Dead in the Water

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

By: Matthew Campbell, Kit Chellel

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

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

Critic reviews

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

A great story which also informs

This is a fascinating story, one which fills in a story I knew bits about and a helpful explanation of the law of the sea and the non lawyers who do the real work.

Super interesting story, well told

Great story and told well. A real eye opener to several industries most of us know nothing about

Deeply fascinating..

Deeply fascinating, the unground side to what until now has always seemed to be an establishment that is above question.
Having worked in shipping for a fair few years it is a little unsettling to hear about the underworld goings on in major insurance and the scandal that almost slipped through the cracks for the sake of reputation and power!!

A good yarn if it wasn’t for the death of an honest man or two..

great story

learned a lot about the shipping world and investigating fraudulent insurance claims and sadly a murder

A maritime story deserving to be told

Great gripping start. The story is padded out and the narrative drags somewhat. But this is a story that needs to be told and it's an injustice there isn't more to tell.

Good

Very informative to anyone who is a novice about the shipping and insurance industries. An almost unbelievable true story and an intriguing and thorough explanation of how and why such events happen. Listening at a higher speed helps.

excellent research. not a podcast, but good

excellent research. not a podcast, but if you like Tru crime stories this is for you, really good back story on lloyds of London, and maritime fraud. and please never forget the murder of David mockery, still unsolved.

Enjoyable Story

Well written and well narrated. Fully enjoyed the book and would gladly recommend to others.

Indicating a Criminal is Harder than it Should be.

As someone who works in litigation - this story rings too true - it takes a lot of work to get the bad guys.

Exceptional

It's hard not to read this book and both be enraptured and enraged by the tail. You'll find yourself rooting for the success or hard consequences of the characters behind this immensely consequential story.