‘Dead Rich’ by G.W. Shaw

Published by riverrun,
26 May 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-52942-002-9 (HB)

The book opens with a man plunging to his death from an apartment balcony in Paris. Was it an accident?

We next learn of a once famous musician, Kai, wondering what to do with his life. He is unexpectedly invited by his new Russian girlfriend, Zina aboard her father's yacht for a holiday. He is amazed on learning that her father is a billionaire and they are joining the family on his sumptuous yacht, Zinaida  moored in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and will be sailing around the Caribbean. In a rash moment he agrees to go, a decision which he later comes to regret.

It soon becomes clear that all is not as it should be. Zina’s father, Stepan, is obviously nervous about security. There are armed guards on board and a top security man is arrested and put ashore on one of the islands.

It then transpires that the man who “fell” from the balcony was a friend of the family, and it was Stepan’s apartment from which he fell.

When a seemingly out of control small yacht heads straight for them, it is only the quick thinking action of the First Mate Erin, that saves them from disaster. There is now a sense of panic on board which seems out of proportion to Kai. 

Stepan’s wife is sure her husband has done something to aggravate the Russian hierarchy but cannot get a sensible answer out of him.

It soon becomes clear that there is an imposter on board and someone has interfered with the electrics. Kai is also puzzled as to why there is a need for a “panic room” on board. He soon finds out!

Then there is bloodshed.

Kai wonders what he has let himself in for, and the only person he is sure he can trust is Erin. However, the question is, how can just the two of them overcome such great odds?

If it’s possible things get even worse, when the yacht starts listing and seems to be sinking. Then a storm blows up. How can this end well?

An exciting nail-biting thriller set on a gleaming, beautifully sleek, outwardly seeming innocent yacht sailing the sunny blue Caribbean Sea. A masterpiece of storytelling which I highly recommend.
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Reviewer: Tricia Chappell

William Shaw (Aka G W Shaw) was born in Newton abbot, Devon, and grew up in Nigeria and lived for sixteen years in hackney. Starting out as assistant editor of the post-punk magazine ZigZag, he has been a journalist for The Observer, The New York Times, Wired, Arena and The Face and was Amazon UK Music Journalist of the Year in 2003. He is the author of several non-fiction books including Westsiders: Stories of the Boys in the Hood, about a year spent with the young men of South Central Los Angeles, and A Superhero For Hire, a compilation of columns in the Observer Magazine. A Song from Dead Lips was the first in a series of crime fiction books set in London in 1960’s featuring DS Breen and WPC Tozer. His most recent series features DS Alexander Cupidi. He lives in Brighton.

www.williamshaw.com

Tricia Chappell. I have a great love of books and reading, especially crime and thrillers. I play the occasional game of golf (when I am not reading). My great love is cruising especially to far flung places, when there are long days at sea for plenty more reading! I am really enjoying reviewing books and have found lots of great new authors.