Karen S. (BoysMom) - My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fun, fish-out-of-water murder mystery.
Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold is the first book in author Denise Jaden's cozy Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries. It features a new crewmate and junior photographer, Olivia Ocean, as she embarks on her first contract cruise aboard the Moonlight Majesty. An engaging protagonist, a toxic job environment, and an intriguing plot combine to make this a great debut for this new series.
Olivia has been caring for her grandparents since she was young, from before her grandfather passed to the recent death of her beloved grandmother. Since her grandmother had spoken so fondly of her time working on cruise ships when she was young, when Olivia spies a job opening for a photographer on the Moonlight Majesty, she jumps at the opportunity to apply. Her first day on the ship is chaotic; it's embarkation day for a 7-day cruise, and everyone is so busy with their tasks to get underway that no instruction or onboarding is given to Olivia, except for the safety briefing. She's literally handed a camera and sent to find her own way to take pictures of passengers as they board without any guidance. She does her best but is a complete fish out of water. A late-night errand to a cargo hold for photo paper, though, nets her a tiny stowaway kitten, which leads to her discovery of a dead man. As the one to find the murder victim, the hunky head of security, Miles Blackwell, initially treats Olivia with suspicion, so she feels it's in her best interests to stay as close as possible to the ensuing investigation and the handsome investigator.While cruise ship jobs sound glamorous, the reality is anything but, and Olivia finds herself working impossibly long hours without a break with some fairly toxic coworkers. Thankfully, her new roommate, Becky, turns out to be welcoming and friendly and helps Olivia to find her sea legs. In the days that follow, Olivia and Miles work together, comparing notes, sharing information about the investigation, and coming to rely on one another. I enjoyed their slow-burn attraction to one another, but because I'm suspicious of everyone in the story except Olivia, I continually hoped that Miles was on the up and up.
The plot moves quickly, with the murder occurring on the first evening of the cruise. As Olivia works to settle into her job, she tries to impress her obnoxious supervisor with her skills and willingness to do whatever tasks he needs doing without complaint while secretly collecting clues from the dead man's coworkers. I enjoyed the presence of the little kitten, Pickle, and his extraordinary ability to point our sleuths in the right direction when needed. The scenes set throughout the different areas of the ship were interesting and fun, and I could relate to Olivia's confusion over the layout; these ships are huge. While I had an inkling of the who-dun-it, it wasn't until the resolution that I found out the surprising why. I look forward to more adventures for Olivia and, hopefully, Miles aboard the Moonlight Majesty.I recommend MURDER IN THE HIDDEN CARGO HOLD to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy cruise life.
