Cruising to Murder

In McCrum’s entertaining sequel to The Festival Murders, B-list crime writer Francis Meadowes agrees to lecture on the history of crime writing in exchange for a free 10-day excursion on the Golden Adventurer, a cruise ship visiting ports along the west coast of Africa. The first evening, he meets his fellow passengers, most of whom are retired and have the wherewithal to pay $20,000 to be spoon-fed “adventure travel.” The following morning, a dear old widow with whom Francis dined is found dead. Did she die of natural causes or was she murdered? Francis is summoned to lend his expertise to the investigation. Shortly thereafter, a passenger goes overboard—was it suicide or was she pushed? Francis realizes that he might very well be stuck on board with a murderer who has killed twice and will most likely kill again. Amid the riotous abundance of local color and exuberant characters, McCrum provides a fair-play mystery: all the clues to means, motive, and opportunity are hidden in plain sight for the eager reader to put together. Agent: Jamie Maclean, Coombs Moylett Maclean (U.K.). (Oct.)