Nora elbowed her way up to the railing and looked down. The paddle wheel was making its last turn, dredging up a mass of turquoise chiffon made almost transparent by the water. A hand, its red lacquered fingernails a contrast to the pale white skin, stuck up from a bejeweled cuff…
A relaxing cruise down the Mississippi on the Miss Delta Belle steamboat turns to tragedy when celebrity Delilah Dove falls from the deck and is swallowed by the river faster than you can say ‘man overboard!’
It’s touted as a tragic accident, but guests Miss Nora Marsh and her wily great-aunt Julia know a murder when they see one. Can they get justice for Delilah and crack the case without alerting the murderer to their suspicions?
As Nora and Julia hunt for clues it emerges that nearly everyone had a reason to want Delilah dead. And that’s bad news for the two sleuths—who want to solve the case pronto, before Mississippi police chief and Aunt Julia’s nemesis Artemis Leonard comes on board at the next port to launch the official investigation. She’s not letting him get the credit if she can help it.
With multiple suspects and a series of mysterious thefts onboard—not to mention the distractingly handsome Max Lawton turning Nora’s head—this is shaping up to be one tough case to crack. What started as a gentle river voyage is far from plain sailing.
Review
One thing you can (almost) 100% be certain of is, that when a murder happens on a boat, the killer is bound to be still on board. On the one hand it’s reassuring, because you know he or she will be apprehended, but it’s rather frightening at the same time, because the perpetrator is the one who pulls the strings. You might be next.
Well, the latter would be the case if Julia and Nora Marsh would not have been on the ship. They have every intention to make sure the culprit will be put where they belong: behind bars.
The author takes us back to 1926 where we join her characters on a trip on a steamboat. The setting is nice and the passengers are fun. (apart from the baddies of course 😉 )
A murder, a quirky aunt Julia and a lot of people who seem to have something to hide result in a very entertaining cozy mystery story. 4 stars.
Thank you, Leighann Dobbs and Bookouture
About the author
USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty.
Her book “Dead Wrong” won the “Best Mystery Romance” award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.
Her book “Ghostly Paws” was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.
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