Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat by Leighann Dobbs ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I loved everything about Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat by Leighann Dobbs. It was the perfect summer cozy mystery.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

June 2020; Bookouture; 978-1838886721
audio, ebook, print (178 pages); cozy mystery

I discovered Dobbs when I read (and loved) the Kindle Free ebook A Zen for Murder. I've tried a few of her other cozy mysteries and I've enjoyed them, but I think Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat ties for my favorite so far. Like the Moosamuch Island series, this cozy mystery features an older woman as the amateur sleuth. I think Dobbs creates great older characters.

My favorite vacation is a cruise. Sadly, with the pandemic and other recent health issues on cruise ships, I'm not sure if I will feel comfortable on a cruise ship in the near future. But the steamboat setting made this a really fun summer read for me. (Even if it made me long for a cruise of my own). The 1920s is also one of my favorite time periods - the jazz and mentions of changing fashion pulled me in. From the first pages, I was fully on board for this adventure.

I can see why Nora so enjoyed traveling with her great-aunt Julia. Julia is a famous mystery writer. However, since it is 1926 no actually knows that she is the famous novelist as she writes under a male pen name. That doesn't mean she doesn't go fishing for compliments by bringing up her "favorite" author every chance she gets. I'm not sure if her murder investigations inspire the books or if the books inform her sleuthing, but either way, she is definitely in her element when the death of the ship's singer occurs. 

I enjoyed getting to know the other travelers onboard the river cruise. They are a colorful, but realistic cast. I had an idea of who the murderer was, but wasn't 100% sure until the end reveal. I don't usually like the "gather everyone together to reveal the murderer" trope, but it worked well in this book and I didn't mind it quite as much as I usually did.

I wish I really could go on a trip with Julia and Nora, but I will definitely join them on their next adventure (if this is the start of a series).

Buy Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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