Official Review: Cruise Ship Murders by Clark Selby

Jackie Holycross · Post by **Jackie Holycross** » 19 Sep 2018, 18:55

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cruise Ship Murders" by Clark Selby.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Imagine you are the wife of a recently retired policeman. You have waited years to go on vacation with your husband, and now that he is retired it is finally going to happen. You are going on an amazing world cruise. What could be better? Now imagine someone gets killed on the cruise and your husband volunteers to help catch the killer. So much for the perfect vacation.

This is exactly what happens to two retired cops in Cruise Ship Murders by Clark Selby. Sonny and Gene get drawn into a complicated murder mystery when a female passenger is killed. Another surprise is revealed when they meet the female captain who turns out to be a childhood friend of Sonny’s unbeknownst to his wife, Jane. She and Susan, Gene’s wife seem to take everything in stride and continue enjoying the cruise as their husbands go back to work investigating. The clues keep pointing to a passenger named Lucky especially when another woman is killed and he was the last person seen with both of the victims. Is he guilty or hiding crucial information the policemen need to catch the killer?

I enjoyed the overall plot of the book. It kept me interested, wondering who would be the next victim and what clues would be revealed. The murder scenes were described in enough detail to give a glimpse into the killer’s mind, but not too gruesome for the typical mystery reader.

I would have liked to see more detail given about the countries visited. Only on the Taj Mahal stop did I really feel connected to the culture and sites being described. The rest of the tours taken needed more imagery to let the reader experience the world cruise with the characters. On the other hand, the author sometimes put too much detail into describing mundane events like getting ready for dinner.

My biggest problem with the book was the lack of character development. Except for the names, Sonny and Gene could be interchangeable as could their wives. They had a few personality quirks and of course Sonny’s wife was briefly jealous of the captain, but for the most part, they blended together. As someone who loves deep characters, this was disappointing.

I only found two editing errors in the book, but the author did have a habit of starting new paragraphs when the same character was still speaking. I found this distracting and confusing at times. Overall, the book was just ok. I didn’t dislike it, but it did not wow me. Since it is closer to good than to fair, I am rating it 3 out of 4 stars. There is some sexual content that would not be appropriate for younger readers, but anyone looking for a light read with mystery and travel will enjoy this book.

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Cruise Ship Murders
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Debjani Ghosh · Post by **Debjani Ghosh** » 21 Sep 2018, 00:49

A book where characters act like mere props is not enticing enough for me. Thanks for the honest review!

ChristineV1999 · Post by **ChristineV1999** » 21 Sep 2018, 02:05

This book would be great if the characters in this book would be more fictitious. But all in all this book would be fun to read. Thank you for the review

Sicily Joy · Post by **Sicily Joy** » 21 Sep 2018, 02:21

While I like murder mysteries part of their appeal is when the characters especially the " detective" and the main suspects have strong personalities. Therefore, I agree that it is unfortunate that there wasn't better character development in this book. Thank you for a great review.

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 21 Sep 2018, 05:40

Interchangeable characters are my worst. When you can't distinguish between personalities, I think it's sloppy on the author's behalf. I'm glad the murder mystery itself kept you entertained, but I agree, character development is a must have as far as I'm concerned.

Allyseria · Post by **Allyseria** » 21 Sep 2018, 07:51

Thank you for your review! Lol, I already feel sorry for the wife of the retired policeman. Of course he decides to volunteer to help the killer - typical

It's a shame that the characters weren't developed. I would have liked to read more about the wife.

HollandBlue · Post by **HollandBlue** » 21 Sep 2018, 08:11

Thanks for the review! Sounds like a good mystery even though the characters aren't fully developed. I'll be adding it to my to read list.

Emi_Review · Post by **Emi_Review** » 21 Sep 2018, 09:17

The book sounds quite interesting but I'm a bit disappointed with the characters. I find it hard to read a book when I find the characters too much the same or boring. Thank you for the review.

Mindy Conahye · Post by **Mindy Conahye** » 21 Sep 2018, 09:33

I like the plot of this book. I think it would be an entertaining book to get into. However, it can be frustrating when the characters aren't developed well enough. I am hoping I can still get into the story with the lack of development.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 21 Sep 2018, 10:09

I absolutely love cruising, so any book set on a cruise ship already appeals to me! This one sounds quite intriguing. I'm going to have to put it on my list despite the errors. Thanks for the information.

Jackie Holycross · Post by **Jackie Holycross** » 21 Sep 2018, 11:17

Allyseria wrote: ↑21 Sep 2018, 07:51 Thank you for your review! Lol, I already feel sorry for the wife of the retired policeman. Of course he decides to volunteer to help the killer - typical It's a shame that the characters weren't developed. I would have liked to read more about the wife.

Yeah, the wives just seemed way too peaceful about the whole situation. I don't think most wives would act that way even if they were used to the behavior from their husbands.

jcoad · Post by **jcoad** » 21 Sep 2018, 12:53

Sounds like a book I would enjoy. Enough action and mystery to keep you turning the pages, just don't think too hard. A quick read when you just want to sit back and read. Thanks for the great review!

Dael Reader · Post by **Dael Reader** » 21 Sep 2018, 15:07

This sounded like it had a lot of potential, until you got to the part about the lack of characterization. Ah well. Nicely done with the review.

Dolor · Post by **Dolor** » 21 Sep 2018, 23:14

Imagine you are the wife of a recently retired policeman. You have waited years to go on vacation with your husband, and now that he is retired it is finally going to happen. You are going on an amazing world cruise. What could be better? Now imagine someone gets killed on the cruise and your husband volunteers to help catch the killer.

I will surely feel disappointed. I might as well turn back and forget about having a vacation. You could tell me selfish, but this would be my reaction: "Hello?! There are a lot of policemen out there."

Since the story did not give you the "wow-feeling", I might as well bypass reading this book. Thanks for the honest review.

Alicia09 · Post by **Alicia09** » 22 Sep 2018, 21:08

I like reading murder mysteries, but this story sounds like it went flatter than a tire on Chicago streets during construction season. I agree that having a strong sense of character development could have helped. I also agree that having rich descriptions of each place the couple visited could have helped the story improve. I probably won't be reading this, but I appreciate your honest review. Thanks!