Death on the High Seas by Anna Legat Published by Headspace Books on February 8, 2024
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Humor
Pages: 267
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Author, Rachel's Random Resources
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Maggie and Sam take a break from the murder and mayhem of Bishops Well and embark on a relaxing mid-winter cruise across the northern seas. The brochure promises smooth sailing, good food and dazzling entertainment. Sam is hoping to sprinkle the mix with romance.
But nothing goes to plan.
Maggie runs into an old lover, the mesmerising Benedict Rawbotham, who goes out of his way to sweep her off her feet. Sam is left seething with jealousy.
A mayday signal sent by a fishing boat forces the cruise liner off course. But there is something fishy about the rescued crew and Maggie insists that two young women have died on that boat. Alas, no one believes her.
Soon one of the alleged fishermen is also dead and so is one of the cruise passengers. Cordelia Conti Lang, nicknamed the Bitcoin Queen, with links to London’s criminal underworld, is found in her cabin, stabbed to death.
In pursuit of the killer, Maggie hurtles from one disaster to another and Sam begins to fear for her life. Has he taken her on a cruise to hell?
My Thoughts
Death on the High Seas is an interesting installment of The Shires Mysteries where the readers are accompanied through the northern seas. Amid murders and mayhem from Bishops Well, this book is an absolute refresher where Maggie and Sam take off for what they intended to be a peaceful mid-winter cruise. Nevertheless, all goes the other way round, as the word goes.
It starts with the hope that they expect to have a good time and Sam hopes to find some romance. However, their ideal getaway gets a bit of a twist as Maggie finds her previous love, Benedict Rawbotham, who wants to take her away from it all. This sparks Sam’s envy making the show an exciting emotional rollercoaster.
As tempers rise between the two, a distress call from a fishing boat redirects the cruise liner. Regrettably, no one listens to her and she is left alone in search of the truth.
Growing circumstances lead to a growing death rate that keeps suspense at its climax. In contrast, there is another mysterious death of Cordelia Conti Lang who was also known as the Bitcoin Queen with connections to the London underworld criminal world. Desiring to find out who the killer is, Maggie goes from one catastrophe to another, making Sam wonder whether she can live through all these trials.
The author skillfully crafts a plot filled with suspense and unpredictability that leaves the reader guessing until the last page. The mood is nice, each chapter makes you to want to know more. The characters are well-developed and their relationships are rather complex which gives depth to the plot. The interaction between the resolute Maggie and sympathetic Sam is moving, so you read on.
One of the remarkable features of the described book is a vivid and atmospheric representation of the cruise ship and the environment around it. The author gives so many details that the setting becomes alive, and readers feel they are with Maggie and Sam watching these horrible events.
To conclude, “Death on the High Seas” is a gripping and exciting mystery that will please fans of the The Shires Mysteries series. Observe returning quickly into the boat to read the next line due to cliffhangers they are leaving and wanting more.
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.
About Anna Legat
Anna Legat is a Wiltshire-based author, best known for her DI Gillian Marsh murder mystery series. A globe-trotter and Jack-of-all-trades, Anna has been an attorney, legal adviser, a silver-service waitress, a school teacher and a librarian. She read law at the University of South Africa and Warsaw University, then gained teaching qualifications in New Zealand. She has lived in far-flung places all over the world where she delighted in people-watching and collecting precious life experiences for her stories. Anna writes, reads, lives and breathes books and can no longer tell the difference between fact and fiction.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
