Description

By (author) Campbell Matthew; By (author) Chellel, Kit

Short /annotation

Inside the corrupt and secret business of global shipping, t
he explosive true story of a notorious international fraud and murder

Shortlisted for the 2022 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award.

***A Waterstones Best Books of 2022 pick***

A Financial Times, The Times and The Economist Book of the Year

”Gripping…
A
startling tale of fraud
and impunity.
”The Economist

”I read it in one sitting, and I know it”ll stay with me for a long time.” Oliver Bullough, Sunday Times bestselling author of Moneyland

Inside the corrupt and secret business of global shipping, t
he explosive true story of a notorious international fraud and murder

In July 2011, the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was drifting through the treacherous Gulf of Aden when a crew of pirates attacked and set her ablaze in a devastating explosion. But when David Mockett, a maritime surveyor working for Lloyd”s of London, inspected the damaged vessel, he was left with more questions than answers. Soon after his inspection, he was murdered.

Dead in the Water is a shocking expose of the criminal inner-workings of international shipping, an old-world industry at the backbone of our global economy. Through first-hand accounts of those who lived the hijacking – from members of the ship”s crew and witnesses to the attacks, to the ex-London detectives turned private investigators seeking to solve Mockett”s murder – award-winning reporters Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel piece together the astounding truth behind one of the most brazen financial frauds in history.

Table of contents
1: A LUCKY LAND 2: THE GATE OF TEARS 3: INTRUDERS 4: DISTRESS SIGNALS 5: A BRAVER WORLD 6: THE TALLEST MAN IN YEMEN 7: EVIDENCE, DEAR BOY 8: SHOCK WAVES 9: AN UPSTANDING CONSTABLE 10: FOR THOSE IN PERIL ON THE SEA 11: NO CURE, NO PAY 12: HOT FROGS 13: BELOW THE SURFACE 14: WAR RISKS 15: METAL MICKEY 16: CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE 17: MARKED 18: SUPER MARIO 19: AN UNRELIABLE WITNESS 20: BEARING GIFTS 21: I”M NOT AFRAID 22: ZULU 2 23: TWO GREEK GUYS 24: THE JOB 25: DON”T LEAVE THE HOUSE 26: JUDGMENT 27: THE CAPTAIN

Review quote

Dead in the Water
has the feel of a thriller, but also laudably explains the complexity – and corruption – of the world of international shipping.

Review quote
A
triumphant example of what happens when editors give reporters the time to pull at such a story”s threads until the deceptions unravel. The result is in part a
well-written,
well-paced thriller. But it is also a morality tale.

Review quote
A
remarkable story… Books about merchant shipping are rarely so
gripping

Review quote
With fine attention to detail and
great storytelling skill… Dead in the Water is
a first-class piece of reportage.

Review quote

A masterpiece… Enlightening and thoroughly engaging.

Review quote

Brilliant

Review quote

Campbell and Chellel bring a thriller-like pace to the action.

Review quote

A fascinating read. Highly recommended!

Review quote
This is a tale of greed, murder, fraud, complacency, exploitation and hypocrisy, right in the centre of our societies.
It”s modern capitalism in microcosm, and it”s written like a thriller. I read it in one sitting, and I know it”ll stay with me for a long time. What a cracker.

Review quote

Campbell and Chellel”s story of pirates and