Book Review: Murder on the Deck

Fair disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an advance review...which I failed to post on Friday because I didn't schedule enough reading time. Although it came through Book Funnel, this is a full-length book, with lots of possibilities and plot twists and cozy-mystery-solving fun. It went live over the weekend. You can buy it now.

Title: Murder on the Deck

Author: Avery Kent

Date: 2026

Quote: "This is the Oceanic Emerald's first Alaskan cruise."

Have you been on an Alaskan cruise, Gentle Readers? I never have, but Avery Kent has convinced me that it would have been fun. If you enjoy travelling you will want to see the sights the characters in this book are seeing while they're plotting, committing, and solving a murder. Apart from a scene in which a police detective called Brooks grills a suspect called Dunn, adding inappropriate music to my mental image of the scene, that's the worst thing about this book :-)

(Some mystery buffs think a murder mystery needs two bodies.  This one has two bodies found on the deck, but one's only stunned.)

Loretta Lafayette is taking the cruise with her friend Alistair, his niece Amy, Amy's friend Liam, and Chester the Chihuahua. Loretta is a confirmed amateur detective but she doesn't solve murders alone. She talks through the clues with her trusted friends. Though Alistair hopes for a peaceful cruise, after two other cruises on which Loretta found murders to solve, soon a man who's been easy for a lot of people to hate is found dead on the deck. Several of the people who had reasons to hate him turn out to be on the ship, and the cozy family group are soon playing Loretta's favorite game.

If you like traditional close-mouthed detectives, Loretta's technique may put you off. If you lose patience with complicated mystery novels because you don't want to memorize the details of who was where when, you'll love Loretta and her friends. I give the novel bonus points for having Chester make an important discovery...that does not solve the mystery.

This is a delightful detective novel, and if you like it, there are many more where it came from. Kent is the author of four other series, including the two other volumes (so far) about Loretta Lafayette.