A Review
As Ivy Meadows, the first person author says:
We’d been hired to investigate a string of thefts aboard a cruise line. Uncle Bob was pretending to be a guest— a wealthy rancher— and I was posing as one of the actors in the on-board show. That’s right, we were getting paid to cruise to Hawaii (Hawaii!), plus we’d each get a ten-thousand-dollar bonus if we found evidence that would stand up in court. Nice work if you can get it.
I have only been on one cruise in my life. And though I like Charles Dickens, I probably would not choose this cruise - what with murders, secrets, and accidents, it would not be an inviting opportunity to be at sea - even given the chance to visit Hawaii. I will continue shopping, thank you.
Now, I was not asked to review the cruise, but the book. That being the case, the book was better than the cruise. As it combined the best of a cozy mystery, a great writer (i.e. Charles Dickens), live theater, and a cruise, the reader felt drawn into the life of the writer. The only missing piece was the teamwork that should be expected from a group of PIs working in tandem. This reader felt as if the writer were the only PI on the ship - with only small mentions of her Uncle Bob and her associate Timothy. Though they were posted on the ship as a team, the reader was left feeling as if Ivy was isolated - by her choice, not by circumstances or others’ inattention to the case.
A great book for a summer read - even the reader cannot spend this summer on a cruise. Having said this, there is nothing that keeps this Ivy Meadows Mystery from being read at any time of the year.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment