Title Wave
Lorna Barrett     


Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Booktown
Book: 10

Tricia and Angelica leave Booktown behind for a pleasure cruise, but they’re going to need their life jackets because a murderer has also booked passage—in Lorna Barrett’s New York Times bestselling series.
 
While her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, is rebuilt following a devastating fire, Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, decide to book a cruise for some much needed R&R. Naturally they choose a Mystery Lovers cruise, where they can ponder whodunnit in Adirondack chairs while sipping colorful drinks and soaking up some rays.
 
But the fun is cut short when a fellow passenger is murdered for real. Is the killer a famous mystery author, one of his fans, or a member of the ship’s crew? As Tricia tries to find the killer before they reach port, she may be cruising for a bruising...

While her bookstore is being rebuilt after a fire, Tricia Miles temporarily leaves Booktown behind to go on a fun-filled "Mystery Lovers" cruise, accompanied by her sister Angelica. The two sisters envision plenty of relaxation, reading, and mingling with authors throughout the cruise. Angelica has spared no expense on the trip and the two sisters are ready to enjoy themselves. However, when an unpopular, overbearing author dies under mysterious circumstances, Tricia puts her cozy-mystery reading aside to catch a real life murderer.

I really liked this cozy mystery and although I haven't read all of the books in this series, I felt I got to know Tricia and Angelica right away and enjoyed their interactions. The two sisters are opposite in many ways, but have complementary personalities. Angelica is more carefree and ready to have fun while Tricia is more serious, but a good friend to everyone. Both are generous, but Tricia especially will help others, even if she has to sometimes put her own wishes aside. The two work well together with Tricia doing most of the investigating to get to the truth of the murder at sea. The cruise makes an interesting setting, and I think it's clever that the cruise is book-themed which keeps Title Wave true to the premise of the series, but puts familiar characters in a fresh setting.

Title Wave is well-written and I remained engaged in the story from the beginning to the end. The author gives details about the ship and the trip that allow the reader to experience the adventure of cruising right along with Tricia. There's also a glimpse of the world of publishing which make the book even more interesting. All of Tricia's knowledge of mysteries is put to good use, and she gets to the bottom of the murder. There is a development at the end of the book that is intriguing enough to make you want to read the next book, but not a major cliffhanger with an ambiguous ending that leaves readers feeling cheated. The author balances this perfectly to give a satisfying ending to an entertaining cozy.

~ Christine