The Drowning Game by Barbara Nickless

 

First Line: Her entire life, Cassandra's father had told her: Trust no one.

The heirs to superyacht-building company Ocean House, Nadia and Cass Brenner, successfully designed a megayacht for a Chinese billionaire. The yacht will soon be commissioned, but Ocean House's entry into the Asian market is cut short when Cass falls from a fortieth-floor hotel balcony.

Her sister's death is ruled a suicide by Singapore police, something that Nadia finds extremely suspicious. When Nadia begins to investigate, she discovers that her sister was involved in some dangerous and illicit activities, and she's soon pulled into the same web. If Nadia uncovers the truth behind her sister's death, it could tear the Brenner family apart-- and cost Nadia her own life.

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Being a fan of Barbara Nickless' Sidney Rose Parnell series, I looked forward to this new book with a great deal of anticipation. I really enjoyed learning about the cutthroat business of yacht building-- especially when the yacht Ocean House was building contained secret rooms as well as state-of-the-art technology and luxury materials.

Another factor that added to my enjoyment of the book was the author's description of the inner workings of various Chinese government agencies. Yacht building is definitely not the only cutthroat business in the world. 

The Drowning Game is a good, fast-paced story with an interesting investigation into Cass Brenner's death. There are chills and thrills aplenty, but my appreciation of the book was muted by two things: my lack of enthusiasm for the main character and the fact that it had too much spycraft in it-- a genre that I've never really cared for. Nevertheless, The Drowning Game is still another strong entry for Barbara Nickless.

The Drowning Game by Barbara Nickless

eISBN: 9781662510007

Thomas & Mercer © 2025

eBook, 371 pages

Thriller

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley