S. F. Prescott

Immersive and filled with tension!

Catherine Steadman is an actress and author based in London. She has appeared in leading roles on British and American television as well as on stage in the West End, where she has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. She grew up in the New Forest, Hampshire, and now lives in North London with her husband and daughter. Catherine’s first novel, Something in the Water, was a New York Times bestseller with rights sold in over thirty territories. She is also the author of Mr. Nobody, The Disappearing Act, and The Family Game, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.

Published July 30th, 2024.

If Hostel was set inside a remote escape-the-room.

I went into this book blind, having never read the author’s work before and was pleasantly surprised.

When Nina learns her late father left her a large inheritance she never knew existed—a property in the British Virgin Islands—she’s surprised. He wasn’t a rich man, so how could he afford it? To find out the truth, Nina travels there in person to sign some paperwork, and decide if she wants to keep it or sell the property. But what she uncovers is darker than she could ever have predicted.

This was a fun read! The premise is one I’ve never read in the genre so I was immediately pulled in. I loved the alternating POVs and cliff-hanger chapters. The pace was fast, and the suspense breadcrumbed perfectly throughout. This is definitely more of a plot driven book, but the author does a great job giving the reader just enough to root for the characters. So many of the scenes stuck with me, detailed and terrifying. I won’t include any major spoilers but one in particular, involving water and some pretty difficult questions, had me on the edge of my seat.

For readers who enjoy nail biting suspense, multiple POVs, and strong female protagonists.

Synopsis:

Nina, still grieving from the loss of her father, discovers that she has inherited property in the British Virgin Islands—a vacation home she had no idea existed, until now. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father come into enough money for this? Why did he keep it from her? And what else was he hiding?

Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations where her work takes her. Just one more gig, and she’ll be set. Finally, she’ll be secure. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool and in the sauna. There’s just one rule: Don’t go in the basement. That room is off-limits. But her curiosity might just get the better of her. And soon, she’ll wish her only worry was not getting paid.