Angling for a Strangling

A Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery #2

by M.E. Harmon, Paula Lester

A Murder’s Slippery Slide… Poppy Legend’s forty and feeling fabulous. Her family’s new business is thriving, her gig aboard a luxury cruise ship, the Journee, is sailing along, and her love life… that’s becoming very ooh-la-la, with men coming out of the woodwork wanting a date. Including the man who tore Poppy’s heart out, though she can’t have a conversation with him without turning green around the gills.

But there’s a killer on a fishing expedition.

Welcome to the Braggadocious Big Fish Competition, a multi-day fishermen’s extravaganza hosted aboard the Journee. Anglers full of tangled secrets compete for everything from bragging rights to salvation; all with eyes on the grand prize of one million dollars.

A few days into the tournament, Poppy stumbles across the deadliest catch ever – a corpse left behind by a bloodthirsty scoundrel. Somebody is playing a lethal game of fish or cut bait… the keyword being cut and bait being anyone in the killer’s way.

If Poppy doesn’t flesh out the bad guy before the contest ends in a few days, the cruise line might go under and her family’s livelihood with it.

Like it or not, she’s on the case. But the murderer is busy chumming the waters and scattering a trail of red herrings to keep Poppy off the scent just long enough to escape.

Will Poppy’s net catch a fishy fiend in time, or will she end up dearly departed and dangling from a predator’s hook?

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2021

About the author

Hi. I'm Michelle. Born and raised in Queens, NY.

I'm an avid reader. If I'm finishing up a book and don't have another lined up and ready to go - I get really nervous. Yes, I know that's very geek like.

Speaking of geek - I'm a fan of anything action adventure, urban fantasy, paranormal (paranormal romance - not so much), and supernatural. If I ever go to Comic Con, I'll dress up as Lt. Uhura (except I might add some garters to be naughty). Walking Dead and Supernatural are two of my 'can't miss' shows on tv right now.

I started writing fanfic based on my favorite movie at age 12. Since then I've taken many creative writing classes. Several of my short stories have been published online and in print.

Reviews

[BigGirl BigBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome back to the cruise ship, The Journee. We are once again with Poppy as she works on the cruise ship alongside its arrogant president and his staff. Poppy is still single and mingling with, dare I say, plenty of fish in the sea. Aboard the ship this time are the men for the fishing and angling competition. Men that are drastically different than the older and richer ones she normally talks to. And they are easy to spot wearing flannel shirts out on the high seas. Of course, something is going to go wrong, in this case a dead body over a stiff competition and prize money. In strappy little sundresses while flirting and working, Poppy has a murder to solve. Book 2 of 3 in this eyecatching series.
oh, and walking around a cruise ship all day sounds exhausting.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is plenty of competition aboard the Journee that is when it comes to fishing and angling. However, when a fellow competitor who is known to cheat winds up dead, Poppy and her sister Oli finds themselves surrounded by suspects. Having her own cheating ex Jason part of that investigation and a few others trying to catch her eye, there is plenty of fish in the sea for her to choose from as long as it's not the murderer.

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

[Rose Arbor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Series

This is the second book of a series but you could read it as a stand-alone. It's also a decent length. And you can get for free if you have Kindle Unlimited. I really like this series. The mysteries are good and there is a touch of romance. I read the first book earlier today and reviewed it. It was really good, too. There is one book left in the series. I will try to read that tomorrow.

Poppy is back on the cruise line and there is another murder. I never went on a cruise, but I never knew they were so dangerous. It seems like jumping out of airplanes might be safer. But Poppy, with the help of her sister Oli, is up to the job. This book was a little scarier, though. But still a lot of fun. And there is still that touch of romance. This book gets another recommendation from me. I am sure you will like it.

I read this book for free on Kindle Unlimited. And I will return this book tonight and get the third book to read for tomorrow. See you then.

[Anne Dwyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy is enjoying her job as the events coordinator on the Journee - and hoping that this trip wont be quite as exciting as the last. They are coming into her home port, and she is looking forward to some time with her father and sister - and hoping she wont run into her ex. But as they are arriving at Celebration Cay, a body is discovered - who could have killed the man? The boss wants her to help out with the investigation. Jason is the deputy on the island - so she cant avoid him - and the security guard on the ship is asking her for a dinner date.
When she starts asking questions, will she survive the murderer's attentions? What will happen with her love life? I love the litlle twists and turns in this entertaining story!

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

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our heroine enjoys her new job, right up until the catch a dead body. Now she has to fish for clues to the murder.

This is book two of the series, but it works fine as a standalone.

This is a cozy mystery book set on a cruise ship. I found the book to be well written and easy to read. I really like the cruise ship setting as it keeps everything contained and provides a good reason for pulling together an interesting combination of characters. I really enjoyed seeing our heroine once again and developing things a bit further. Overall, another highly enjoyable cruise.

Highly recommended

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes. -

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is plenty of competition in the multi-day fishermen’s extravaganza hosted aboard the Journee. But one of the competitors is found dead! If Poppy Legend and her sister Oli cannot navigate through the tons of suspects to find the murderer before the competition is over, the cruise line could be shut down and their family’s business ruined. Will her ex-boyfriend, Jason Klein, distract her from her sleuthing? Can she find the culprit? Will she put herself in danger as well? Grab your copy and see how Poppy follows the clues to find the murder.

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy is up to solving another mystery aboard the cruise ship Journee. This time it is full of people for a fishing competition and her ex. Family and the stability of their cruise ship is paramount so she must find the killer quickly. Enough people are throwing off clues to send her the wrong direction, but she is strong and determined to figure it all out. Loved the details and characters of the storyline. The surprises and twists added a lot of depth and sometimes humor. Very well done.

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

[Aimee Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poppy and the crew of Journee will have their hands full with the guests on this cruise. Poppy will do everything she can to make sure things run smoothly. The worst happens when their is a murder. Poppy will have to figure out who committed the crime and why.

This was a cute and enjoyable read. The characters of this book will hook into the story. You will keep reading to find out what happens next. I recommend reading this book.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy mystery fans will definitely enjoy this read. There's mystery, suspense and murder all while on a cruise ship. You'll find yourself unable to stop reading and you try and solve the mystery before you reach the end of the book. The characters are fun, easy to get to know and add great element to the story.

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

[Elysian Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this series is set on a cruse ship, it adds so much more fun and interesting moments to the story. In this story, there is a murder during a large fishing competition and our heroine must balance her job, the mystery, an ex and her family. The story is full of mystery, and funny moments and I found myself trying to guess who was the killer (I was wrong) all while enjoying the process. Great characters, fun action, great setting, this story has it all.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well the murder was cringe worthy. I mean, how the person was found, just eww! Doesn’t sound like he’ll be missed though. Not the nicest guy, but still, *cringe*! Poppy didn’t have to sneak around for this investigation. There are no shortage of suspects either. It’s great that her sister was able to be part of things. I like Oli! She’s fun! Great read!

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

[K.M. Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by these two authors, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters, the story, and the setting. I didn't guess who the murderer was. I thought I knew, but I changed my mind many times. A perfect cosy mystery. I felt like I was reading a story from Murder She Wrote. A definite one click.

[Lucrecia Tolbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy Legend has made herself into a true legend with solving mysteries about the cruise ship. The fishing contest has shown that people will do anything for a bit of fame and fortune. This book was filled with excitement that must be had by all readers.

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

[Willow Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love cozy mysteries and the cruise shop mysteries are some of my favorites. I really liked this book want to read more of this series. Great characters and lots of suspense.

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

[sherri jones-teachout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy is always in the thick of things.
I lover character and she has a great dad and sister, and loyal friend. And now she has to deal with her cheating ex, a possible new love interest, and find a murderer. Just a day in the life of Poppy? I hope Popply doesn't get back with her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her. Once a cheater always a cheater. He doesn’t deserve a second chance. He blew it, his loss. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review