Dark Tide by Elizabeth Haynes‏

The first time Genevieve saw it, she knew it was the one: Revenge of the Tide, "an odd sort of a name for a boat." Genevieve had finally escaped the stressful demands of her London sales job and achieved her dream--to leave the city behind and start a new life aboard a houseboat in Kent. She left the boat's name as it was. Revenge had character after all, and living in a marina made her feel a bit safer, a little less lonely; almost as if the boat looked after her, hid her away from view.

But her dreams are shattered the night of her boat-warming party when a body washes up, and to Genevieve's horror, she recognizes the victim as a close friend from nights dancing on-stage at a private members' club, the Barclay. She isn't about to tell the police, though; next to no one knew what Genevieve did every Friday and Saturday night to save money for her escape, and she sees no reason to reveal her past. The death can't have anything to do with her. Or so she thinks.

Soon the lull of the waves against Revenge feels anything but soothing, as Genevieve begins to receive mysterious calls and can't reach the one person who links the present danger with her history at the club. And then there is the parcel on her boat she's meant to be safekeeping for an old flame, which seems to be putting her in jeopardy. As Genevieve begins to fear for her safety, she recalls the moment when it had all started to go horribly wrong: the night she recognized her day-time boss in the crowd of customers at the Barclay. . . 

Genevieve worked two jobs in London so that she could fulfill her lifelong dream of buying and renovating a boat and taking a year off.  Everything is going swimmingly until she hosts a party for her London friends and her new boat friends and afterwards a body turns up next to her boat.  What follows is a thrilling and harrowing ride to the finish to find out who the bad guys are, who the good guys are, and just what's in the package she has stowed away in her boat.

When people asked me what I was reading while I carried this book around, I replied simply, 'dead hooker'.  It was enough to garner attention and the immediate response was 'let me see!'.  I suppose I shouldn't have been so misleading, but there really is a dead stripper.  Even though that isn't what the book is about, it definitely is the catalyst that starts the book.  

All of the characters are mysterious and multi-faceted.  I myself didn't know who was on which side until the book actually told me.  Sometimes I was right, sometimes I wasn't.  It all came down to Genevieve's job in London, well, one of them.  She began dancing at a club that had shady dealings going on in the back.  Though she kept her nose out of it as much as possible, once she left she became a liability.  The only contact she still has is Dylan, and his phone is always turned off.  Not to mention the mysterious package that he asked her to keep safe.  Now bodies are turning up and she doesn't know what to do, and Dylan is still unreachable.  Of course, all that's left is to turn to the police, though she knows she can't trust them either.  What's left is a girl in a precarious position and nowhere to turn.  

If you're into thrills and mystery, this is a good one.  It kept me turning pages without becoming bored.  Honestly, most of the book was spent reading word for word in the hopes of not missing what was in the package.  It seemed like I had to wait forever!  I certainly was not disappointed once I found out though.  Pure genius!  

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Shawn