3.5 stars.

‘A stranger on Board’ lends its voice to Sarah - a tough as nails ex-navy member as she acts as security on a luxury super yacht. Things go wrong, and quickly, and Sarah is alarmed at the nonchalance of the powerful on board. The book was gripping and something I finished in a day, an easy read that left me begging to know more.

The reason for the mediocre rating lies primarily in the books focal character - Sarah. Given the first person style of the book it seemed like she was bloody invincible - doing gun fights with a bullet in her; always seeing every plan ahead, etc. I appreciated the portrayal of her trauma and grief and I thought it was well-crafted.
The plot was a lot. There was definite intrigue but I felt the ultimate conclusion left more questions unanswered. The reveals happened too quickly at points, there was little indication of what led Sarah to make this miraculous leaps.

What a crazy ride this book was! I loved every second of following the adventures of the fearless protagonist and was constantly routing for her. To me, it felt like a winning combo of Die Hard and The Love Boat, in the best possible way! I would absolutely recommend this trilling novel to anyone that enjoys a tale of a gutsy and intelligent woman.

Conspiracy at sea ★★★☆☆

When ex-marine Sarah French is offered a security job on a luxury yacht, she takes the opportunity to use her skills again. This is supposed to be an easy job which uses her skills but gives her space from the trauma that saw her leave active service.

However, after they set sail in a hurry, Sarah finds that all is not as it seems and now she is trapped on a malfunctioning ship with secretive and possibly dangerous staff and guests. Then somebody disappears... Is there anybody on board Sarah can really trust? Will the storm sink them before she finds out?

The various secrets and motivations of the people on board and the mystery of an at sea disappearance keeps us constantly guessing. However, the grand reveal feels a little off key - or maybe just difficult for the reader to have a chance to puzzle out - and Sarah's character comes across as a little one dimensional, especially her crush on Arlo.

An adrenaline fuelled mystery at sea.

After reading other reviews I appear to be in a minority when it comes to the “who dunnit”. I thought it was extremely obvious and at time felt myself frustrated at the main character for being so naive when she is ex special forces. However, despite this, I still did enjoy this book, to see how it would all tie up at the end.
You’ll find yourself routing for the troubled ex soldier Sarah, who is on the yacht to protect the crew from the mystery onboard killer.
Some may find all of the boat terminology a big too much but I was ok with this.
Overall, an action packed thriller if not just a bit too predictable for me personally.
3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
#NetGalley
#AStrangerOnBoard

Fabulous edge of the seat thriller. Think Die Hard on a luxury yacht. I flew through the pages to the nail biting conclusion. A host of suspects and tense atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyed the opulent setting, the flawed but courageous main character and altogether a great story.

OMG!!! I often talk about books woth many twists and turns but this story was a literal non stop spiral, it twisted so much. You'll never guess until the author decides it's time to reveal and even without any knowledge or experience of boat life, you will still be able to live every second of it along with the characters. Really enjoyable and will have you gripped from start to finish. Loved every second of it

Fizzing With Adrenaline…
What could be more alluring than a luxury superyacht, stunning blue seas and fabulous weather. It seems a perfect answer for Sarah French, a former marine, who needs to get her life back on some form of level track and so joins the luxury yacht as on board security. She could not possibly have foreseen the sinister events that will follow. On board, and on the high seas, a killer lurks and when passengers are picked off one by one everyone is a suspect. To make matters worse there’s a storm is about to hit. A gripping suspense that grabs from the first page and doesn’t let go until the last with a premise that delivers, an engaging narrative and a plot populated with a credible cast. A top notch read fizzing with adrenaline.

This was an enjoyable page turner that kept my interest the whole way through.
First of all, I liked the fact that there were so many of the crew who could have been responsible that it wasn't incredibly obvious who was behind the sabotage and things going wrong with the ship.
Throughout, I had different people pegged for being the ones pulling the strings and I never really thought it would be who it was in the end.
I also liked the fact that even though there were a lot of different characters, I knew exactly who was who from the very beginning. This isn't always the case in books/stories like these but each character was unique and easily identifiable.
*SPOILER ALERT* I also didn't expect for missing crew to actually be gone without a trace. That was a surprise (I had a feeling they would have been stowed somewhere, at least one of the two who were thought to have gone overboard).
The way in which each thing that was going added to their issues really ramped up the tension and kept me reading to find out more.
The setting was great and I could imagine myself on board.
I will say though, I feel like if you don't have some knowledge of yachts or sailing (thankfully I've watched season after season of Below Deck), it may take you a while to absorb some of the terminology.
But if you like a good thriller, particularly one set on the water, I would definitely recommend giving this a read.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book it was tense suspenseful and mysterious with elements that were unpredictable. I liked the story, i liked the characters and I loved the setting, a really enjoyable read

#AStrangerOnBoard #NetGalley
Awesome novel of 2022.
Sarah French joins a luxury superyacht as on-board security, she's excited to get her life - and career - back on track.
Surrounded by crystal waters, it seems like the perfect place to start over. As they head into open water, though, tensions between the crew quickly build. And when someone goes missing, Sarah has a terrifying realisation. One of them is a killer. All of them are suspects.
If you loved this type of books before like The Woman in Cabin 10 then you'll definitely love this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.

Sarah is ex Royal Marines. (A bit of a surprise as women are not much found in this branch of the armed forces to date.) Struggling to find her way as a civilian and still coming to terms with the circumstances of her departure from the Marines, she takes on the job of security officer on a superyacht as it makes a journey back to its place of registration for maintenance. There are meant to be a few crew on board but no passengers. At the last minute the spoilt niece of the billionaire owner comes aboard. As the ship embarks, Sarah realises the job won't be as easy or as safe as she thought. Ideal for fans of action/adventure.
With thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.