What I initially noticed about this first book in the series was how immediately I was pulled into the story, getting introduced to the 1920's era, the unique setting and intrigued by the main character, Lady Lucy Revelstoke.
This is a locked room murder mystery aboard a large cruise liner going from the USA to England and the nautical setting provides enough room for murder and mayhem while keeping the potential culprits in close proximity (and luxury). With great atmosphere, readers are treated to wonderful descriptions of the Roaring 20's, from the clothing and decor, to the 1920's colloquialisms and historical references.
I love a main character with a different backstory and widow Lady Lucy Revelstoke gives that to the reader in spades!! You see, Lucy is Canadian and learned a few 'skills' as the daughter of a Hamilton, Ontario mobster. She's since left the family, met her lady's maid, Elf, been married, become a mother and widowed, but those skills she learned from 'the family business' come in handy when a dead body is found in her suite on the cruise liner heading to Europe and she and Elf need to dispose of it and learn the identity of the murderer in their midst.
The story balances mystery and history with Elf, Lucy's 'lady's maid' (in very loose quotes) bringing humour and I loved the unconventional bond between the two women. But it's not all murder and humorous snark. With the book set in the 1920's, we see the toll the war and its ensuing trauma on the men who have returned from battle. Readers also witness Lucy's continued grief over her husband who passed away four years prior, leaving her with a teenage son who is at boarding school in England.
The only wee beef I have is the cover. It gives off an old school vibe and doesn't encapsulate the awesomeness within its cover and honestly wouldn't grab my attention on a bookstore shelf.
With humour and a solid mystery, this nautical whodunnit was a very strong start to a new-to-me series. I'm in the middle of book two currently so stay tuned for my review of it as well as book three that the publisher has recently gifted me.
Recommended for: fans of Iona Whishaw's Lane Winslow series, Maureen Jenning's Detective Murdoch series and Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Author: Melodie Campbell
Genre: Historical Mystery, Canadian
Series: Merry WIdow Murders 1
Type and Source: ebook from public library
Publisher: Cormorant Books
First Published: May 13, 2023
Read: Feb 8-11, 2026
Book Description from GoodReads: Lucy Revelstoke, unconventional widow of a young British lord and daughter of a Canadian mobster twice removed, is crossing the Atlantic on a state-of-the-art ocean liner in 1928. Rubbing elbows with the era’s elite and reconnecting with her husband’s aristocratic friend Tony should make for a swell trip. But a dead body
dumped in Lucy’s stateroom the first night of the voyage threatens to capsize the new life she’s built for herself.Who is this dead man? And how did he get into her room?
Together with her pickpocket-turned maid and Tony, Lucy rushes to investigate, just steps ahead of the authorities who will certainly dig too deeply into her dodgy Canadian past.
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