When Lady Swift embarks upon her first luxury cruise she imagines a gilded ballroom, afternoons on deck taking tea and all the delectable food she can eat. But she can’t seem to escape from murder…

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 unmistakable: 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 realizes 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?

A totally charming, unputdownable Golden Age mystery with characters readers will adore. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey, and Lee Strauss.

Favorite Quotes:

‘I’ve met some hard-boiled eggs before—’ ‘But he’s the full ten minutes.’

I just wanted to say as how we’ve been walking up and down the decks like grand people and… and taking tea in a proper dining room with people waiting on us! ’Tis like a naughty dream, your ladyship. But real.

My Review:

I have relished each and every installment of this entertaining series. The writing is easy to follow yet the mysteries are always confounding and difficult to solve, proving me wrong almost every time. The recurring characters are endearing and populate storylines that sparkle with wit, wry humor, clever observations, and villains that are complete rotters. This adventure occurred on an opulent ocean liner with scenes that were lushly depicted and vividly described while still remaining true to the period. I was contemplating booking a cruise for myself until they fell on harsh conditions. Terra firma now seems more appealing than ever.

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