Beneath the Surface is an absolutely fun juicy family drama set on the high seas. Billionaire Richard Kingsley invites his children to a weekend on his yacht, the Splendid Seas.

The agenda: deciding who will be next in line to head the company after Richard retires.

The contenders: eldest son John, who has been his father’s loyal right hand and enforcer since forever; younger son Ted, a handsome and charismatic salesman who left the family business a few years ago; and only daughter Sibley, a wildcard most candid about being interested only in her father’s money. Also stirring the pot are Richard’s young and beautiful wife Serena, who schemed her way into Richard’s heart; John’s wife Rachel, a powerhouse lawyer and the Lady Macbeth brains behind much of his power; and Ted’s wife Paige, a former marketing executive turned stay-at-home mom / food bank volunteer who is itching to return to the workforce now that their daughters are about to leave for college.

It’s a set-up that’s ripe for major drama, and Kaira Rouda certainly delivers the goods. I knew who I wanted Richard to choose as his successor, but I also knew my choice was a long shot, and as the story progressed, the more and more I didn’t want particular characters to win the spot. Richard very much pits family members against each other; he’s a manipulative man, and as each sibling jockeys for top spot, you can practically see their father happily pulling one set of puppet strings after another.

Because Rouda does such a great job in drawing readers into these characters’ lives and hearts, I found myself genuinely switching between anxiety and frustration as first one sibling then another seems to get the upper hand at any given point. I wanted very much to make myself a bowl of popcorn and simply sit back to enjoy the drama unfolding, but it was no use: Rouda succeeded in making me feel invested in this fictional power play.

The setting also helps heighten the tension. Most of the action takes place on the yacht, and Rouda does a great job at describing how rough the water is, so even as the characters consume super luxurious meals, the violent waves and ever-present threat of a storm make the whole voyage feel more like torture than vacation. The family members do go ashore for a few scenes, but even then, there is no relief, as a storm has cut off all communication outside that area.

This is a locked room thriller at its finest, and Rouda is a master at ratcheting up the tension exactly where she needs to. There were chapters where I held my breath turning the pages, just waiting — or rather, anticipating, for the inevitable moment all those bubbling emotions give way to murder. In this, Rouda’s writing reminds me a bit of Agatha Christie’s. Stylistically, both authors are very different, but Rouda shares Christie’s gift in crafting these incredibly vivid characters who are often unlikeable in a variety of ways, putting them all together where they can’t escape each other, and then just letting the characters play.

Overall, this book is just a pure joy to read. Bring the popcorn, do a buddy read with your equally-drama-loving buddy, and just have a blast watching all the drama unfold.

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Thank you to Firefly Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.