In the long-awaited seventh installment of Hart's popular series starring feisty retired journalist Henrie O (after 2001's Resort to Murder), Henrie O's erstwhile lover, Jimmy, has married another woman, the dashing Sophia Montgomery, and he's afraid that one of Sophia's stepchildren from a previous marriage is trying to kill her. When Jimmy begs Henrie O to accompany his family on a cruise and get to the bottom of the suspicious accidents that keep befalling Sophia, she reluctantly agrees. It turns out that Sophia's stepkids have plenty of reasons to hate her, not least that she stands in the way of their inheritance. The scheming stepkids are predictable and two-dimensional, but Henrie O remains a complex character, and her struggles to keep her feelings for Jimmy platonic are every bit as engaging as the putative mystery. Henrie O's fans, and devotees of Hart's lighter Death on Demand series, will enjoy this quick read.
This was my first Carolyn Hart novel and I really enjoyed it. So much so that I read it all in one day, much to the chagrin of my household chores and family. An old friend of Henrie O's is sure one of her step-children is trying to kill his wife because she is in charge of thier inheritance and may keep their money from them for another 10 years. He asks Henrie O to come along on a Baltic cruise to try and find out which of them may want to commit murder. If you have ever cruised, you will be able to relate to the setting of the cruise ship. For anyone who is a cozy aficionado, this book is well worth the read. Having sailed on an ocean voyage will make it even better!