Berth Mark

Olivia Morgan Cruise Ship Mystery #5

by Wendy Neugent

Olivia was worried that this might be the end of her contract on the SS Starlight. Now she's worried it may be her last voyage ever.

With the suspicious death of a crew member and a series of strange events, it quickly becomes clear that something sinister is at work.

With her beloved parrot Chico by her side, she must make it through the cruise and discover the truth behind the mysterious events.

Will Olivia and Chico make it through the cruise alive?
Will her contract be renewed?
Will Chico ever get enough snacks?

Find out in this captivating cozy mystery!

Join Olivia as she navigates the unraveling story and discovers a truth that will forever change her life onboard the SS Starlight.

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2023

About the author

Wendy Neugent spent close to a decade as part of an award-winning act performing on cruise ships all over the world. She traveled from Alaska to Venezuela, Bermuda to Tahiti, and many exotic ports of call in between.

Now, Wendy uses her insider knowledge of cruise ship life to write fun and entertaining cozy mystery books set on cruise ships.

Wendy’s Cruise Ship Mysteries are the perfect books to read while taking a cruise or when you wish you were on a cruise.

Join my reader group, Wendy Neugent's Clue Crew
and find an engaged and welcoming community of other readers to talk all things mystery, plus see photos of adorable pets, funny book memes, and get a free activity book!
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Reviews

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s time for another trip aboard the SS Starlight with Olivia Morgan and her feisty parrot Chico.

So many things are happening in this story. Olivia’s romance with her security officer, Alex, is blossoming. The real challenge now is finding the time to be with each other. There’s always something happening on the cruise ship that needs Alex’s attention. Not to mention that Olivia is anxiously awaiting to hear if the cruise ship will extend her contract or not. She may find herself without a job in the near future.

This cruise is a crazy one, to say the least. A fellow crew member dies under suspicious circumstances. The strange events don’t stop there. Someone is clearly trying to sabotage the ship. Everyone is in danger. Olivia is determined to get to the bottom of this with a little help from Chico.

I devoured this one. It’s well-written with just the right amount of romance thrown into the mix. It’s a light-hearted story that never takes a breath.

With each book, I love this series more and more. It's the 5th book of the series and my favorite. It’s a few hours of pure fun for me. I feel as if I’m good buddies with Olivia and her friends, even Chico. I’m already missing them. Olivia and Chico quickly became two of my favorite amateur sleuths. I hope there's another book soon!

[Todd Roseweir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story in this series. Fun and light to read. Nice touch of humor thanks to Chico, who sometimes steals the show. The series has a unique setting which provides plenty of scope for interesting characters to be introduced, and also gives the reader a glimpse of exotic locations. Definitely one of the better cozy mystery series. I received an ARC of this book for an optional honest review.

[Becky Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia and her sidekick Chico the parrot are heading out on the cruise ship again. Olivia used to work for Peter has a magician assistant but now she was on her own. She got lots of good reviews but was still worried her contract wouldn’t get renewed.
As she is getting ready to embark on the ship an elderly man needs her assistant and his name is Harry. Throughout the cruise she has to help him get somewhere on the ship and he is so slow she is afraid at times she will be late getting to where she is supposed to be.
This cruise is definitely doomed, food poisoning, ship running into the port causing damage, a murder, and electricity shutting off. Marcus is the new act and he is a ventriloquist with his dummy Bob but he acts like Bob is real. But you will fall in love with Chico the parrot and his antics. Great fun story and I like the romance between Olivia and Alex.

I received this ARC from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very light story and read's rather like a YA book, but I love reading cruise mysteries and Chico is absolutely adorable!

It was fun to re-visit the gorgeous spice island of Grenada with Olivia, and I could recall the uneasy feeling I had when I walked through the narrow Sendall Tunnel (although I didn't know the name at the time) while praying not to get hit by a speeding car. I could picture the locals selling their incredibly fragrant spice necklaces. The scent made the ship's cabin smell wonderful and lasted long after our return home.

Olivia and security officer Alex are now an official couple!

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia gets her contract to stay on the cruise ship. I love cruising so had lots of giggles with all the mishaps that happened on this ship. One thing after another happens. At the start of the book food poisoning which kills somebody! The other things aren’t too bad, except for a rather large bump coming into a berth one morning! Naturally all gets revealed at the end of the book. A really enjoyable book.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life behind the scenes on a cruise line that in itself is interesting enough but add a magician, anew strange variety act, mysterious accidents on board and a loveable parrot. You have a great story which keeps you guessing about what’s going on. The characters are all extremely relatable and their stories keep you reading.
Great book highly recommend.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun installment in this series, I really enjoyed it. Olivia is a very likeable main character, as is Chico!, and her relationships with others makes for an enjoyable read.
A nice cosy crime mystery would definitely recommend this series.

[Wanda Siesicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable book. There is romance, chaos, mystery (which I didn't guess the culprit) and a very smart parrot. I loved Chico! He deserved more than one treat. Read the book to find out why.

[Tena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read with a mystery to solve. Great characters and a must for animal lovers My first read in the series. Looking forward to reading more of Olivia’s adventures.

[Karen L. Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great cruise ship mystery with main characters that you'll love and a terrific parrot. I was given this book free by the author for an honest review.

[Beth Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. It was full of great characters trying to solve a mystery. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was sure a good thing for Olivia that she and Alex got to spend time together early on in the book because Alex was kept super busy putting out fires on the ship, figuratively at least but it'd never have surprised me if there'd been a real one from all the crazy things going wrong on the ship...then there were the deaths. At one point, Olivia felt blamed for one thing then afraid for her life the next minute. The showdown was a tense one, and good old Chico was able to add a little parrot assistance as well as the humans. Who's a good boy, Chico? Can't wait to see what adventure the SS Starlight crew gets into next!

[Nancy Whitford · Rating 5 out of 5]

More cruise confusion

This one even better than the last. You want to try to go with the flow to figure out what's next. Well good luck, almost everything on this cruise is confusing. Good luck on keeping up.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plenty of suspicious characters and actions to go around. Wendy Neugent gives us plenty of suspects when someone is murdered on the cruise. Not sure I could have handled Marcus and Bob. I enjoyed this book and while I did figure out the murderer, it was fun to gather the clues. I look forward to the next book.

[Mary Heiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. I’m happy they found out who was doing everything. I had no idea until the end of the book. Excellent.

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia, and her parrot, Chico, enjoy her job on the SS Starlight. But a suspicious death of a crew member may ruin job and even her life. New acts on the ship, strange accidents, loss of electricity are just a few of the things happening on board. Can Olivia survive and solve the murder? Enjoy this fun mystery.

[Patricia Nicoletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was ok. It needed a little more sleuthing. I wasn’t excited about the romance part between the main characters and her boyfriend. I found it a little slow in the beginning. The who don it part was god, I never thought it was who it was. I just want a fan of the romance, I think too much time was spent there. I love the parrot, I like the idea of a cruise theme as well.

[Malgorzata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, light, page turning mystery, with unexpected ending. I like main character - Olivia and her parrot Chico.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a cruise today

Fun story. Cruises are meant to be relaxing, but this cruise is anything but relaxing. Follow Olivia as she maneuvers through the clues and catches the killer. Enjoy the cruise.

[Marcia Ditter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read. Love this series!

[Penny Perse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berth Mark

I thought it was the old guy with the tricks trying to get ahead of everybody. At least now she knows how much Alex loves her

[Liz Whelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC

5 Books is Not enough in this Series. Please Wendy Neugent, we need at least 10 more books in this Series. Fabulous Writing.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story.

I only wish that there was more books in this series. I want to see what happens to Bagley and Olivia

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read in this cruise series by Wendy Neugent with the characters we've grown to like and befriend throughout the series. This book shows Olivia and Alex's relationship growing. Olivia is now doing the main magic act with her incredible parrot, Chico aboard ship and had been worried about whether she will receive another contract. We are treated to a new act, Marcus, a ventriloquist who has a strange relationship with his dummy. We meet the senior citizen, Harry who Olivia has to help throughout and although she is a caring person, she fears Harry will make her miss things she needs to do since he is so slow. We are given the murder of a crew member along with so many crazy events including food poisoning, a black-out, and the ship running into the pier causing some hefty damage and time constraints. With lots of humor, especially with the adorable Chico and a murder to solve with Olivia's boyfriend Alex, head of security, can everything get straightened out? Can they find a murderer and motive? This is once again, a fun, fast read cozy that will make you want to see what will happen on the next cruise. I love this series that can be read in one sitting and highly recommend it to everyone who loves a fast paced cozy murder mystery with humor and great characters! I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Kelly A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendy Neugent's Cruise Ship Mysteries are a joy to read, even if there is a mystery and maybe a murder to solve. Her cruise ship experience shows and makes you feel as if you are sailing right along on each cruise as the story unfolds. Olivia and her friend Hayley may be the headliner magic act for the cruise, but there is more magic happening than on the stage. You have to read this series and get to know the characters who make this such a wonderful series and all the behind the scenes glimpses of what happens to keep a ship full of happy guests. The mysteries are very well thought out and keep the story moving at a quick pace.

I was given this book as an ARC read without any obligation to leave a specific type of review. This review is my own thoughts and feelings about the book.

[Mystyc Metrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best new cozy mystery series that I have read in a while! Olivia is a likable protagonist, a cruise ship entertainer who performs a magic show with her parrot partner, Chico. Chico is delightful, with his quippy bird dialogue and derring-do in the face of danger. A whole host of quirky characters, including Hayley, her assistant and dancer, Alex, security chief and new paramour, and Marcus the new variety act with his dummy Bob, compliment Olivia's attempt to solve the mysteries aboard the cruise ship. The reader will be on the edge of their seat, waiting for the reveal of who is plaguing the passengers, and it's definitely not someone you would expect! Overall, it was a light, breezy, read, and I really enjoyed it.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia and Rachel were sitting enjoying the start to the cruise neither of the could have expected what was to come. Olivia was anticipating learning whether her contract would be renewed and spending time with Alex. She never could have anticipated finding multiple dead bodies during the cruise. She and Alex had one really mice day in port but then the drama took over. Olivia felt the need to find out who was behind the deaths. Alex was concerned Olivia would put herself in danger. They were both right Olivia was able to find the culprit but did find herself in a precarious situation. Fortunately Alwx was able to come to her rescue.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia and her parrot Chico are back for another cruise. Her boyfriend Alex, head of security, is back too. Olivia is excited to be back on board especially since her contract has been renewed. What begins with the death of a crew member quickly escalates to one disaster after another. What’s going on? Will Alex, with a little help from Olivia, be able to figure this mess out? Hope my next cruise isn’t like this! Chico and his delightful antics are good for quite a few laughs! I loved this book and I can’t wait for another book in this series!

[Shelly Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berth Mark is the fifth book in the Olivia Morgan Cruise Ship Mystery series. This is another great mystery story in this popular series. Very fun and light to read. There is a nice touch of humor with thanks to Chico, who most times steals the show. This cozy mystery series has a unique and original story setting which provides plenty of scope for interesting characters to be introduced, and also gives the reader a glimpse of exotic locations. Definitely one of the better cozy mystery series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m in love with Chico! What a dynamic duo Chico and Olivia are, and their adventures make for such entertaining reading! Olivia is on pins and needles at the start, waiting to see if her contract for a Magician’s act (without Peter, the original Magician) is going to be renewed. But parrot Chico, has guests loving her act, with the help of friend Haley, who encourages her. I really enjoy this series, received a free copy from the author, and reviewed this book voluntarily.