Book: Murder on Board
Author: Helena Dixon
Pub Day: Oct 19th 2022
About the Book:
Kitty Underhay is drowning… in murder.
Kitty Underhay hopes for plain sailing as she caters a 21st birthday party for the Chief Constable’s daughter aboard a luxury paddle steamer. So her heart sinks when she learns that the man her fiancé Matthew has been tailing on orders from Whitehall, Gunther Freiburg, is aboard. And she’s even more horrified when she steps below deck to discover Gunther, dead in the engine room. One of the Chief Constable’s party must be responsible for his demise, but who, and why?
And the evening is on course for further disaster. As the lights go out around the candlelit cake, a terrible scream rings out over the merry hubbub. A priceless diamond necklace has been snatched from around the birthday girl’s neck… Something fishy is going on, but is this the work of the same sailing assassin, or is it a red herring?
With the local inspector in deep water having to investigate his own boss, Kitty and Matt dive in to help. But when Kitty’s eavesdropping puts her in mortal danger, will everything turn out shipshape, or will it be her turn to go swimming with the fishes…?
A totally cozy, absolutely gripping historical murder mystery! The perfect read for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Murder On Board' by Helena Dixon.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Helena Dixon, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 19th October 2022.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. It is also the ninth book in the 'Miss Underhay' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Murder On The Dance Floor', 'Murder At The Wedding', 'Murder In First Class', 'Murder At Elm House' and 'Murder At The Country Club' which I would highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'The Perfect read for fans of fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.' I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Helena and if this is as good as 'Murder On The Dance Floor', 'Murder At The Wedding', 'Murder In First Class', 'Murder At Elm House' and 'Murder At The Country Club' it is sure to be a good read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 26 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Paignton, Devon, UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited Devon on many occasions including this year so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Kitty Underhay and Captain Matthew Bryant. I enjoy books written in third person with several protagonists as it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters.
Yet another fantastic murder mystery by the very talented Helena Dixon!!! Congratulations 🎊 🎉 🎈
This book was very well written and I do believe some research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Helena!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the story.
The storyline was very interesting and fast paced. Helena completely emerges the reader into the storyline. I absolutely loved that this murder mystery took place on a luxury paddle steamer which is unique from what I've read so far. First time I've "seen" a murder on a steamer so well done Helena!! I found the setting very atmospheric and it was even more exciting as there was a very small amount of suspects. I really enjoyed that it was set in the past and the storyline really suited that. It really is a nice cozy mystery that will keep you guessing throughout. At no point did I suspect who was doing what or why so a huge well done there Helena!!! I have read many a mystery and find that I am working out the killer/perp quicker every time and there's nothing worse than working out who did what when your need even half way through a book. Not only is this quite a suspense and action filled mystery but there was just the right amount of quirkiness, laughter and romance to give it a nice mix!!! A fun, addictive, unputdownable cozy crime mystery. This is a fantastic series and if you have never read any of Helena's previous books then you are definitely missing out. I, personally, would like to add that I think each storyline has got better and better which is a very rare thing for a series.
Although this is the tenth book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I am really invested in the characters and really enjoyed Kitty and her fantastic and quirky personality!!! In fact all of the characters had their own individual personalities which worked really well with each other. I especially enjoyed getting to know Matt, Alice and Dolly more. They have all become like a family to me and I always hate saying goodbye to them at the end of the book. I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next 'episode' of Miss Underhay's adventures which I'm sure will be just as exciting as this one!!
Well done Helen on yet another fantastic success and here's to the next addition to an addictive page turning series 🥂!!!
Overall a perfect mix of mystery, crime, romance, laughter and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!!
Genres covered in this novel include Historical, Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Private Investigator Mystery Murder Mysteries, Women Sleuths and Crime among others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss and anyone looking for a nice easy mystery to read while curled up in front of the fire.
258 pages.
This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free on kindle unlimited and £7.99 in paperback (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@HelenaDixon @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio
Helena Dixon splits her time between the Black Country and Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. Her addictions of choice are coffee and reality TV. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930's set cozy crime. Nell enjoys hearing from readers and you can read her news and contact her via her website at http://www.nelldixon.com
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NellDixon
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Purchase Link
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B3RM24XQsocial
