It’s about time I got the opportunity to tell my side of things. Sure, it’s mostly my sister Charlotte’s story. After all, it was her philandering husband who passed away, leaving her a mountain of conflicted feelings, a mistress and their love child, and a floating condo on a private residential cruise ship to manage. But there’s more to the story, so pull up a chair, grab a glass of whatever makes you feel better about the state of the world, and let Auntie Jane fill you in.

Picture this: Not only did the woman who got involved with Char’s husband, Gabe, have the audacity to sue her for the 2 bedroom unit on the Thalassophile of the Seas, she decided to take it up a notch by procuring a job teaching yoga onboard as we sailed to Yokohama, Japan. And get this: She brought the little boy with her!

As Char’s big sister, it took everything in my power to NOT toss the homewrecker overboard. Kyrie Dawn—of course that’s her name—just seemed hellbent on rubbing salt(water) in Char’s still-healing wounds.

Quinton is adorable, despite taking after his father. He’s just a toddler, after all, and none of this is his fault. But that doesn’t offset the painful impact of seeing Gabe’s likeness in that chubby little face.

As if all that wasn’t bad enough, when Kyrie Dawn was found holding the murder weapon above the body of the head chef—who was lying in *literal* corpse pose in the yoga studio—she had the unmitigated gall to ask Charlotte and me to prove she didn’t kill him!

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, she also asked us to take care of Q (as I like to call him) while she was held on suspicion of murder by the security chief, Xavier Mesnier. (Side note—I’m convinced Charlotte has a thing for him, despite her protests.) If Kyrie Dawn went away for the murder, she wanted Char and me to take custody of her son.

This is where things got a bit sticky between Char and me. You see, I never had any kids, and as a woman in her 50s, I have no desire to become a parent now. But Char, she always wanted a child of her own. Gabe had said he didn’t want kids, so she’d given up on that dream. That’s one of the reasons finding out he had a son exacerbated the betrayal.

I love living on the cruise ship with my sister, traveling the world in luxury. That’s the retirement I envisioned when I left my job as a librarian in Turlock, California to join Char on this adventure of life at sea.

I know Char, and when I saw the look on her face as she contemplated becoming Q’s guardian…well, let’s just say my motivation to help her exonerate Kyrie Dawn went into overdrive.

Do I want to live on this ship for the rest of my life? Probably not. I’m still young, and while I love Char’s companionship, there’s a part of me that longs to find my person to grow old with. I don’t think Char’s given up on that hope for herself, either.

In the meantime, I’m excited to check one more port-of-call off my bucket list. Let’s just hope the next sailing has less murder.

(Spoiler alert—it doesn’t!)

A Matter of Life and Depths, A Cruising Sisters Mystery Book 2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: August 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Murder has twisted them together…

It’s bad enough that Kyrie Dawn had an affair and a son with Charlotte McLaughlin’s husband, then, following his death, sued Charlotte for the two-bedroom love nest he’d purchased on a private residence cruise ship. That cabin was Charlotte’s consolation prize, and she’s chosen to travel the world in luxury, with her sister Jane along for the ride.

But now Kyrie Dawn has taken a job onboard teaching yoga—and she’s brought her little boy, who looks just like his father, with her.

Charlotte considers jumping ship as they sail toward Yokohama, Japan. Then the head chef is found in the downward dead position in Kyrie Dawn’s yoga studio, and all evidence points to her as the killer. She begs Charlotte and Jane to look after this friendly toddler—permanently if she’s found guilty.

With a second chance at motherhood snuggled in her lap, Charlotte must decide which life path to follow. Can she even set aside her hurt and anger to help exonerate the woman who ruined her life?

About the author
Kate B Jackson (K.B. Jackson) is an Agatha Award winner, and Anthony Award finalist, and Silver Falchion finalist who writes mystery novels for both grownups and kids. An alumnus of the University of Washington—go Huskies!—she lives in the PNW with her hilarious husband. Together they raised four amazing humans. A part-time genetic genealogist, she loves to craft stories with elements of history and family dynamics. Her books are about secrets (Chattertowne Mysteries), Sasquatch (Sasquatch Hunters), and sisters (Cruising Sisters Mysteries).