The Slip - Softcover

In 1920 the Byzantium sinks off the coast of St. Thomas, losing its cargo of precious emeralds. Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London take ownership of the sunken hull and whatever emeralds might someday be salvaged. Nearly a century later, treasure recovery becomes big business. Salvage companies and bounty hunters comb the ocean floor for lost gems. As widow Brandy Blake will soon find out, treasure recovery isn’t just lucrative, it’s also dangerous.

When Brandy returns to her native New Orleans to rebuild her life after her husband dies searching for the Byzantium’s lost emeralds, she realizes that he recovered more jewels than he ever let on. But Brandy isn’t the only one who knows about her late husband’s stash. Recov, an unscrupulous salvage company, wants the emeralds—and the award money that comes with them.

Brandy’s daughter Rene becomes blackmail collateral, but Rene has an ally in Raleigh, an unusual squirrel. The unlikely twosome flee alligators, poisonous snakes, and a sociopath in the Louisiana swamps while Brandy battles for her daughter’s safety and her husband’s hard-won legacy.

Katie Smith Matison’s legal thriller The Slip takes readers on a wild ride into the intriguing realm of modern-day treasure hunting.

Katie Smith Matison is a Seattle lawyer whose practice is focused on maritime law. She holds a JD and an LLM in admiralty from Tulane University. Her articles on maritime legal issues have been published in Lloyd’s of London Press, the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, and the Journal of Transportation, Logistics, and Policy.

Following six years as a felony prosecutor, Matison dedicated herself to maritime law. She handles maritime cases and insurance coverage for the London insurance market, and has worked closely with various insurers. She understands the unique and rare legal disputes that occur around treasure salvage cases. Her novel The Slip is a fast-paced legal thriller that offers a glimpse into the legal wrangling that surrounds such complex cases.