In “Dead Below Deck,” author Jan Gangsei creates a young adult thriller that is all about fake identities, dark secrets, the lives of the top 1 percenters, and how far people would go to protect the ones they love. There are four teenagers on the million dollar yacht that is taking them to the Cayman Islands over spring break, and Maggie is the first person narrator.
We know from the start that she doesn’t really fit in, but with the unusual chronology that the author has used, from present to past, and then back to present at the end, we don’t really understand why she seems the odd girl out. The group, Giselle and her two good friends Emi and Vivian, all attend an elite prep school. It’s their final year before college, and Maggie has joined them there. She managed to get into their small group, but they all know she’s not really one of them. And we are trying to figure out what she’s doing there.
As they sail on a cruise, the girls are alone on the yacht with only the hired crew. There’s a lot of drinking, gambling, and more drinking. But on the last night of the cruise, Giselle disappears. Video footage shows that Maggie pushed her overboard. But Maggie doesn’t remember anything about that night. She woke up feeling sick.
We know that Giselle Haverford is the daughter of a US senator who has ambitions for the White House, and the yacht is her family’s. Every move of hers is watched by others including the media, but on the yacht with her good friends, she can let loose. There are fake passports (so the girls can drink), lots of cash, lots of liquor, and even more secrets. The story is told not only by Maggie, but also through diary entries, letters, texts, and police transcripts.
The twists are effective and entirely unexpected, and the action is nonstop. A great choice for young adult mystery fans who want books with characters their age. Seventeen and eighteen-year-old readers as well as young adult aficionados of thrillers will enjoy this story.
This review is based on the final, hardcover book provided by HarperCollins, the publisher, for review purposes.