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Sidney Marsh Mysteries #1
Shore Excursion
Travel agents may be a vanishing breed, but Sidney Marsh, a New York transplant from Mississippi, is holding her ground--at least on land. She is the tour leader on a cruise through Scandinavia to Russia for a group of eccentric senior citizens who call themselves the High Steppers. Sidney expects her days to be filled with long meals, shopping expeditions and visits to museums, churches and fjords. But this cruise is anything but routine. There is a killer on board, targeting the High Steppers and quite possibly herself. After the first suspicious death, the captain and his crew are grimly determined to carry on as usual. Disgusted with their inaction, Sidney decides to take matters into her own hands and launch her own investigation. She enlists the halfhearted help of her friend and business partner, the flamboyant and fun-loving Jay Wilson. Suspects abound. What about those two handsome young men who stay mysteriously aloof? One of them has his eye on Sidney. So does another passenger, far too charming and again too young to fit the “High Stepper” mold. Then there’s Captain Vargos, the arrogant ladies’ man whose plans to thwart Sidney’s investigation might include seduction. Who is that crew member shadowing Sidney? Is the theater really haunted? Even the High Steppers themselves are not as predictable or harmless as they seem. The closer Sydney gets to the truth, the less she understands. Shore Excursion is the first book in a new mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Sidney Marsh.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
9 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Marie Moore
7 books11 followersShore Excursion is Marie Moore’s first novel, but not her first writing experience, and like Sidney Marsh, she is a native Mississippian. She graduated from Ole Miss, married a lawyer in her hometown, taught junior high science, raised a family, and worked for a small weekly newspaper, first as a writer and later as Managing Editor. She wrote hard news, features and a weekly column, sold ads, did interviews, took photos, and won a couple of MS Press Association awards for some of her stories.
In 1985, Marie left the newspaper to open a retail travel agency. She completed agency and computer training with Airlines Reporting Corporation, Delta Airlines and TWA, earned her CTC (Certified Travel Counselor) designation, and joined the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). For the next 15 years, she managed her agency, sold travel, escorted group tours, sailed on 19 cruises, and visited over 60 countries. Much of the background of Marie's work comes from that experience.
Marie also did location scouting and worked as the local contact for several feature films, including Heart of Dixie, The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag, and Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune.
Marie and her mystery novels have been featured in Southern Writer's Magazine, Click! Magazine, and At Home Memphis and MidSouth Magazine. She has been a guest on WREG's Live at 9, BookTalk, and The Earle Farrell Show. She has given 30 minute presentations: Whodunnit? Crafting the Mystery Novel and Finding A New Career in Mid-life to numerous civic groups, senior citizens groups, libraries, and from The Balancing Act Stage as part of the program of The Southern Women's Show. She has also served on numerous panels at mystery conferences, including Malice Domestic Mystery Conference (Bethesda, MD, 2012 and 2013) and Killer Nashville Mystery Conference (2013).
Shore Excursion (April, 2012), the first book in The Sidney Marsh Murder Mystery Series, was set on a cruise ship. The second book in the series, Game Drive (April, 2013), is set in Cape Town and on safari in South Africa.
Marie is a member of Sisters in Crime.
For more info, visit her website at http://www.mariemooremysteries.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mariemooremys...
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In 1985, Marie left the newspaper to open a retail travel agency. She completed agency and computer training with Airlines Reporting Corporation, Delta Airlines and TWA, earned her CTC (Certified Travel Counselor) designation, and joined the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). For the next 15 years, she managed her agency, sold travel, escorted group tours, sailed on 19 cruises, and visited over 60 countries. Much of the background of Marie's work comes from that experience.
Marie also did location scouting and worked as the local contact for several feature films, including Heart of Dixie, The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag, and Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune.
Marie and her mystery novels have been featured in Southern Writer's Magazine, Click! Magazine, and At Home Memphis and MidSouth Magazine. She has been a guest on WREG's Live at 9, BookTalk, and The Earle Farrell Show. She has given 30 minute presentations: Whodunnit? Crafting the Mystery Novel and Finding A New Career in Mid-life to numerous civic groups, senior citizens groups, libraries, and from The Balancing Act Stage as part of the program of The Southern Women's Show. She has also served on numerous panels at mystery conferences, including Malice Domestic Mystery Conference (Bethesda, MD, 2012 and 2013) and Killer Nashville Mystery Conference (2013).
Shore Excursion (April, 2012), the first book in The Sidney Marsh Murder Mystery Series, was set on a cruise ship. The second book in the series, Game Drive (April, 2013), is set in Cape Town and on safari in South Africa.
Marie is a member of Sisters in Crime.
For more info, visit her website at http://www.mariemooremysteries.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mariemooremys...
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 15, 2019
Great start
I found this to be a fun book. It kept my interest throughout the book. Sidney and Jay are quite fun together and there bangers were like they were relatives instead of co-workers. I'm sure Sidney wasn't expecting all the drama and death in this excursion but she did try her best to play Nancy Drew. She wasn't very good at it and ended up in the most craziest dilemmas. Can't wait to see what happens in the next excursion.
I found this to be a fun book. It kept my interest throughout the book. Sidney and Jay are quite fun together and there bangers were like they were relatives instead of co-workers. I'm sure Sidney wasn't expecting all the drama and death in this excursion but she did try her best to play Nancy Drew. She wasn't very good at it and ended up in the most craziest dilemmas. Can't wait to see what happens in the next excursion.
April 3, 2012
I’ve just finished reading 'Shore Excursion' by Marie Moore and its humour and drama are still fresh in my mind. I put it at the top of my reading pile because I was asked to review it but it wasn’t hard to keep reading once I started as it’s a very entertaining book.
'Shore Excursion' is the first book in a new mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Sidney Marsh. The story follows Sidney, a Mississippi girl living in New York, who is the tour leader on a cruise through Scandinavia and Russia for a group of eccentric senior citizens, the High Steppers. This luxurious cruise is anything but routine. A killer is on board, targeting the High Steppers and quite possibly Sidney too.
When the crew refuse to treat suspicious deaths among the tour group as murder, Sidney decides to take matters into her own hands and launch her own investigation. She enlists the half-hearted help of her friend and business partner, the flamboyant and fun-loving Jay Wilson. Suspects abound. Are the captain and crew trustworthy? Is another passenger targeting the group? Even the High Steppers themselves are not as predictable or harmless as they seem. The reader is kept guessing about the answers to these questions until the final pages of the story.
Although crime novels aren’t my usual reading choice, I often get asked to review them so I have a few under my belt now and have an idea of what to expect. This book was true to the genre. It moves at a quick pace and introduces many characters in passing. But, unlike some crime novels, there is one main protagonist, Sidney, and readers view events only through her eyes. I liked Sidney and especially enjoyed her funny and accurate observations about people and situations as the story unfolded. There were a few instances, at the beginning and end of the book, when Sidney spoke directly to the reader. I found this uncomfortable and felt that it jarred me out of the story.
With a large supporting cast, the only characters that I got to know were Sidney and Jay. Sidney’s tendency to blunder into dangerous situations made me wonder why she was so foolish but the author convincingly revealed her impulsiveness and made her choices credible. Her friendship and rapport with Jay was believable and helped to lift the characters off the page. Because there were so many minor characters to introduce the author wrote a scene where Sidney made a list of the tour group members and considered whether one of them might be the murderer. I thought this device was a bit contrived. I would have preferred the author to provide a few details about each minor character when they appeared in the story.
Set primarily on a cruise ship sailing from Scandinavia to Russia, the novel had lots of scope to jump from one locale to another. The place descriptions gave enough detail to set the scene but did not hinder the story. They added exciting backdrops but stayed in the background.
I’ve never been on a cruise ship so I gleaned an insight into this alien world and I enjoyed reading about the glamorous life the passengers experienced and the trials and tribulations of the cruise staff coping with them. There was occasionally too much detail about the workings of a cruise but this only distracted me momentarily.
I found the plot plausible and easy to follow. The action moved along at a pace that kept me reading but I didn’t solve the murders before the end. The only criticism I have of the plot is that the timeline seemed out of sync in one scene. While the ship was in Copenhagen Sidney went to a rendezvous arranged for around midnight in Tivoli Gardens but a few pages earlier it stated that the ship was due to leave port around midnight. Wondering about this discrepancy distracted me briefly.
'Shore Excursion' is a crime novel that focusses on people and relationships rather than violence and gore. There’s suspense, humour, romance and action. It entertained me and made me laugh while I also pondered ‘who dunnit’. I think this novel will especially appeal to women as it’s a good story about a strong female character with some crime and mystery thrown in.
'Shore Excursion' is the first book in a new mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Sidney Marsh. The story follows Sidney, a Mississippi girl living in New York, who is the tour leader on a cruise through Scandinavia and Russia for a group of eccentric senior citizens, the High Steppers. This luxurious cruise is anything but routine. A killer is on board, targeting the High Steppers and quite possibly Sidney too.
When the crew refuse to treat suspicious deaths among the tour group as murder, Sidney decides to take matters into her own hands and launch her own investigation. She enlists the half-hearted help of her friend and business partner, the flamboyant and fun-loving Jay Wilson. Suspects abound. Are the captain and crew trustworthy? Is another passenger targeting the group? Even the High Steppers themselves are not as predictable or harmless as they seem. The reader is kept guessing about the answers to these questions until the final pages of the story.
Although crime novels aren’t my usual reading choice, I often get asked to review them so I have a few under my belt now and have an idea of what to expect. This book was true to the genre. It moves at a quick pace and introduces many characters in passing. But, unlike some crime novels, there is one main protagonist, Sidney, and readers view events only through her eyes. I liked Sidney and especially enjoyed her funny and accurate observations about people and situations as the story unfolded. There were a few instances, at the beginning and end of the book, when Sidney spoke directly to the reader. I found this uncomfortable and felt that it jarred me out of the story.
With a large supporting cast, the only characters that I got to know were Sidney and Jay. Sidney’s tendency to blunder into dangerous situations made me wonder why she was so foolish but the author convincingly revealed her impulsiveness and made her choices credible. Her friendship and rapport with Jay was believable and helped to lift the characters off the page. Because there were so many minor characters to introduce the author wrote a scene where Sidney made a list of the tour group members and considered whether one of them might be the murderer. I thought this device was a bit contrived. I would have preferred the author to provide a few details about each minor character when they appeared in the story.
Set primarily on a cruise ship sailing from Scandinavia to Russia, the novel had lots of scope to jump from one locale to another. The place descriptions gave enough detail to set the scene but did not hinder the story. They added exciting backdrops but stayed in the background.
I’ve never been on a cruise ship so I gleaned an insight into this alien world and I enjoyed reading about the glamorous life the passengers experienced and the trials and tribulations of the cruise staff coping with them. There was occasionally too much detail about the workings of a cruise but this only distracted me momentarily.
I found the plot plausible and easy to follow. The action moved along at a pace that kept me reading but I didn’t solve the murders before the end. The only criticism I have of the plot is that the timeline seemed out of sync in one scene. While the ship was in Copenhagen Sidney went to a rendezvous arranged for around midnight in Tivoli Gardens but a few pages earlier it stated that the ship was due to leave port around midnight. Wondering about this discrepancy distracted me briefly.
'Shore Excursion' is a crime novel that focusses on people and relationships rather than violence and gore. There’s suspense, humour, romance and action. It entertained me and made me laugh while I also pondered ‘who dunnit’. I think this novel will especially appeal to women as it’s a good story about a strong female character with some crime and mystery thrown in.
March 29, 2012
Shore Excursion by Marie Moore is what would have happened if Nancy Drew had decided to become a travel agent. When Sidney Marsh set out as tour leader on a cruise, she had no idea what she was actually going to stumble across. When one of her High Steppers, the group she is leading on vacation, is obviously a victim of murder, Sidney is forced to take find out what really happened. The captain, the on-board doctor, and the whole cruise line refuse to acknowledge foul play, and write it off as suicide, it really is all up to Sidney.
The problem with trying to find a killer that no one wants to acknowledge even exists is that finding out information is difficult. It is even harder if all the officials are trying to cover up the crime, and blocking any investigation at all points. For Sidney, she also has to battle her attraction to the person standing in the middle of her investigation.
Sidney Marsh is stubborn and sassy, and I love it. Sidney loves her job as a travel agent, and she gets to visit amazing cities throughout the world. The price for doing what she loves is that she has to chauffeur a group of elderly travelers called the High Steppers. She is not doing this alone, she has her co-leader Jay working with her. He is big, and flamboyant and very funny.
I love the way Marie Moore writes Sidney, and expresses her determination to find out what is happening on her cruise. About the time I thought I knew what was going on, the story takes a twist I did not see coming. Growing up a fan of Nancy Drew, I really love a good mystery with a few twists, and Marie Moore pulls it off wonderfully. I recommend this book to any mystery fans, especially those of us who grew up on Nancy Drew.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book from Tribute Books, in exchange for an honest review**
The problem with trying to find a killer that no one wants to acknowledge even exists is that finding out information is difficult. It is even harder if all the officials are trying to cover up the crime, and blocking any investigation at all points. For Sidney, she also has to battle her attraction to the person standing in the middle of her investigation.
Sidney Marsh is stubborn and sassy, and I love it. Sidney loves her job as a travel agent, and she gets to visit amazing cities throughout the world. The price for doing what she loves is that she has to chauffeur a group of elderly travelers called the High Steppers. She is not doing this alone, she has her co-leader Jay working with her. He is big, and flamboyant and very funny.
I love the way Marie Moore writes Sidney, and expresses her determination to find out what is happening on her cruise. About the time I thought I knew what was going on, the story takes a twist I did not see coming. Growing up a fan of Nancy Drew, I really love a good mystery with a few twists, and Marie Moore pulls it off wonderfully. I recommend this book to any mystery fans, especially those of us who grew up on Nancy Drew.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book from Tribute Books, in exchange for an honest review**
March 11, 2012
Moore does a superb job of luring the reader to cruise ship and her eccentric cast of characters. Sidney is a likable yet quirky heroine who I quickly came to love. From the men vying for her attentions to not knowing who would end up dead next, Moore leads us on a merry chase happily trying to figure out whodunnit, yet wanting to jump ship. Graced with humor, a striking cast of characters, masterful deception and really good writing, I can't wait for the next in this appealing new series!
September 28, 2021
Travel agent? Well, maybe, but then what's the difference between a TA, group or tour escort and a tour guide. And I had to wonder at the description of this travel agency. Sounded like the local or statewide kind of the late 70s, 80s and some of the 90s, where they could get lots of dedicated groups together and provide an escort, but two escorts. It was only 22 passengers, and really 21 because silver slipper guy could never be counted. The most they'd get was 1/2 a double cabin free--never two singles. One had to be paid for and Jay moving in with Sid would never produce a refund. And who paid for those airfares? 21 passengers isn't enough for a freeby with the airlines. Passes? And while we're talking about airlines, I can't believe she'd flown enough to 'know' the crew. And I doubt for the time period this is suppose to take place in that there would ever be an empty seat in business. Frequent Flyers soak up those seats 364 and 3/4 days before departure.
I'm not going to talk about St Petersburg and the willy nilly way passengers were getting off the ship to do whatever, but the whole thing at the end, well, it was said that the ship had a stop in Estonia before returning to England, so offering that dismal little ride around to the airport was hardly making it up. But who was paying for the extended flight out of St Pete? They were supposed to fly out of London. Why would the airline do anything, they weren't involved in the goings-on of the ship? WAS the cruiseline okay with them flying home early? Diana would have a lot more to pay for than airfare changes. Oh, and as mentioned in the beginning about how good Sid was a airfare construction, getting 2 extra stopovers. Again for the time period, not help desk, most airlines would demand the rate desk have a look.
Well, okay, the mystery--not too bad, convoluted more than twists, and a lot of odd romantic notions interrupting it before an explained ending.
I'm not going to talk about St Petersburg and the willy nilly way passengers were getting off the ship to do whatever, but the whole thing at the end, well, it was said that the ship had a stop in Estonia before returning to England, so offering that dismal little ride around to the airport was hardly making it up. But who was paying for the extended flight out of St Pete? They were supposed to fly out of London. Why would the airline do anything, they weren't involved in the goings-on of the ship? WAS the cruiseline okay with them flying home early? Diana would have a lot more to pay for than airfare changes. Oh, and as mentioned in the beginning about how good Sid was a airfare construction, getting 2 extra stopovers. Again for the time period, not help desk, most airlines would demand the rate desk have a look.
Well, okay, the mystery--not too bad, convoluted more than twists, and a lot of odd romantic notions interrupting it before an explained ending.
April 21, 2012
Sidney Marsh left Mississippi for the Big Apple and has never looked back. She spends her time as a travel agent and a lot of her travel agent time is spent shepherding tours throughout the world. Sidney's specialty is acting as the tour specialist for senior citizens tours; specifically the High Steppers. She has been on several tours with this group of friends.
This trip they are headed to the northern European countries; Denmark, Sweden, Russia. But someone else has boarded the cruise ship and they spell danger. One of the High Stepper women is killed, although the cruise ship tries to hush it up. Then another High Stepper, this one a male, is killed. Who is trying to kill these innocuous senior citizens, and why would they be targets? Sidney is determined to find out since the authorities don't seem interested in anything except sweeping the murders under the rug so that the tour can go on.
There are plenty of suspects. There are some younger men who are touring with the group, and why would interesting, attractive young men want to spend time with those of an older generation? Then there is the cruise ship captain. One minute he seems to be interested in Sidney, the next he is ordering her around and thwarting her investigations. There's the blonde bombshell who flirts with all the men, and even Sidney's best friend Jay is acting suspicious. Can Sidney find the killer before anyone else is killed?
This is a debut mystery from Marie Moore. It is written in the cozy, light-hearted style of a Joan Hess or Carolyn Hart. The narrative is written in first-person style from Sidney's perspective. Along with an engaging mystery, readers learn tidbits about successful cruising. Shore Excursion is the first novel in a series, and readers will be interested to see what Ms. Moore serves up next. This book is recommended for mystery readers interested in light crime dramas.
This trip they are headed to the northern European countries; Denmark, Sweden, Russia. But someone else has boarded the cruise ship and they spell danger. One of the High Stepper women is killed, although the cruise ship tries to hush it up. Then another High Stepper, this one a male, is killed. Who is trying to kill these innocuous senior citizens, and why would they be targets? Sidney is determined to find out since the authorities don't seem interested in anything except sweeping the murders under the rug so that the tour can go on.
There are plenty of suspects. There are some younger men who are touring with the group, and why would interesting, attractive young men want to spend time with those of an older generation? Then there is the cruise ship captain. One minute he seems to be interested in Sidney, the next he is ordering her around and thwarting her investigations. There's the blonde bombshell who flirts with all the men, and even Sidney's best friend Jay is acting suspicious. Can Sidney find the killer before anyone else is killed?
This is a debut mystery from Marie Moore. It is written in the cozy, light-hearted style of a Joan Hess or Carolyn Hart. The narrative is written in first-person style from Sidney's perspective. Along with an engaging mystery, readers learn tidbits about successful cruising. Shore Excursion is the first novel in a series, and readers will be interested to see what Ms. Moore serves up next. This book is recommended for mystery readers interested in light crime dramas.
March 17, 2012
Native Mississippian, Sidney Marsh, is part of a vanishing breed – a travel agent living in New York. Most people book their trips online, but Sidney is determined to prove that that the more traditional travel agent is still necessary. Her latest assignment is to escort a group of eccentric senior citizens, known as the “High Steppers” on a cruise through Scandinavia. Sidney envisions a peaceful trip filled with museums, tours and shopping but what she ends up with is dead bodies turning up all around her and targeting the “High Steppers”!
Along with her business associate and best friend, Jay Wilson, they try to figure out who could be responsible for such horrible crimes. The captain of the ship, as well as his staff, do not seem interested and want to keep things hush hush. This does not suit Sidney at all, even though Jay warns her to stay out of it. Sidney feels responsible for the safety of her tour group, but when her own life is in danger, she starts to have second thoughts and doesn’t know who to trust.
This is an exciting suspense/thriller with all the ingredients to keep readers at the edge of their seat. It has romance, adventure and quite a bit of mystery all tossed into one huge, compelling story. I have to admit, the killer’s identity surprised me. Just when you think the book has come to a satisfying conclusion, Ms. Moore throws in a curveball you won’t see coming. I know I didn’t and I can usually figure these things out.
This is the first book in the Sidney Marsh series and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for the blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Along with her business associate and best friend, Jay Wilson, they try to figure out who could be responsible for such horrible crimes. The captain of the ship, as well as his staff, do not seem interested and want to keep things hush hush. This does not suit Sidney at all, even though Jay warns her to stay out of it. Sidney feels responsible for the safety of her tour group, but when her own life is in danger, she starts to have second thoughts and doesn’t know who to trust.
This is an exciting suspense/thriller with all the ingredients to keep readers at the edge of their seat. It has romance, adventure and quite a bit of mystery all tossed into one huge, compelling story. I have to admit, the killer’s identity surprised me. Just when you think the book has come to a satisfying conclusion, Ms. Moore throws in a curveball you won’t see coming. I know I didn’t and I can usually figure these things out.
This is the first book in the Sidney Marsh series and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for the blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 7, 2012
Marie Moore has written Shore Excursion which combines both my desire for a cruise in with my love of a mystery. See she already has me as a captive audience. Yesterday I had to take Granny M to the eye doctor. Now that is a tale to tell in itself. But it did give me a lil more time to finish the last of Marie's book. Sitting in the car with the sun beaming down on me was wonderful. I could just feel the warmth and imagine what it would be like at sea. Of course if I had to be on the cruise that Sidney Marsh was on in Shore Excursion with her group of High Steppers, I would have been jumping ship in no time. Why? Well heck what would you do it people kept showing up strangled? Top it off with the cryptic warnings to back off when you know you have to find out what happened. Sidney is one tough cookie compared to me. That would be adios job and hello a quick flight home. I know, I know, I am a chicken. That is why I love reading mysteries with strong characters. They can do what I wish I could do. Granny M would have fit right in with the group, High Steppers. This set of 'older adults' do not let too much faze them when it comes to having a great time. I have to say for a first time book, this was really good. Marie Moore is use to writing having been a reporter for many years. Add in her career as a travel agent, she married her love of travel and writing into a great excursion. I think you might really enjoy reading this one. It will be coming out April 1st so look out for it.
March 21, 2012
This was a fun cozy mystery to read and you got to learn a little about a lot of foreign places on the way. You know how when you first start to read a book you begin to picture the characters in your head? For some reason, I was never able to do this with Sydney. She didn't seem to be hung up on her looks at all, but seemed to get her share of attention from the opposite sex and evidently cleaned up nicely. I just could never get a picture of her in my head!
At first there were a lot of characters because of all the High Steppers, but I quickly sorted out who was who. They seemed like they would be an interesting lot to travel with, with all of their quirkiness.
I thought that I had it all figured out and that it was taking Sydney, with Jay's on again, off again help, an awfully long time to catch up to what was going on. But, as usual, I was wrong. I liked Sydney and the fact that she didn't really take herself too seriously. She enjoys her work as a travel agent and gets along well with the High Steppers, even though the majority of them are much older than herself. She trusts her instincts when it comes to men, and this usually lands her in hot water as her instincts are pretty fallible. I think this makes her a little less confident in her professional life than she should be. What she should do is trust her business instincts and question her personal ones!
All in all it was an enjoyable read and I would definitely read another Sydney Marsh mystery!
At first there were a lot of characters because of all the High Steppers, but I quickly sorted out who was who. They seemed like they would be an interesting lot to travel with, with all of their quirkiness.
I thought that I had it all figured out and that it was taking Sydney, with Jay's on again, off again help, an awfully long time to catch up to what was going on. But, as usual, I was wrong. I liked Sydney and the fact that she didn't really take herself too seriously. She enjoys her work as a travel agent and gets along well with the High Steppers, even though the majority of them are much older than herself. She trusts her instincts when it comes to men, and this usually lands her in hot water as her instincts are pretty fallible. I think this makes her a little less confident in her professional life than she should be. What she should do is trust her business instincts and question her personal ones!
All in all it was an enjoyable read and I would definitely read another Sydney Marsh mystery!
March 6, 2012
I enjoyed this quick read. Sidney’s a good character, persistent,intelligent for the most part, and she truly enjoys her job. I also like that the need for her amateur investigation makes sense. The cruise company doesn’t want to deal with the murder, so they label it suicide and go one with routine. Sidney knows that’s not the case and can’t relax and just let it go. She has to find out the truth. She feels like she owes it to the dead woman and needs to keep the other members of her party safe.
The characters really are the highlight for me in this mystery. Jay is the group’s other tour leader, and he is just hilarious, from his costumes to his late nights, he’s a wonderful foil for Sidney. But they’re best friends and in the end will support each other. The High Steppers themselves are an interesting group. A couple are annoying, some are sweet, some are rich, some save every penny for these trips. I like that Sidney and Jay appreciate their clients, enjoy them for the most part.
Shore Excursion took me on a cruise filled with danger, secrets, excitement and intrigue. I can’t wait to go on another trip with Sidney.
The characters really are the highlight for me in this mystery. Jay is the group’s other tour leader, and he is just hilarious, from his costumes to his late nights, he’s a wonderful foil for Sidney. But they’re best friends and in the end will support each other. The High Steppers themselves are an interesting group. A couple are annoying, some are sweet, some are rich, some save every penny for these trips. I like that Sidney and Jay appreciate their clients, enjoy them for the most part.
Shore Excursion took me on a cruise filled with danger, secrets, excitement and intrigue. I can’t wait to go on another trip with Sidney.
March 2, 2012
I haven't read a good mystery in awhile and this was a nice, entertaining read. I was left guessing throughout most of the book as to who the culprit was. I was pretty much dead wrong once everything was revealed. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way.
Sidney Marsh is the lovely protagonist in the book and she is a likeable character aside from her poor decision-making skills when it comes to men :) But we've all been there, right? She's a travel agent for the High Steppers who are a varied and quirky group of (mostly) senior citizens. She has taken them on quite a few world vacations over the years and all has been fine until this particular cruise. It's not long before one of the High Steppers turns up dead and that is just the beginning.
This was a satifsying mystery novel. The plot unfolds smoothly and I loved the varied cast of characters. I do wish there had been a little more romance thrown in. There were the beginnings of some romantic-y situations, but I would have liked them to be fleshed out a bit more. That being said, I enjoyed the book and am curious where Sidney's next mystery/adventure will take her :)
Sidney Marsh is the lovely protagonist in the book and she is a likeable character aside from her poor decision-making skills when it comes to men :) But we've all been there, right? She's a travel agent for the High Steppers who are a varied and quirky group of (mostly) senior citizens. She has taken them on quite a few world vacations over the years and all has been fine until this particular cruise. It's not long before one of the High Steppers turns up dead and that is just the beginning.
This was a satifsying mystery novel. The plot unfolds smoothly and I loved the varied cast of characters. I do wish there had been a little more romance thrown in. There were the beginnings of some romantic-y situations, but I would have liked them to be fleshed out a bit more. That being said, I enjoyed the book and am curious where Sidney's next mystery/adventure will take her :)
March 28, 2012
Sidney Marsh thought when she went on another High Stepper cruise for the travel agency she works, Itchy Feet Travel, it would be a piece of cake. Didn't happen. The High Steppers are a group of geriatric men and women who have nothing better to do than take cruises, so this was not the first cruise for Sidney and her co worker Jay with this group of people. Weird happenings, dead bodies that even the captain and crew are not too concerned with. Sidney feels different and starts an investigation of her own which seems to rub certain people the wrong way and puts her and Jay and her clients in danger. This is a cute little mystery of a woman who has a hard time following orders and gets in lots of trouble along the way. I enjoyed this book, but what I especially liked was the fact that the author obviously knew what she was talking about as far as the ins and outs of the travel industry and she even threw in a few tips as far as safe travel.
March 1, 2016
This book rocks, it's full of mystery when High Steppers begin to die mysteriously and the ships Captain keeps trying to cover it up. It's up Sidney to find out what is going on. It involves a mysterious red bag, people who aren't who they claim to be and High Steppers getting in the way. This book was fabulous I loved how every time Sidney tried to figure it out another clue was thrown out there. Like the mysterious homeless man in NY who winds up on one of the Shore Excursions. How the Doctor on the ship knows one family way to well. And then there is Sidney getting threatened to back off. Sidney is not one to take a back seat to funny business going on and she cares too much for the High Steppers to sit back and do nothing!
December 8, 2018
Full Review posted on Book Lovin Mamas
Marie Moore created some fascinating characters in this book, and I have no idea how she kept up with them all, but I adored every one of them. I even felt terrible with the characters that were killed — the whole time I was rooting for Sidney to solve the mystery so we could have some closure.
I look forward to reading the next Sidney Marsh mystery from Marie Moore. If you love mysteries and want to take a ride on a cruise ship (not literally of course) to solve a murder mystery or two, then you need to read this book.
Marie Moore created some fascinating characters in this book, and I have no idea how she kept up with them all, but I adored every one of them. I even felt terrible with the characters that were killed — the whole time I was rooting for Sidney to solve the mystery so we could have some closure.
I look forward to reading the next Sidney Marsh mystery from Marie Moore. If you love mysteries and want to take a ride on a cruise ship (not literally of course) to solve a murder mystery or two, then you need to read this book.
March 22, 2012
Shore Excursion is the debut mystery novel by Marie Moore. It is the first book in the series starring Sidney Marsh, a 26 year old Travel Agent for Itchy Feet Travel. She gets to travel all over the world with a senior citizen group called the High Steppers. They are a colorful cast of characters ranging from the eloquently reserved to loud and boisterous. Joined by her fun-loving business partner and best friend, Jay, they lead the group on an exciting cruise from Scandinavia to Russia. What Sidney and the High Steppers hoped to be a relaxing adventure abroad turns into anything but...
http://www.simplystacie.net/2012/03/b...
http://www.simplystacie.net/2012/03/b...
March 14, 2015
High drama on the high seas, not as cheesy as that makes it seem. A strong cozy mystery plot complete with twists. A diverse cast of characters makes this a fun and fast read. The travel agent/cruise ship/murder tale description can be obtained from Amazon's trailer, so I won't take your time with that. The travel agent tips and vignettes were interesting and limited enough so as not to distract, but to educate. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next Sidney Lanier Marsh adventure.
March 14, 2012
This was a delightful little mystery that will amuse most lovers of the cozy mystery genre and of Agatha Christie’s stories.
What I especially enjoyed about the book was that the murders take place above a cruise ship, which means that there is only a set amount of people who could be the culprits. I’ve always enjoyed mysteries like that. Although this one is not quite up to Christie’s cleverness, it did remind me a bit of Murder on the Orient Express. Something else that made it an interesting read, much more so than other mysteries I’ve read in the past, is that the author added a bunch of fascinating little facts about the travel business and about travel agents.
To me, however, the ending was a bit abrupt. This is not unusual in this genre, but still, I’d rather have a longer book than one that rushed through the conclusion, especially when the author has done such a nice job of building atmosphere. I think that was the biggest fault I saw, apart from a few grammatical mistakes.
I can easily recommend this to mystery lovers. It’d make a great beach read. I, for one, will be looking forward to the next book in the series.
What I especially enjoyed about the book was that the murders take place above a cruise ship, which means that there is only a set amount of people who could be the culprits. I’ve always enjoyed mysteries like that. Although this one is not quite up to Christie’s cleverness, it did remind me a bit of Murder on the Orient Express. Something else that made it an interesting read, much more so than other mysteries I’ve read in the past, is that the author added a bunch of fascinating little facts about the travel business and about travel agents.
To me, however, the ending was a bit abrupt. This is not unusual in this genre, but still, I’d rather have a longer book than one that rushed through the conclusion, especially when the author has done such a nice job of building atmosphere. I think that was the biggest fault I saw, apart from a few grammatical mistakes.
I can easily recommend this to mystery lovers. It’d make a great beach read. I, for one, will be looking forward to the next book in the series.
March 24, 2014
Cruising May not be good for your health.
A pleasant mystery with interesting characters, a little history/sightseeing thrown in, and a smart heroine. Sidney Lanier Marsh, a travel guide, and her cohort, Jay, find themselves as tour guides for the Highsteppers. This group of retirees proves to be as hard to keep up with as a herd of cats! Murders, muggings, and a handsome Greek ship's captain keep things moving. I will buy #2 when it becomes available.
A pleasant mystery with interesting characters, a little history/sightseeing thrown in, and a smart heroine. Sidney Lanier Marsh, a travel guide, and her cohort, Jay, find themselves as tour guides for the Highsteppers. This group of retirees proves to be as hard to keep up with as a herd of cats! Murders, muggings, and a handsome Greek ship's captain keep things moving. I will buy #2 when it becomes available.
January 23, 2012
*Copy received for review through Tribute Books*
This has the makings of a really great mystery, but it wasn't quite there. Needed tightening up, better editing, etc. Maybe just wasn't quite ready to be published?
A really fun heroine, though, so hopefully future books will be tighter and cleaner (editing/writing-wise).
This has the makings of a really great mystery, but it wasn't quite there. Needed tightening up, better editing, etc. Maybe just wasn't quite ready to be published?
A really fun heroine, though, so hopefully future books will be tighter and cleaner (editing/writing-wise).
July 28, 2012
As a former travel agent, I have to say Marie Moore knew her stuff and made the setting just perfect as if we were on that very cruise ship. An enjoyable mystery read that I believe will appeal to others who like a good mystery. And just like a good mystery/thriller, there’s a twist in the plot that will keep you guessing until the end.
June 23, 2014
I chose this debut novel because - while visiting our daughter in Mississippi- I read a profile of this new author in the local paper. As a cruiser I was curious. It's a very quick and easy read with enough twists to make the mystery worthwhile. I would recommend it. Lots of humor - with a large dash of " southern"!
March 22, 2014
Simple yet effective 'whodunit'
Pretty good mystery with colorful characters and a nice twist at the ending. I particularly like the use of a cruise and its ship as a backdrop.
Pretty good mystery with colorful characters and a nice twist at the ending. I particularly like the use of a cruise and its ship as a backdrop.
April 3, 2014
Good first novel with well drawn characters and dialogue. The plot was a bit thin and convoluted in spots but overall it was enjoyable.
April 14, 2014
very good
May 4, 2014
Pleasant reading. Those who like "people solvers" will appreciate this. I liked the "senior citizen" angle. ©2011 TTS-enabled eBook.
November 2, 2015
Review to come
November 16, 2015
Excellent beginning but bogged down a bit in the middle. Nice wrap-up at end. Surprised by who the killer turned out 2B.
May 11, 2017
Picked this novel to read for a challenge and it didn't disappoint. It had all the good characteristics of a good cozy mystery with a slight touch of adult themes through out without being too vivid.
I think I will read book two in the series to see what else Sidney Marsh can get up to.
I think I will read book two in the series to see what else Sidney Marsh can get up to.
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