Set Sail for Murder

Henrie O #7

by Carolyn G. Hart

“Three cheers for Henrie O, an intelligent, engaging sleuth!”–Mary Higgins Clark

When retired newspaper reporter Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins, Henrie O to her friends, receives a call for help, she discovers that love once kindled never burns to ashes. Although she refused Jimmy Lennox’s marriage proposal, there is still a special place for him in her heart. She wished him well when he found happiness with Sophia Montgomery, world-famous documentary filmmaker and stepmother to the now grown heirs of a great fortune. Sophia is at odds with the heirs, and Jimmy fears for her safety. He asks Henrie O to come along with the family on a Baltic cruise. Henrie O can’t turn down her old friend, though old passions are stirred when he calls.

On the voyage she soon realizes this dysfunctional family is plunging toward destruction and one of the travelers has murder in mind. As the ports of call pass–Copenhagen, Gdynia, Tallinn, St. Petersburg–death inexorably approaches. Henrie O works desperately to save Jimmy and to bring hope to lives blighted by anger, resentment, and heartbreak.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Amateur Sleuth

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2007

About the author

Also writing as Carolyn Hart.

An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Dead by Midnight (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2007). She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, an organization for women who write mysteries. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
New Books: Dead By Midnight Carolyn Hart


DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart On Sale March 29

The police say suicide. Annie Darling suspects murder. Max is unconvinced until Annie follows a trail behind the dead woman's house.

Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the interesting lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst. Max plunges deep into the woods to find incriminating evidence.

Annie sets the perfect trap for a merciless killer, but her cell phone rings and Death is on the line.

www.CarolynHart.com

And for cat lovers:

DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart

I love to have fun when writing a mystery. If I laugh, I think a reader will laugh. In the Death on Demand series, I especially enjoy writing about Annie Darling's ditzy mother-in-law, Laurel Roethke. Laurel is usually excited about a new interest, something that surprises and often confounds Annie.

In Dead by Midnight, Laurel creates Cat Truth Posters, which she wants Annie to hang in the bookstore. Annie thinks books should be the store's focus, but the posters enchant her.

Each poster features a cat's photograph with a caption. Here are three of the Cat Truth posters;

. . . a silky furred, mitted, and bicolored Ragdoll stretched out on a red silk cushion, looking as comfy as Eva Longoria in a Hanes ad: Go with the Flow.

A rectangular-muzzled, green-eyed, cholocolate colored cat appeared as brooding as a Gothic hero: Always Say Yes to Adventure.

. . . a thick-furred, piebald Siberian forest cat, its white front a brilliant contrast to a charcoal back and head. Its face appeared almost angelic: Always try a Smile First.

And yes, one of the posters points to a killer.

Fun for me and fun, I hope for readers

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henrie O agrees to go on a cruise to help an old friend convince his wife she is in danger from one of her step kids. But who might it be? The drama in this book was so gripping I had a hard time putting it down.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A good ending to the series with Henri O going on a cruise on the Baltic Sea at the request of her old friend Jimmy to try and prevent a murder. That doesn't work and she ends up solving it. I liked this story and it was well written.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

So predictable but it was fun for the summertime.

[P.D. Workman]

Set Sail for Murder is a classic murder mystery. We have the unhappy family full of suspects stuck on a cruise ship, tempers flaring, feelings hurt, and millions of dollars on the line. Sound familiar? The characters are interesting and the scenery compelling.

The first murder is quickly followed by a second. There is no lack of suspects. How will Henri O narrow it down?

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a classic example of a mountain eventually producing a molehill or less. The pile-up of unpleasant characters (typical) and suspicions stuff was painful, to say the least. But the climax (?!) was as anticlimactic as one can have.
But I am happy. This series had become absolutely awful. Now it’s over. That, believe me, is almost as satisfactory as a good hanging.
Not recommended.

[Suzanne Bratcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hart's Henri O books tend to be slower paced than her other series, but this particular book drags to the midpoint. Hart handles a large cast of characters better than any other author I know, but in this book, too many secondary characters slow it down. Still, if you're a Hart fan, this one is worth reading for the twist at the end.

[Jinky · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first mystery genre read and it was basically a flop! Oddly enough, this light mystery was the right concentration I could muster at the moment. I'm just happy to finally get through a book!! I've been trying to tackle my "back-of-the-burner" list (things I've put on hold because I'd rather be reading!) so I didn't have much time for reading. This book seemed to be the best choice to read inbetween chores from the books I had lined up to read and apparently I was right! I felt the others just needed more concentration that I wouldn't have been able to provide. I know you must be thinking, mystery needs concentration. Well, glad this one didn't!! The characters wasn't interesting enough and the whole story wasn't thrilling as I would think a mystery should be. Overall a dry read. ~I'm one for the quirky detective character as that of Monk from the TV series Monk. Something of that venue would catch my fancy. Any suggestions?

I am not done with the mystery genre all togther. I'm sure there are tons of mystery books out there that are amazing. You might even have a few in mind from the top of your head, right?

[Margaret]

Pretty good mystery - it was the perfect book to read during my cruise vacation. I swear the picture of the deck on the cover was shot on my ship! I tend to like the Death on Demand series better than Henrie O but this is the second one I've read with her and she is starting to grow on me. I was not surprised to find out who the murderer was but I thought the characterization was well-done and this story had a little more depth to it than a lot of cozy mysteries.

[Elizabeth Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down! I loved the visuals I got from reading about the places the characters visited. I enjoyed the details in which characters were described as well as the surroundings. The only thing was that I guessed the murderer early on. I kept rethinking my guess as the story progressed, but in the end it was who I thought. That didn't not take away from the enjoyment of the book though. Looking forward to more from Carolyn Hart!

[lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun murder mystery. i enjoy these wholesome books. a good plot...someone in the family trying to murder someone for the inheritence...but...who is it....and will they succeed?? all happening aboard a cruise...delightful...

[Christine Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery, just complex enough. In addition, it made me want to take a Baltic cruise. Readable, without some of the annoying conventions that this genre sometimes entails. I'd read another by this author.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book for my Mystery Book Club. I had already read the 1st 3 books in the series and was about halfway through the 4th when I had to read this one so I'd have it done in time for the book club. That was confusing because although the locations were different there were several similarities between the two and I was having a really difficult time...especially because both books included numerous characters from large, combined families. But...that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book, I did. In this particular story, Jimmy, an old friend and former lover calls Henrie O because he believes that his wife is in danger and he wants her to come to help him. Two close calls have occurred...Sophia missed being hit by a large boulder coming down towards her only because she stopped to take a closer look at a snail. Then her sister-in-law just knows that Sophia's drink had been poisoned and stages an accidental spilling of the tray to save her life. They couldn't even test the drink and/or glass because by the time the family tried to investigate the rest of the drink had been poured out and the glass thoroughly washed. Henrie O had been invited to accompany the family on a cruse in the Baltics but being on the high seas does not put an end to the mysterious happenings and Henrie O. will have to keep her wits about her to figure out who is attempting to kill Jimmy's wife.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

When retired newspaper reporter Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins, Henrie O to her friends, receives a call for help, she discovers that love once kindled never burns to ashes. Although she refused Jimmy Lennox's marriage proposal, there is still a special place for him in her heart. She wished him well when he found happiness with Sophia Montgomery, world-famous documentary filmmaker and stepmother to the now grown heirs of a great fortune. Sophia is at odds with the heirs, and Jimmy fears for her safety. He asks Henrie O to come along with the family on a Baltic cruise. Henrie O can't turn down her old friend, though old passions are stirred when he calls.

On the voyage she soon realizes this dysfunctional family is plunging toward destruction and one of the travelers has murder in mind. As the ports of call pass—Copenhagen, Gdynia, Tallinn, St. Petersburg—death inexorably approaches. Henrie O works desperately to save Jimmy and to bring hope to lives blighted by anger, resentment, and heartbreak.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

[SPOILER WITHIN] This was an enjoyable, light read, with a good amount of detailed description. However, I also found many of the characters unlikeable, and descriptions of the murder victim somewhat mean-spirited. The fact that, years earlier, she had missed the funeral service for her first husband because she was working out of the country and “had his ashes flown down and scattered from a mountaintop” was described as “Quintessential [character’s name].” Sure, the character was very committed to her work, but still, she was married three times (widowed twice), so evidently being married meant something to her, too; how many women miss the funeral services for their own husbands?
Also, the motive for the murder strained my credulity, as did the description of one character as a world-famous documentary filmmaker who had “made plenty” of her own money. Documentary filmmakers may achieve recognition, but they don’t normally become household names or tremendously wealthy for their efforts, either.

[Matthew Dapena-Tretter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a ton. I had previously read Murder Walks the Plank (which I felt was okay) but hadn't put together that this was by the same author until I went back to the library for another Carolyn Hart book and saw it.

Henrie O was much more to my liking and I'm pretty disappointed to discover that Set Sail for Murder (2007) was the last book to feature her! I guess I can still go back and read her earlier adventures but the author's website's description of her as potentially "retired" is a let down after liking this book and the character so much.

If you like Agatha Christie, I'd recommend Set Sail for Murder.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henrietta O’Dwyer (Henrie O to her friends) was somewhat retired, but when a call for help came from a former friend and lover, Jimmy Lennox, she couldn’t say no….. Especially when the request was to help stop his present wife, Sophia, from being murdered….by someone in her own family, Well, the family of her very wealthy 2nd husband who had died. Jimmy (her 3rd husband) and family (5 “stepchildren” all now adults and their Aunt who had been their caretaker) were planning on a cruise from London to St Petersburg and Henrie O would just “happen” to be a fellow passenger. All went as planned ---until it looked like someone DID try to kill Sophia. Things got complicated…

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henrie O has been asked by her friend,Jimmy Lennox, to go a cruise with his wife and her step-children. Jimmy believes won of the children(who are adults)is trying to kill his wife but she doesn't see the danger.Jimmy has asked for Henrie's help because of her background as a reporter and because he trusts her. The cruise is in the Baltic and most of the action occurs on the ship. The book was a quick easy read.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I binge listened to all seven books in this series after stumbling across the first and realizing how much I liked the character Henrie O. Years ago the author wrote that she was probably ending the series with this book and it does end on a note that could leave readers reassured that, after this window into Henrie O's life, she will continue to enjoy her retirement. Each title has a cast of characters - or potential suspects - and each kept me guessing until the end. Entertaining!!!

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, the Henrie O series is now done. I like this mystery series because Henrie O looks at things very logically and the pieces make sense. She also seldom breaks the law while investigating. I like that because it makes the stories more believable. She is reunited with Jimmy Lennox for this final story. and it is a very good story. The cast of suspects is a little large but whittling them down adds mystery to the mystery.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little who-dunnit on a cruise ship. Very descriptive and picturesque, you feel the waves beneath your feet. The ending wasn't a total shock but I had not figured it out just yet! A good summer read for teens or adults.

[Karen Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book I've listened to by Carolyn Hart, and it was interesting but somehow irritated me. Can't put a finger on why. I did figure out "who dun it", which is always a plus. Might try another and see how it goes.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henrie O's old friend Jimmy has invited her on a cruise. He wants her to be the eyes to watch his wife's stepchildren, as he believes one of them is trying to kill her. And what could happen on a cruise.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. This series is not as riveting as the Death on Demand series, but still worth reading.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars—I enjoyed this cozy mystery which mostly takes place on a Baltic cruise but it was too easy for me to determine the culprit.

[Nancy barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mystery and well written. I kept changing my mind as to who the murderer was, I like it when I am kept guessing

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like a happy ending if not that at least a hopeful ending.
This is a good mystery with a love story and a family saga. All included.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is new to me having found the book at a used book store. Completely enjoyable read and would love to go back and read the first one in the series.

[Gayle Stever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the series. Good resolution to her story.

[Leah Wrightsob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and fun, not very original.

[Camille Mariani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. While I figured out who dunnit I enjoyed the characters esp Henrie O.