For fans of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and The Jetsetters, Elizabeth Sails is a shipboard cozy mystery that features an unintended quest for self-discovery, forgiveness, and an awesome buffet. Beth Schiff ghostwrites autobiographies for politicians, despite her own life not warranting a footnote. Excitement for her is re-watching classic movies with a Whitman’s Sampler. But when her adventurous Aunt Ethel dies, Beth must scramble out of her comfy sweatpants and into some Spanx to find the missing will aboard a luxury cruise ship.

Dru’s Short Musing:
A mystery and self-journey propel this tale that quickly became a page-turner.

The author did a great job in delivering a mystery that was well done, with crisp writing and a comfortable tone. Beth is anxiety-ridden but the death of her aunt and a scavenger hunt emboldens Beth to leave her comfort zone to find the missing will. This and meeting the various cruise ship passengers, some who were helpful and some who were not were key to this drama. There was enough intrigue as well as twists and turns to keep this reader immersed in the telling of this tale and I enjoyed every moment. With visually descriptive narrative (you can tell the author loves cruising) I envisioned all the scenarios in the book as I rooted for Beth to come into her own. This was an excellent read that kept me both engaged and entertained as well as a satisfying story where the author left us a clue – hint of a second book.

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 8, 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.