This cozy murder mystery takes place aboard luxury liner, Queen Elizabeth II, as wealthy couple celebrate their silver wedding anniversary with family and friends.
Wealthy Beverly Hills socialites, Brian and Sylvia Sinclair, are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on a cruise, sailing from Southampton to New York, on the luxurious QEII. Joining the couple’s joyous excursion is their rebellious daughter and her controlling husband, their scheming son and his wily girlfriend, six of their longtime friends, and a surprise person from their past. Also on board is private eye Richard Manning, who volunteers to investigate, when a member of the party dies an unnatural death. Manning’s search reveals dark secrets and everyone becomes a suspect. Ferreting out the truth is a daunting challenge, and time is short – once the ship reaches New York, the parties will scatter, making it impossible for authorities to solve the case. Will Manning figure it out in time? Follow him on his quest to unmask the killer in this captivating mystery.
Excerpt
Sylvia was relieved, since she had wondered whether her daughter’s stubborn streak and ongoing estrangement with Brian would deter her. As if reading her mother’s thoughts, Stephanie continued. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Mother. You and Dad making it to twenty-five years,” she joked. “And don’t worry, I’ll resolve things with Dad either beforehand or on the cruise. You’ll see.”
“I miss you sweetie. Believe it or not, I know your father does too.”
Stephanie deflected. “Is Robin coming?”
“We haven’t heard from him yet. Sometimes he pops in on Saturday afternoons for tea, before going out and doing whatever it is he does on a Saturday night. He never stays for long. We’ll see if he stops by this afternoon. My concern is not whether he will come on the cruise or not, but who he’ll bring as his guest if he does.”
Sylvia did not have long to wait to find out. As she and Brian were sitting enjoying their tea on the terrace later that day, they saw Robin’s sports car speeding up the driveway and grind to a screeching halt. Robin and Jill headed toward the terrace hand in hand.
“Mother, Dad, I’d like you to meet Jill Potts.”
Sylvia eyed Jill’s appearance with disdain as she shook her hand very briefly. Such a heavily made-up face and that bleached hair. How cheap, she thought. The purple and gold toe nails showing through the corked-heeled shoes looked coarse and vulgar. The tight fitting blouse accentuating her ample cleavage and only just covering the top of the shortest of mini-skirts was too much for Sylvia.
“My, my, Robin. Well the apple certainly doesn’t fall too far from the tree. You didn’t tell me your father was so handsome and such a hunk,” Jill offered, shaking Brian’s hand while holding it longer than necessary. “Look at that silver hair – so distinguished looking,” she gushed. Brian was flattered by this unexpected attention.
“Can I pour you some tea?” Sylvia inquired firmly, offended at the obvious lack of manners.
“I’d prefer a scotch and soda,” Jill giggled.
“I’m sure you would. But, right now we are serving tea.” Sylvia responded even more tersely.
Robin and Brian exchanged glances. They were only too familiar with the icy tone in Sylvia’s voice and knew to tread very softly. This would not be a good meeting.
Professional Reviews Readers' Favorite - 5 Star Rating.
Stephen Murray created believable dialogue that enthralled me from the first page. The characters were so colorful, multidimensional and flawed. I loved Sylvia and her refined etiquette, and indulged in Denise Parker's bravado and manipulations. The pace was fast and the tension was perfect. The backdrop of a cruise ship was ideal. Although the plot is classic, it has a modern twist. The detailed imagery of this affluent family's lifestyle swept me away and into their elite world. Murder Aboard the Queen Elizabeth II is highly recommended.
Linda Thompson, host , The Authors Show
The Sinclair’s are a couple you love to hate. Brian is a pompous womanizer and wife Sylvia is so caught up in being “proper” she forgets how to feel. When they decide to take a cruise aboard the QEII to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, all hell breaks loose and all not only do their true colors come out, but so do those of their guests. Dirty little secrets are revealed and that’s what makes it so much fun. Murray’s depiction of these people speaks of a knowledge of the proper English socialite and of high brow society. His descriptive writing wraps you into the lifestyle of these characters and leaves you wondering how you got there. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to hearing more from this gifted author.
Judge, 25th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
The author has taken a tried-and-true classic from the murder mystery genre – potential victims, suspects and sleuths all thrown together in an inescapable environment. In this case, though, the author takes the murder mystery aboard the luxurious Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner on a transatlantic voyage. Thus, there is no getting away from the potential murderer and the clock is ticking; the murder must be solved before the ship arrives in New York. The author creates a nice set of characters, mostly socialites celebrating a couple’s 25th wedding anniversary. There are also assorted additional characters, including a detective and the ship’s captain. These devices are handled generally well; the sordid pasts and sexual liaisons of the characters are brought forth through interrogation. The narrative also teases the reader with potential suspects, inviting reader sleuthing as clues are discovered. While the author cleverly places his socialites in QE II suites, the full luxury of the ocean liner isn’t fully exploited. The 30 chapters move along quickly because of the extensive use of dialogue. Overall, the writing is clean. The cover suggests the milieu of the murder mystery if not the nature of the plot.
Reviews for "Murder Aboard the Queen Elizabeth II"
When the rich and famous are scrutinized, you will often find many characters who just don't match the lives of the average citizen... A murder mystery might just turn into a soap opera! One of the things I realized early was that the author chose a tell-not-show type of storytelling. That method quickly smacks me into an alertness... An inexperienced writer, I wondered? I found it slow and prodding. And, I knew the killer while it was happening...
Still, I continued on reading from the beginning. As characters began to be introduced, we find Sylvia who may be considered one of the main characters. It is she who, for an anniversary coming up, chose to host an onboard party on the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship. I've been on several cruises, so when we actually get onboard, I was interested... But first, we meet the individuals who will be invited. We meet her husband, of course and two children plus a number of business associates and friends.
During that dialogue about who was to be invited, we begin to learn about Sylvia's husband... Sylvia already had known that her husband was a philanderer, as the rich elite say... and, yes, she had decided to stay with him. The way Sylvia was portrayed though, I felt that she did indeed love her husband and was not just staying with him for his money...
But did she have to have it thrown in her face? For before, they even got on board, Brian had confirmed a tryst with the wife of one of couples who would be accompanying them! And, Sylvia had heard them!
But worse, when they were on board, the woman with whom Brian had been engaged before her, had come on board to "surprise" them! Indeed Brian owns Sinclair Records and Denise had been one of his first singers nearly 25 years ago, so why had she chosen to disrupt their 25th Silver Anniversary? Believe me, it will get worse before Brian is murdered...
Fortunately for the Captain of the Ship...and readers... there was a Private Investigator on board. I had to decide just who he was like from our past PI television shows... So, you can picture Cannon, moving from interview to interview as each of those of the Sinclair Party were questioned...
And so we delve into the lives of all those who surrounded Brian Sinclair... and guess what the PI found? Every single one who was traveling as guests, including his wife and family had a motive... I didn't know whether to switch to Columbo, even though he's a cop but the PI, because I could see Columbo turning around suddenly, asking still a more personal question... Richard Manning, whose name you'll hear repeated over and over and over as each individual meets the intrepid individual who invaded their privacy with everything he had learned, confronting each without regard to personal comfort or defiance... and, frankly, seemingly turns out to be the main character in all of this mess...
Of course, I had determined the whodunit right at the beginning, but not the why...which was then discovered and verified by the killer. And, one key problem with the book is that a major crime had been brought out during all those interviews. This was totally dropped even though the involved characters were continuing to wondered... So was I.
Still, I had kept reading and while not totally involved as I normally am with a mystery, there was enough of that "reality show" mix where you think you could care less about each character, but they are sometimes so funny, dense, or totally outlandish that you just need to know... So, after all that, I realized that there is no way I ever want to be among the rich and famous and their lifestyles... But sometimes they are funny to watch, even when you are astounded with what these people might get into... See more on my blog:
This is a cleverly written mystery. I expected the murder at the beginning of the story which surprised me when it didn't happen until the middle. The characters are well written, from the start you are suspecting everyone. Truly enjoyable.
Reviewed by Amanda Hopkins (Reader)
Reviewed on December 11, 2017
Stephen Murray’s Murder Aboard the Queen Elizabeth II was an exciting murder mystery. There were twists and turns during the whole thing. While the beginning of the story was a little slow, I am glad that I kept reading. I was pulled in and wanted to know, first who was murdered followed by who did it and why.
Moving past the very beginning, this murder mystery has it all. The main couple, the Sinclair’s. I loved to get to know them, but was not impressed with the Mr. Sinclair and his choices of cheating. When Mrs. Sinclair decides she wants to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary aboard the QEII.
Now, to add to the twists and turns, Mrs. Sinclair wants to invite their friends, some of who are business associates with Mr. Sinclair, as well as their son, his flimsy girlfriend and their estranged daughter and her husband. You can’t have drama without a fun group of people!
Between everyone who is invited, and those who are not, we get to build the suspense before the actual murder happens. We get clues, but not all of them are helpful. Some of these clues are just there to confuse us.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the guessing game of who would be murder, how and why. When it happened, I was surprised, but the murder, this was a shock I did not see coming. If you are in to murder mystery, this is a book you will want to read!
Reviewed by Michael Hartnett (Reader)
Reviewed on December 3, 2017
A Fun and Clever Mystery
Murder aboard the Queen Elizabeth II by Stephen Murray is a stylish and entertaining who-done-it with well-developed characters who imbue the mystery with greater resonance. The murder doesn’t occur until halfway through the novel, enough time for Murray to establish the dynamics among competing characters and their motivations.
Even before the actual murder, many sly hints and clues are dangled with an assortment of tawdry relationships and a bagful of secrets that emerge from Alicia, Todd, Laura, Denise, and just about every member of the party. The planner of the anniversary cruise, Sylvia, serves as the heart of the novel; her aversion to confrontation helps advance the numerous plot threads. By the time the victim is dead, the reader has so many suspects established in his mind, that he is more than ready for the investigation that follows.
And that investigation, led by retired private eye Richard Manning with the ship’s captain serving as a congenial sidekick, continues to unearth further sniping and suspicious behavior from the suspects. Manning’s probing questions and intuitive leaps in interrogation heighten the suspense, and Murray’s shifts in perspective back to the suspects allow for the possibilities for who might be involved in the murder to continually expand.
Murder aboard the Queen Elizabeth II offers so many nice twists – almost every character seems to be working an angle – that the revelation of the murderer is particularly satisfying. Murray has delivered to the reader a very pleasurable and diverting novel.
A murder on a liner is interesting. Would be interesting from the beginning to end. Murder mysteries are not new but Stephen Murray has given an entirely new flavour to this book. Readers sure do enjoy it.
This books of Stephen Murray's is a wonderful murder mystery that is wholesome and entertaining for a rainy afternoon of mystery solving.
Stephen's books are thought-provoking, and who-dun-it is anyone's guess right up until the end.
I wonder if he's writing a sequel to this book as it would be interesting to see how the lives of friends and family meld back into daily living. Where do you go, and how do you manage life after being involved in a murder on the QE II?
Following several murders, means, motive, and opportunity all point to out-of-work actresses Bootsie Kittredge and Babs Harrison. Their claims of righteousness and lack of guilt seem fabricated, thanks to a cheerfull announcement made to the patrons
Still, I continued on reading from the beginning. As characters began to be introduced, we find Sylvia who may be considered one of the main characters. It is she who, for an anniversary coming up, chose to host an onboard party on the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship. I've been on several cruises, so when we actually get onboard, I was interested... But first, we meet the individuals who will be invited. We meet her husband, of course and two children plus a number of business associates and friends.
During that dialogue about who was to be invited, we begin to learn about Sylvia's husband... Sylvia already had known that her husband was a philanderer, as the rich elite say... and, yes, she had decided to stay with him. The way Sylvia was portrayed though, I felt that she did indeed love her husband and was not just staying with him for his money...
But did she have to have it thrown in her face? For before, they even got on board, Brian had confirmed a tryst with the wife of one of couples who would be accompanying them! And, Sylvia had heard them!
But worse, when they were on board, the woman with whom Brian had been engaged before her, had come on board to "surprise" them! Indeed Brian owns Sinclair Records and Denise had been one of his first singers nearly 25 years ago, so why had she chosen to disrupt their 25th Silver Anniversary? Believe me, it will get worse before Brian is murdered...
Fortunately for the Captain of the Ship...and readers... there was a Private Investigator on board. I had to decide just who he was like from our past PI television shows... So, you can picture Cannon, moving from interview to interview as each of those of the Sinclair Party were questioned...
And so we delve into the lives of all those who surrounded Brian Sinclair... and guess what the PI found? Every single one who was traveling as guests, including his wife and family had a motive... I didn't know whether to switch to Columbo, even though he's a cop but the PI, because I could see Columbo turning around suddenly, asking still a more personal question... Richard Manning, whose name you'll hear repeated over and over and over as each individual meets the intrepid individual who invaded their privacy with everything he had learned, confronting each without regard to personal comfort or defiance... and, frankly, seemingly turns out to be the main character in all of this mess...
Of course, I had determined the whodunit right at the beginning, but not the why...which was then discovered and verified by the killer. And, one key problem with the book is that a major crime had been brought out during all those interviews. This was totally dropped even though the involved characters were continuing to wondered... So was I.
Still, I had kept reading and while not totally involved as I normally am with a mystery, there was enough of that "reality show" mix where you think you could care less about each character, but they are sometimes so funny, dense, or totally outlandish that you just need to know... So, after all that, I realized that there is no way I ever want to be among the rich and famous and their lifestyles... But sometimes they are funny to watch, even when you are astounded with what these people might get into... See more on my blog:
https://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2024/02/murder-aboard-queen-elizabeth-ii.html
Moving past the very beginning, this murder mystery has it all. The main couple, the Sinclair’s. I loved to get to know them, but was not impressed with the Mr. Sinclair and his choices of cheating. When Mrs. Sinclair decides she wants to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary aboard the QEII.
Now, to add to the twists and turns, Mrs. Sinclair wants to invite their friends, some of who are business associates with Mr. Sinclair, as well as their son, his flimsy girlfriend and their estranged daughter and her husband. You can’t have drama without a fun group of people!
Between everyone who is invited, and those who are not, we get to build the suspense before the actual murder happens. We get clues, but not all of them are helpful. Some of these clues are just there to confuse us.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the guessing game of who would be murder, how and why. When it happened, I was surprised, but the murder, this was a shock I did not see coming. If you are in to murder mystery, this is a book you will want to read!
Murder aboard the Queen Elizabeth II by Stephen Murray is a stylish and entertaining who-done-it with well-developed characters who imbue the mystery with greater resonance. The murder doesn’t occur until halfway through the novel, enough time for Murray to establish the dynamics among competing characters and their motivations.
Even before the actual murder, many sly hints and clues are dangled with an assortment of tawdry relationships and a bagful of secrets that emerge from Alicia, Todd, Laura, Denise, and just about every member of the party. The planner of the anniversary cruise, Sylvia, serves as the heart of the novel; her aversion to confrontation helps advance the numerous plot threads. By the time the victim is dead, the reader has so many suspects established in his mind, that he is more than ready for the investigation that follows.
And that investigation, led by retired private eye Richard Manning with the ship’s captain serving as a congenial sidekick, continues to unearth further sniping and suspicious behavior from the suspects. Manning’s probing questions and intuitive leaps in interrogation heighten the suspense, and Murray’s shifts in perspective back to the suspects allow for the possibilities for who might be involved in the murder to continually expand.
Murder aboard the Queen Elizabeth II offers so many nice twists – almost every character seems to be working an angle – that the revelation of the murderer is particularly satisfying. Murray has delivered to the reader a very pleasurable and diverting novel.
Kotra Siva R Krishna,
Writer
sounds to be a mystery of the best sort!
m
Stephen's books are thought-provoking, and who-dun-it is anyone's guess right up until the end.
I wonder if he's writing a sequel to this book as it would be interesting to see how the lives of friends and family meld back into daily living. Where do you go, and how do you manage life after being involved in a murder on the QE II?