When Pete and his friends set sail on a private yacht in the Balearics to celebrate Fergus’ upcoming wedding, they’re all looking forward to sun, sea and copious quantities of alcohol. But there’s a reason they are still entwined in each other’s lives a decade after leaving university. A terrible event they’ve all been trying their hardest to forget. They say you can’t outrun the past … And these six friends are about to find that out the hard way.
What a fantastic, mind-blowing, gripping and unputdownable thriller. I was hooked on to the story and I just didn’t want it to end. I read this book in one sitting – it was THAT good!
I am not new to M.A. Hunter’s writing, and I was so excited to hear of his latest thriller novel. I am a huge fan of his Missing Children Case Files. M.A. Hunter aka Stephen Edger is one of the best authors of modern mystery era.
The story begins with six friends meeting after a long time. The occasion is, one of them is getting married and this is a bachelor’s party -a private yacht trip. The narrator is Pete, and the groom is Fergus. Pete’s sister Simone is marrying Fergus, so Pete had no other choice but to attend this party.
The other friends onboard include Rhys, Sophie, Christophe, and Harry. They were roommates while in college and lost touch after graduating. Only Harry and Sophie kept in touch with Pete.
The story alternates between past and present. The past relates to the events that happened ten years ago – how the six became roommates, their struggles, their fights, love life, and … a terrible event that bonds the six for life. A well-kept secret, if out, brings nothing but trouble to the group.
Two men from the group have their eyes set on the yacht’s hostess Elena. A truth-or-dare challenge later, one of them is found is kissing her while the other looks at them and sulks. The next morning, things start to fall apart. First, two people go missing and are later found dead. The yacht seems to be going adrift. It becomes pretty clear that one of them is a killer.
Stranded in the middle of sea full of sharks is definitely not my idea of a vacation! As a cherry on top, you have one of your mates onboard as a killer. Where would you hide?
Nail-biting suspense keeps one hooked on to the story. There’s nowhere to go, no escape routes unless you consider death as your only escape. The suspect pool starts shrinking – making it easier to spot the killer. But at what cost? What would one do when people around them start dropping dead?
I cannot choose a favorite timeline – while the past was creepy and horrific, the present events wasn’t pleasant either. The group met while at college and they face a peculiar problem – something to do with their landlord. Speaking of which, I really felt bad for Sophie. She’s the one who suffered the most and I wish the boys had done something sooner to save her. (A college incident that could have been avoided before it got worse.)
The ending – my gosh. I was like, WHAT??? I didn’t see it coming and I definitely didn’t expect this certain person to play a vital role in it. This is why I said M.A. Hunter is one of the best authors out there – unexpected twists and suspense-filled stories (from start to finish.)
Adrift by M.A. Hunter is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. I highly recommend you give this book a try.
Before I end my review, there’s something else that I would like to say. At the end of the book, in the acknowledgments section, the author mentions he gave up writing in January 2022. Three rejections later, he wrote Adrift as a revenge thriller, and it got picked up by Boldwood Books. I understand it isn’t easy for authors, especially when their books don’t work out well or don’t get picked up by publishers. I am so happy that Stephen (aka Hunter) didn’t give up on his dream because this comeback novel is simply the best. I hope to read more riveting thrillers such as this one from M.A. Hunter in the near future. 🙂
I received an ARC from Boldwood Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
The Book Decoder 
Love a good thriller mystery!