Murder in the Lookout Lounge

Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries #2

by Denise Jaden

Murder, Mischief, and Mayhem Return to the High Seas!Cruise ship photographer Olivia Ocean is finally finding her sea legs aboard the Moonlit Majesty. With a promotion in sight and a camera full of tropical sunsets, she’s ready to enjoy smooth sailing—until a family reunion portrait session ends in murder.

Now, Olivia’s dream job is once again on shaky waters. Between bossy relatives with hidden grudges, secret relationships bubbling under the surface, and one very opinionated kitten named Pickle who insists on “helping,” Olivia’s lens is full of suspects.

Armed with her photos, a knack for noticing what others miss, and the reluctant cooperation of the ship’s grumpy-but-gorgeous security manager, she must untangle the mystery before another passenger takes an unexpected dive.

Expect plenty of cozy mystery

A clue-sniffing kitten who’s always two steps (and one paw) ahead

A bold amateur sleuth with a camera instead of a badge

Flirty tension and reluctant teamwork with a handsome security officer

Cruise ship chaos, high-seas secrets, and tropical vibes

A self-contained whodunit packed with humor, heart, and red herrings

If you love clean, clever cozy mysteries with adorable pets, strong heroines, and laugh-out-loud banter, climb aboard Murder in the Lookout Lounge—a delightful standalone mystery in the Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

445 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2025

About the author

Bestselling author Denise Jaden loves cozy socks, cozy cats, and cozy mysteries. She’s the author of several young adult novels, nonfiction books for writers, and cozy mysteries that will make you laugh out loud while dangling at the edge of your seat.

Prior to becoming an author, Denise worked at everything from mushroom farming to acting and Polynesian dancing. Now she does most of her writing in a holding tent in the background of one of the many film sets in and around Vancouver. Sign up for updates, exclusive bonuses, and find out more about Denise, her books, and her crazy cat at DeniseJaden.com

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family reunion turns tragic in this newest adventure for Olivia Ocean and her cruise ship cohorts. Assigned to follow the Lark family around on their reunion cruise Olivia never expects tragedy to strike but on trivia night the matriarch Philomena aka Phil is struck down. What first appears to be an accident turns quickly into a murder investigation and Miles and Olivia must move quickly and be inventive if they’re to find the killer and handle their normal duties. Just another day at sea.
A wonderful story and a series that has become a must read! Can I just say Pickle for the win!! I love how these characters find creative ways to use what’s available while at sea to find answers to help them investigate. The doctor reminds me of Bones aka Dr. McCoy from the original StarTrek series. Every time he says I’m not a medical examiner I hear Bones saying I’m a doctor not a bricklayer lol. Very excited about the growing closeness between Olivia and Miles I’m ready to ship them pardon the pun. I love that Olivia is really developing a found family while she goes on adventures at sea. Phillip is still a total downer no two ways about it. Other than that sit back, relax, put and umbrella in your drink of choice and enjoy a mystery at sea!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Julie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This was a clever who done it type mystery with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. I liked the fact it was mostly set on a cruise ship and with the authors writing it was very easy to imagine as it all unfolded. I thought being set on a cruise ship it would limit the number of possible suspects but that is not the case and with an aunt like Philomena it was easy to understand why. I never did decide who I thought was responsible as I kept changing my mind. I did find that at first I had a hard time keeping everybody straight, maybe because we were introduced to too many characters all at once and the mix up with the name or similar names didn't help but I soon caught up and was hooked. The story also focused solely on the mystery and the dysfunctional family caught up in the murder, which I liked a lot. I also liked the characters and can see the potential for a lot of fun recurring characters as the series progresses. Although I thought it was weird to have a tiny kitten on board, Pickles soon won me over. Looking forward to the next book.
Rather than take photos of everybody on the ship, Olivia is tasked with following a family around and documenting there holiday. The problem is the family doesn't get on and is either ignoring or making fun of each other. When the oldest sister collapses during family trivia night, Olivia finds herself helping the head of security investigate a murder. But who killed her and how? Olivia isn't short of suspects and even a number of staff makes the suspect list. The more important question is, is the killer finished? Because being stuck on a cruise ship with a killer and only a small kitten and head of security to protect her Olivia will have to get to know the family to find out.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Photographer Olivia Ocean is assigned to follow the Lark Family on their family reunion cruise. She quickly learns this is not a happy occasion for most of the family as they have been estranged for years. Siblings Philomena, Grayson, and Lena along with Phil’s husband Troy and daughters Emma & Judy and Grayson’s children Jeremy and Ramona seem to want little to do with each other. Getting good family photographs will take all of Olivia’s skills with both camera and editing. When Philomena dies during a family activity, Olivia is unsure if her services are still required. However, when it turns out that the death was not from natural causes, Olivia agains teams up with security officer Miles to track down clues. With her precocious kitten Pickle at her side, Olivia is determined to get to the truth. Will they catch a wily killer before the body count rises?

Another delightful cozy mystery from Denise Jaden. Olivia is a relatable and likable heroine, and Pickle is adorable as well as being gifted in pointing out criminal behavior. Miles and Olivia complement each other well as they work together to solve the mystery. The Lark family dynamic sets the stage for plenty of suspects, as does Phil’s abrasive personality towards crew members. The mystery is well plotted and nicely paced, wrapping up with a happy ending for the remaining Lark family members.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chad Barrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun whodunit on the cruise ship that Olivia
works on as a photographer. She’s tasked with taking lots of pictures for this reunion but finds the group not a happy one at all with constant bickering and accusations! When the matriarch falls ill while she is there taking pictures and dies she knows she has another murder to solve when the cause of death is revealed. Together with her sleuthing kitten Pickle and the handsome security chief on board they compare notes and come up with a list of suspects.
Pickle once again comes up with the critical clue but this time it almost costs him his life!

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! I’ve never been on a cruise before but these books make me want to take one just to have the experience and perhaps on that cruise I might just
find a little kitten to keep my eyes on and see what and where he goes if something is amiss!

Denise’s series is a fun one full of action and unsavory characters to get you to wonder whodunnit
among them all before it’s revealed!

There is action aplenty on the high seas in this series and I think you’ll enjoy these adventures just as much as I do!

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done!!

I really am enjoying this series! If you can read book 1 first, do so, to get a better background on the characters, but if you can't, you'll still enjoy this, as it works well as a stand-alone.

In this book, Olivia, a junior photographer on the Moonlit Majesty cruise ship, is assigned to photograph a family who are having a reunion on the ship. Of course, there is a murder, and she and her adorable kitten Pickle help ship Security Chief Miles (will there be a romance there in the future?) figure out the murderer. There are many suspects, including crew and passengers.

The lovely setting, great characters, and well done story-line and mystery make for a very enjoyable, easy read., without the use of a ton of "catch phrases". Just a well told story! The ending had me smiling.

I can't wait for book 3!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Murder at Sea . . .

Photographer Olivia Ocean has proven herself to her boss, who gives her a chance to express her creativity in the photos she captures. This time, her assignment involves shadowing the wealthy but not always congenial Lark family during their family reunion celebration to make this a memorable event for all of them. Unfortunately, she witnesses the collapse of a family member, the matriarch Philomena Lark (“Phil”), from an a presumed heart attack. But Dr. Morrow found an anomaly in her bloodwork that makes it look like murder. Her potassium levels were off the charts, toxically high and skewing the expected results. It wasn’t found in any of her medicines, but had to be ingested in that quantity to kill her. Joining Security Chief Miles to continue the investigation, will Olivia and her partner find the killer, as once more they will have a little help from her kitten, Pickle, who excels at sniffing out the clues!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia Ocean and Pickle are on the case again. What starts out as a great photo assignment turns into a murder investigation when the controlling member of the group dies.

Olivia is looking forward to being able to be creative with her photography when she’s assigned to photo all the activities of a rich family’s reunion on the ship. An eclectic group of family members provides a great many challenges when Olivia tries to get cohesive photos. A couple of days into this tough task, the person who arranged the trip dies during one of the activities.

I love how Becky helps out Olivia on this. Great to see her roommate take an active part in the investigation. Pickle, of course, works his magic throughout. Plenty of family members, and some crew as well, as suspects. Never a dull moment on the ship with Olivia and Pickle. Nice evolving mystery series with a hero kitten.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia Ocean loves her job on the Moonlit Majesty Cruise ship as a junior photographer has finally been given an assignment so she can use her talent and creativity. She is to follow the Lark family during their reunion on the ship. Not always cooperative, Olivia finds this job sometimes a pain. With her smart cat, Pickles, she is at an activity where the matriarch of the family, Philomena Lark collapsed from an apparent heart attack. But when Dr. Morrow examines her further, he finds it is murder. So, Olivia and Pickles along with Security Chief Miles investigate and Pickles becomes a real help in it too. Can they find a murderer? The quirky family offers many suspects. This is a great second book that I highly recommend. In fact, I highly comment the first book and now I can't wait for the third! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Luana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really am enjoying this series. I love getting to know Olivia more and seeing more of her fast paced, exciting life on the cruise ship. I especially enjoyed this book. The family dynamics between the Larks was pretty realistic and I loved that, despite the whodunnit. I would love to see pickle more prominent in the stories though! I absolutely love his parts.

One thing I have to mention is I love Denise's style of writing. I did receive a copy of this book for free, and I am leaving an honest review. I genuinely love the way she develops her characters, their experiences and shows us their world through their eyes. I've never been on a cruise nor have I ever thought about the workers on one. However, reading this book, I feel like I am on one and if I ever did go on one, I would definitely be more aware of how hard the crew works behind the scenes. So, thank you Denise for that!

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaden returns with another page turner in this cruise ship mystery.

When relatively new cruise photographer Olivia is chosen to be the private photographer for the Larks, a rich family who is used to being catered, she knew she has a lot to prove. It is further complicated with the clear division between the sister and brother's sides of the family with third sibling Leah being the mediator.

Add in an intentional death early on in the cruise and no shortage of suspects, including her own colleagues, she finds herself with more on her plate than she expected.

Filled with twist and turns that is sure to satisfy any cozy mystery lover.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reunion nightmare!

Shooting an album of memorable family reunion photos on the Moonlight Majesty can be a challenge. This family makes it a blood sport! Olivia tags along to each of their scheduled events, but has to use creative ways to get them close enough to each other for a photo. It’s a good thing she took the formal family photo first thing because after the murder the reunion turns into even more of a nightmare!

This is a fun cozy mystery. Pickle is a cute addition to the investigation. I enjoyed the storyline. It had some interesting twists. This is the first book I have read in this series but it won’t be the last. I received a free copy but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

All at sea! Olivia Ocean loves her job on the Moonlit Majesty. Her dream job is all it’s cracked up to be at sea ,she’s in ecstasy with the freedom to add her own artistic flair she has thanks to a lenient boss. Devil may care and life is great she’s taking photos of a family reunion capturing memorable moments , until she witnesses a murder there . She’s all in ,helping the security manager armed with her camera ,her pet cat pickle and photos and tidbits from the group she was photographing . Pickles is great for rooting out clues and with the Swoony security she’s sitting pretty.. Awesome storytelling and super writing ,the characters are real cosy and familiar and this has an immersive feel .

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paws, Portraits, and Peril - A Cute Cozy Mystery
This book was a fun trip aboard the Moonlit Majesty with Olivia and her kitten, Pickle. It is nice to see her forming relationships aboard the ship and having a hint of romance with the security director. This time Olivia is tasked with being the official photographer for a family reunion where the members are anything but happy to spend time with each other! When one of them ends up dead, Olivia and Miles find themselves with a murder to investigate. I enjoyed this second book in the Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mystery series, and look forward to reading more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

simplistic

This book was written in a rather simplistic way. I didn’t get to know the characters very well, they were all shallow, no depth.
Although the story went through many ‘who done it’ scenarios, it wasn’t fast paced, due to its simplistic writing style.
It just seems like something I may have enjoyed as a ten year old, especially involving a kitten.
Her room share person was allergic to cats, and this one was kept in their room most of the time and the room mate even patted and rubbed it! Not much of an allergy at all.
That and a couple of other things don’t add up in this book.

[Kelly A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Boatload of Misery in the Family

One very unhappy family with a lot of secrets is on this voyage with Olivia Ocean and she can't avoid them. In fact, she's assigned to them for the whole trip. Lots of wonderful red herrings and I don't mean as a dinner option, although there is a Sushi restaurant. But Olivia and her friend, the security chief, Miles Blackwell, and her roommate, Becky are working on the clues as to who killed a member of the disgruntled family. Wonderful characters, great cruise insights, and of course, Pickles, the wonder cat.

[Kiwi85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was an easy read and went at a good pace. It’s a cosy mystery book. It was a little bit cheesy/cringy as the main character is a photographer but caught up in a murder investigation which would not happen IRL and she has a kitten that has an investigative streak lol but it was fun and cute! This was the first of the series I have read (downloaded via BookBub) even though it is the 2nd book in the series. I’ve already downloaded the 1st in the series and will read that one sometime soon

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the family!

When matriarch Philomena decides to take her entire extended family on a cruise, who would guess that it would be her last one? About as dysfunctional as a family can get, there are lots of problems between family members. But when Philomena is murdered, ship photographer Olivia Ocean, can’t help but start investigating, with the help of her kitten, Pickle. Miles, head of ship Security, wishes she would stop and just stay safe, but together they figure it out! Great cruise ship mystery!

[Grinning Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat’s Stats
Detective- Olivia Ocean
Sidekick- Pickle the Cat
Law Enforcement- Miles Blackwell
Crime- Murder
Victim- Philomena Lark
Method- Poison

Another cute mystery featuring Olivia and Pickle! Fun setting and interesting characters make for an entertaining book. The murderer was not hard to figure out, but I did enjoy reading it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Big Fat Hairy Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia suddenly finds herself in the middle of a chaotic family reunion with murder front and center. It's up to her, the security manager, and her kitten to sort through the clues and figure out which of the disgruntled family members decided to off the matriarch. This is a fun, cozy mystery with several twists and a budding romance mixed together which keep the reader entertained.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[AMBER CLARK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia and her sleuthing kitten, Pickle are back to figure out whodunit when a murder occurs within the group that Olivia has been tasked with photographing. This is an exciting story and adventure on the high seas with plenty of suspense and intrigue. This was a clever mystery with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. I can't wait for book 3!.

[Deborah Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun story Olivia works onboard a Cruise ship as a Photographer and is assigned to take photos of the Lark family reunion. The family does not get along and when one of the family dies Olivia and Miles the Head of Security investigate the death. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So enjoyable!

I love it when a mystery keeps you puzzling along. Never a dull moment, the pacing felt just right to me. And of course I fell in love with Pickle all over again!

I was gifted a complimentary advance review copy of this book by Booksprout, but was not required to leave a review. This is my voluntarily given, honest opinion.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

a clever sleuthing kitty and his mistress, a junior cruise ship photographer, work to unravel a complex network of lies, half truths and betrayals.

deadly dealings and dangers make for less than fun family reunion time.

exceptional action, drama and devious tricks.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia is enjoying her job as a cruise ship photographer. Her assignment this trip is to photograph a rich family's reunion. All is well until one of them is murdered. Olivia along with her cat Pickle decides.to help the hunky detective solve the case. Good story.

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cruises and murders. An extra workload for Olivia. It took a little while before the story pulled me in but I really enjoyed it. Nice characters (and not so nice ones) and a cute cat. Good. I recommend this series.
I received an advance review copy and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the crew and the cat. It was well plotted. I did consider most of the family as suspects. I liked how it ended. I liked learning about cruise life. I will read more by this author and in this series.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several books written by Denise Jaden; she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the second book in the Series; it is a stand-alone book. The story is about Olivia & Miles working together to solve the murder mystery.

[Rebecca Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book by author Denise Jaden.
This is book two in this new series. And even better than the first book.
I love reading her books, they are always so good. I highly recommend it...

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. The only thing was the ending. This was a great whodunnit!!! I really think Miles needs to give Olivia a job at security, seeing how that’s pretty much what she does. Happy Reading :)

[Julie Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

See if you can figure out who did it and why? lots of suspects.