Title Wave

August 29, 2016
In Barrett's diverting 10th Booktown mystery (after 2015's A Fatal Chapter), bookstore owner Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, a cafe owner, treat themselves to an authors' cruise on an Irish ocean liner. Tricia is known in her hometown of Stoneham, N.H., as the village jinx because she stumbles across bodies with alarming regularity, and she can't escape her reputation when she finds famous author E.M. Barstow dead in her stateroom. The ship's security officer seems more interested in protecting the cruise line's reputation than investigating Barstow's suspicious death. Barstow has made enemies of almost everyone in the publishing world over the years, and Tricia fears that she and Angelica are traveling with a boatload of potential murderers. Barrett is more concerned with creating relatable characters and realistic interactions among Tricia and her family and friends than in plotting a credible murder, but series fans will enjoy how Tricia and Angelica's relationship has grown and deepened. Those who enjoy the mysteries of Carolyn Hart will find a lot to like. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds.