy to picture the stunning backdrop, which added a layer of escapism to the murder mystery.

If you’re a fan of twisty plots, morally gray characters, and atmospheric settings, Saltwater is worth the read. It’s a book that leaves you questioning everyone’s motives, right up until the last page.

This is for the slow paced literary thriller girlies.

Hays has a beautiful writing style, and the story was interesting and had a great twist at the end. But… I personally, am not a slow paced girlie because it made this book seem sooo long. So this book, while good, was not a standout for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ebook in exchange for my review.

I have to say having never been to Capri, I sure feel like I know the place. Kathy Hays did such a fantastic job of immersing you into Italy.

The story was fast paced and part of the twists I never saw coming. Told in multiple POV’s during different times. The newspaper articles were a nice add in too. Even though the family is a bunch of rich snobs I did feel for Helen. I loved how the whole story wrapped up and the ending was excellent. The believability is stretched but that’s what makes it a fun read.

This would make for a great summer or vacation read.

The proof is broke into Part One and Part Two. There are no chapters to try and find your place. Within the Parts you are given each person’s pov and I hope when the book publishes that it will have chapters and not just the two parts.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book as it didn't hold my interest. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lingates are a wealthy family from LA. Richard and his adult daughter Helen, Marcus and his wife Naomi, Helen's boyfriend and Marcus's assistant, Lorna all arrive on Capri for their annual vacation at a cliffside villa where Helen's mother Sarah died 30 years ago. The death was ruled an accident but questions remain. Then Lorna disappears and that re-raises suspicion about what really happened to Sarah.

4.5 stars.

I liked this book better than I expected. I requested it because I was I was intrigued by the setting with Capri being on my short list of places to visit. I think the location was used very well and this story would not have captured my interest in the same way in a different setting. Also, I tend to dislike excessive setting descriptions but it really worked here and it was done so well that it really added to the story. I felt like I was there. I did occasionally get confused during the flashbacks because there was some shifting from past to present that I didn't realize had happened. I had to suspend disbelief a bit at the end but overall it was a really good read.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House/Ballantine books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. The book is a thriller/mystery set in Capri. It is very much rich people behaving badly, in a beautiful setting. Helen Lingate was 3 when her mother died. Her mother, Sarah, died while the family was on vacation in Capri and she was found in the water near the house. It appeared she had jumped or fallen off the cliff. In the house was Helen's father Richard, her uncle Marcus and Marcus's wife Naomi. The Lingates come back to the same house every year for a week in July. This year, there are 2 extra people along-Freddy , Helen's boyfriend and Lorna, Marcus's assistant. It is not the usual vacation when a package arrives addressed to Helen. It contains the necklace her mother was wearing the night she died , along with a note for her uncles. The story is told in several different timelines, by several different narrators. There are twists and turns, feints and red herrings. You have to stick with it, and it gets a little tedious in the middle. There are a few loose ends that stick out , and a few things that don't quite jell, but it is a good beach read.

Coming off the movie Saltburn, this title immediately intrigued me. Since I’m freezing in the cold, this reminded me of beach and drinks

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this. This book was great. Who killed Sarah? So many people confessed to it. It keeps you wondering the whole book. It was beautifully written.

Also how many books are about someone getting killed cuz they fell off a cliff? I have never been anywhere close to a cliff before but it seems like a common problem in the murder mystery world.

This was okay for me. Started very slow and took me a bit to get into but glad I finished it. Definitely will be enjoyed by many readers.

I just didn’t really enjoy this. I felt some sympathy for Helen, who grew up wealthy but has no freedom despite being in her thirties, and some sympathy for Lorna, Helen’s friend and the assistant to the family, because her upbringing wasn’t easy and after having some substance problems, managed to sober up. But I don’t particularly like reading about rich people behaving horribly.

In 1992, Helen’s mother’s body was found at the cliffs on the island of Capri. It was ruled an accident, but many have speculated over the years about the truth of that assertion. Now, the family is back in Capri, and it’s Lorna’s body that is discovered.

I mostly just found this boring, thus I struggled to get through it. I didn’t like the twists at the end—they just seemed too unlikely.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 25, 2025.

The writinf style is great and would have enjoyed more if it weren't for all the change of POV's and dates in the storyline. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Who wouldn't love a warm vacation to the island of Capri? I mean that is if you can tolerate the people you have to go with. The Lingates come from old money and with that could some of their haunting pasts. Lorna and Helen just want to escape it all. Working together they form a plan and execute it while on vacation in Capri but as expected nothing is easy with this family. This story is full of suspense, secrets, lies, betrayals with a very twisty plot. Just when you think you know what is next, it all changes.
There were times the book slowed down a bit, however, push through and you won't regret it. I enjoyed the different characters, and their personalities really carried this book.
Great read!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books, NetGalley and Katy Hays for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oof, this felt like Succession x The Perfect Couple which I loved! I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the character development.

4.5 stars!

Initially, I was thinking this book was not going to be for me, but I was absolutely wrong. This is the first thriller/suspense that I've read in a while that has actually shocked me and took a twist that I did not expect at all. It did start a little slow but picked up and when it did, I was hooked.

Told from multiple POVS and with switches from present to past, we are thrown into the mystery of the Lingate family. A wealthy family with deep, tragic secrets, fancy lifestyles and tons of family drama. Once fully engaged with the characters and in the story, I was constantly questioning each character and their motives. It was fun because there was never a time while I was reading that I could pinpoint the "good guy". All of the characters seem to have something about them that makes them suspicious, and this will keep you guessing.

Katy Hays also does a beautiful job of giving us a real feel and visual for the Isle of Capri. I would highly recommend giving this one a go! If you are a suspense or a "whodunit" lover, I think you will enjoy this read!

Thank you NetGally, Katy Hays and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in return for my honest opinion!

An engaging thriller that pulled me in and kept me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the setting, the author’s attention to detail, and the suspense. Well done.

If you enjoyed The Perfect Couple get ready for a bit of Gatsby, Hilderbrand and and Wharton rolled into one.

Saltwater tears into the spoils of the wealthy and privileged Lingate family, leaving no room for sensitivities and simply a blood trail of mystique, revenge, betrayal, selfish, selfish betrayal.

I became engrossed with humble Lorna and motherless yet silver spooned Helen and completely clueless to the road I was led down by the two. Still cleaning up my jaw off the floor!

Saltwater by Katy Hays is a unique and very interesting book.
Told from several viewpoints and timelines this book will really draw you in.
Extraordinary character development and various plot lines that you wont see coming.
I highly recommend this book and will definitely recommend it to my customers

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>Saltwater </i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The sun-soaked island of Capri is the setting of this novel. With two timelines that are 30 years apart, it is necessary to cement the correct time in your brain before reading the chapter. I did lose the thread a few times, but that may have been due to the holidays and a house full of guests.

The Lingate family is old money rich with seemingly few unanswered needs. Helen Lingate, however, finds her family stifling and controlling as their main purpose seems to be guarding the family horde of secrets.

Thirty years earlier. Helen's mother, Sarah, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Murder? Suicide? No real determination was ever made, but a cloud of suspicion hangs over Helen's father, Richard. Helen longs to break free from her family; she just needs money to do it. Enter Lorna, her uncle's assistant. Together, they plot to unravel the truth of Sarah's death and bring it to the open unless they are handsomely paid to keep silent.

The characters are either jealous or disdainful of others. Is it possible to be too rich? For the Lingates, there is never enough.

Hays has a stunner of a surprise at the end.

Saltwater
By: Kate Hays

4 Stars

This is a story about family, secrets, and murder. Helen is trying to figure out what really happened to her mother. They say it was suicide, the family does. The suspicion is always there that the family was involved somehow. Helen begins to dig deeper, and secrets come to light that change everything. Now Lorna, the assistant, has gone missing, and Helen begins to connect the past to the present.

Wow. This story was twisty and thrilling. It was fast-paced and filled with drama and mystery. The Lingate family will shock you. Affairs, danger, and drama kept me hooked from start to finish. By the end, I was shocked at some of the revelations that come about. Lorna? Sarah? Helen? Each made this story and showed great depth throughout. They were only some of the interesting characters in a well-done family thriller.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

While the characters in Saltwater were at times difficult for me to care about, the setting was so captivating it kept me reading. I loved that the decadence and heartlessness of Ancient Rome, specifically Tiberius, seemed to undergird the general rot of the Lingate family in modern day. I enjoy alternating timelines and multiple perspectives in novels, but there were occasions reading Saltwater that it was a bit confusing and I would have to flip back to see whose perspective was in play and where I was in the timeline.