Dead in the Water: Murder and Fraud in the World's Most Secretive Industry

(Hardback, Main)

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Description

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'screw 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.

Reviews

Dead in the Water has the feel of a thriller, but also laudably explains the complexity - and corruption - of the world of international shipping. * The Times, Books of the Year *
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. * Financial Times *
A remarkable story... Books about merchant shipping are rarely so gripping * The Economist *
With fine attention to detail and great storytelling skill... Dead in the Water is a first-class piece of reportage. * Literary Review *
A masterpiece... Enlightening and thoroughly engaging. * Mark Bowden, New York Times *
Brilliant * Daily Telegraph *
Campbell and Chellel bring a thriller-like pace to the action. * Money Week *
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. * Oliver Bullough, Sunday Times bestselling author of Moneyland *
A triumph of investigative journalism. * Tom Wright, Sunday Times bestselling co-author of Billion Dollar Whale *
Truly one of the most nail-biting, page-turning, terrifying true-crime books I've ever read. It will make you never want to sail on the open seas again. * Nick Bilton, New York Times bestselling author of American Kingpin *
Dead in the Water is a brilliant expos of corruption and malfeasance on the high seas. By telling the story of a single ship, the Brilliante Virtuoso, and the complex sequence of events that led to its destruction, Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel reveal the darkest secrets of an industry that makes the modern world go round. * Ian McGuire, bestselling author of The North Water *
At once devastating and riveting, Dead in the Water is a story of human tragedy and a skilled investigation of crime, money, and power. Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel have written an urgent, essential book about the hidden relationships that underpin the global economy - and the brutal cost of getting in their way. * Katie Engelhart, author of The Inevitable *
Dead in the Water gripped me from the beginning and refused to let go. Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel have written a spectacular book about business, shipping, piracy and international intrigue that will make you never look at buying fast fashion or filling up your gas tank the same way again. * Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling co-author of Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of An American Dynasty *

Author Bio

Matthew Campbell is a senior reporter at Bloomberg, where he writes investigative stories for Bloomberg Businessweek. He has reported from more than 20 countries and is currently based in Singapore.

Kit Chellel is a reporter at Bloomberg and a writer for Bloomberg Businessweek. His features have won numerous international awards and prompted investigations by the UK's market regulator. He is currently a member of Bloomberg's financial investigations team, based in London.