This is my first book by this author and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love a cosy mystery as a little light relief and this one was great fun.

The setting on the steamboat travelling down the Mississippi was a great feature of the book. It had the advantage of trapping all the suspects in one place while Aunt Julia, a crime writer, and her niece carried out their investigation, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, but lighter and more tongue-in-cheek. Who doesn’t love the romance of a river journey? Paddle wheels, steamer trunks, fancy dinners and live bands – it will make anyone wish they could travel back in time and take a glamorous trip down the Mississippi.

I loved the placing of the story in the 1920s and the author does a great job of bringing the period to life, with little historical details and quirks. Fantastic descriptions of the clothes and the music, as well as the place of women in society at the time, things which were only just becoming popular and little nods to the future (the fact that we would indeed find out that smoking is addictive in the future, for example.) I particularly enjoyed the nods to prohibition and Aunt Julia’s sneaky hip flask, it was a great character quirk that really brought her to life, and the book is full of little details like this that firmly establish the characters as real personalities.

The mystery itself is very gentle. The author seems to plant lots of clues and direct suspicions on practically everyone on the boat one way or another. I can’t honestly say that the whole thing made much sense to me and I had no idea who hd actually done it until the big reveal at the end, and even then the clues seemed a bit flimsy. It reminded me of a lightweight episode of Midsomer Murders or Death in Paradise, where the reader has little chance of guessing whodunnit or why, but it doesn’t really matter because the story is a lot of fun to follow anyway. By the end, I wasn’t overly concerned who has killed Delilah, I was just enjoying the journey.

This was a quick, easy, pleasant read that whiled away a couple of hours without being taxing. Fans of cosy mysteries and books set in the 1920s will find it very entertaining I am sure. Perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon in the sun.

As cleverly plotted as an Agatha Christie and as fun to read as playing a game of Clue, I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The author did a fantastic job of bringing the 1920s to life from the dress to the slang. I thought that great-aunt Julia was a hoot, and that Nora Marsh was a feisty heroine to root for. The characters were real, and it was an entertaining mystery. I can’t wait to read more with Nora and her great-aunt. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

I’m a huge fan of Leighann Dobbs’ Oyster Cove Guesthouse series so I was very excited when I heard she had a new book coming out with Bookouture.

Murder on a Mississippi steamboat was a fun, fast paced historical mystery that I absolutely flew through.

It had all the hallmarks of your classic mystery. Puzzling clues, a whole host of suspects, all with something to hide who just happened to be trapped on a boat together.

Nora was a great character but her Aunt Julia stole the show for me, with her appetite for a mystery as well as leading a double life as a best selling author (published under a male pen name). She was a kind of Jessica Fletcher meets Miss Marple type of character.

The story is set in 1926 and there were some nice historical details that really added to the story, like the fashions of shorter skirts and prohibition in America making it almost impossible for you to drink alcohol.

I did wish that there were a few more twists and turns, I had the murderer pegged from quite early on but it didn’t spoil my reading fun too much.

Murder on a Mississippi steamboat is a great start to this series and I can’t wait to read more adventures featuring Nora and Aunt Julia!

"Nora elbowed her way up to the railing and looked down. The paddle wheel was making its last turn, dredging up a mass of turquoise chiffon made almost transparent by the water. A hand, its red lacquered fingernails a contrast to the pale white skin, stuck up from a bejeweled cuff...

A relaxing cruise down the Mississippi on the Miss Delta Belle steamboat turns to tragedy when celebrity Delilah Dove falls from the deck and is swallowed by the river faster than you can say 'man overboard '

It's touted as a tragic accident, but guests Miss Nora Marsh and her wily great-aunt Julia know a murder when they see one. Can they get justice for Delilah and crack the case without alerting the murderer to their suspicions?

As Nora and Julia hunt for clues it emerges that nearly everyone had a reason to want Delilah dead. And that's bad news for the two sleuths - who want to solve the case pronto, before Mississippi police chief and Aunt Julia's nemesis Artemis Leonard comes on board at the next port to launch the official investigation. She's not letting him get the credit if she can help it.

With multiple suspects and a series of mysterious thefts onboard - not to mention the distractingly handsome Max Lawton turning Nora's head - this is shaping up to be one tough case to crack. What started as a gentle river voyage is far from plain sailing.

A gripping and witty 1920s murder mystery from bestselling author Leighann Dobbs, perfect for fans of T E Kinsey and Lee Strauss."

I am ALL about the 1920s right now!

Murder on a Mississippi steamboat by Leighann Dobbs is a charming easy to read mystery novel.

Set on a Mississippi steamboat, where a group of peoples take a cruise and among them Nora Marsh and her great-aunt Julia, who just happens to be a famous mystery writer.
So when a beautiful singer Delilah, ends up dead, aunt Julia will be in her element. Julia and Nora will try to find out the killer in order to help their friend, the steamboat's owner and to beat notorious detective Leonard.
There are many characters on the boat who could have done it, many of them seem to be keeping a secret so it's up to these two ladies to sort things out.

I like the setting for the book, a beautiful river cruise and the fact that it is a closed set mystery which is one of my favorite tropes.
The story flows nicely, it is steady paced and easy to read. I like how spunky great-aunt Julia is, she immediately took things into her own hands. I find it funny how she always try to make people tell her that they like her books although she is writing under the pseudonym, and it is great how she finds inspiration for writing everywhere.
Nora is a nice enough lady, but she is not as proactive or as assertive as aunt Julia, she kind of follows along and tries to help. That being said I sometimes felt that there were too many asked questions, that that part took over or overshadowed the story a bit.
Both main protagonists and side characters were well developed and portrayed.
And I absolutely adored the time period of the book.

Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat by Leighann Dobbs is a lovely and engaging historical cozy mystery set on a steamboat, Miss Delta Belle in the 1920s.

Nora Marsh and her Aunt Julia are taking a steamboat cruise on the Mississippi River when the female lead singer dies as the result of an "accident". Nora's aunt Julia is actually an author of murder mysteries (under a male pen name)and suspects foul play. With a swiftly paced plot, numerous suspects, well developed characters and several twists that include blackmail and drug smuggling this book kept me turning the pages until I reached the end. I did find myself curious about Julia's previous mystery investigations that Nora referred to several times throughout the book and wondered if I had missed previous books in this series. All in all it was an entertaining afternoon read and I hope there will be more books about Nora and Aunt Julia.

“Moxie on the Mississippi”
In the summer of 1926, the luxury riverboat the Miss Delta Belle is making her inaugural voyage down the Mississippi when a murderer strikes. The owner of the Miss Delta Belle calls on Julia Marsh and her niece Nora to solve the crime before they reach port.
Julia and Nora Marsh are ladies ahead of their time. Julia is a successful mystery author who writes under a male pen name and cannot accept the credit she deserves. Nora holds advanced degrees in psychology but is considered a “spinster” because she is unmarried in her 30s. Julia and Nora’s unique skill sets create a formidable crime solving team.
Dobbs has written an intelligent and entertaining historical cozy series. The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the reference to Julia and Nora’s previous adventures. Since this is the first in the series it felt like I was missing out on something. I plan on reading the next book in the series and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good whodunnit.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

12th June 1926. Nora Marsh, with her doctorate in psychology, and her Great Aunt Julia (aka Ridley Howes murder mystery writer) have been invited by the owner, Giles Hendricks, on the inaugural four day voyage of the steamboat Miss Delta Belle. They both feel that they are aptly qualified to investigate a suspicious death when it occurs.
A light historical cozy mystery. Although I really didn't take to the two main characters the book is a decent start to a new series.

This is the first book in a new series by LeighAnn Dobbs featuring Nora Marsh and her Aunt Julia. The series takes place in the 1920’s and this first book happens, as the title suggests, on a newly refurbished steamboat on its first voyage as a pleasure cruise ship. Nora is a young woman who enjoys her single lifestyle and the opportunities to travel with her Aunt Julia who is a successful mystery writer. While Aunt Julia writes under a male pseudonym, she also enjoys solving real-life crime when the opportunity arises.
The era is accurately depicted, but not with such detail as to bog down the basic story of the book. Aunt Julia has perfected her detective skills through her writing and is encouraging Julia to continue to develop hers. In addition, Julia has a psychological background that aids her in drawing conclusions from behavioral observations. Both women feel their skills complement each other, particularly as they work together to solve crimes.
In this novel, they are on the cruise at the invitation of a friend who is the ship’s owner. As was typical of the time, the entertainment for the cruise is a big band featuring a young woman as their singer who also has her own secrets. Shortly after setting sale the young woman is murdered and Aunt Julia is anxious to solve the crime before they dock at their next port, set for three days time, when her arch nemesis Artemis Leonard.
There are several other characters who have secrets of their own, and these lead to a number of clues which turn out to be red herrings. One of these characters, Max Lawton is positioned to become a recurring secondary character, along with Artemis Leonard, who has a brief appearance toward the end of the book.
While the mystery itself is fairly easy to solve, as are the other minor secrets, the overall read is an enjoyable one. There is a fair balance between character development and plotting, and I look forward to further development of characters and delving more into the Roaring Twenties as the series progresses. It is an easy book to read and is also easy to pick up/put down for beach/airplane reads. My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with and advanced digital reader copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The story is a little slow to start as she sets the scene, a replica Mississippi Steamboat with more modern touches befitting the 1920s, and the characters.

Nora and her great-aunt Julia are on the inaugural voyage. But, their ideas of just sitting back to enjoy the ride get pushed aside when the main entertainer, Delilah, is murdered. As they are old hands at murder mysteries, they take on the case while trying to remain 'undercover' from the other guests.

This author is new to me, but after reading this title will become a regular go-to for reading. Cozy mysteries are a genre that I've more recently discovered and enjoy.

The few days on the steamboat, Miss Delta Belle was to be a relaxing cruise for Nora Marsh and her Aunt Julia, but after dinner and the evening show, after everyone had retired to their cabins, a scream woke the guests. Singer Delilah Dove had fallen overboard, into the paddle wheel. A dreadful accident – or murder? When owner of the vessel, Giles Hendricks spoke to Aunt Julia and Nora, he was worried this maiden voyage might be the last if word got out. So Julia declared she and Nora would solve the murder before they docked and police chief Artemis Leonard boarded.

With plenty of suspects to weed through, Julia and Nora also needed to keep what they were doing quiet. Would Max Lawton help the two women, or was he also on the suspect list? They only had a matter of days to find their answers – could they do it? And why exactly was Max on board Miss Delta Belle?

Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat is set in the 1920s by Leighann Dobbs, and I’m really hoping it’s the beginning of a new series. Both excellent characters, Julia and Nora made a great team – it’d be an enjoyable series! Mystery, intrigue, plenty of suspects to wonder about (I didn’t pick, but wasn’t surprised!), the book is a fun and entertaining cozy mystery which I recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I am delighted to see that there are plenty more for me to read that have already been published.

This is a cosy murder mystery that is set in the 1920’s on a Steamboat, it is the maiden voyage of the boat and the lead singer Delihla Dove is found murdered. It is a good job Aunt Julia and her Niece Nora are aboard they like murders and it gives them a chance to solve one.

This was in some ways very similar to Murder on the Orient Express as it seemed that the main character or should I say suspects all seemed to have something to hide. It takes a while for all the secrets to come out, but not all of them are necessarily bad or evil.

I liked the setting of the steamboat as this gives the story that isolated backdrop, so that it had to be someone on the boat that committed the crime. Aunt Julia is wily in her working out and doesn’t let much slip, while Nora does have a good inquisitive nature she is just a couple of steps behind. It is not until the grand unveiling that all the questions are finally answered. I do like a grand unveiling by the way.

This is a good cosy mystery that had a compelling story-line, I was constantly curious and was quite an eager reader with this book. Ideal for fans who like a lighter whodunnit style murder mystery read and one I would recommend.

This is a 1920s murder mystery. Aunt Julia is a murder mystery writer under the guise of a male pen name. Her publisher believes male authors sell better in the mystery field.

On the virgin voyage of the Miss Delta Belle a suspicious death takes place. Is it an accident or was it murder? What other secrets are on board?

Join Miss Julia and her grand-niece Nora as they try to solve the mysteries before Artemis Leonard boards the ship at the next available port.

Nice, quick, and engaging read. I recommend it to anyone looking for a light-hearted mystery.

I like reading historical cozies for a change. This one just didn't really draw me in and give me the feeling of it truly being the 1920's. I didn't feel as if the characters were very interesting or well formed; most of them were forgettable. Nora and her Great-Aunt Julia just seemed like busybodies and no one ever seemed to get offended at them asking lots of questions. I think there may have been a romance implied between Max and Nora but it was so obscure. The solution of the murder was unrealistic and way off base.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for a chance to read this in exchange for my honest review. I have read some of this authors work before which are cozy mysteries involving cats, which are all good fuzzy easy reading joy.
This was a lovely read for me and although short had a great couple of lead characters, a decent plot and was set during the 1920’s and there was some lovely descriptive writing. The female lead characters were an author and her niece and were on a short river cruise as passengers on its maiden voyage. The aunt was the sleuth who was also an author and the niece was a forward thinking lady who studied psychology.
The murder is well thought out and there were plenty of red herrings before the murderer was unmasked, just before the cruise ended and the police just had to come and arrest the guilty party.
Would have been 5 stars if it had been longer, I was disappointed it didn’t embellish on some characters. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

I chose this book because it was recommended to fans of T. E. Kinsey, and I love historical cozy crime. I think that saying it’s like T. E. Kinsey does it rather a disservice, as I was expecting it to be more humorous. There was none of the banter that characterises his books, which was disappointing. However, this was still a good book. An interesting murder mystery set in an unusual location - on board a steamboat. I enjoyed the plot, the boat was loaded with interesting characters, and there were some subplots nicely muddying the waters. I did find Nora’s constant worrying about being a modern woman, and the frequent references to smoking, a little excessive though.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

There’s nothing quite like a cozy mystery to put a smile on your face. Murder on a Mississippi steamboat set in the 1920s is just such a novel. The main heroines were an absolute delight. The story flowed perfectly and the ending was very satisfying. This was a quick but really fun read and one I highly recommend to all those that like old fashion mysteries

I love the era and the steamboat journey, throw in a little murder mystery and you have a great read! Such a fun and easy story that drew me in immediately. Definitely recommend!

Easy to read, cosy murder mystery, set in the 1920s on a cruise ship. First in a very promising series. Really enjoyable. I would certainly read more by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

3.5

A murder mystery that takes place in the 1920’s on a steamboat. A mystery writer aunt, Julia, and her niece, Nora, solve the mystery. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the clothes of the time period. I sometimes got confused by the amount of suspects as to who was who. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookoutre for my honest review.