Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban
What's It About?
A girl hops on a life-changing European cruise where she faces turmoil, betrayal and mysteries that must be unearthed.Diana Urban lures readers in with tales of mystery, suspense and horror. Readers will never fail to be invested in her novels, which star teen characters and are full of twists and turns that are as unexpected as they are entertaining. Her former young adult novels feature spilled secrets in a locked room (All Your Twisted Secrets) and an eerie tale where the main character is blackmailed into ransom when her sister is kidnapped (These Deadly Games).
Urban’s latest novel does not stray far from these dark and serious topics. Lying in the Deep takes readers on an adventure when characters are trapped on a European Study-Abroad cruise with peers who harbor malicious intentions.
A Cruise Filled with Dangerous Secrets
Jade has finally gotten her dream opportunity to study abroad with other students seeking college credit, as she sails on an exclusive cruise that will take her to 11 European countries. Once aboard, she is caught by surprise by the presence of two people she never thought she’d hear from again. Jade’s ex-boyfriend and her ex-best friend betrayed her by getting together and letting her know via text message, before cutting off all communication. And now, here they are, trapped onboard with her for a four-month cruise.
As Jade tries to immerse herself in her studies and meets new friends, she cannot shake the fact that they are there, publicly sneering at her and showing off their relationship. Unlike Jade, her ex-bestie always gets what she wants — she comes from money and has high aspirations of becoming an influencer.
Readers will feel the tension as Jade’s obsession with the couple grows, and she finds herself attracted to a mysterious boy on board. Yet, murders begin taking over the trip, which leads to suspicion, as well as deaths back-to-back. Jade and her crush must join forces to investigate what is happening and who might be to blame.
Secrets are revealed, no one is who they seem, and it all builds to a shocking plot twist and surprising ending.
Mystery Mixed with Lessons on People’s Character
Urban’s book carefully balances elements of mystery and gore, making her quite the master at mixing intricate details and complicated character personalities. Like any good mystery writer, Urban makes sure that readers know the characters well enough to study them and investigate the clues and facts they are presented with throughout.
The book is perfect for fans of complex and detailed characters that you can study and analyze. Urban explores themes of unhealthy obsession and its results. She explores the pain that sometimes comes with friendship and betrayal — especially when you are young — and the need to protect yourself as you get close to others. She teaches the lesson that sometimes, people are not what they seem or who they present themselves to be.
Lying in the Deep is an immersive, engaging and fun young adult novel, and readers will find themselves quickly flipping through just to know where this dangerous cruise might take them next.
