A lovely story. It still had the mystery, but the characters were not crazy intense and dark. They were real. A good mystery keeps you guessing and I didn't know where we were headed. Loved the wrapped up ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this digital ARC.

Murder Takes a Vacation was my first Laura Lippman book, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Billed as a cozy mystery, we meet Mrs. Blossom about to embark on a river cruise in France. Through a series of strange occurences starting at the airport, she dusts off her old "private investigator" skills as she is drawn into a mystery that deepens when a body is found.

Cute cozy mystery with an older female protagonist. Give it a try!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end. I appreciated an older female protagonist as well!

Sweet, charming and meh is how I’d describe this latest title from Laura Lippman. Having lived in B’more I always love going down memory lane in her descriptions of the city and familiar places and restaurants. This book seemed to me to be more ofLaura Lippman’s reflection on life and what’s transpired. The story was unbelievable in many ways and a cozy mystery is another word that comes to mind. Not her best.

As a fan of Lippman, I was disappointed in this book. It was not the level of writing or plot that I expected. Mrs. Blossom takes a trip and lots of very bad stuff happens to her. There was simply too much of a reach to find any level of believability or allow me to buy into her character.

I also hated the endless use of her name, MRS. BLOSSOM, as a narrative device. It reminded me of reading children’s book where names are repeated as a cognitive device to improve reading and word recognition.

I know Lippman is a brilliant writer, but this novel certainly is not a good example of her talent.

Thank you Netgalley for this novel.