I’m Helen Hawthorne, Fort Lauderdale private eye. I just finished working as a stewardess aboard a 143-foot luxury yacht, trying to catch an emerald smuggler. Elaine Viets wrote about my adventure in Final Sail.
A job with an ocean view. Sounds glamorous, right?
Wrong. I’m a seagoing Cinderella, at the beck and call of the yacht owners and their spoiled guests. I have to wait on them twenty-four hours a day. Even in the middle of a storm, I can’t be seasick like everyone else. I have to take the guests bland food to settle their stomachs while mine is churning.
And that ocean? I don’t get much of a view running up and down the crew stairs inside the yacht, but I sure feel the ocean. It slams the ship hard enough to knock me off my feet. The crew had to tie down the deck furniture and wrap every last piece of glass in bubble wrap or its own protective covering.
Our yacht left Fort Lauderdale for Atlantis, the fabulous resort in the Bahamas, at nine o’clock at night. I spent the evening serving the guests food and drink.
About ten that night, the wind kicked up and the sea turned rough. At first I did pretty well, even fancied myself a sea dog. But about midnight, I was dragging my body up the stairs once again, pulling myself up by the rail. I tried not to think about carrying a tray of food back down those steps. I had to do it, that’s all. As a stewardess, I had to take care of Pepper Crowne, the pretty air head married to rich old Scotty. Besides toting trays, I had a smuggler to catch. Anyway, nobody died of sea sickness, did they?
I made it upstairs, where Chef Suzanne Schoomer presided over a shifting galley. Water sloshed out of steaming pots and sizzled on the Thermador stove top. Suzanne is a thin woman with straight dark hair and serious brown eyes. She pointed to a napkin-covered tray on the center island. My heart sank. Suzanne had used the gold-rimmed Rosenthal china for Pepper’s soft-boiled egg, saltines and tea. If that china broke, it came out of my paycheck.
“That goes to Mrs. Crowne,” Suzanne told me. “The men are asleep – or passed out – in the sky lounge. Mira covered them with blankets and they’re snoring.” Mira’s the head stew. Her job is even harder than mine.
The boat took another downward plunge and I grabbed the railing along the counter to stay upright.
“How do I get this downstairs?” I asked the chef.
“Walk with your feet wide apart for balance,” Suzanne said. “Keep them spread as wide as your shoulders. Hold onto the tray with one hand and the wall with the other. And be careful with the Rosenthal.”
I guess I should have been grateful. Suzanne could have used the Royal Copenhagen. That cost seven thousand dollars a place setting.
“You’ll have to check on your charge every fifteen minutes,” the chef said.
“Pepper told me to go away once I delivered her stuff,” I said.
“You still have to stay awake in case she calls you. Mira’s left a thermos of coffee in the crew mess. That should keep you awake. Go.”
I waited until the yacht was out of the deep swing and into the smaller rocking motions. As I started out of the galley, the yacht took another steep plunge. The china rattled and the gold-rimmed cup slid off the tray and smashed on the floor.
Ouch. That hurt. Right in the wallet.
“It’s only a cup,” Suzanne said. “We have lots of those.”
“How much is it?” I asked.
“Eighty dollars,” Suzanne said.
A few more slips and I could wind up paying the yacht owners to work here.
My day ended at 5:40 that morning. I had just enough time to shower and change into a fresh uniform. I started work again at six a.m.
** Thanks to the publisher, I have one (1) copy of FINAL SAIL to give away. Contest open to residents of the US only. Contest ends May 13. Leave a valid-email address with your comment. Book will be shipped directly from the publisher. **
FINAL SAIL, Elaine Viets’ eleventh Dead-End Job mystery, is set in the world of the have-nots and have-yachts. Private eye Helen Hawthorne works as a stewardess on a 143-foot yacht. She has to track down an emerald smuggler while serving snobs and scrubbing floors. Phil, Helen’s PI husband, investigates a sexy gold digger who may have murdered her rich old husband. Phil works undercover as the new widow’s estate manager – and she wants Helen’s hunky husband to go really undercover. Visit Elaine at www.elaineviets.com.
Publishers Weekly calls FINAL SAIL an action-packed cozy. Here’s the book trailer.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfRBtMp1AIU&w=560&h=315]
Okay, this writer managed to make ME seasick with her descriptions, which while not entirely pleasant, says something good about her writing style. If she can be that descriptive, I imagine this is going to be a good read. Please enter me in the contest doe the copy of the book, I would love to read it! Thanks for the review and always turning us onto new authors and series!
Helen Hawthorne is one of my favorite characters and I’m always glad to travel along with her.
Sorry, Scrapgirl. Pretend you’re a yacht guest instead of Helen. You’re in a soft bed with $1200 sheets (really) and the staff is bringing you tea to soothe your stomach. You feel better. The sea is calm as a sheet of glass, the sun is shining. You’re ready for a hearty breakfast. And then you’ll lounge on deck while the staff brings cold drinks and read a good book — “Final Sail,” I hope.
I would love to win a copy of this cozy. Thank you
thanks for the chance to read this mystery 😉
another goodie to my WishList!!
thank you for the giveaway!!!
cyn209 at juno dot com
I’ve had mostly dead end jobs all my life. I worked retail, wholesale, and owned a wedding photo studio. Which is probably why I love this series so much. I also love Elaine’s writing style. I’d love to win a copy of Final Sail for my home library.
NoraAdrienne(at)gmail(dot)comm
My Wish List would be that all you could win, but I know that’s not possible. “Final Sail” would make a terrific Mother’s Day gift, or a present to yourself. (Psst! You can get it free at the library, too.)
Love the description of shipboard life in a nasty sea. Whipped over to Amazon to read a little author bio. Harry’s obviously been doing his job well. Keep ’em coming. carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx
Great description of shipboard life in a crappy sea. Dropped over to Amazon to read a little author bio and discovered Elaine’s secret writing partner. Good job Harry, keep it up. carlscott@prodigy.net.mx
I get motion sick but I still want to read this! It sounds good!
mittens0831 at aol dot com
This cozy sounds like a lot of fun for readers! Would much rather be on the cruise than someone who takes care of them!!!
Thank you, Jane, for trying my books. I hope you’ll enjoy them all. I love the Austin Lounge Lizards. Are you familiar with that band?
Thainks, Carl. My writing partner, Harry, works very hard at sleeping by my computer, which is a big help when I write. Thanks for dropping by.
I have had this author on my radar forever. Thanks for pushing me over the edge. I’m definitely going to start reading Elaine Viets’ books. It’ll be a great summer project! Thanks for the post!
jrobinson12 (at) austin (dot) rr (dot) com
I was feeling the waves just reading that bit—I think I’ll be seasick by the time I finish the book—-but it does sound like fun. I don’t think I could handle that job though.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Nora! It’s good to see another long-time friend here. Carol, I promise you won’t need Dramamine for this mystery.
Love the cover. Cant wait to read this book. It sound sooo good.
Thanks, Stacie. Hope you’ll enjoy it. The crew work is hard, Nancy, but I promise reading the book won’t be work at all.
Working aboard a luxury yacht sounds gruesome! This book however, sounds like a fun read.
ncroessner@comcast.net
This series is so much fun to read. It always makes me laugh. This storyline looks like so much fun. I can ‘t wait to read it. I love cruise life & being on the water. Thanks so much for the giveaway! 🙂
scouts579(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks Elaine and Helen for dropping by and giving us another glimpse into the jobs that Helen takes on.
Thank you, Dru. What a fun group you have here.
Hand me the dramamine. I’m along for the ride.
I’m attempting to write my memoirs while “cruising” on a ship.
This IS a great group here, and we are enjoying your timely responses.
judydee22002 @ yahoo dot com
I’d love to enter the giveaway!
b311scram@gmail.com
I really like this series and the mystery shopper ones. I’m looking forward to reading it!
I’ve been checking in while touring for “Final Sail.” I’m in St. Louis now and the Cards are losing tonight (sob). Home Monday.
I miss Don and the cats.
I’ve always loved this series. Looking forward to reading Final Sail.