Sun, surf and murder what more could you want

I enjoyed this book. It is a nice easy cozy mystery that had a few twists to keep the story interesting until the end. I like the behind the scenes look at the cruise ship and it gives you a feel of what it would be like to work there and think it makes for a very unusual setting for a murder.
When Rachel's relationship breaks down her best friend talks her into joining her on a cruise ship to cheer her up and to celebrate her passing her exams to become a police woman. Rachel as a passenger and Sarah as a nurse on the luxury cruise ship. Rachel soon makes friends with a number of guests including an elderly lady called Marjorie. When Marjorie seems to be the victim of some unfortunate accidents Rachel's police training kicks in and she wonders why anybody would want to kill a sweet old lady. This thinking gets her suspecting everybody on board the ship including the good looking man at her own dinning table but when another passenger is killed Rachel step up her sleuthing by turning into a body guard. With just hours until the ship reaches the final port can Rachel unmask a kill and keep Marjorie alive.
I like the narrator and think she does a good job, especially as she has to do accents from all over the globe.

2 people found this helpful

Enjoyable read

I read this on audible whilst walking the dog! It was easy to listen to and was ok for dibbing in and out of over a couple of days. The story line was easy to follow and in the easy listening British crime that reminded me a little of a bygone time rather Agatha Christie like. I would recommend to others who like a non violent mystery with a couple of red herrings along the way!

2 people found this helpful

Is there a murderer on board?

I have been listening to this as an audiobook whilst on a boat, watching the comings and goings of huge cruise liners, the size of blocks of flats. I've never really had much of an urge to take a cruise and the bigger these vessels get, the less likely I am to join one. I am quite happy to experience the pleasure second hand through Dawn Brookes' murder mysteries.

Rachel Price has just completed her police exams and qualified to join the force. She is also recovering from the shock of being dumped by her fiance, in favour of another woman, which has seriously damaged her self confidence. Her old school friend, Sarah, who works on board the 'Coral Queen' as a nurse, suggests that Rachel takes a break on board the ship, to unwind and relax.
She soon meets up with the elderly Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe, who is taking her first cruise alone, since the death of her husband. She also finds herself falling for a handsome Italian man, except that he is behaving very suspiciously. Rachel is not at all sure who she can trust.

I enjoyed this cozy murder mystery, assisted by the narration by Alex Lee, although her Scottish and Philippine accents were a little dodgy. Dawn Brookes does a good job of introducing us to the experience of cruising and it was interesting to get an idea of life behind the scenes. It hasn't changed my mind about joining a cruise boat, but it certainly made watching the ones near me, much more interesting.

On to book 2, Deadly Cruise.

1 person found this helpful

A Mystery On The Ocean Waves.

This is a well written, artfully crafted and beautifully narrated mystery novel. The central characters, Rachael, a newbie cop on a vacation and Sarah, the ships nurse, are well rounded and very personable. The plot with its twists, turns and dead ends moves along at just the right pace. I was thuroughly entertained from start to finish.

1 person found this helpful

Mystery with a carribean twist

Take a classic feeling mystery,mix in a cocktail and you have this fantastic story.

I loved the windswept and interesting locations we visited in this adventure, never sure if the people you met were really who they said they were.

The lead characters Rachel and Sarah, two old friends, I enjoyed how a cruise ship and a murder can’t come between friends

I enjoyed the exoticness of the locations , while I listened I could picture the scenes, always a sign of a well thought out book, I enjoyed the other major and minor characters

as I said a great twist on a classic who dunnit I would love there to be more of these types of stories, if anyone knows any let me know.

The narrator for this joyous cruise was Alex Lee and she does an excellent job of telling the story and making the characters come to life.

If you want a murder mystery with an exotic twist then I definitely recommend this.

1 person found this helpful

Fabulous

Fabulous book. Good narrator, accents done well. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Story line riveting making me want to read more from this author. Would definitely like to hear this narrator again.

1 person found this helpful

Lovely!

I've never fancied cruising, until now! Dawn Brookes has done an excellent job of selling me on a cruise. I acquired dogs to walk because everyone knows that it's dog walkers who always find a dead body, but 10 years on and nothing! Now if I could meet the kind of people on this cruise, it would be worth it. I loved the fact that our heroine, Rachel, had parents and friends. So many of our fictional police officers are unloved and broken, it was a pleasure the meet one who had a life outside "the job". Rachel and Sarah's friendship was believable and lovely. This is a genuine cosy mystery, because despite the murder and the intrigue, there was a wonderful sense of warmth, friendship, mutual respect and care through this entire story. It lifted my heart and I absolutely loved that element. I'm not usually a cosy mystery type of person, but Dawn Brookes has enticed me with her superb writing and clever story telling. Excellent narration by Alex Lee added another layer of enjoyment to this eloquent and articulate tale. Highly recommended.

1 person found this helpful

Decent murder mystery

This is quite an entertaining murder mystery, of which I was lucky enough to receive a free review copy, However decent the story is though, for me it was marred a little by the archaic language, nobody says 'How do you do' these days, possibly the Queen does but since I've never met her, I would not know, but nobody says 'how lovely to meet you again' either, we would say 'see you again' and who ever says they are off to find some themselves some 'sustenance' ? Unless they are being over dramatic. All of the main characters are given very plummy accents which is perfectly fine for Lady Marjorie but a bit odd for PC Rachel Price and Sarah. It felt like a book that was based many decades earlier BUT the bad guys had burner phones which places the story in a more current timeline along with the sanitiser spritzers freely sprayed around in the dining rooms (to protect against norovirus I believe).

To conclude, I did enjoy it, and have already listened to book 2, am halfway through book 3, but it could have been better without the arachaic phrases and words of which I have only listed a few. I was particulary bothered by the 'how do you do though'. It made my teeth grind.

Try it for yourself, you may love all that 'how do you do' ing.

Interesting

Loved it Made me yearn for a holiday .Very entertaining and will look for more in the series

Dull as ditch water

This is possibly the lamest story I have listened to in a long time. Lack lustre characters uninspiring plot. I like a gentle murder for a bit of escapism but there was not even a murder and nothing to investigate or mystery to puzzle out. It was not a descent romance either just boring and dull. Avoid at all costs