Deadly Cruise

A Rachel Prince Mystery #2

by Dawn Brookes

Another intriguing story for cosy mystery lovers in Book 2 of the Rachel Prince Mysteries Series
Rachel returns to cruising after giving evidence in a difficult trial. She also wants to reevaluate her future after receiving threats from the man she helped put away.

Taking Queen Cruises up on their offer of a free luxury cruise aboard the Coral Queen, she opts for a sailing to New York.

Rachel's best friend and cruise nurse, Sarah is also returning to the ship to start a new nine-month contract, meaning Rachel will have a friend on board.
Almost immediately, Rachel meets a cruise tour leader who invites her to join him and his Russian tour group for some of their planned activities during the sea days.

A mystery develops when a Russian crew member is found dead in his cabin and another one goes missing. Added to this, Rachel's eagle eye spots some curious goings on among the Russian tour group.

Sarah has problems of her own as conflict develops in the medical team when a new nurse is brought in at short notice.

Rachel can't resist doing a bit of snooping, but will she get to the bottom of a mysterious death and find out what's happened to the missing crewman before they reach New York?

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Cozy, Suspense

472 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2018

About the author

Dawn Brookes is an award winning cosy mystery and crime writer who also writes memoirs and children's books.
She has an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction.

Dawn writes most days and publishes regularly, to keep up to date visit her website.

Rachel Prince Mysteries:

#1 A Cruise to Murder set during a Mediterranean cruise
#2 Deadly Cruise set during a transatlantic crossing to New York.
#3 Killer Cruise set during a Baltic cruise.
#4 Dying to Cruise set during a cruise around Australia and New Zealand.
#5 A Christmas Cruise Murder set on a Canary Island cruise.
#6 Murderous Cruise Habit set on a Caribbean cruise.
#7 Honeymoon Cruise Murder set on a Mediterranean cruise.
#8 A Murder Mystery Cruise set on a cruise to the Norwegian Ffords.
#9 Hazardous Cruise set on a Mediterranean and Adriatic cruise.
#10 Captain's Dinner Cruise Murder
#11 Corporate Cruise Murder set in India.
#12 Treacherous Cruise Flirtation set in Hawaii.
#13 Toxic Cruise Cocktail set on a SE Asia cruise.
#14 Cruise into Darkness

The Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe Mysteries

#Prequel Novella Death of a Blogger
#1 Murder at the Opera House
#2 Murder in the Highlands
#3 Murder at the Christmas Market
#4 Murder at a Wimbledon Mansion
#5 Murder in a Care Home
#6 Murder at the Regatta
#7 Murder on a Bus Tour

Carlos Jacobi PI

#1 Body in the Woods Award winning novel.
#2 The Bradgate Park Murders
#3 The Museum Murders

Nursing Memoirs

#1 Hurry up Nurse: memoirs of nurse training in the 1970s

#2 Hurry up Nurse 2: London calling
#3 Hurry up Nurse 3: More adventures in the life of a student nurse

Books are available in paperback, hardback, large print, kindle ebook, and audiobook.

Dawn grew up in Leicester, England and trained as a nurse. She later moved to London to undertake further training in the East End. Dawn worked in the NHS in England for the best part of thirty-nine years and during that time gained a wide range of experience as well as academic and professional qualifications. She also holds an MA in Creative Writing.

Dawn's website can be found at: https://www.dawnbrookespublishing.com

Children's Books

Dawn has written a number of children's books including:

Suki Seal and the Plastic Ring

Gerry the One-Eared Cat

Danny the Caterpillar

Ava & Oliver's Bonfire Night Adventure

Ava & Oliver's Christmas Nativity Adventure

Jesus Feeds a Big Crowd

Jesus Heals a Man on a Stretcher

Dawn founded a literature festival in her locality which aims to engage readers and authors with all things literature.

Reviews

[Monzell Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book as a stand alone, but will be reading some of her other cruise mysteries too.

[Livia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formats collected: Kindle e-book and Audible audiobook

Unabridged Audiobook Info
Narrated by: Alex Lee
Series: Rachel Prince Mystery, Book 2
Length: 6 hours and 34 minutes
Release date: May 3, 2019

Ratings
Overall 5 stars
A quick and entertaining mystery at sea novel!

Story 5 stars
I recently saw the old Columbo movie mini series that took place with him solving a murder on a cruise ship. I'm a total detective mystery genre junkie, but I normally prefer to consume those stories in a visual format - i.e. television and movie. For the last several months, I've been on such a detective mystery series and movie kick that when the opportunity came along to read this mystery at sea novel, I jumped on it. And boy am I ever glad I did!

Rachel and her best friend Sarah find themselves caught up in a murder of not one but two people on board the cruise ship. It's a week long cruise, and the story's pacing reflected that very well. I was close but not quite 100% correct in guessing whodunnit.

Performance 5 stars
I also really enjoyed Alex Lee's audiobook narrating style. My ears enjoyed hearing the various accents she was able to do so smoothly. She was also very good at doing both male and female character voices which was a huge relief to me.

I'm excited to now go back and listen to Rachel's first eventful cruise ship adventure in A Cruise For Murder.

Series Publishing Order
A Cruise to Murder - audiobook available now
Deadly Cruise - audiobook available now
Killer Cruise - audiobook publishing date still to be determined

Coming Up Next: for me, that will be book 1, A Cruise to Murder since I didn’t start this series in publishing order.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book.
This is a great cozy mystery. I'm almost hesitant to call it a cozy mystery because there was so much going on in this story. Because it takes place on a cruise ship, there were naturally lots of people from different countries and lots of accents. I actually had a bit of a hard time keeping track of everyone and who was who--especially the large Russian group of passengers.
The mystery was full of twists and turns and was fairly unpredictable. It was fast paced and really kept my brain working to try to figure out what was actually going on. Although I did eventually figure out the how and thought I knew the who, I had absolutely no clue as to how the two fit together.
Great job on the story by Ms. Brookes and great job on the narration by Alex Lee. The narration had to be very challenging.
I was given a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so let me say I’m never going on a cruise with Rachel Prince ever as I’m either going to be killed or dragged into a murder lol. After the first story where she got dragged into a murder mystery whilst trying to enjoy a cruise with her friend Sarah this one kicks off with a mystery about a missing crew member and Rachel gets her detective skills into action again. I think trouble just follows her around. It’s a great fun listen of an audio however.

[Kamini Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the first one. Rachel Prince still reminds me of Nancy Drew, although her background as a police detective certainly makes the story more believable. It is a sweet, cozy mystery. Characters come to life and fill the ship with life and personality.

[Sandra Leivesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police officer Rachel Prince is on another cruise after helping catch a murderer the last time she sailed. This time she's going to New York in luxury, in one of the best cabins on board courtesy of the cruise line. Surely this time Rachel will be able to relax and enjoy her holiday and spend some time with her nurse friend.

But no, because once again Rachel has to deal with murder, with the first death happening almost as soon as they set sail.

This is the second Rachel Prince mystery but it would read well as a standalone as the backstory is adequately explained. It is a quick, fun read. Rachel is an engaging character. The story was well researched. I have never been on a cruise and so enjoyed reading about life on board from both the passengers and the crew.point of view. The story moves along at a good pace and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, and the final twist was unexpected.

Will Rachel go on another cruise? I look forward to the 3rd book to find out!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had already read book 1 in this series, but this book could be read as a standalone and be just as enjoyable.
Rachel has been offered another cruise due to the trouble encountered on her first trip (A Cruise To Murder). However, it's not long before her experience as a Police Officer is needed again. The book is not only a murder mystery, but a very informative narrative of life aboard a cruise ship from both a passenger and staff perspective, which I found really interesting.
The plot has plenty of twists and turns with the final twist being satisfyingly unexpected, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to TBC Reviewer Request Group for the ARC.

[Sue Stalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following Rachel Prince on another cruise. Great story. It really does stand up well on its own as well as being the second part of a series. This one has more twists and turns and it was great to get to know the characters more in depth. I truly didn’t see the twist at the end of this one and that makes me happy. Can’t wait to read a third instalment

[Melanie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost I must give a standing ovation to the voice talents of Alex Lee. She has the most divine BBC accent and listening to her speak the English language is balm for my soul. It's not an easy task voicing Rachel and Sarah, who are both white, middle class, young women from similar backgrounds and with a similar level of education. Yet somehow Ms Lee manages to make both voices distinct, as well as voicing accents and men; she really is a talented voice actor of the highest calibre. I feel Ms Lee could read out the phone directory and make it sound interesting. Luckily for us listeners she is not reading the telephone book but a wonderful story penned by the author Dawn Brookes. I had heard book 1, although I'm not sure if that's entirely necessary and book 2 probably works well as a standalone. Rachel Prince, police officer, is taking a well earned break on the cruise ship where her best friend works as a nurse. This isn't her first cruise and whether she'll take a 3rd remains to be seen. Whether she does or doesn't, I won't be going with her - she's a danger magnet! But she's so delightful with it. I think I pointed it out in the first book but in my opinion it's such an attractive part of these stories it warrants another mention. For me, the best part of Rachel is she doesn't exist in a vacuum as so many other central characters do. She has parents, friends, a boyfriend and she has to consider them before she makes decisions. The murder-mystery aspect of Deadly Cruise is clever and well laid out. There are enough clues for the reader to collect if they want to attempt to unmask the villain. I learned a great deal about cruise ships that I never knew and the work that goes in to giving passengers an enjoyable experience. The story has a satisfactory conclusion and although I guess it would be found under the genre of 'cosy mystery', it never comes across as twee or syrupy. I had felt quite stressed when I started this book due to a series of aggravating factors in my own life and Dawn Brookes' book managed to engage my brain sufficiently to keep it off my troubles. The tale and its reading was a captivating and relaxing 6 and a half hours, which I am thrilled to recommend most highly.

[Laurel Heidtman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read the first book of the Rachel Prince mystery series, but that didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the second, Deadly Cruise. The books in this series apparently stand on their own—at least this one did.

Rachel Prince is a British police officer who has just seen the end of a particularly disturbing case. Thanks to a case she helped solve in the first book, she’s been given a complimentary cruise on the Coral Queen, a ship on which her longtime friend, Sarah, is a nurse. This is a murder mystery, after all, so it’s not long before a murdered crew member is discovered in his cabin. Rachel suspects some connection between the murdered man’s roommate (who has mysteriously disappeared) and a group of Russians traveling as a tour group.

I won’t tell any more of the story for fear of giving spoilers, but I will say I enjoyed following Rachel through her investigations as much as I enjoyed reading about cruise ships. I read the author’s bio and see that she is an avid cruiser, so she knows what she is talking about. She’s was also a nurse for decades and approaches the medical characters and incidents with that knowledge. I read a lot of mysteries and can usually figure out whodunnit, but I didn't figure any of it out until almost the reveal--and then I only figured out part of it. Good job!

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes "clean" mysteries (no cursing, extreme violence, or sex scenes), and if this book is an example of the rest of the series, I’d highly recommend the series. I plan on going back to read the first book, and I was happy to see that there are two more in the series planned for 2019. The reader in me is doing a happy dance!

[Joanne Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having already dealt with a murder on a cruise ship whilst on holiday, police officer Rachel sets sail again, this time for New York. Surely nothing can go wrong this time...after all how many people are likely to be murdered whilst cruising? It turns out to be far more likely than I ever imagined that you will meet your untimely demise amid the deep blue seas!
This novel is fast paced and has enough twists to keep you guessing at both perpetrator and motive right up to the end. One thing is for sure- if I ever go on a cruise (and I am sorely tempted given the wonderful descriptions of life aboard ship, murderous maniacs notwithstanding!) I shall be sure to check that neither Ms Prince nor her creator Dawn Brookes are on the passenger list!

[Reggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Prince is off on a much needed vacation, after a run-in with a thug and the ensuing court case. She is using her ‘freebie’ for another cruise on the ship where her bff, Sara, is a nurse. But wouldn’t you know it, day 1 on the cruise and a crew member is dead under suspicious circumstances, and then a Russian passenger. Can Rachel use her sleuthing skills to catch a killer? Lots of plot twists and turns that will keep you guessing...including a Russian group that’s acting suspiciously. One thing’s for sure...you will never guess who’s behind the murders. Another ‘sit on the edge of your seat’ story with excellent narration. Definitely a must read-listen if you love murder mysteries.
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Margarida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved book 1 and jumped to read book 2! That Rachel... I knew she would find trouble or trouble would find her! Due to the trouble on her 1st cruise, she's been invited back for the VIP treatment on a 2nd cruise. All she wanted was a little R&R and to hang out with her BFF. No. A series of mysteries begins, and she finds herself in the middle of everything. It was a fun read that I could not, would not put down until I finished. Rachel is a likable character, and the story was a light and easy read. I did not see the ending coming--good plot twist there. I can't wait to read about Rachel's next cruise, although... she may want to consider another form of vacation!

[Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always interesting to read the second book of a series and see how it has developed from the first. In this case, the reservations I had from book 1 have all been dealt with - the pace is better in this one, and I was kept guessing to the end.
I love the details of behind the scenes on these cruise stories, and the crime element flows nicely. The tensions between the characters are interesting and Rachel makes for a strong main character, while her friend Sarah gives an insight into the life of the medical team on a cruise.
I enjoyed the first of the series, and I enjoyed this even more. Roll on book 3!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police Women and sleuth Rachel Prince is back cruising on the Coral Queen for a second trip, this time to New York having been offered a free luxury trip by Queen Cruises. Best friend and on board nurse Sarah is also starting a new contract on the Coral Queen. Before long another mystery occurs as a crew member is found dead in his cabin. As Rachel looks into this mystery, involving a mysterious Russian tour group, Sarah has problems of her own involving a new colleague and conflict within the cruise ship medical team. Full of twist and turns this is another exciting murder mystery by Brookes.  

[Linda L. Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't let me down!

This is the second book in this series that I've read in 3 days, and have already downloaded the 3rd. Found Dawn Brookes novels by accident when when I came across her Cruise ship stories, with Ms Prince as the heroin. Loved them. Her stories are well written, with a host of captivating characters, and the plots are totally believable. A bonus. . .detailed cruise ship details, and some pretty fascinating ports.
I hope to follow Dawn Brookes for many years to come. The words "cozy mystery" totally says it all!!😘

[Kim Lewandowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting and a lot of fun listening. The plot has a few twists and turns that you don't expect.

The performance was great although I did notice the narrator, Alex Lee, hasn't quite gotten the gist of the Jamaican accent. This is of little consequence as the Jamaican character has minimal participation. I just happened to notice as I am very familiar with the various island nations accents.

All in all, you will enjoy this book and keep guessing as to who is the culprit. Only to find the ultimate culprit is a complete surprise.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook review
And book 2! Goodness me these cruises would wear me out, but! I’d still go coz they’d be amazing
A lovely relaxing break to catch up with friends. Turns into a hunt for missing people & eyes in the back of the head for other people!
Book 1 was fun (yes I know death intrigue but it was fun) this is just as good & we get to know the characters more.
Narration was great, again kept the story ticking well & interesting.
Def worth listening to or to read.

[Emmalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh Rachel!! It’s so nice to see the progress she’s making, not pining for that cheater Richard, she’s in a relationship with Carlos, moving forward with her career, and on vacation back on the ship with Sarah after a difficult murder trial. However, trouble finds her onboard and her heels are dodged by Russian espionage, crew murder and disappearances, a psycho nurse, and a hidden hitman. It’s all Rachel and Sarah can do to stay alive.

[Mette Barfelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book just as much as this.
It's a sweet and cozy mystery, with suspense and drama.
I loved following Rachel and her nurse friend Sarah, on another cruise, where troubles await.
The book is well researched, the author knows her stuff.
Even if it's a series, you can read the book as a stand-alone.
Looking forward to the next book!

[jhanami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second in the series and Rachel Prince has well and truly found her feet - another cruise, another cast of colourful characters and of course another set of gruesome murders for Rachel and her friends to solve. A comfortable, easy read, just right when you want to relax with something a little lighter. Looking forward to the next cruise!

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadly cruise by Dawn Brooke.
This was a fantastic read. I loved the story and the characters apart from Lauren. I didn't trust her at all. I had my theory about what she did when she took advantage of bernard. I really felt for him. I was surprised and shocked. I am really looking forward to the next part. Brilliant. 5*.

[Karen Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

This is my second book that I read by Dawn Brookes, I love the setting being on a cruise ship. I started reading the two books and could not put the books down. They have a lot of twists and turns I did not figure out who the murderer was. I can't wait to read book three. What a great writer.

[Ellie Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved book 1 particularly on audible so definitely jumped at the chance to read book 2. Another easy read which had a good storyline, characters and was amusing in parts. I haven't been on a cruise but i am not sure this series makes me want to or not, maybe Rachel and Sarah shouldn't be anywhere near a ship :-)
A really good, lighthearted read.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second book by the author, it was much more fun than the first as I knew the characters by now, and I knew solving the murder was what Rachel did best. When a Russian crew member was found dead, it got her brain cells thinking.
The story had layers to it as quite a bit of conflicts do occur on the ship.
I had got used to narrator by now, and found myself enjoying the listen more than book 1.

[T.N. Traynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this well written, easy to read story.
The story is good and the main character really likeable, great smooth pace, this was such a relaxing read that I will definitely be buying more in series. Recommend is you like a good murder mystery.

[Kristi Blessing · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent mystery book!

This was an exce!lent little mystery with several twists & turns. I particularly loved the cruise theme. I highly recommend this book & thoroughly enjoyed it.

[ghuio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Rachel strikes again

I enjoyed cruising with WPC Rachel again. Makes a pleasant change from other detectives. The cruise makes it different.The
Suspense is ongoing till the end

[Penny-sue Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the series and it did not disappoint. You can read it as a stand alone or as part of the series but in this book you see the characters grow. Excellent twists. Brilliant!

[W.L. Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turning fun!

Absolute fun! This is the 2nd Rachel Prince Book I've read. Pure fun. Cannot wait until Books 3 and 4 come out. Thank you Dawn Brookes.