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Amy's Travel Mystery #1
Toured to Death
Book a ticket with this all-new mystery series featuring Amy and Fanny Abel, a spunky mother-and-daughter duo of travel agents who find their mystery tour becoming all too real. . .
while Fanny takes care of the business end of Amy's Travel in New York City, Amy is traipsing around Monte Carlo, managing their first mystery-themed excursion, a road rally in which guests compete to solve a fictional murder along the way. Amy still has reservations about partnering up with her mother. But both women, having lost the men in their lives, need a fresh beginning.
The trip starts off without a hitch. Clues quickly mount, the competition is lively, and just when the suspense is peaking, the writer they hired to script their made-up mystery is found murdered in his New York apartment. Suddenly, on top of running a new venture together, mother and daughter must solve a real-life case of foul play, while trying not to drive each other bonkers. But Amy and Fanny are ready, willing, and Abel to track down a clever killer with some serious emotional baggage, one who will go to any lengths to keep dark secrets from seeing the light of day. . .
while Fanny takes care of the business end of Amy's Travel in New York City, Amy is traipsing around Monte Carlo, managing their first mystery-themed excursion, a road rally in which guests compete to solve a fictional murder along the way. Amy still has reservations about partnering up with her mother. But both women, having lost the men in their lives, need a fresh beginning.
The trip starts off without a hitch. Clues quickly mount, the competition is lively, and just when the suspense is peaking, the writer they hired to script their made-up mystery is found murdered in his New York apartment. Suddenly, on top of running a new venture together, mother and daughter must solve a real-life case of foul play, while trying not to drive each other bonkers. But Amy and Fanny are ready, willing, and Abel to track down a clever killer with some serious emotional baggage, one who will go to any lengths to keep dark secrets from seeing the light of day. . .
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2012
57 people are currently reading
823 people want to read
About the author
Hy Conrad
46 books166 followersHY CONRAD has made a career out of murder, earning the 2022 Independent Press Award for Best Mystery (“The Fixer’s Daughter”) and 2022 NYC Big Book Awards for Best Mystery Series (“The Fixer’s Daughter,” “Sins of the Family”), a Scribe Award for Best Novel (“Mr. Monk Helps Himself”) and garnering three Edgar nominations from the Mystery Writers of America (for the “Monk” TV series). Along the way, he developed a horde of popular games and interactive films, hundreds of short stories and a dozen books of solvable mysteries, published in over 15 languages. Hy is best known for his eight seasons as writer/co-executive producer for the ground-breaking TV series, “Monk.” Other shows include “White Collar” and “The Good Cop.”
As a novelist, Hy authored the final four books in the Monk series, the Amy Travel Mysteries (“Toured to Death,” “Dearly Departed” and “Death on the Patagonian Express”) and the Callie McFee Mysteries (“The Fixer’s Daughter,” a Barnes & Noble bestseller and “Sins of the Family”).
In the world of theatre, his produced works consist of “Home Exchange” (a mystery), “Ta-Dah!” (a musical), and “Quarantine for Two” (a socially distanced dark comedy about the pandemic).
When he looks up from his keyboard, Hy sees either the hills of Vermont or the palm trees of Key West, depending on the time of year. He also sees Jeff Johnson, his partner of 43 years, now his husband, plus Nelson and Stella, the latest in a dynasty of mini-schnauzers.
www.hyconrad.com
Facebook: hyconrad
Instagram: hyconrad1
As a novelist, Hy authored the final four books in the Monk series, the Amy Travel Mysteries (“Toured to Death,” “Dearly Departed” and “Death on the Patagonian Express”) and the Callie McFee Mysteries (“The Fixer’s Daughter,” a Barnes & Noble bestseller and “Sins of the Family”).
In the world of theatre, his produced works consist of “Home Exchange” (a mystery), “Ta-Dah!” (a musical), and “Quarantine for Two” (a socially distanced dark comedy about the pandemic).
When he looks up from his keyboard, Hy sees either the hills of Vermont or the palm trees of Key West, depending on the time of year. He also sees Jeff Johnson, his partner of 43 years, now his husband, plus Nelson and Stella, the latest in a dynasty of mini-schnauzers.
www.hyconrad.com
Facebook: hyconrad
Instagram: hyconrad1
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
December 21, 2014
Amy, a travel agent, takes a group of tourist on a mystery vacation where they play a game of who-dun-it all over Europe. It starts off a huge success until secrets come out about some of her clients and the fact that her murder game may be based off of a real murder. But she shoulders and gives her clients the bang for their bucks by continuing the game despite attacks, break-ins and more. But things get out of control when one of her clients end up dead and another accused of the murder. Someone is going through great measures to cover up a big secret and now Amy, and her mom, is set on finding out the truth and saving her client from jail time.
This wasn't quite the cozy mystery I was hoping it to be but I am beginning to like Hy Conrad's writing. This was a well thought out mystery with more twist and turns to keep me turning the page. What I thought would be a few chapters before bed turned into an all-nighter...due to the careful plot, moving pace, descriptive but not boring details. I must say though, I did have a hard time getting to know and like Amy. Not sure what turned me off but a few times, I wished someone could have knocked some PI sense into her. I felt like her mother made a much better detective (and friend) than her. But overall, it was a fun and entertaining read.
This wasn't quite the cozy mystery I was hoping it to be but I am beginning to like Hy Conrad's writing. This was a well thought out mystery with more twist and turns to keep me turning the page. What I thought would be a few chapters before bed turned into an all-nighter...due to the careful plot, moving pace, descriptive but not boring details. I must say though, I did have a hard time getting to know and like Amy. Not sure what turned me off but a few times, I wished someone could have knocked some PI sense into her. I felt like her mother made a much better detective (and friend) than her. But overall, it was a fun and entertaining read.
January 31, 2015
I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries, and I love to travel, so when I saw the first book in a new series that combines the two, I was very excited to read it.
Amy and her mother, Fanny, have started a travel agency that takes murder mystery dinners and parties to the extreme -- group tours with a murder mystery for the group members to figure out before the tour ends. The descriptions of the settings made me want to book my next vacation, and I liked most of the characters, but the story itself seemed painfully slow in some places and incredibly rushed in others. It also seemed a bit disjointed, jumping from one situation to another without much transition or explanation, so it was hard to follow at times. That said, I liked the book enough that I will probably look for and read the next in the series when it becomes available.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amy and her mother, Fanny, have started a travel agency that takes murder mystery dinners and parties to the extreme -- group tours with a murder mystery for the group members to figure out before the tour ends. The descriptions of the settings made me want to book my next vacation, and I liked most of the characters, but the story itself seemed painfully slow in some places and incredibly rushed in others. It also seemed a bit disjointed, jumping from one situation to another without much transition or explanation, so it was hard to follow at times. That said, I liked the book enough that I will probably look for and read the next in the series when it becomes available.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2015
Fanny and Amy, a mother and daughter team open a travel agency. They booked a mystery rally tour starting at Monte Carlo and ending Rome. Amy has the clues from the writer so she can place them each day. Before Amy learms the tour is based on an event that occurred 5years ago. She is dismayed to learned the writer was MURDER in New York. In order to saved the tour Amy needs to find the answer. I found the characters interesting as yougo along the race. I had some difficulty in the begining but before long I found it hard tobput the book down.
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kinsington Books through Netgalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions are my own.
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kinsington Books through Netgalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions are my own.
February 5, 2016
Dollycas’s Thoughts
A traveling whodunit based on a real case, sign me up!
Amy and Fanny are trying to pump some life into Amy’s Travel. Amy hires a man to write a murder mystery game for a tour she has booked to Europe. It will be more of a rally than a race. There are 6 teams of 4, each representing a character in the mystery. Each day the guests will find and follow the clues to try to be able to solve the whodunit by the time they reach the final stop. Sounds like fun but soon there are extra clues, a hotel break-in, and rocks flying. One of the guests thinks the mystery is based on a real life murder. An investigation they were part of… Then Amy learns from Fanny the author of the mystery has been killed. She hopes everything she needs to complete the tour has been sent, but when one of the group dies suspiciously, the game fades. The group realizes their is a killer among them. An arrest is made but has the killer been caught?
This was a entertaining read. The guests on the tour are an eclectic bunch, from a couple with their teenage sons, a wealthy socialite and her “companion”, an uncle with his 12 year old niece, and even a judge.
The story itself is broken into 2 parts. The first is the game and the time abroad, part 2 takes place after Amy and some of the guests return to the states. Amy tries to track the original case and determine if and how it relates to the new cases. It has to be the same person/s for all 3, or does it? The author throws some clever twists throughout the book and a really good one at the end. I had it narrowed down to one or two people myself, but he surprised me with the details.
A quick read, a good pace, great characters, beautiful settings. This was an enjoyable excursion. I am looking forward now to Dearly Departed.
A traveling whodunit based on a real case, sign me up!
Amy and Fanny are trying to pump some life into Amy’s Travel. Amy hires a man to write a murder mystery game for a tour she has booked to Europe. It will be more of a rally than a race. There are 6 teams of 4, each representing a character in the mystery. Each day the guests will find and follow the clues to try to be able to solve the whodunit by the time they reach the final stop. Sounds like fun but soon there are extra clues, a hotel break-in, and rocks flying. One of the guests thinks the mystery is based on a real life murder. An investigation they were part of… Then Amy learns from Fanny the author of the mystery has been killed. She hopes everything she needs to complete the tour has been sent, but when one of the group dies suspiciously, the game fades. The group realizes their is a killer among them. An arrest is made but has the killer been caught?
This was a entertaining read. The guests on the tour are an eclectic bunch, from a couple with their teenage sons, a wealthy socialite and her “companion”, an uncle with his 12 year old niece, and even a judge.
The story itself is broken into 2 parts. The first is the game and the time abroad, part 2 takes place after Amy and some of the guests return to the states. Amy tries to track the original case and determine if and how it relates to the new cases. It has to be the same person/s for all 3, or does it? The author throws some clever twists throughout the book and a really good one at the end. I had it narrowed down to one or two people myself, but he surprised me with the details.
A quick read, a good pace, great characters, beautiful settings. This was an enjoyable excursion. I am looking forward now to Dearly Departed.
August 27, 2016
This is the first book in the amys travel mystery series . Amy and her mother organize a murder mystery tour . The tour seems to be going well with the guests competing and putting the clues together. But when an actual murder takes place with it being very similar to the murder the game is based off of it is more than a coincidence. Amy sets out to find the killer and find the connection to the murder that happened years before.
I really wanted to like this book. It looked so interesting. It was a good concept. I love the idea of a murder mystery tour. However the plot was scattered and all over the place. I won't be continuing with this series .
I really wanted to like this book. It looked so interesting. It was a good concept. I love the idea of a murder mystery tour. However the plot was scattered and all over the place. I won't be continuing with this series .
January 4, 2024
Toured to Death by Hy Conrad is the first book in the Amy's Travel Mystery series. Mother and daughter, Amy and Fanny Abel run Amy's Travel in New York City and are holding their first mystery themed tour in Europe, when one of the participants is poisoned with cyanide following shortly after the murder of the script writer of the mystery. An interesting mystery but rather drawn out as the first part focussed mainly on the mystery tour events. I liked Fanny who is smart and not afraid to get involved in investigating the two deaths, with Amy more reluctant and with less spunk. The mystery was a little convoluted and rather scattered but enjoyable overall and I liked the travel tips at the end.
September 1, 2018
The fussy little man held out a legal size manila envelope.
Amy's Travel agency creates a new tour known as the Monte Carlo to Rome Mystery Road Rally. Six teams of four players follow clues to a murder mystery. Each team represents a suspect in the story. Amy discovers that the rally is following an actual murder after the death of one of her clients.
The premise of this book sounded so interesting. I just had a hard time reading it. I can generally read a book this size in a few hours. This one took me all week because I kept putting it down.
I felt that I never connected with the characters. The setting were the best part of the story. That made me a bit sad because I did want to enjoy the entire concept.
The entire story dragged along too much for me. I'm sure that I will not be reading anything else in the series.
Amy's Travel agency creates a new tour known as the Monte Carlo to Rome Mystery Road Rally. Six teams of four players follow clues to a murder mystery. Each team represents a suspect in the story. Amy discovers that the rally is following an actual murder after the death of one of her clients.
The premise of this book sounded so interesting. I just had a hard time reading it. I can generally read a book this size in a few hours. This one took me all week because I kept putting it down.
I felt that I never connected with the characters. The setting were the best part of the story. That made me a bit sad because I did want to enjoy the entire concept.
The entire story dragged along too much for me. I'm sure that I will not be reading anything else in the series.
January 28, 2015
4 stars
The setting is something that sounds cool to me a Mystery tour set in trip to Europe. The owners are mother and daughter. Fanny and Amy. Amy is leading the tour. Amy is shy and does not like limelight. Fanny is more outgoing and daring.
The murder mystery they find out is based on a real case. The writer after he is paid is murdered back in New York. There is someone following the tour that works for the writer. Amy has no idea who that is. Also no one on the tour knows who the murder is on the tour. Amy gets the clues only a day ahead and instructions on where to place the clues.
Tour is going good until it starts going wrong. One of the ladies on the tour is murdered. The others of the group don't believe that the person the Italy police arrested is the murder. They think the three different murder cases are related. From San Francisco 4 years ago, New York and Italy.
I would read more of this series. It tied up the cases in a good way. I guessed some of it but not all of it. The mystery was good. I liked the characters. It was also clean read.
I was given this ebook to read by Net Galley and Kensington Books. In return I agreed to give a honest review of Toured to Death.
January 21, 2015
What a splendid idea for a mystery. Set up a tour for dyed in the wool mystery buffs, take them to exotic Southern European destinations where they will discover clues to solve a disappearance and murder that begins at the first night banquet of the tour. The fact that the creator of this mystery has taken a real life story and barely changed the names of the participants creates extra excitement. Unexpectedly, however, another element of surprise is added when three people who were present during the actual event happen to be on the tour. One of those people is the murderer.
It's a fun read with the first half of the book devoted to the mystery game. The stakes are increased in the second half when one of the group is murdered herself and the others try to unravel the real life murder while being suspects themselves.
The actual murderer was someone I had suspected but not for the reasons behind the murder. There were plenty of twists, turns and misdirections to satisfy the reader. I suspect that this may turn into a series and if it does, I will enjoy reading the further adventures.
It's a fun read with the first half of the book devoted to the mystery game. The stakes are increased in the second half when one of the group is murdered herself and the others try to unravel the real life murder while being suspects themselves.
The actual murderer was someone I had suspected but not for the reasons behind the murder. There were plenty of twists, turns and misdirections to satisfy the reader. I suspect that this may turn into a series and if it does, I will enjoy reading the further adventures.
February 18, 2015
Amy and Fanny are mother daughter who run a travel agency. They are running a mystery car rally that has a real murder. This is the first in a series that has great potential. Since both Amy and Fanny are single there are great opportunities for love and companionship.
December 19, 2020
Interesting premise for story. Picked this off library shelf to take home after reading the first few pages. Did not have a chance to read straight through and, as a result, became confused over the many characters and switching of locations. Not the author’s fault but ruined the reading for me. Discovered afterwards that this was first in a series. Also, found our that the author was a writer for the TV series, Monk.
January 8, 2015
I love cozies and this one sounded interesting but I would say this has to be my least favorite cozy I have ever read. It had a lot of potential but I just found it kind of boring and in the end I really didn’t care who done it.
It’s broken up into two different parts. The first part is the game that is being played and it kind of reminds you a bit of clue. Amy has opened her own travel company but instead of just your ordinary getaways she books special themed tours. This one is a murder mystery that is part clue and part amazing race in a sense. Amy hires Otto to make the game up as he is a professional at making up mystery games.
Each team will play one of the characters and then they choose a captain for the team. They all watch the actors play out part of the game and then they are given clues that will lead them to other exotic destinations. Along the way Amy finds out that someone has murdered Otto and there have been some strange things that has happened along the way playing the game. Are they a coincidence or not?
Before the game is finished Amy finds out that the game is actually based on a real mystery and a member of the game is killed.
Part two is all about Amy being back home from the tour and she is still trying to figure out what happened to Otto and the other death. In true fashion to most cozies Amy has a bit of a crush on one of the guys who was a part of the tour, but then she is not totally sure that he didn’t have anything to do with what happened. He has lied to many times.
I actually figured out who the killer was pretty early on but I wasn’t sure exactly why until I finished the novel. Some times a character just hits you like that and you like they done it..lol.
I really liked the idea of the murder mystery tour but it spent to much time on the a lot of the characters and not enough time on the murder to me. I might check out the next one in the series just to see if I like it more because it’s hard to tell some times and this was my first book by this author.
Overall, it was just sort of meh for me but if you like cozies you might check it out as you could like it more than me.
It’s broken up into two different parts. The first part is the game that is being played and it kind of reminds you a bit of clue. Amy has opened her own travel company but instead of just your ordinary getaways she books special themed tours. This one is a murder mystery that is part clue and part amazing race in a sense. Amy hires Otto to make the game up as he is a professional at making up mystery games.
Each team will play one of the characters and then they choose a captain for the team. They all watch the actors play out part of the game and then they are given clues that will lead them to other exotic destinations. Along the way Amy finds out that someone has murdered Otto and there have been some strange things that has happened along the way playing the game. Are they a coincidence or not?
Before the game is finished Amy finds out that the game is actually based on a real mystery and a member of the game is killed.
Part two is all about Amy being back home from the tour and she is still trying to figure out what happened to Otto and the other death. In true fashion to most cozies Amy has a bit of a crush on one of the guys who was a part of the tour, but then she is not totally sure that he didn’t have anything to do with what happened. He has lied to many times.
I actually figured out who the killer was pretty early on but I wasn’t sure exactly why until I finished the novel. Some times a character just hits you like that and you like they done it..lol.
I really liked the idea of the murder mystery tour but it spent to much time on the a lot of the characters and not enough time on the murder to me. I might check out the next one in the series just to see if I like it more because it’s hard to tell some times and this was my first book by this author.
Overall, it was just sort of meh for me but if you like cozies you might check it out as you could like it more than me.
January 21, 2015
I have just recently discovered the cozy mystery genre and so I have been exploring different books and so I was interested in seeing whether or not this one would be one that I would be adding to my list of awesome cozy mystery series to read. I have to say though, the main reason that I picked this book up was because Hy Conrad is one of the writers of Monk, one of my all-time favourite television shows. I kind of had some high expectations for this book and I have to say I was a little let down.
I thought the premise of the book was really awesome. The first part of the book takes you along with the characters who instead of doing a normal murder mystery dinner, they're actually doing a murder mystery rally in which they gather clues and travel around various parts of Europe to try and solve a murder. That aspect was just really interesting. The second part of the book is really interesting as well, there are two murders and Amy and Fanny decide that they would like to help with the investigation.
I felt like none of the characters were particularly interesting. I just didn't find myself connecting or even really caring about any of the characters. I just didn't particularly like Amy or Fanny that much. It wasn't that there wasn't anything to them it was more like, they were just average people.
The other reason I was a little disappointed with the story itself. It just wasn't for me I suppose. I thought the premise was really cool, but the execution was a little bit lacking. I just thought the story was alright but I wasn't overly intrigued by who had committed the murders and why.
However, I didn't guess at who the murderer was and that was something I quite liked. The reveal was a bit surprising and as someone who reads a lot of mysteries I do find myself often guessing the ending but for this one I was pleasantly surprised.
Overall, I thought that Toured to Death was ok. It wasn't a book I absolutely loved but I didn't hate it either. It was an interesting murder mystery but I feel as though I didn't care enough about the characters to want to continue on with the next book in the series, when it comes out.
I thought the premise of the book was really awesome. The first part of the book takes you along with the characters who instead of doing a normal murder mystery dinner, they're actually doing a murder mystery rally in which they gather clues and travel around various parts of Europe to try and solve a murder. That aspect was just really interesting. The second part of the book is really interesting as well, there are two murders and Amy and Fanny decide that they would like to help with the investigation.
I felt like none of the characters were particularly interesting. I just didn't find myself connecting or even really caring about any of the characters. I just didn't particularly like Amy or Fanny that much. It wasn't that there wasn't anything to them it was more like, they were just average people.
The other reason I was a little disappointed with the story itself. It just wasn't for me I suppose. I thought the premise was really cool, but the execution was a little bit lacking. I just thought the story was alright but I wasn't overly intrigued by who had committed the murders and why.
However, I didn't guess at who the murderer was and that was something I quite liked. The reveal was a bit surprising and as someone who reads a lot of mysteries I do find myself often guessing the ending but for this one I was pleasantly surprised.
Overall, I thought that Toured to Death was ok. It wasn't a book I absolutely loved but I didn't hate it either. It was an interesting murder mystery but I feel as though I didn't care enough about the characters to want to continue on with the next book in the series, when it comes out.
January 29, 2015
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Amy and her mother are starting a tour themed vacations business. The Abel women need this fresh start; they both lost the men in their lives. They also are mystery buffs. So it is appropriate that their first themed tour is a mystery rally from Monte Carlo to Rome. Amy is in Monte Carlo with her 24 guests. They embark on their trip after seeing the opening act of the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy tycoon who just left the dinner table and just disappeared.
What Amy doesn't know is that her mystery event creator has just been murdered and the mystery he wrote for her mystery tour/rally is based on a real case that a killer will do anything to protect his/her identity. And the killer is closer than she thinks.
After the tour/rally ends, Fanny and Amy work the case of a death of one of the tourists and the case that was thinly disguised by Otto Ingo.
The premise is fresh, but it was slightly slow. The author's name repeatedly in the text was very off putting, especially in the dialogue. The dialogue was constantly stepped upon by different characters. It was hard to follow at times. But that all may have been corrected in the published copy. So, I will read the next installment in the series.
Amy and her mother are starting a tour themed vacations business. The Abel women need this fresh start; they both lost the men in their lives. They also are mystery buffs. So it is appropriate that their first themed tour is a mystery rally from Monte Carlo to Rome. Amy is in Monte Carlo with her 24 guests. They embark on their trip after seeing the opening act of the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy tycoon who just left the dinner table and just disappeared.
What Amy doesn't know is that her mystery event creator has just been murdered and the mystery he wrote for her mystery tour/rally is based on a real case that a killer will do anything to protect his/her identity. And the killer is closer than she thinks.
After the tour/rally ends, Fanny and Amy work the case of a death of one of the tourists and the case that was thinly disguised by Otto Ingo.
The premise is fresh, but it was slightly slow. The author's name repeatedly in the text was very off putting, especially in the dialogue. The dialogue was constantly stepped upon by different characters. It was hard to follow at times. But that all may have been corrected in the published copy. So, I will read the next installment in the series.
February 28, 2015
I give it 2.5 stars.
I enjoyed part one of the book revolving around the mystery road rally but once the author threw in another murder half way through and changed the location back to New york for part 2, it felt like I was reading a different book. I think there should have been less description which would make it more concise.
I dont really like Amy (which doesnt help any) and i'm not crazy about Marcus either. The other characters only feel like sketches (and there are a lot of them)
Lastly, the chapters jump from place to place and with different people, often leaving me confused. I frequently got lost on the dialogue as well since it often lacked identifiers such as "said Amy"
Being an eBook and not having that feel for how many pages were left, it just seemed to go on and on and on. Should have just found a way to wrap it up at the end of part one.
I enjoyed part one of the book revolving around the mystery road rally but once the author threw in another murder half way through and changed the location back to New york for part 2, it felt like I was reading a different book. I think there should have been less description which would make it more concise.
I dont really like Amy (which doesnt help any) and i'm not crazy about Marcus either. The other characters only feel like sketches (and there are a lot of them)
Lastly, the chapters jump from place to place and with different people, often leaving me confused. I frequently got lost on the dialogue as well since it often lacked identifiers such as "said Amy"
Being an eBook and not having that feel for how many pages were left, it just seemed to go on and on and on. Should have just found a way to wrap it up at the end of part one.
January 13, 2021
Plenty of interesting characters. Fun plot. Easy storytelling. Zero complaints.
August 24, 2016
Amy and her mom, Fanny run a travel business in New York. Their recent adventures is a mystery game set in Monte Carlo. The tour is going well until Amy learns that Otto, the mystery tour writer is killed. Amy works on solving the mystery from abroad while Fanny works on in the US. At the very end of the tour one of their own tour members is killed and another arrested for the murder. The second half of the book is set back in New York after Amy returns. She, Fanny and the rest of the tour members form a group to prove their tour member is not the murder. Not a bad read, I will probably read another one but I am not jumping at the bit to pick up the second book.
February 12, 2015
I was so excited when I first found this book. But it slowly became a chore for me to finish reading it. And to be honest, by the middle of the book, I really could care less who had committed the murder. There was just too much going on in this story. I never felt any connection with any of the characters. Glad I finally finished it. Won't be reading any more books by this author.
June 4, 2016
Although I liked this book and found it to be fairly well written, I found myself not particularly caring for or about the mother-daughter team who ran the tour company. The mother was overbearing, nosy, and intrusive while the daughter was indecisive and waffled over every little decision. That said, I will probably read the next in the series as it does have potential.
April 4, 2015
This book has little to recommend it except for the travel in Italy and the scenes of New York City. The characters, especially Amy, Fanny, and Holly are horrible. Even the twist at the end was corny.
August 11, 2015
I did not care for his book. It took too long to get to the point of the story.
I would not recommend it to friends and I will not be looking to read any other books in this series.
I am going to go to my August challenge now.
I would not recommend it to friends and I will not be looking to read any other books in this series.
I am going to go to my August challenge now.
August 20, 2015
Solid 2 1/2 stars. Series has potential. In a nutshell... Whodunit mystery travel agency with "real" death debacle. Characters ok, can see growth. Would like to get more details about the places visited on tour to add more color to the story.
April 20, 2015
Did not, could not, finish the book. Too boring.
April 22, 2015
Fun book but did not inspire me to look for more in the series
Read
July 4, 2015I never finished this book; I got 3/4 of the way through and gave up
October 28, 2019
I was intrigued in reading this and the subsequent sequel Dearly Departed. Amy trying to run an unique travel agency where there is a Solve a Murder angle while clients travel through various cities all over Europe all awhile experiencing wonderfully expensive cuisine and hotel hospitality.
As the synopsis explains, Amy soon realizes her Tour is not so simple and her clients are much more complicated than they seem.
As the sleuthing Teams begin in Monte Carlo and continued to Paris, Corsica, Rome, Italy I had hoped for a bit more detail of the aforementioned Countries. There are details here and there of architecture, cuisine and maybe culture, but not really enough to justify adding this book to my World Challenge.
However, the description of the Monte Carlo To Rome Rally was exciting and fun to read. I vicariously peeked into a World I could never afford. The Tour group ran around solving puzzles, searching for clues and enjoying Michelin Star restaurants and hotels. If there are such tours in real life, it must be wonderful.
Characters within the book were well developed and interesting. There are no one dimensional characters here.
As the synopsis explains, Amy soon realizes her Tour is not so simple and her clients are much more complicated than they seem.
As the sleuthing Teams begin in Monte Carlo and continued to Paris, Corsica, Rome, Italy I had hoped for a bit more detail of the aforementioned Countries. There are details here and there of architecture, cuisine and maybe culture, but not really enough to justify adding this book to my World Challenge.
However, the description of the Monte Carlo To Rome Rally was exciting and fun to read. I vicariously peeked into a World I could never afford. The Tour group ran around solving puzzles, searching for clues and enjoying Michelin Star restaurants and hotels. If there are such tours in real life, it must be wonderful.
Characters within the book were well developed and interesting. There are no one dimensional characters here.
January 18, 2017
Amy and Fanny Abel run a travel agency, one that's high end and creative. For this trip, Amy is leading a group of people around Europe in a cross of a murder mystery dinner and the Great Race. What she doesn't know is that the author based the mystery on a real disappearance. AND that someone (some ones?) who were at the first mystery are also present on Amy's trip. Too bad the author of this mystery is killed in the first chapter of the book.
I just did NOT like either Fanny Abel nor did I like Amy's love interest. Both were manipulative liars, often for no good reason at all. The land of Romancia has a trope called the Big Misunderstanding that often drives the plot and could be solved by two people just talking honestly to each other and this book took that to the nth degree. I had already borrowed the next book in this series from the library but got a chapter in and just couldn't do it.
I just did NOT like either Fanny Abel nor did I like Amy's love interest. Both were manipulative liars, often for no good reason at all. The land of Romancia has a trope called the Big Misunderstanding that often drives the plot and could be solved by two people just talking honestly to each other and this book took that to the nth degree. I had already borrowed the next book in this series from the library but got a chapter in and just couldn't do it.
July 1, 2017
Amy Abel's Travel company has arranged a mystery travel rally from Monte Carlo to Rome with a group of 24 participants forming 6 teams to solve the murder mystery. On the day the tour begins in Monte Carlo the creator of the game is murdered in NYC. But the game is all set and the tour continues. It soon becomes apparent to some of the members that the game is based on a real murder that occurred 5 years prior. The game proceeds with some unscheduled events along the way. The first half of the book ends with a murder of one of the tour members. In the second half a group of the players ban together to try to uncover the murderer who is also someone in the group. An interesting mystery within a mystery although the lead characters did not really grab me and the plot got a little convoluted. Not sure if I'll look for future volumes.
October 25, 2017
This was a great first book I liked Amy she was a interesting character. I loved the idea of doing a travel tour but based off a murder mystery honestly I would be interested in being involved in something like that. It reminds me of those short ones where they have mystery dinner but more involved. This book was in two parts the first was in Italy and them getting the mystery than the second part is back in the United States. I wish Fanny was around more in the first part but since she was in the States I understand why she was not around much. I am interested in Marcus and see where he comes in the next books.
October 25, 2021
I really love the premise as a new travel agent. The niche of Murder mystery tour is brilliant. I was hoping for more on the Monte Carlo to Rome Mystery Road Rally. The story has a good twist at the end and makes me wanting more.
I love the 40 travel tips at the end but my favorite is #40:
40. Don’t put off travel. If you’ve always wanted to hike the Inca Trail, or drive through the wilds of New Zealand, start making your plans. You’re not getting any younger, dear. At some point, you’re going to lose your energy and wanderlust and be content to just sit in a rocking chair. So go out and travel while you can.
I love the 40 travel tips at the end but my favorite is #40:
40. Don’t put off travel. If you’ve always wanted to hike the Inca Trail, or drive through the wilds of New Zealand, start making your plans. You’re not getting any younger, dear. At some point, you’re going to lose your energy and wanderlust and be content to just sit in a rocking chair. So go out and travel while you can.
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