First published 2013
Russian billionaire Aleksandr Kasianenko christens his luxury yacht The Bianca with a birthday cruise for his supermodel girlfriend in the Sea of Cortez. He invites five powerful couples aboard: Senator Hammond Patterson and his unhappy wife Sierra, movie star Cliff Baxter with girlfriend Lori, UK footballer Taye Sherwin and interior designer wife Ashley, Latin pop star Luca Perez with his English boyfriend Jeromy, and maverick journalist Flynn with his friend Xuan. The guest list reads like a who's who of global elites accustomed to controlling their worlds. But Russian mobster Sergei Zukov harbors a dangerous grudge against Aleksandr. Zukov's girlfriend Ina has a brother named Cruz, a master pirate who receives orders to seize The Bianca and hold its famous passengers for ransom. What begins as an exclusive tropical getaway off Cabo San Lucas transforms into a deadly game where wealth and influence prove useless against ruthless criminals. The story explores how the super rich navigate crisis when their usual power means nothing.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, power-dynamics
Setting: Cabo San Lucas, Sea of Cortez
Period: 21st-century
536 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: violence