YVONNE’S SHORTIES #336 – Killer Cruise // The Bullet That Missed

Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! This time a cozy mystery kindle freebie I mostly enjoyed and a cozy mystery sequel of a series that just keeps getting better.

Title: Killer Cruise
(Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries #1)
Author: A.R. Winters
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Romance
First published: February 21st 2019
Finished reading: November 28th 2022
Pages: 210

“She definitely didn’t kill him. Definitely. I sipped the coffee. Right?”

I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and I always love a story with a travel element, so I thought Killer Cruise would be a great fit. I liked the sound of a story set on a cruise ship, the main character working there and the mystery around the murder of the VIP passenger. And while there were a few things that niggled me, as a whole this turned out to be an easy and entertaining read. Perfect for reading by the pool or at the beach! While I’m not sure that this is a realistic representation of what it’s like working on a cruise ship, the ship itself made for a great backdrop for this story. The whole idea of having so many people ‘trapped’ on a big boat, one of them being a murderer, immediately adds intrigue. This cozy mystery is on the light side though and doesn’t have a lot of suspense or danger; I guessed the identity of the killer almost straight away. The romance was a bit obvious as well, but if you are looking for something easy, entertaining and quick to read, Killer Cruise fits the bill. I do have to say that I was a bit annoyed that the story didn’t have a proper ending (apart from revealing the murderer)… Having a cliffhanger is one thing, but this story basically stopped right in the middle of the plot, and it felt like it was trying to force you to buy the sequel to see how things end.

Title: The Bullet That Missed
(Thursday Murder Club #3)
Author: Richard Osman
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: September 15th 2022
Publisher: Penguin
Finished reading: December 8th 2022
Pages: 368

“If murder were easy, none of us would survive Christmas.”

I really enjoyed the first two books of the series, and I’ve been looking forward to pick up The Bullet That Missed ever since it was published. I have to say that these sequels just keep getting better and better! The Bullet That Missed is hands down my new favorite book of the series, and it’s become a true pleasure to spend more time with the Thursday Murder Club gang. I do love stories with older main characters, and this is without doubt a lively bunch we are dealing with. It is important to read the first two books to avoid spoilers and fully understand the dynamics; it will be hard to keep the large cast of characters apart otherwise. Since I already knew the majority of the characters thanks to the previous books, I didn’t mind the multiple POV structure, and I enjoyed what the new characters added to the dynamics. It was so much fun to follow them as they try to uncover the truth behind the murders; the humor spot on and the way the characters difuse multiple dangerous situations hilarious. If you like cozy mysteries with plenty of twists as well as red herrings and humor, this whole series is a must-read.