In her third twisty thriller, Urban (These Deadly Games, 2022) takes readers aboard a luxury cruise ship for a locked-room murder mystery. Stanford scholarship student Jade Miller has anticipated her junior fall Semester at Sea for years. But standing on the dock in Amsterdam waiting to board, she is stunned to see Lainey and Silas in line: over the summer, Silas dumped Jade for Lainey, her best friend and daughter of a wealthy pharmaceutical tycoon. (By text!) Jade was hoping to leave her heartbreak behind. Why are they here? And why are they acting like she hurt them? When Lainey disappears, her room found covered in blood leading to the balcony, suspicion turns on Jade. She has 18 hours to find the killer before they arrive in Gibraltar and outside authorities take over. Several of her new friends and classmates had motives and opportunity, even handsome, quiet Felix, who helps her investigate and to get over Silas. Red herrings and implausibility abound, but great chemistry and entertaining, nonstop turns of plot steer the ship.

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. (Mystery. 13-18)

Along with 700 other students, Stanford University sophomore Jade Miller is spending a semester at sea in a prestigious Campus on Board program. Much to Jade’s distress, among the passengers are her ex-boyfriend, Silas, and her former best friend, Lainey, who are now a couple. Luckily, Jade gets along with her twin dorm-mates, Divya and Navya; befriends YouTube skincare sensation Miguel and his roommate Tate; and develops a budding relationship with brooding, mysterious Felix. But she can’t shake her preoccupation with Silas, and craves answers as to why he dumped her for Lainey. Jade plans to confront the pair, but then Lainey goes missing, leaving behind a blood-covered cabin—and Jade is the primary suspect. Though there’s no dearth of potential culprits, Jade embarks on some dangerous sleuthing to clear her name as an increasing body count begins whittling away at possible perps. Jade’s fixation on Silas and Lainey is somewhat laboriously rendered, leading to repetitious narration. Nevertheless, this cleverly plotted mystery and its earned, complex solution by Urban (These Deadly Games) boast numerous exhilarating twists and red herrings. Main characters read as white; context clues suggest racial diversity throughout. Ages 14–up. (May)

Gr 9 Up— Jade Miller can't wait to put an entire ocean between her and her past. She's embarking on her semester of Campus on Board, fulfilling her dreams of traveling the world while escaping two bad break-ups: one with her boyfriend, Silas, the other with her best friend and former Stanford roommate, Lainey. She and Lainey had been planning to room together aboard the Sea Voyager, but that plan came to a screeching halt over the summer, when Silas unceremoniously dumped her (via text, no less) for Lainey. So, Jade is understandably shocked when she spots Lainey and Silas together in the embarkation line. Thus, the stage is set for this clever revamp of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile . As the ship sets sail, the tension mounts, but Jade does her best to move on. She befriends her new roommates, twin sisters Navya and Divya; burgeoning influencer Miguel; and cute, brooding Felix. In the chaos of a stormy night, the first murder occurs, and everyone's a suspect. As the bodies pile up, so do Urban's trademark twists, and readers will surely be shocked by the novel's final reveal. VERDICT A fun, twisty thriller with a diverse cast and a dash of romance, this book is perfect for readers who love Urban's first two thrillers, as well as fans of Jessica Goodman and Karen M. McManus.— Dana West