Dying to Cruise

A Rachel Prince Mystery #4

by Dawn Brookes

The only thing worse than getting stuck aboard a cruise ship with a murderer, is discovering that your ex is on board...
A ruthless killer intent on revenge. Can Rachel get to the bottom of an intriguing mystery before it's too late?.

Rachel Prince is drawn to investigate when the body of the leader of a Bucket List tour party is discovered in the library on the first day of her Antipodean cruise. Can this seemingly harmless group of elderly people have a killer among them?

Rachel thinks she is living the dream. Taking a cruise around Australia and New Zealand as a guest lecturer and meeting up again with her best friend, cruise ship nurse, Sarah. The scene is set for the holiday of a lifetime!

Difficulties abound for everyone when an interim chief of security causes countless problems and appears to take an intense dislike of Sarah. Not trusting the new chief to get to the bottom of the murder, Rachel investigates on her own, soon discovering that the dead woman from the Bucket List tour party had been receiving anonymous threatening emails. To make matters infinitely worse, Rachel's ex turns up on board, and things start to go horribly wrong.

The cruise ship sleuth needs to work fast to find out if one of the gentle elders on the bucket list tour is a murderer while avoiding her ex like the plague.


"Dawn Brookes has done it again. I said this about the last one but this is the best yet!" SD
"I absolutely love this series - unputdownable." RL

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy, Mystery

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2019

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

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

This was the most fun among all the books in the series I had read until now. The story had Rachel best friend Sarah on a paid holiday cruise until the ex turned up. Murder too followed this young lady. And the investigation started with a flicker or two for the ex who was on another investigation

Rachel was great, she had more conflicts this time around. The author etched her character well, maybe after two books, I knew her much better now.

The story had twists where I read for the sheer pleasure of a whodunit. I couldn't guess the murderer and neither did I want to.

[Livia · Rating 5 out of 5]

★¸¸.•*¨*•★Minor Spoilers Alert★•*¨*•.¸¸★

What I enjoyed most about this novel…
Action-packed / Witty / Wonderful characters / Original / Unpredictable / Page-turner (absorbing listen) / Easy-to-read (quick listen) / Entertaining whodunnit

Format read: Unabridged Audiobook via Audible; plus, a mini reread of my Kindle copy
Narrated by: Alex Lee
Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
Release Date: 01-10-20
Publisher: Dawn Brookes Publishing
Writing style: Third Person Omniscient
Cover design gush: I love the color palette of this one as well, so pretty!
Collected in Dual Kindle & Audible Formats – Yes or No? Yes!

★¸¸.•*¨*•★★•*¨*•.¸¸★
Cruise Ship: the Coral Queen
Port of call: Adelaide, South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital.
Special Tourists Group on board: the Bucket List Cruisers; I loved the nickname for them, the Dying to Cruise aka DTC seniors!
DTC Tour Group Organizer & Leader: 81-year old widow Florence Flanders aka the 1st murder victim

Ratings:
Overall - 4.5 stars! 👏🏽
I finished another Rachel cruising adventure a little over a week or so ago. This series is always a pleasure to slip back into. I was stumped and naively dismissed the real killer in error, doh!

Performance - 5 stars! Alex Lee knocked it out of the ball park yet again. She was so good with voicing both male and female characters and making each character so unique to my ears. Bravo! 👌🏽

Story - 4.5 stars! 👍🏽👍🏽
British police officer Rachel Prince returns for another cruise ship working vacation as a guest self-defense instructor on the Coral Queen passenger ship.

Before the killer's big reveal, readers got to enjoy updates on secondary characters like cruise ship nurse Bernard and Chief Security Officer Waverly who'd gotten married sometime after we last saw him in book 3, Killer Cruise. And no cruise would be complete without Rachel's bestie nurse Sarah. Nurse Sarah was back on duty as one of the cruise ship's medical staff who also strangely became the irritated focus of interim Chief Security Officer Goodridge. That fact became a secondary mystery that I also didn't guess the cause of until it was revealed.

I was also so relieved at who wasn't the killer.

Up next in this charming cozy mystery series: book 5, A Christmas Cruise Murder, available now in Kindle format. I'm hoping this one gets an audiobook release as well, so I can keep reading in my favorite format.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW


I love these books. Not only does the series feel like coming back to a fireside chat with an old friend but it is also a fun and whimsical audio with a great set of characters and storylines. This time the woman who trouble and murder always follow Rachel sets off on another cruise this time as a guest speaker to teach the passengers first aid. As trouble always seems to follow Rachel this time around she is not only getting involved in another murder investigation of a woman who owns a travel agency but all the reappearance of her ex fiancé. Why is he on the ship and does Rachel still carry a torch for him. What progresses is a fun story of secrets and lies whilst Rachel tries her best to not get locked up and stay out of trouble but every time gets pulled into the investigation. These stories are fun and during my lockdown it is helping with my cruise withdrawals a little bit

[Pam G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th outing for Rachel Prince, and once again she is aboard a cruise ship with her pal, Sarah. This time Rachel is touring Australia and New Zealand and Sarah has joined the crew as a martial arts teacher.
It isn’t long before the leader of a bucket list tour is found murdered and Rachel befriends some of the tour party to try to establish what has happened.
Things become even more complicated when she discovers her ex fiancé , a police sergeant, is on board undercover, trying to unearth an antiques smuggling gang.
Because of the incompetence of the new head of security, the detecting of both cases falls to Rachel, ably abetted by nurse Sarah.
I enjoyed this book. I think it’s the best of the series so far. I listened via Audible and felt the narrator coped really well with a host of accents including Australian, South African and French. A very enjoyable listen!

[Mindy Hartwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is part of a series it’s a great stand alone as well. Rachel Prince has a knack for being on aboard the Coral Queen when there is a murder and intrigue. Helped by her medic friends and ship security, she manages to solve the crime and have a good bit of fun too! The narration is wonderful and helps the story move along at an engaging pace! Over all great story!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook review

Aaaah Rachel you don’t seem to get cruise means a holiday fo you!
And thank goodness as where we go for the shenanigans & mayhem this lady has follow her around.
I love these adventures & her. She’s a full character & fun (yes I know murder) but she is!!

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s on your bucket list to cruise? Australia and New Zealand is definitely up there on my list. Rachel Prince has a meet up with her ex onboard the Coral Queen and things get deadly.

[Sandra Leivesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cruise for Rachel Prince, this time around Australasia, and they barely get out of port before the first body is found. Poor old Rachel - if I was her I wouldn't dare go cruising again!

I love these books. Meeting Rachel again is like catching up with an old friend as she is extremely likeable. Her friend, nurse Sarah is also back, but so is Rachel's ex fiancé, and undercover police sergeant! Once again the story is fun with enough twists and turns to keep me happy. I love the settings of these books and the lovely detailed descriptions of life on a cruise ship make me want to be on board, if it wasn't for the murders!

If you're looking for a well written, humorous cosy crime novel with a great setting then I highly recommend this series. The audible narration by Alex Lee was brilliant, as always.

[Sherri Geisler Locke · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think you are about to have the time of your life on a awesome cruise, give a few lectures and relax. When you discover your ex is along for the ride and there is possibly a murder on board. Cruise along with Rachel as she tries to solve the mystery. A fun, enjoyable read.

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

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who does not like a cruise? Maybe the person who was murdered? I am sure even a dead person would love a cruise! This is such a fun cozy and so well-written, I could not put it down! Exciting, with the ex along and everything, Rachel still solves the puzzle.

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

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author and I need to read more of her books now. I loved Dying to Cruise. It is an entertaining cozy mystery with very relatable characters and a great storyline. There is humour, mystery, murder, and suspense to keep you engaged.

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

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really great mystery! I had no idea where things were heading and was surprised by the murderer. I was even more surprised at the why it was done. Some people are delusional and very evil! I’m looking forward to seeing more by this author!

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

[Kandice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a very enjoyable cozy mystery. It has a great combination of mystery, murder, suspense and humor.

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

[Laurel Heidtman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Prince is cruising to Australia and New Zealand in the fourth installment in the Rachel Prince mystery series. She makes friends with a group of seniors on a Bucket List tour (the actual name of the tour) being led by Florence Flanders, the owner of the travel agency who set it up, as well as Florence’s son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Florence is also there to reconnect with a man who was the love of her youth. Shortly after they set sail, Florence is found murdered in the ship’s library. Complicating matters, the man who is filling in for the security chief is incompetent and begins acting somewhat crazy as the story continues. And to complicate Rachel’s life, her ex-fiancé is on board.

All in all, it’s a great setup for a fun cozy mystery, and it doesn’t disappoint. I’ve read the first two books in the series, and while I liked this one, I had a couple of complaints. For one, Rachel seemed a little too fragile at times in this one. Having been a female police officer myself, I guess I expect cops to be tougher. I also thought the motive for the murder was a stretch. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book. The characters are well fleshed out people who seem very real, and I love the details of the cruise ship setting. Some of those details caught my attention enough to make me look up things like the size of real-life cruise ships (they’re floating towns!) and stories about people who live on them full-time. Fascinating! So, although this wasn’t my favorite of the series so far, I still found it a good read and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of cozy mystery.

[Melanie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Rachel Prince, you are a murder magnet! The ship has barely left port and the first victim has fallen. Once again, due to a combination of Rachel's sleuthing skills and her natural charm, she befriends all the right people to enable her to solve the mystery. What I like about Rachel Prince is the fact that she doesn't exist in a vacuum. She has parents, friends and a boyfriend. She has a back story, she grew up in a loving family with 'normal' parents and is still friends with Sarah, from their childhood. This makes the character so much more credible. How can you fail to engage with someone who is such a good daughter and friend? She's the kind of person I'd like to have as a friend. We meet up again with all the previous characters. The medical team aboard ship and Waverley, the chief of security. It was like getting together with close friends you haven't seen for ages. Alex Lee narrates with her usual aplomb. All in all a mystery, (or two), solved by a likeable character and her sidekicks who I have grown terribly fond of. A great story in a great series.

[L.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Rachel Prince mystery, but her reputation precedes her as even the ship's captain reckons a murder on board should never be ruled out when Rachel's around.
This time round, Rachel is a guest speaker and teaching self defence to passengers. She does not expect to find her ex (Robert) on the same ship. And she really does not expect to be embroiled in a murder case amongst the "dying to cruise" passengers.
The story weaves through various fascinating subplots - why is Robert on board? Who killed Mrs F? among others.
This is a story of secrets and lies with plenty of dry wit thrown in, as well as plenty of humorous insight to cruise ship activities and excursions.
The narrator did a good job at offering different accents for different characters which made the story so much more realistic.

[Michelle Bartlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started in the middle of the series...did not listen to the first three books so I was not totally familiar with the characters-not as much as I like to be. I received a free audio version of the book in exchange for an honest review. Let me say that I listen to about 210 books a year so it takes something great and different to get 5 stars. This book was okay-I enjoyed it but I did not love it-I mean how many death can one person be exposed to in a lifetime-let alone murders? I know that's the premise of this series but I find it difficult to believe (I do believe in zombie's and alien's so maybe taking my view on this is not a good idea :).

[Beryl A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dying to Cruise

Unfortunately this book seemed to drag every other chapter but
Overall this author is still an excellent author and I shall now download book
5 and begin reading it. I have already purchased all the series thus written for Rachel, I also purchased the delightful British woman and her adventures, AND all the books of Carlos's adventures. So I hate when I cannot give a five star rating but I know and realize an author. Can get overloaded with all the variety of storylines, please keep the
Storylines interesting and I shall do my best to keep purchasing as
They are released. Sincerely, Beryl

[Scilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel Prince is on another cruise, this time around Australia and New Zealand. There is a large number of senior citizens on it with the Bucket List Tour Party. The woman who runs the group is found dead in the Library right at the start of the cruise. A man with whom she used to be close finds her and as he is a doctor he tries to revive her. Later, Rachel discovers the man she used to be engaged to who dumped her is also on the cruise. Later another passenger is found in bad shape out on one of the tours. Things seem to go from bad to worse for awhile, with a bad strorm.

However, Rachel and her friend Sarah finally solve everything about the same time as the head of security.

[Stephanie Richmond]

Not my favorite

This is not my favorite in this series, thought the previous installments were better. I find it strange that the author fat shames so many of the characters in this book, especially since it was written only 5 years ago, not 50. It seems unnecessary and unimportant to the storyline. Rachel's fitness and health conciseness has been fine throughout the books, but the negative comments towards the other characters is off putting. Not sure if I'll be ready any more books by this author.

[MRS T J CHIVERS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Prince is involved in another baffling case on board ship

This story was much better than Book 3 where I found it took nearly the whole mystery to sort out the characters. Book 4 characters were clear and rounded from the start. Rachel is headstrong, intuitive and determined to solve a murder, avoid her creepy ex fiance and discover the attacker of a woman passenger. Phew! Keep up the good work Rachel but I would still avoid any cruise you embarked on 😀

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoyed the various characters, especially the sleuth and her best friend. The secondary characters were quirky and added to the fabric of the story. I love that the Rachel played a major role in solving the crime. The subplots are interesting. The story captured my attention from the start and held it until the very end.

I enjoyed the audio version of this story and the narrator.

[Clover Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! I really enjoyed book 4. I wasn't a fan of book 2 and 3 but had to keep the series going. The characters were easy to follow. Sometimes I feel she rushes the end it takes a while for them to figure out whose the killer and when they do it's never really a big bang or a surprise for me. They always catch the killer so easily after busting their brains for 20 chapters. I also wished she followed up on Robert at the end.

[Kirsten Carlyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of the audio version of this book in return for an honest review and here it is! This was a cozy murder mystery which was easy to listen to. I liked the variety of characters and the story line was well developed, kept me guessing throughout. The narrator read the story beautifully.

[Deedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best one yet!Rachel can not catch a cruise where there isn't a murder! She meets new friends,and some old on this one.She tries to find out who killed an elderly matron despite the horrible new head of security aboard ship. Alex Lee was sonderful at narration. was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, too, am dying to cruise (although not literally), so when the Coral hit the storm on the Tasman Sea and had to lift the stabilizers, I enjoyed the memories of crossing that same rough stretch of water (one of the roughest in the world) many years ago. I do so enjoy a good storm at sea. :)

It was quite easy to figure out whodunnit, but it was still an enjoyable read.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and exciting

Once again I see myself on a cruise, and what a fun way to do it, a bucket list cruise. This time though I was able to figure out who the main bad guy was. That doesn't matter though , it was still an enjoyable read.

[Elainebowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

I really enjoyed this book the characters are really well written,I can't wait to see the are develop and grow, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cosy mystery stories.

[Elayne Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable

Rachel Prince goes on another cruise and as you guessed another murder happens. This time is different as her ex happens to be on this voyage as well. What else can go wrong?

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another light, fun mystery set on a cruise in Australia. The characters in this series are likeable and well drawn. As an Australian, the only minor niggle was the attempt at Australian accents by the very English audiobook narrator.