The publisher's summary:
In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…
I really hated to feel I had to read the book in its entirety. The pace of the story was slow. If I remember correctly this author writes atmospheric mysteries. In this mystery sub-genre, action takes second place to atmosphere. It definitely shows in this novel. I can see how it could be a nice psychological thriller if the pace was faster but gripping? I don't think so.
The main character, Lo, was too wretched to be able to conduct any investigation. She couldn't think straight because of lack of sleep and she was constantly drinking an alcoholic beverage. Experience tells me that there is no such thing as a lovable drunk so I could not like the protagonist. When a reader does not like the protagonist, it bodes a death knell for the book.
Sorry Ruth Ware. I just did not like this novel and cannot give it any rating.
I disliked it too. The protagonist was vomitting everyother paragraph. The mystery wasn't great either.
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