The Drowning Game

De: Barbara Nickless

Narrado por: Natalie Naudus

A woman’s investigation into her sister’s death exposes the dark side of a secret life in a gripping novel of power, money, and murder by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Sisters Nadia and Cass Brenner are heirs to Ocean House, a decades-old empire that builds superyachts for the rich and powerful: emirs, oligarchs, and titans of industry throughout America and Europe. They’re a next-generation success with the design of their soon-to-be-commissioned megayacht for a Chinese billionaire. But the sisters’ entrée into the coveted Asian market is tragically cut short when Cass falls from a fortieth-floor hotel balcony.

A Singapore detective rules suicide. Nadia’s been in the yacht business too long not to be suspicious. Especially when she discovers Cass’s involvement in dangerously illicit activities. Pulled into the same web of betrayal, lies, and secrets that trapped her sister, Nadia is on the most perilous mission of her life. Because uncovering the truth behind her sister’s death could tear the Brenner family apart—and it just might get her killed.

From Seattle to Austria to the South China Sea, Nadia must hold on to the one thing that can keep her safe. It’s the Brenner family motto: Trust no one.

©2025 by Barbara Nickless. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Nickless’ thriller offers local color and occasional chills…”—Kirkus Reviews

“An intensely engaging and original murder mystery leading to a climatic resolution, and highly recommended.”—Midwest Book Review

“The Drowning Game is filled with rich scenes of Singapore life, from the haunts of the super-rich to Singapore’s teeming back alleys. Nickless’s research is impeccable, and her twisty thriller is a chilling story of international intrigue and deception.”—The Denver Post

Interesting concept

Developed characters, interesting storyline. Better than expected for a daily deal. Narrator did a great job moving from character to characters.

Enjoyable Listen

The last couple of listens (not by this author) were not very inspiring or interesting for mysteries. I liked this one, the characters were good and there was actually something happening. It was an easy but good listen. Glad I used a credit!!!

very well put together

very knowledgeable,very well told and very good read/ listen.I will look forward to another of her books

Good story

Well read easy to listen to. Story was well paced with good twists. On to another.

Ridiculous narration made it impossible to finish the first chapter.

Caricatures are loathsome to me. I prefer narrator not an over the top acting interpretation.
Another wasted credit .

Hohum

Couldn’t identify with main (or others) character. Plot implausible. Pass on this one. Much better material available.

Ridiculous

This had such promise, but really went south in a hurry. There were ridiculous story lines that added nothing (Seriously! What was that whole ridiculous Nazi bit in there for? It contributed zilch to the story.). The narration was very good.

Very Unique Premise

I read a lot. It's rare to discover something different within my chosen genre.

This one did it. I love Barbara Nickless - I've read every one of her books. This book was about a ship-building family from Seattle, who are trying to break into the Asian market for extremely high-end yachts. The older sister Cass has been living in Shanghai overseeing the build of Red Dragon, the most intricate ship the company has ever done. When word comes back to the US that the build isn't going well and she's behaving strangely, younger sister Natalie goes to check. She gets embroiled in a political situation with the Chinese government, a mystery about her own family's past, and meets a lot of characters who may or may not be "bad guys".
I was very interested in details about the yacht building industry (especially the yacht show in Morrocco) and Chinese politics. The very end of the book got very confusing to me, as I don't understand the subtleties of the different Chinese factions, but it didn't spoil the book.

The narrator did a great job.

Excellent

Great story, complex characters, well researched, excellent narrator. Highly recommend and will look for more from this author.

Exciting

A fast paced story with lots of twists. Kept me on the edge of my seat.