"I Did Warn Her" by Sian Gilbert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love locked-room mysteries and tales set at sea, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. Who can resist a below-deck setting, dark secrets, and murder?! Written from multiple POVs, the story follows the crew of the super yacht Ophelia on her voyage to New York.

The book opens with murder, no less, and then introduces us to the working crew. We meet Sasha, a last-minute hire for a week-long Atlantic crossing after a former stewardess was abruptly dismissed. Then there’s Jade, the rigid chief stewardess, and the three other stewardesses — Imogen, Euphemia, and Lola — blonde, model-gorgeous, and nearly indistinguishable in appearance.

The crew also includes a couple of deckhands, a cook, the ship’s engineer, the bosun, the captain, and the first mate. Since a stewardess from the previous charter disappeared, the atmosphere is tense, emotions run high, and dangerous undercurrents swirl just beneath the surface.

The plot thickens when billionaire guests Benjamin and Digby join the cruise with their glamorous companions, Eva and Jasmine. The cruise takes a lethal turn when expensive jewelry starts disappearing, and a crew member turns up dead. Trust becomes a luxury no one can afford. Everyone harbors secrets — some deadlier than others.

Join the crew on this perilous voyage filled with unpredictable twists and turns. The suspense kept me turning pages, and I never lost interest. Themes of trust, loss, friendship, betrayal, sexual harassment, and flawed human nature are intricately woven into the story.

Life aboard a luxury yacht isn’t all flowers and roses for the crew. The work is exhausting, the demands endless, and they must cater to the guests' every whim while maintaining a polished facade. Rivalries, petty fights, and simmering resentments run rampant.

I didn’t like most of the characters, as they were portrayed in an unflattering light. Sasha and Jasmine were far more likable and less petty than the rest. The rest of the stewardesses were catty and competitive, each thinking she was superior. Their dynamics made me cringe. The men weren’t much better — some treated the women as disposable objects.

The book is divided into five parts. The first part felt slow, reminiscent of a telenovela with its melodramatic plots and exaggerated emotions. But things picked up in the second part, and once a body was discovered, I couldn’t stop reading. The multiple perspectives offered a fascinating glimpse into the characters’ minds. Some even evolved by the end, earning a bit of my sympathy, though I still didn’t like them much.

The ending was breathlessly intense and tied everything together, though I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. I’m tired of seeing people get away with their misdeeds. Because of that and the slow start, I deducted one star from my rating.

Overall, this is a well-crafted story that keeps you turning the pages with its unpredictable twists and vivid character portrayals. Despite my reservations about the conclusion, the excellent writing and gripping mystery make it well worth the read.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "I Did Warn Her" by Sian Gilbert