SYNOPSIS
Lady Eleanor Swift is all set to spend her birthday with her beau, dashing Detective Hugh Seldon, until he calls to cancel on her again at the last minute. What’s a girl to do? Pack up her staff and her faithful old bulldog, Gladstone, and head off on a cruise to New York, that’s what!
On the stunningly opulent ocean liner Celestiana, Eleanor tries to forget her worries and make the most of her trip. That is, until she sees a man being shot and falling overboard. On closer inspection of the scene, Eleanor literally stumbles over the likely murder weapon. And the nick in the barrel is unmistakeable: this gun belongs to Detective Seldon…
With some discreet digging, Clifford discovers Detective Seldon is aboard the ship on an undercover mission. Eleanor doesn’t want to make waves but she’s sure that something fishy is going on and he’s being framed. To get Seldon off the hook, Eleanor casts her net wide and searches for the real murderer among a sea of suspects including European nobility, Italian opera stars and American nouveau riche. But does the victim’s expensive gold ring point to a lavish lifestyle or is it a red herring?
When another passenger is found dead in his first-class cabin, a poisoned whisky glass clutched in his hand, Eleanor realises they are really in hot water. Will the killer be Eleanor’s catch of the day, or will she spend her birthday at the bottom of the sea?
Title: Death on deck
Author: Verity Bright
Series: Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries #13
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication date: March 13, 2023
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
Buy Link
Social Media Link
REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death On Deck marks the 13th installment in the Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries series, and is another fun historical cozy mystery, with a nice change of scenario this time to keep things fresh.
Lady Eleanor is all excited to celebrate her birthday with Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon but, when he has to cancel their plans at last minute because of a mysterious job assignment, she decides to take up on the invitation from her ex-employer and she packs her staff up to board the Celestiana’s maiden voyage across the ocean to New York. But Ellie, being Ellie, will not have a quiet journey and she will encounter death once again.
If I had to describe Death On Deck in just a few words I’d say it is Titanic meets Death On The Nile, and let me tell you, that’s some entertaining crossover! The lovely descriptions of the ship, the decor, the food, really made me feel like I was another passenger aboard.
I just adore the sense of family created between Ellie and all her staff. Their dynamics are always fantastic. It’s so much fun to see them out of their element, and so refreshing to never see a bad word from Ellie towards any of them, just love and words of encouragement. I loved how she said she would never be a “real lady” if that meant to keep her distance from Clifford and the ladies of Henley Hall.
Ellie is independent, tough and not afraid to defy the conventions of her time, not really caring about what others might think about her. This time her investigative partnership with Clifford takes the backseat, as she finds a new sidekick in Hugh. It was nice to see them together for most of the story and not just for a few scenes. Their relationship is finally developing…and what a way to do it! I never saw that ending coming!
There were plenty of suspects and red herrings that made me err this time when it came to picking up my prime suspect so, well done! It was nice being fooled!
Book 14 has already been announced and it looks like Ellie is taking Manhattan by storm. Anxious to read it? I sure am!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Just love this review, Javier! Thanks so much. Such a compliment to be called "Titanic meets Death On The Nile" :) :)
ReplyDelete