Cover Image: The Boat Party

The Boat Party

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Member Reviews

If you love a good thriller this would be a great choice for you. The whole thing takes place on a boat yet the storyline never gets stagnant. Well written and very enjoyable.

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This completely unpredictable and just brilliant!

Adrift has taken me on a rollercoaster. I have loved this, there is so much unpredictability packed between the pages. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked.

This is claustrophobic due to the setting, but it has been superb. I have been kept guessing. I have loved how unpredictable and gripping this has been.

This is a brilliant read from beginning to end. I have devoured this in just one sitting.

This is an author who has transported me. I absolutely need to read more by this author.

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Six friends on a stag weekend, heading for a remote island. But they never get there as the boat loses power and they start drifting with no means of communication with the outside world. A body is found and the friends realise that someone on board is a killer...
Adrift is a psychological thriller set on a boat. It is very claustrophobic and there are a limited number of suspects. The book alternates between the present day and events 10 years ago which gives clues to the motives behind the current situation.
Tension exists right from the start as the friends have had little contact since uni. When the friends wake on the first morning, they cannot find the boat operators...until they find their bodies. There is danger from a killer on board but also sharks circling in the surrounding water!
The first person narrator of the book is Pete and we are swept along with him as he tries to work out who is attacking others and why. I think I suspected everyone at some point or other! The events in the past show the strain that the various friendships have negotiated and give clues about potential motives.
The chapters are quite short which increases the pace of the plot developments in the past and present. I really liked having a male first person perspective as most books I read have a female narrator or dual viewpoints. The tension and mystery is maintained well until the reveal in the final pages.
Adrift is a tense and claustrophobic novel.

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This was a brilliant read, twisty and full of red herrings. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next as things kept changing. A dual time line made this more interesting and sometimes creepy. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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✨B O O K • T O U R✨

Adrif

4/5⭐️


Blurb: A stag do, six old friends … and a secret they’d all kill to protect.

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.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Adriftsocial

Review: Fast-paced and intriguing I couldn’t put this book down. I loved it from the very start to the finish. The characters are well-written and the suspense hits just right and at the right times.

You must read if you like psychological thrillers.

#ad I received an early reader’s copy of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Thanks @bookandtonic and the author @stef.edger !

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M A Hunter’s Adrift is a stay-up-all-night thriller packed with chilling twist after chilling twist.

Fergus’ wedding to the love of his life is fast approaching and alongside five of his closest friends, is setting sail on a private yacht in the Balearics for some sun, sea and industrial quantities of alcohol. It promises to be a holiday the six friends will always remember, however, little do they all realise that it is going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons…

There is a very simple explanation as why the six of them are still so close a decade after leaving university – and it’s got absolutely nothing to do with friendship. A terrible event has bound them together in the most sinister and shocking of ways and regardless of how far they run, their past will always find them. Held captive by old sins and ghosts that refuse to be vanquished, the six of them are now on the open water and with nowhere to go and nowhere to hide, the time has come to atone for their past transgressions – and the price they will pay will be far too high…

M A Hunter’s Adrift is a compulsively readable thriller where the pages will just turn themselves. Fast-paced, heart-stopping and claustrophobic, Adrift is a creepy, unsettling and twisted thriller that will leave readers breathless as M A Hunter takes them on a tense and terrifying journey that will leave them reeling as shocking secrets, past lies and old deceptions come to light on the open seas.

Perfect for T M Logan and Lucy Foley fans, M A Hunter’s Adrift is one superb thriller aficionados of the genre are sure to lap up.

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I really enjoyed the unraveling of the story of Adrift. It has the atmosphere of a locked room whodunnit and an alternating timeline of past and present to slowly explain the mystery. I usually prefer a dual POV to keep the suspense in thrillers but this story held it’s own extremely well with a singular POV. I truly didn’t figure out who the killer was until the end.
The story relies on fear - of the unknown and the uncertainty of the situation - to keep it thrilling, rather than going the avenue of too much info and in your face horror. It has an untidy ending with a loose thread that didn’t get entirely resolved but I don’t mind that in a thriller and I feel that in this story it adds to the intrigue. I literally read this book in one sitting.

I am posting this review on Instagram, Goodreads and Amazon.

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‘Adrift’ is a fast paced thriller that I devoured in one sitting! It had a captivating opening in which six friends are on a yacht trip as part of a stag night. When Pete and his friends set sail they were looking forward to sun, sea and plenty of alcohol! They used to all share a house whilst at university in Southampton and it’s the first time in quite awhile that they have got together. There is a reason they have stayed friends, but it isn’t because they like one another… a terrible incident occurred whilst at university and it's one they can't forget!

I really enjoyed the opening couple of chapters and the set-up and when the action ramped up significantly towards the end of the book. The middle section could have used a bit more action and boy some of their decisions I was literally shaking my head at! But it's the whole thing of ‘don't run up the stairs’ movie equivalent but in this books case and obviously meant by the author. It made it quite entertaining in a way. I really didn't know who to trust and at times I was questioning whether Pete was an unreliable narrator. The story has a dual timeline and this helps to build the tension and its when the reveals in the ‘past’ sections occur that the book really picks up the pace.

‘Afridt’ was an entertaining read. Let me know if you pick it up.

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☆☆☆.5
Lots of alcohol, a yacht on the water, friends reuniting for a bachelor party, and a decade-old-secret…sounds like a dangerous combination. “Adrift” is a reunion of old college friends to celebrate Fergus’ upcoming wedding. All is going well until someone starts playing a game using the secret they all share from their college days.

We get a mix of past and present in this tense and gripping thriller. The past slowly leads us up to the tragic secret they all share and have vowed never to speak of again. The present-day starts as a fun reunion but quickly turns into a fight for life as the passengers vanish or are killed off, one by one. The survivors are left guessing who they can trust.

Sincere thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books for providing this gifted ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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This is such a great book that totally took my breath away and I am still struggling to get my head around that ending - In a good way. The book grabs you instantly and you can't stop reading even if you wanted to. The twists and turns made this such a pacy thriller and constantly has you questioning everything you are told. I love a dark thriller/whodunit so if you do please read this
M A Hunter is a new author to me but I will be on the lookout for more.

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This story jumps between the past & present of 6 friends who have gone through some pretty major events together. The past POV takes place 10 years ago, and leads up to a moment that defines what's happening to them in the present.

Present day has these 6 friends on a yacht for a bachelor party, when one day they wake up and they find themselves Adrift in the middle of shark infused waters. Suddenly, they start to be murdered, one by one, until there's only 3 left. Is the murderer a ghost from the past, or is it someone on board? 🦈🌊

Although I did enjoy this book, it wasn't one I was finding myself reaching for. I did enjoy trying to figure out who was responsible for everything, and although it was who I didn't expect, I still didn't feel that "wow" factor I love to feel with thrillers. Regardless, if this book sounds like something you would enjoy then I would definitely recommend giving it a shot ☺️

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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. M.A. Hunter aka Stephen Edgar 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 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.

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?

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.

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Fergus is getting married soon so he and his friends are celebrating his stag do on a yacht. They are enjoying the sun and drinking way too much, but having fun. Pete is one of the friends with the group and the story is told from his point of view.

They have been friends since college 10 years previously. It switches back and forth in time as we learn of their lives as college students and how they are today.

When one or two people are mysteriously killed on the yacht, the tensions among those left builds and they all suspect the others of being a murderer and they don’t know why.

The book had me wondering who would kill their friends, but I was not that drawn into the story. The college days showed some tension among them but they all seemed to support one another. Tense at times and rather gory too, this book just impress me that much. Although, I’m sure other readers will certainly enjoy it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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Adrift is death in paradise! No offence Saint-Marie but this book has sea, sun, friends and murder! It’s meant to be a celebration as one of the group is getting married but some on board has other ideas! The question is in this Mediterranean Sea based locked room thriller WHO IS THE KILLER?!?!

Anyone is a suspect given there is nowhere for them to go! As the bodies drop, the suspect pool gets smaller so surely identifying the killer should be easy. But as we all know, there is always that chance someone you think is dead isn’t really unless you have the body – is that the case on this boat?! You’ll have to read it to find out!!

The split timeline with the jumps back a decade kept the present day pace on a leash but only just. The student day chapters dragged me back from the deadly sun to lay the foundations and red herrings to one helluva climax. I didn’t see what Hunter had planned as a finale! That was just WTF!! Talk about twisted!! Adrift is a fast paced thriller that I seriously enjoyed. Hunter threw so much at me with clues and suggestions for motive and execution, I really didn’t know what to think! Excellent thriller!

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TRIGGER WARNING: Death scenes of varying graphic intensity, some scenes with a knife or a bad prank. Experience of rape/ bondage and unwanted sex.

Pete and his sister and friends are on a stag celebration for his friend Fergus, They’re on a boat in the Balearics. I was pleased when I was invited onto the blog tour for this because of the location and the plot. The characters and attention to detail leap off the page and the pace is quick.

Thoughts, feelings secrets and lies abound in this thriller. It’s gritty, realistic and imaginative and is so twisty and full of surprises. It hooked me instantly and kept me there except in the parts where people died or the talk of experiences of rape/ bondage. That was way too much for me.

Bondage and unwanted sex made me think of Fifty Shades of Grey.

I was reluctant to like some people in Adrift, and was suspecting everyone. It made me feel very uneasy in parts. I wanted to stop and did because some parts were horrific and too gory.

I went back to it because I wanted to get to the end because of the twists.

Pete and Sophie seemed good people and Pete and Carly seemed to have a good romantic relationship, although romance is hinted at/ mentioned, not detailed or explicit.

The dual timeline between present day when the friends are on the boat and their time at university is the perfect structure for this novel, because th (often graphic and unpleasant) goings on at university explain some of the backstory for the present day scenes . It’s well written but was way too graphic in terms of deaths and other unpleasant things for me.

Adrift is anything but a fun time with friends in a paradise location, and one you have to be strong to finish. It begs the questions: How well do we really know our friends and are they really friends at all?

Fortunately,I had a great time at university and it was a safe place, and they were some of the best years of my life.

Thanks to M.A. Hunter/Stephen Edger, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

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BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Adrift' by M.A Hunter


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for M. A Hunter, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random resources Tours.

Publication date 4th May 2023


This is the first book I have read by this author.


I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Boldwood. I have yet to read a book published by Boldwood that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of 42 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonist being Pete. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.


'Adrift' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book MA Hunter discusses r@p3

WHAT did I just read!!!! WOW!!! I mean seriously Wow!! I was NOT expecting that lot fair play!!! This has GOT to start with a MASSIVE WELL DONE STEPHEN !!!! An absolutely action packed thriller!!


Firstly let's start off with the writing style!! This book is an extremely well written book by this amazing author which had me hook line and sinker!!! It is so smoothly and exceptionally well written with vivid descriptions I completely forgot I was even reading a book a few times. The blurb, title and cover really fit the storyline. Stephen has created an absolutely explosive and addictive storyline that had me hooked from the gripping first chapter to the absolutely shocking ending!!!


As you can tell I LOVED the storyline. I found it to be realistic, very fast paced and I read it in just several hours!!! I loved the setting and atmosphere and just well... Everything!!! Twists after shocks after turns!!! Arggghhh... Its so hard to NOT say anything about them as it will give too much away and spoil it for future readers but it definitely left me speechless over and over!!! I have read hundreds of psychological books and it gets harder and harder to keep my interest and to shock me but these fantastic authors managed it hook, line and sinker Just brilliant fair play and all links in and wraps up perfectly!!! Pete is invited on a stag night with university friends, some of which he has barely spoken with, if at all, since leaving 10 years ago when they were all involved in something they vow never to speak of again. They have hired a private boat and are planning on having a fun and relaxing time in the Balearics. However things start going downhill quickly and is far from the fun time previously planned. Stephen has done an absolutely amazing job of weaving the past and present chapters together in a way to give the reader just the right amount of detail to drop feed them the history between them needed but not too much to give anything away. I absolutely loved the unique storyline and have yet to read a book based on either a stag night or on a yacht and considering the hundred of books I have read this is a MASSIVE achievement so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS STEPHEN on achieving a storyline I have had yet to uncover!!
MA Hunter leads the readers up to some extremely explosive twists that I woiuld never have seen coming. I cannot remember the last time I flew through a book so quickly. Each and every time I went to put it down to do something my fingers were itching to pick it back up as I just HAD to know what happened next!! MA's evocative writing skills ensure you are sucked deep into the storyline seeing everything that is happening and feeling the tension, stress and suspense that each of the main characters are going through. My heart was in my throat throughout reading this fast paced, gripping and gritty psychological thriller! I loved the amount of gory details that was involved in some of the events!! Many people won't agree with me here but I love it when an author creates unique ways of certain events and MA Hunter includes just the right amount of gore and definitely uniqueness in some of the ones involved in this book!! This may be the first book I have read by this amazing authors but if all his books are like this I cannot wait to get stuck into them and I have added all his previous books to my wish list already and look forward to what they come out with next!! It is ram packed with friendship, secrets, lies, twists, heartbreak, twists, abuse, history , tension, stress, suspense and everything you could ask for in a psychological thriller. I can't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers so if you want to know you'll have to grab yourself a copy!! You won't regret it!!

It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture

Just like with the storyline the characters come to life with Stephen's fantastic writing skills. They are well rounded, realistic and strong making them all the more believable. It is going to be extremely hard for me to say too much about the characters as I really don't want to give too much away and due to there only being a limited amount of suspects it is way too easy to slip up. All the characters had their own unique personalities and I enjoyed watching the differences in their personalities from their younger selves to how they acted in the present but at the same time most of them had similar aspects to their personalities. At one point of the book I did suspect the majority of the characters and I think only one or two I didn't think had anything to do with any of it. I was kind blown when everything came out. There were some things I both liked and disliked about the majority of them. However the one character I really couldn't abide from the start is the creepy Raymond who absolutely made me cringe!! I found Pete to be quite a good friend but at times a bit of a wimp and not doing what he told himself he would. I thought Harry was a really sweet friend to Pete and I thought it was cute how he calls him bro. I disliked Christoph in the past segments but he slowly grew on me on the present chapters. My heart went out to Sophie but at the same time I found her to be a bit bossy at times. I thought Rhys could be a bit of a child and didn't tend to think before he did or spoke. Fergus was a bit of a mixed bag and at times I liked him and others I thought he was a bit two faced. I won't go into more details as I don't want to risk giving anything away but Stephen really has done an exceptional job constructing an addictive and explosive psychological thriller with fantastic and varied characters that you just won't be able to put down!! Regardless of whether you loved or hated them they each worked perfectly together to create this chilling and nail biting action packed thriller that you will not be able to put down!!


Congratulations MA Hunter on an explosive success!!! Welcome to my favourite author club!! Here's to many more successes 🥂!!!


Clear your schedules before picking this up as you will not be able to put it down!!! "


Overall an absolutely page turning, addictive, gripping and explosive must read that will keep you addicted from the very start to the fantastic ending!!!


Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Suspense, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, International Mystery & Crime, Suspense Thriller, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Literary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, and Mystery amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors, fans of Miranda Smith, Sheryl Browne, Sue Watson, K.L. Slater. Nina Manning, Shalini Boland, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn and anyone looking for an explosive page turner!!!


312 pages.


This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free with kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


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3.5 rounded up!
a bachelor party on a yacht and... murder! A group of friends reunite after ten years in hopes of having fun and making good memories, but soon after mysterious things starts to happen and when someone goes missing, everybody knows they shouldn't have come to this party.
the story constantly jumps back to ten years ago and shows the relationship between this boys and what might be the beginning and the reason of the things happening now.
the story starts great and though the ending is just a bit disappointing, it's a good read overall.

thanks to NetGalley for providing my copy.

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I’ve read a few thrillers which feature a group of women on a hen party, but this is the first thriller I’ve read featuring a stag party, and this is what intrigued me. Adrift is the latest novel by M A Hunter and it is a tense, utterly riveting read set aboard a yacht. The holiday is supposed to be a relaxing, fun few days for the six friends, who have known each other for years, but soon, someone will end up dead, and as tensions boil over, the friends on board the yacht have no idea who they can trust.

M A Hunter does a brilliant job of creating a sinister atmosphere and he increases the tension throughout the novel, which made me turn the pages faster and faster. Before the holiday even really begins, there’s already tension between the captain of the yacht and one of the guests, and this made me wonder how things were going to pan out between them over the next few days. The story is told primarily from Pete’s point of view, whose sister is getting married to the groom, Fergus. You can see early on that he resents the idea of his sister falling for Fergus, and I wanted to know more about the history between them. You can see that there is something buried in their past and I was excited to find out what this was.

As the novel gets underway, M A Hunter also takes us back to years earlier, when the group of friends, were all living together while at university. These were some tense scenes, especially as Pete begins to think that someone is trying to break his relationship with his girlfriend. As cracks between them begin to appear, you can see that Pete doesn’t completely trust her as details about her past are revealed. I wanted to know how these scenes were going to tie up with the present day events, especially when people on board started being killed off.

The twist completely surprised me as M A Hunter reveals who the killer is and why they’ve killed these people. There was a really tense finale as the killer is revealed and I had no idea how the story was going to pan out as the remaining guests on the yacht were faced with the person who’d been killing their friends.

Adrift is a really entertaining read. I really enjoyed it.

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3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for an e-arc of this book.

Blurb: A stag do, six old friends … and a secret they’d all kill to protect.
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.

I think this was a very solid book and I enjoyed the writing so much. I went through it very quickly and the plot twists were really good. The one thing I didn't fall in love with, and it's the reason for the lower rating, was the ending. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting and the motive behind everything was not convincing at all.

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suspense, thriller, riveting, revenge, secrets, lies, dual-time-frames, alcohol-issues, jealousies, guilt, multiple-murder, closed-circle-mystery****

The past can kill you.
Shades of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. A reunion of college roommates who share a secret gather for a stag party (on a yacht) for one of them. There are dual timelines, ten years ago and today which are very well done. The pacing gets a little awkward at times, but the action and suspense rarely slow down. A good read.
I requested and receive an EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley.

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