The Cruise Ship Lost My Daughter
By Morgan Mayer
ISBN13: 9781732854130
Author’s Website: goodreads(.)com/morganmayer
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Never underestimate a sleuthing octogenarian…
After weeks of no answers from the authorities, Sheila and Shane McShane, a spry and tenacious octogenarian couple from New Hampshire, board the magnificent Celestial of the Seas to look for their daughter on the same British Isles cruise she went missing from six weeks before.
Guided by Sheila’s intuition and Shane’s logic, they uncover clues about Shanna’s disappearance, but the closer they come to the truth, the greater the danger, including from a mysterious stranger.
Drawn from a British Isles cruise with the author’s parents, “The Cruise Ship Lost My Daughter” is a cozy mystery full of humor and heart, one that takes the reader on a spirited caper from Scotland to Belgium and sails into the real-life world of art. (Goodreads)
Review:
The Cruise Ship Lost My Daughter is the first cozy mystery written by author Morgan Mayer – who has several published thrillers under a different name (now if I only knew that name). My first impression is that I am glad I kept persevering as the story did become engaging, though I was not certain of this story during the first quarter of the book. It began slow and painfully boring but as the tale progressed, my interest was piqued and so I continued on until the end. As a relatively prolific reader of cozy mysteries, I was not at all surprised by whodunit. What I was surprised at was that the story was able to recover from its meager beginning and manage to keep me engaged.
The premise of the story is that Sheila and Shane McShane’s daughter has gone missing while she was on a cruise in the British Isles. And according to this octogenarian couple, it is totally unlike their daughter, who happens to be an art restorer in Boston, to go so completely off the grid. Therefore, in their eyes, Shanna must be in trouble.
Sheila McShane – what can I say about this mother? She is a typical mother – caring, worried about her daughter and fierce when it comes to her daughter. Sheila has a determination about her that any mother can relate to. She also has gifts – she is very good at reading people’s aura (though Shane insisted it is body language and facial expressions that she is reading). Sheila is feisty and quick thinking, and a pleasure to watch her work through what actually happened to her daughter.
In sharp contrast, Shane McShane is a nerdy octogenarian. He is the note taker. He is also a doting father who is the parent with the closest relationship to Shanna. I found that the two McShane’s complimented each other with their particular roles.
The cast of characters (some of whom are of course the bad guy(s) were colourful (literally – with many different aura’s – as seen by Sheila). I even enjoyed getting to know the bad guys. There were many different personalities and I was reminded that one cannot judge a book by its cover. I was surprised at a couple characters and how they fit into the mysterious disappearance of Shanna.
Descriptions of the actual cruise were at times light on details – and I felt that could have brought a bit more life into the story.
All in all, a pleasant cozy mystery read and a decent first book in this genre. Like I said, it would be interesting to read this author’s other genre books, but alas, I was not able to ascertain the other name.
