Book Review: Murder Afloat
I never used to think of myself as the "cozy reader" type, but I've gotten into them a lot more lately, especially the historical murder mystery ones. Maybe it's the sensation of ease as compared to the stress of the Big World these days. I mean, it's a cozy: a certain amount of adventure, only mild peril, and the culprit is always caught in the end.
In particular, I really love this historical cozy series. Full Disclosure: I edited this series. But I also enjoyed reading the finished product. I only recommend books that I truly enjoy.
The Lottie Lindberg series is set in the early 1910s and begins with Murder Afloat, of all places on board Titanic. Don't worry, though - the ship is just the background for other capers, and of course, our heroine survives.
Who is the heroine? Lottie Lindberg, like it says on the cover. She's a strong-minded young widow making her way in the world accompanied by her beloved pooch Dickens. She makes friends in the unlikeliest places and regularly finds herself in, shall we say, unexpected circumstances.
She's a trouble magnet, is what I mean.
If there's a theft or a murder, she'll get mixed up in it one way or another. Between her rampant curiosity and her love for detective novels, she just can't help herself. But she always manages to solve the crime, of course, with the help of her new friend Esme and the dashing Inspector Sterling Stone.
Along the way (there are four novels in the series so far, with a fifth coming out next month) she travels from Britain to New York, then Canada, then back across the Atlantic to France. And of course, everywhere she goes, priceless objects are stolen and people are murdered.
Some people have all the luck. Or not. LOL
These books are not heavy-duty historical novels. The author does share a lot of interesting details about the settings: Titanic, Niagara Falls, Paris... but the reading is easy and fun. There are romantic entanglements along the way, Lottie's and other people's. And plenty of sightseeing, 1910s style.
So if you'd like a little adventure with vintage style, give this series a try.