Kindle Edition Amazon QuickSilver Novels Category:  Action/Thriller ISBN-10:  1491273674 Copyright: Aug 6, 2013 ISBN-13: 9781491273678 Price: $2.99 (eBook) Steven and Kayla must guard six million-dollar paintings exhibited next to the "genuine fakes" copies that will be up for auction on a cruise to Alaska. Their wedding is scheduled for Glacier Bay, so what could go wrong? Painted in 1907, “Glacier Blue” is an oil painting recently appraised at 2 million pounds. Reginald C. Pierpont, the artist who created the stunning masterpiece, studied with the Impressionists in Europe and bold visionaries in the Americas. The sole heir to a family fortune, Reggie used his vast holdings and leisure time to experiment with new techniques and daring ideas to create his art. Although the masterpiece failed to turn heads during his own time period, Reggie’s secret method triggers larcenous schemes among modern crooks. Genuine Fakes, an auction company that sells “authorized copies” of famous paintings, arranges to hold six charity auctions of fakes during a voyage to Alaska. Million-dollar originals will be displayed next to the Genuine Fakes during each auction—six opportunities for international thieves to steal a valuable piece of art. The president of Constellation Cruise Lines, Emily Schultz suddenly needs her new crack security team to guard the paintings. When one of the fakes gets stolen from the buyer’s cabin, a discrete search for the missing canvas begins. The stakes rise when a body is found next to the missing fake, and the investigation suddenly takes a deadly turn. The investigators learn more about "Glacier Blue" and realize it’s no ordinary work of art. The painting’s special secret already provoked one murder, and it gets easier to kill again. Emily begs Kayla and Steven to work for a few days before their wedding on Glacier Bay. They expected a stress-free cruise up the Inside Passage of Alaska, filled with glaciers, wildlife, and stunning scenery, but an art heist and murder might interrupt their romantic plans. To ramp up stress levels, Steven’s ex-wife, Cynthia, shows up for the cruise on the arm of Steven’s school chum—and Kayla feels hate-at-first-sight. The young couple must entertain future in-laws while trying to outsmart murderous outlaws. As the ship navigates through icy waters, truth lies hidden from plain view, like the treacherous underwater portions of dangerous icebergs. Greed, jealousy, and envy generate potent motives for murder.    Excerpt Excerpt Chapter 1 The ship anchored beyond the wide mouth of the fjord as sailors lowered a native canoe filled with supplies. Reggie gazed down at the small craft and shuddered. The tiny craft bobbed alongside the schooner, which already rocked too much to suit him. A heavy woolen coat hung to his knees but it barely kept him warm against the icy breeze. How would he manage to camp inside the glacial straits of the fjord? “We’ll return in two weeks, sir,” the captain said and broke Reggie’s reverie. “We can’t afford to set here with them icebergs floatin’ past.” “Yes, I understand.” He stiffened his shoulders and held out his gloved hand. “Thank you, Captain Jefferies. I appreciate your taking on this commission.” Reggie winced under the vice-like grip of Jefferies and the captain grinned. “Your financial inducement was substantial, sir. I’d hate to lose my best customer so take a care! If you’re not here upon our return, we’ll launch a rescue party to search you out.” Laughter erupted from behind Reggie. He turned to see a grinning native face surrounded by shaggy black hair. “No need to risk lives of crew, Captain Jeffries. We come back when moon is full and wait for ship.” Scottie, a Tlingit guide from the village of Hoonah, scampered down the rope ladder and jumped into the rocking canoe. “He’s a highly recommended guide, and I’m certain we’ll be here on time,” Reggie said, more to reassure himself than the captain. “We’ll collect supplies in Skagway, so the ship will be ready for the next stop on your excursion.” “Mind that you collect my new shipment of paint and canvas.” Reggie peered down into the canoe. “I’m keen to get that shipment as I’ll run out of proper supplies soon enough.” “We could slice up one of our small sails to make canvas. No need to waste gold shipping it from Europe when there’s plenty of sailcloth right here. A vigorous wash would make it clean enough to slap paint on.” Indulgently Reggie smiled, having heard the offer before. “Don’t cut up your sails, Captain. My supplies will be waiting in Skagway. I’m sure of it.” His stiff boots slipped on a wet rung of the rope ladder as he descended toward the deep blue water. He tightened his grip on the ropes and sucked in a breath to calm his nerves. “Come on, boss. It’s just a few more steps!” Scottie shouted. Reggie inched closer to the water and stretched his foot out to touch the canoe. A firm hand steadied his boot until he connected with the canoe bottom. The small craft teetered. “Got you, boss,” Scottie said, and the Hoonah propelled him toward a solid bench. “You sit safe here.” Feeling grateful to avoid the icy-black water, Reggie sighed as his butt plopped onto the flat board stretched across the canoe. He stretched his arms out to grip both sides of the craft as a wave crashed against the boat. Water penetrated the fingertips of his thick gloves. As Reggie shivered Scottie untied the canoe and scrambled over bundles to reach his own perch. Soon the native paddled the homebuilt craft toward rocky cliffs jutting above the mouth of the inlet. Droplets from the paddles pelted Reggie’s face. He saw a paddle resting against his right foot. “Should I help you row?” he shouted. “Not yet! First you watch, see how I make strokes. We reach smooth water and then you help,” Scottie shouted back. Relief washed over Reggie, since he feared releasing his death-grip on the canoe. The streamlined craft rolled over ocean waves that moved toward the mouth of the fjord. Sea water mixed with fresh water as the river current flowed steadily out to sea. Large chunks of ice floated past, and Reggie wondered how long it might take to reach the glacier. When the canoe entered the mouth of the fjord, the water calmed and Scottie’s paddle strokes slowed. He cheerfully announced, “Eagle totem help us cross into Raven territory.” Scottie stroked the stylized eagle pendant hanging from his neck. Tlingit natives divided themselves into two clans, and apparently Scottie belonged to the Eagle clan. “Does the Raven clan claim this fjord?” Reggie asked. Scottie nodded. “In long time past, Raven clan live at foot of big ice wall. Foolish woman make glacier much angry by singing too loud. It push Raven clan out of canyon into ocean. Be much quiet so we don’t make glacier angry.” “I plan to be very careful of the glacier.” Reggie stared at the steep rock walls of the fjord and marveled at the glacial force needed to carve through solid granite. Before the trip he studied scientific writings and knew the ice gouged out the valley over thousands of years. Greenish blue water filled the valley floor in a flood of pure glacier water that melded with brackish ocean tidewater. With an artist’s eye, he studied the color and wondered how to mix that particular shade. His fingers itched to open his paint satchel and search through the oils, but fright kept his fingers clamped to the canoe’s sides. He mentally painted the picture. Dark brown rock and emerald green trees rose in a near vertical slant from the jade green water. No. It was not jade green. He must combine blue, green, and brown pigments until he matched the true color. An icy breeze brushed his cheek. He glanced up just as the boat rounded a bend and gasped with delight. High in the V of the shaded canyon walls, a vision of brilliant white gleamed in the sunshine. Excited, Reggie nearly stood to get a better view. The canoe rocked and he froze, clutching the canoe tighter. As he enjoyed the tantalizing glimpse of ice, the canoe skimmed silently across the water. Reggie kept quiet, almost afraid to break the spell of the glacier. He understood why natives believed the glacier was alive. It snaked down the canyon like a living thing that waited for them to approach in their tiny craft.

Full of chilly twists and turns!
MURDER FOR GLACIER BLUE is the third in this series and I had been waiting patiently for its arrival. I love anything Diane Rapp writes, but this series has a special place in my heart. I fell in love with the characters and could not wait to see what was in store...

Kayla and her fiancé, Steven Young, are finally going to wed! They can't resist the invitation to an Alaskan cruise with their cruise line friends, so they mix a bit of business and pleasure. With Kayla's knack for sniffing out and solving mysteries, and Steve's background in the undercover world of intelligence, they are the perfect lead to a team formed to provide security for a multimillion dollar art collection.

The gang must ensure the safety of a collection of authorized copies of original art that are exhibited alongside the original paintings and then they will be auctioned. The stakes are high and the crooks are lurking around every corner and don't even get me started on Steve's ex-wife and her hidden agenda!

True to her style, Diane Rapp takes us on this cruise with breathtaking scenes that are described in such detail; you can feel the cool sea breeze on your face. You'll enjoy the whale watching and the wildlife, but you will never forget your first view of the glacier.

This cruise is full of surprises and is definitely going to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Feel the chills...
The third book in Diane Rapp's cruise ship mystery series is every bit as good as the first two; if you enjoyed them, grab this one today. If you haven't read them, get started now.

"Murder for Glacier Blue" finds her familiar characters in new surroundings - they're providing security for valuable paintings on an Alaskan cruise. The cruise features auctions of authorized copies of important original works that depict scenes from the locale of the cruise. The originals are aboard to help promote the sales, and so are some crooks with their own agenda for the paintings.
Besides Ms. Rapp's consistently good storytelling, "Murder for Glacier Blue" gives the reader a look at the natural beauty of the Alaskan wilderness through her vivid descriptions of the scenery, augmented by a few stunning photographs. Read it today and enjoy your own vicarious Alaskan cruise while you feel the thrills as the criminals get what's coming to them.

Never a dull moment..a master at weaving a plot!
In MURDER FOR GLACIER BLUE, third in the series, Kayla and her fiancé, Steven Young, are onboard the Aurora heading to Alaska - on their wedding cruise. However, the owner of Constellation Cruise Lines - and free cruise gift-giver - Emily Schultz, has also finagled Kayla and Steven into working: specifically, ensuring that genuine paintings worth millions of dollars remain safe.

Diane Rapp is masterful in the way that she weaves a back story into the threads of current time and comes up with an intricate plot. The Aurora is hosting a "Genuine Fakes Auction" of fake paintings, the proceeds to benefit Alaskan charities. To enhance the value of the fake paintings, they will be shown next to the paintings that are genuine. The author made this story especially captivating because of her inclusion of back stories of the artists and their paintings that were to be auctioned off.

There was never a dull moment in my read. The characters ooze personality; there is a tone of believability and sassiness that comes through in dialogues and character descriptions that makes each one fascinating and endearing. For every tense scene, there are moments of hilarity. As to `who did it,' Ms. Rapp kept me guessing; she is superb at scattering seeds of doubt amongst possibilities as to the true villain in each of her mysteries.

One of the most fascinating aspects that endear Ms. Rapp's cruise mystery series to me is the vividness in her details of ports of call. She shares with her readers an intimate knowledge of not only the locales but also the minutiae of life on a cruise ship. In MURDER FOR GLACIER BLUE, Ms. Rapp was vivid in bringing to life the wonder of Glacier Bay and its environs.