LYING IN THE DEEP

Urban’s latest is a semester at sea–turned–murder mystery.

It has been two months since Jade, a scholarship student at Stanford University, had her heart broken by Silas, who dumped her via text message for her best friend, Lainey. Their betrayal hurts Jade especially deeply since she had pleaded with Lainey to help Silas get a paid internship at her father’s pharmaceutical company after he injured his throwing elbow and lost his baseball scholarship. Jade looks forward to Campus on Board, a semesterlong study program on a cruise ship, to further distance herself from them—only to learn that they both signed up for the program too. Jade takes this opportunity to confront Lainey and Silas, but she is bewildered when they avoid her, claiming she’s done terrible things to them. Jade’s rage grows as the traitorous pair continue to push her away, but the trip takes a deadly turn when Lainey disappears, her cabin is found to be covered in blood, and Jade is a suspect. Readers will sympathize with Jade, who has experienced abandonment by neglectful parents and who struggles to suppress her anger at Lainey, whose friendship she misses. Jade’s budding romance with Felix, a broody psych major, keeps her afloat as her heart sinks, but her trust in him and everyone around her is tested as they hunt the killer onboard. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast.

Psychologically and emotionally stirring.