Tour guide Emily Andrew, two eager suitors and an eccentric group of travel-happy Iowa senior citizens go Down Under in this fifth installment of the Passport to Peril mystery series, following pun-filled adventures to Italy (Pasta Imperfect
), Hawaii (Hula Done It?
) and other destinations. When biologist Claire Bellows is found dead and an exceedingly rare plant—one that's supposed to have been extinct for over a hundred million years—disappears, Emily and her merrily quarrelsome band leap on the scent of murder. But was Claire killed out of professional rivalry or is a hidden motive at work? The tourists careen around Australia, racking up clues while a couple of would-be husbands battle for Emily's heart and the seniors jockey for position at every rest stop and souvenir store in the country. Nonstop wisecracks enliven the action (covered in blue zinc oxide, one tourist's "nose matched her sandals today, a striking example of how fashion savvy she'd become since her bunion surgery"), and the easygoing pace leads to a satisfying heroine-in-peril twist ending that should please those in search of a good cozy. (Nov.)
