Why we’re excited
A pop star and Cara, her odd and watchful assistant, join a few rich guests on a superyacht in the Caribbean. Then the engines die as a cyclone closes in, and someone on board starts killing the passengers. The catch Ward sets up early is that Cara, the helper nobody looks at twice, may be more dangerous than the killer.
Ward's novels, Sundial and Looking Glass Sound among them, share a taste for unreliable narrators and late reveals. This one is short, at around 224 pages, and set a little way into the future. It suits readers who like closed-circle thrillers with a horror edge.
On our most-anticipated list since 26 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about The Solitude
There are no reviews of Catriona Ward’s books on The Bookish Elf yet.
From the publisher
Set in a near future dystopia, Catriona Ward delivers a brutal and terrifying examination on the true nature of monstrosity . . . and the enduring power of vengeance.
A luxury yacht.
An elite guest list.
No secrets at sea.
What's promised to be an idyllic trip turns catastrophic when passengers become prey, and the real monsters aboard won't stay hidden any longer.
A famous musician and her peculiar personal assistant, Cara, must navigate increasingly choppy waters with other guests aboard The Solitude, a luxury yacht sailing the Caribbean. With a massive cyclone closing in and the engines suddenly dead, a different kind of danger gathers on a murderer on board, hunting the guests one by one.
But what nobody knows―and what may be their ultimate undoing― is that Cara is the biggest threat to them all.
Also by Catriona
Nowhere Burning
Looking Glass Sound
Sundial
Little Eve
The Last House on Needless Street
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read The Solitude yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
