Murder and Romance on the High Seas, First in the Flora Maguire Mystery Series
Young governess Flora Maguire is on her way home from America on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis with her young charge Eddy, Viscount Trent, when she discovers a dead body.
Unconvinced when the death is pronounced an accident, Flora starts asking questions, but following threats, a near drowning and a second murder, the hunt is on for a killer. Time is running out as the Minneapolis approaches the English coast.
Will Flora be able to protect Eddy, as well as herself, and uncover the identity of the murderer?
Is her burgeoning relationship with the handsome Bunny Harrington only a shipboard dalliance, or something more?
Professional Reviews
If you loved Miss Marple, you'll love this
I really enjoyed this cosy mystery set in the Edwardian era of steamships and genteel one-up-manship. Flora Macquire is accompanying her young upper class charge on the steamship Minneapolis, when she discovers a body. The explanation that Mr Parnell fell from the deck stairs does not sit well with Flora, who has other ideas. With the help of Bunny Harrington, a motoring nerd with whom she enjoys a burgeoning romantic attachment, she tries to discover what really went on, and if there was a murder, 'who dunnit.' The steamship is peopled with various ghastly characters, a grasping actress, a wealthy dowager, and a young man who seems rather too interested in Flora --- they all have possible motives, and of course the killer is at large and a constant threat. I can't give much more away without ruining the plot, but I hope to have more from Flora and Bunny, and look forward to seeing their relationship develop in future sleuthing, and future books.
A Deadly Cruise
Im a big fan of this author's work, so I was excited to read the first installment in her new mystery series. It did not disappoint. Along with the sparkling dialogue and likeable characters I have come to expect, I found an intriguing, page-turning 'whodunnit'.
Our heroine Flora is a governess, escorting her charge Edward home from American on the SS Minneapolis. Her position is a difficult one, as she finds herself in first class accommodation and forced to socialize with those who look down upon her. Only the elusive Mr 'Bunny' Harrington treats her as an equal. But rules of class and society are thrown to the wind when a death takes place on board the ship.
While the death is dismissed as an accident, Flora believes it is murder. Keen to keep Edward safe, she sets out to find the killer, confronting dark ghosts from her own past along the way. It becomes clear that everyone on board hides a secret as the mystery unravels toward the electrifying conclusion.
Murder on the Minneapolis brings the elegance and grandeur of an early 1900s ocean liner to life in glorious detail. The characters leap off the page and the mystery has satisfying twists and turns. Bizarrely, I think the best way I can describe it is 'Titanic meets Miss Marple'! A must for all cosy mystery fans.
I Loved This Story
I loved this story and read it in just over two days - it was that unputdownable! The setting is a liner crossing the Atlantic, the central characters are absorbing and believable and the murder mystery is carefully unravelled and solved just as the ship arrives in port in the UK. The underlying story arc of the developing romance between Flora and Mr 'Bunny' Harrington (the two sleuths) brings an added dimension that probably makes this story one for the girls rather than the boys. The clues to the mystery are carefully strewn throughout the story and it kept me guessing right to the end. The narrative is gently paced, which, in my view, fits very well with the early 20th century timing of the novel. The details of life on board ship, the expose of the social mores of the time all go to make this a very rounded and fulfilling read. Great story and I will be looking out for more books from this author.
Autumn 1940. Germany invades Britain. Newport is blitzed. Danny O’Shea’s house is bombed, his wife is killed. While taking his young son Adam to neutral Ireland, they witness an attack on a German convoy. The result is brutal.
