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Dead in the Water

A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy

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Dead in the Water

Written by: Matthew Campbell, Kit Chellel
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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About this listen

A Financial Times Book of the Year

An Economist Best Book of the Year

“A triumph of investigative journalism.”—Tom Wright, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale

“A fascinating read. Highly recommended!”—John Carreyrou, bestselling author of Bad Blood

"Truly one of the most nail-biting, page-turning, terrifying true-crime books I've ever read."—Nick Bilton, New York Times bestselling author of American Kingpin

From award-winning journalists Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel, the gripping, true-crime story of a notorious maritime hijacking at the heart of a massive conspiracy—and the unsolved murder that threatened to unravel it all.

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. How had the pirates gotten aboard so easily? And if they wanted to steal the ship and bargain for its return, then why did they destroy it? The questions didn’t add up—and Mockett would never answer them. Soon after his inspection, David Mockett was murdered.

Dead in the Water is a shocking expose of the criminal inner workings of international shipping, told through the lens of the Brillante hijacking and its aftermath. Through first-hand accounts of those who lived it—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 and bring justice to his family—award-winning Bloomberg reporters Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel piece together the astounding truth behind one of the most brazen financial frauds in history.

The ambitious culmination of more than four years of reporting, Dead in the Water uncovers an intricate web of conspiracy amidst the lawless, old-world industry at the backbone of our new global economy.

©2022 Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel (P)2022 Penguin Audio
International True Crime Exciting Thought-Provoking Business Pirate Detective England Transportation
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What the critics say

A Financial Times Business Book of the Year
An
Economist Best Book of the Year
Winner CrimeCon's UK Book of the Year

"A rich story of fake piracy and a global conspiracy...On one level, Dead in the Water is a masterpiece of explanatory journalism...Campbell and Chellel report and explain it masterfully, giving us an account that is both enlightening and thoroughly engaging.” --Mark Bowden, The New York Times

“Triumphant…in part a well-written, well-paced thriller. But it is also a morality tale….At the heart of the story is at least one still unsolved murder…Dead in the Water makes a compelling case that those handling Russian oligarchs’ riches are not the only ones overdue for a rethink.” --Robert Wright, The Financial Times

What listeners say about Dead in the Water

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The Rich Get Richer.

The authors pull back the curtain on the power of the rich and powerful. Profit is the temple. The police and governments and courts can no more bring 'justice ' against the rich and powerful as stop the waves upon the ocean.

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Great Read

A shocking look under the hood of the maritime shipping industry and the thieves who operate on it, includes dishonest insurance companies and disgraceful lawyers.

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Crazy interesting

Learned a lot about the shipping and insurance biz
Particularly Lloyds of London
I thought I knew how it worked, I did not

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Everything you want a story to be.

Thoroughly enjoyable. The authors knew their subject and went into every corner. One of those books where you are very sorry it has come to an end.

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