pon her first luxury cruise she imagines a gilded ballroom, afternoons on deck taking tea and all the delectable food she can eat. But she can't seem to escape from murder...

Lady Eleanor Swift is all set to spend her birthday with her beau, dashing Detective Hugh Seldon, until he calls to cancel on her again at the last minute. What's a girl to do? Pack up her staff and her faithful old bulldog, Gladstone, and head off on a cruise to New York, that's what!

On the stunningly opulent ocean liner Celestiana, Eleanor tries to forget her worries and make the most of her trip. That is, until she sees a man being shot and falling overboard. On closer inspection of the scene, Eleanor literally stumbles over the likely murder weapon. And the nick in the barrel is unmistakeable: this gun belongs to Detective Seldon...

With some discreet digging, Clifford discovers Detective Seldon is aboard the ship on an undercover mission. Eleanor doesn't want to make waves but she's sure that something fishy is going on and he's being framed. To get Seldon off the hook, Eleanor casts her net wide and searches for the real murderer among a sea of suspects including European nobility, Italian opera stars and American nouveau riche. But does the victim's expensive gold ring point to a lavish lifestyle or is it a red herring?

When another passenger is found dead in his first-class cabin, a poisoned whisky glass clutched in his hand, Eleanor realises they are really in hot water. Will the killer be Eleanor's catch of the day, or will she spend her birthday at the bottom of the sea?

A totally charming, unputdownable Golden Age mystery with characters readers will adore. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.

Readers cannot get enough of Verity Bright!

'Unputdownable... Had me hooked immediately... Filled with suspense... Will have you laughing until you're crying... A page-turning and unputdownable success!' Bookworm 86 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

'Absolutely loved this!... I read the book in a day, I couldn't put it down!' Netgalley reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

'I am hooked! The best book, bar none, that I have read this year... An extremely witty, fast-paced mystery... I love the heroine, intrepid adventuress... A most enjoyable read!' Reviews by Carol in Tallahassee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

'Can I give it six stars please?... Pretty much perfect... Bright has the amazing gift of bringing the reader into that world where the characters are alive.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️