Release Date: September 5, 2023
On a weekend voyage, the power-hungry children of an aging billionaire are unprepared for a storm of deceptions in a novel about ruthless family ambition by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.
You are cordially invited to an overnight voyage on the Splendid Seas.
An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win.
Then Richard’s estranged live-wire daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. She’s the least of the night’s surprises. As the stakes for the inheritance of the Kingsley legacy are raised, the beautiful waters of the Pacific look more like a menacing illusion.
Let the games begin for a family who has everything money can buy, and has used lies, deception, and more to keep it. This weekend one of them will be crowned heir. One is in line to lose everything. That’s the plan. But in the coming storm, so much can go dangerously wrong.
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Praise & Reviews
“… Complete mastery of the psychological suspense thriller genre. Original, clever, deftly crafted, and featuring the author’s distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style …”
~ Midwest Book Review
“Darkly funny, scandalous, and utterly satisfying.”
~ Kirkus Reviews
“An exceptional psychological thriller. Suspense fans will be amply rewarded.”
~ Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
“Succession meets White Lotus on the open seas. With a penchant for revealing the darker side of wealth and the antics of family values deteriorating, Kaira Rouda takes us on a journey where an embattled family gathers for a high-stakes weekend, clambering to the top, and risk everything.”
~ Georgina Cross, author of One Night, Nanny Needed, and Amazon bestselling author of The Stepdaughter
“It’s Succession on a yacht in this delicious and fast-paced thriller! Beneath the Surface has it all—secrets, lies, and rich family drama. Filled with characters you love to hate, this was a twisty and entertaining ride I never wanted to end. Rouda is at her best!”
~ Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of You Shouldn’t Have Come Here