Hmm. I've discovered a new author with a list of publications to keep me occupied for a long time: Laura Lippman. Murder Takes A Vacation (#1,359) has been causing some buzz on GoodReads, so I decided to check it out.
Muriel Blossom, a peripheral character in Ms. Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, has an adventure of her own. She'd been living with her daughter's family in Arizona, helping out with the girls, when her son-in-law announces that they are relocating to Tokyo. Sorry, Muriel, no room for you.
But her fortunes change when she wins a multimillion-dollar payout from the Lottery. She decides to return to Baltimore and indulge her wish to travel by booking a French river cruise for her and her old friend Elinor. She'll spend a week in Paris first, visiting museums and spending her days immersed in art. That was the plan. But a little romance begins in the Baltimore airport and continues through an unexpected stop in London where the kind and handsome Allan has a meeting. Setting off on her own to Paris, Muriel is stalked by another handsome man. But then strange things keep happening; her luggage and room are searched, the police ask her about Allan's unexpected death in Paris, where he is not supposed to be and Danny, her second stalker, is definitely not who he claims to be...
I can relate to Muriel as an older (usually invisible) plus-sized woman. This trip is forcing her out of the shell she's been hiding in since her husband's death years ago. She has to rely on her own intuition to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings. Opening herself to new experiences and new friends is the key to a colorful life she never dreamed could exist for her. Plus, Muriel finds out she's a darn good detective!
If you've never taken a European river cruise, don't be put off my Muriel's experience on board the Solitaire. They really are a wonderful way to travel. Your normal cruise staff would be fired on the spot if they treated their guests the way the Solitaire staff did!
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