A Cruise to Murder

Rachel Prince Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Dawn Brookes

Narrated by: Alex Lee

Looking for a good clean murder mystery?

Meet Rachel Prince, a newly qualified police constable trying to hold it together after being ditched by her fiancé.

Rachel's best friend, Sarah, suggests that she needs a break and what better way to relax than a Mediterranean cruise? Sarah works as a nurse on the cruise ship and they plan to enjoy all the luxuries of cruising. At least they would do if Sarah ever got any time away from the medical centre.

Rachel makes friends with a bereaved, elderly woman and an attractive Italian but it's not long before she is convinced that something sinister is going on. There is mystery and threat surrounding Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe.

Who is the secretive Carlos and what is he up to?

Rachel finds herself in the centre of a mystery that could cost her her life, or worse still, her heart.

Has her broken engagement clouded her judgement?

Events unfold that cause her to question her sanity and when one of the passengers meets with a tragic accident, the tension grows. Rachel tries her best to relax and enjoy her holiday with her friend, but there seems to be danger around every corner. Is Marjorie in danger? Can Rachel solve the mystery even when she is in danger herself?

©2018 Dawn Brookes (P)2018 Dawn Brookes

Meh

This seems intended as a G-rated, vaguely "Christian" title; early in the novel one "slutty" male character is presented as a ham-handed example of a Bad Person, while the protagonist's faith (for lack of better term) is highlighted. This approach falls by the wayside, but made a negative impression on me.

Story is told from multiple points of view, which works in terms of giving knowledge our heroine couldn't possess, though in some cases I found it distracting. The mystery itself will likely frustrate readers as, sorry for the semi-spoiler, the person is not anyone who can be guessed ahead of time.

I'd say the target audience would be folks looking for a gentle "clean" adventure. I didn't really care for any of the characters, other than the old Lady, so doubt I'd read a sequel. Verdict here: so-so, filled time, nothing more. Audio narration was a good fit.

A Cozy Mystery

The author did a really good job developing the characters and keeping you on your toes throughout the story. It is nice that we were introduced to the characters in such a way that makes them seem real and relatable. The circumstances that brings all the characters together was realistic and the author does a great job with descriptions. It wasn't super fast paced, but I never felt like it was slow at any point.

A cozy mystery that is a quick evening listen. I really enjoyed it.

The narrator does a good job of staying consistent and differentiating between characters so that you know which 'voice' belongs to which character.

Great writing and narration!

I received a review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

A lighthearted mystery that falls short…

This is a very clean and easy listen, that comes in at less than 7 hours, so it can be completed in a day. The cruise ship setting is fun and actually quite accurate. Where the story falls short is character or plot development. Sadly, the entire story is revealed in the final 15-minutes, with multiple red herrings. Sorry for the pseudo spoiler.

Narration was ok but not stellar. Accents were a major issue for this narrator, and I’m not sure if this was the narrator or the final editor, but there is a long pause between chapters. To the point that I often thought I’d set a sleep timer and my book had paused.

Great start! Fun, clean mystery

I started in audio and found I wanted the ebook to follow along. The story shifts between character's perspective. I found I had to skim back through the first few chapters to keep track of the different characters perspective. The mystery unfolds throughout the book. It was fun and kept me engaged the entire time. The narrator does an excellent job. The narration is well paced and fun to listen to. I requested and received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. I'm so glad I did! I'm looking forward to what comes next in this series!

Great book

Great books that gets cruising nuances right! Good mystery and keeps you guessing

I received a free copy and left my honest review