Saltwater

Reviews

“Engrossing and sinister, Saltwater has all the elements thriller readers love: dead bodies, deception, and betrayal. But at its core, this multilayered story delves into the concepts of familial loyalty and generational trauma, making Saltwater a must-read.”—Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight

“Full of chills and darkness.”—Oprah Daily

“A riveting, atmospheric, elegantly written, and twist-packed tale . . . brilliant!”—Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of The Club

“A masterful, riveting, and unsettling tale of privilege, greed, and lust . . . I can’t remember reading a book with as many deftly executed twists and revelations. I devoured it in what felt like seconds.”—Ella Berman, author of the Reese’s Book Club pick Before We Were Innocent

“The truest literary successor to HBO’s Succession I’ve encountered, Saltwater is so gorgeously written that its twists didn’t need to hit nearly so hard nor land nearly so perfectly for this to already be one of the best books of 2025, and yet they do. What a knockout.”—Ashley Winstead, bestselling author of Midnight Is the Darkest Hour

“A ride as exhilarating as the ferries that transport the elites from villa to yacht . . . Sleuthing minds will cavort with acrobatic prowess, reeling from one unexpected twist to another. . . . Hitchcockian in its film-noirish malevolence, Hay’s second novel also deviously channels Patricia Highsmith’s cunningly and sympathetically flawed characters to deliver an absorbing read.”—Booklist, starred review

“A powerful, surprise-packed study of family, wealth, and consequences . . . Hays uses the island setting to brilliantly exploit locked-room mystery tropes, and doles out jaw-dropping reveals at just the right moments. This masterful suspense story has all the momentum of a runaway train.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A feisty storm of Greek tragedy headlined by three very modern women.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Saltwater is sultry and sophisticated, with a menacing undercurrent that keeps you thrillingly unsettled until its final spellbinding twist.”—Rachel Koller Croft, author of Stone Cold Fox

“Brilliantly written in scintillating prose, Katy Hays’s Saltwater is an Italian opera for the modern age. Superbly plotted and deftly executed, this searing takedown of the upper crust is one to savor.”—Katherine Wood, author of Ladykiller

“A twisty, seductive thriller.”—Nina Simon, New York Times bestselling author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night Expand reviews