Sailing to Capri

by Elizabeth Adler

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Adler invites you on a decadent Mediterranean cruise--where nothing is what it seems, no one is telling the truth, and murder is on the agenda…

When English tycoon Sir Robert Waldo Hardwick dies mysteriously in a car accident, he leaves behind a note naming six people he suspects might have wanted him dead. Daisy Kean, and P.I. Harry Montana team up to take the suspects--and also six 'red herrings'--on a fabulous Mediterranean cruise, all expenses paid by the late Sir Robert.  As they call at Monte Carlo, St. Tropez and Sorrento, the mystery deepens.  And the unexpected twists are just the beginning. 
 
Finally, they arrive at the beautiful Villa Belkiss on Capri, where Sir Robert's will is to be read…and the killer unmasked. With the beauty of the Yorkshire countryside, the Mediterranean resorts and the magnificent cruise ship, plus the intense attraction between loner Montana and wary Daisy, passions flare and the beauty of the Villa Belkiss enchants. No one writes delicious armchair travel or intriguing suspense like Elizabeth Adler.

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Fiction, Chick Lit, Italy, Romantic Suspense, Audiobook

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Born in Yorkshire, North England, Elizabeth Adler met her husband Richard (an American) while both were working in London. They have lived in England, Ireland, France, Brazil, and the United States and have traveled extensively. They have one daughter and live in Palm Springs, California. Her first novel, Private Desires (also titled Leonie), launched an enormously successful writing career, she also wrote as Ariana Scott. She has now written over twenty internationally acclaimed bestsellers.

Reviews

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. Great plot. A billionaire dies. His Will is in the form of letters. He arranges that if he dies - but not in his bed - he believes murder. Then a group of suspects plus guests are to be invited on a luxurious Mediterranean cruise. With the Will to be read at the last port - Capri. During the course of the cruise his PI (read chief organiser) is to have solved the murder.
Lots of sub-plots.
Did not guess the ending.
Wonderful, wonderful story telling.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having not read this author before I picked this book based on a wonderful review written by a wonderful GR friend Adrienne. I was not lead astray!

This is a delightful who-done-it in the style of Agatha Christie offering up numerous suspects by the victim himself.

Super rich tycoon Sir Robert Waldo Hardwick has left certain instructions should he meet an untimely end and of course he does.

It is up to PI Harry Montana and Sir Robert’s trustworthy assistant Daisy Keane to arrange the luxury cruise to Capri for the six suspects that Sir Robert has named and a few extras just to confuse the suspects. In order to get the suspects to comply they are informed that Sir Robert’s will be read when they arrive in Capri. Since each one is hoping for a financial windfall they all agree.

A who-done-it in a light and airy tone with a little romance thrown in I found it a delicious read.

[Susana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fifth book that i've read by this author, and my last. The story is completely implausible. If you were rich like Croesus, and you suspected that someone was trying to kill you, what would you do?
A) Hire appropriate security ( since you're so smart that you're almost certain of whom is going to kill you).

B) Leave a letter to your female assistant describing a small number of persons amongst which is the assassin, and leave it to her _ yes, she does have help. If she didn't, where would be the romance in the book? _ to uncover the culprit.

Oh, in case you're wondering, the author went with alternative B. o_O

To be fair, i'm gonna finish by saying, that the author as always gives a perfect description of the locations where the stories take place. It is as if we were almost there, almost to the point that we can feel the sun and the breeze on our skin.
The problem was that i didn't want to be there, not with these characters, and not with this story.

[Maria Lavrador · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei bastante deste livro. Não é o 1º que leio desta escritora e faz-me sempre viajar até outras paragens e ficar com muita vontade de me meter num avião ou num barco e conhecer todos os sítios lindos onde a acção do livro decorre, que sabe se um dia não o posso fazer, sonhar ainda não paga impostos :)

[Lynda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the most tedious books I have ever read. It was like a Harlequin Romance. Very predictable, boring, the main character was very annoying. It just did not ring true. Plus my biggest peeve with it were the mistakes. One of the first ones I noticed was when the author mentioned a "Buick Monte Carlo! Hello, my Mom drove a Monte Carlo in the 70's and it was made by Chevrolet! This was such a stupid error. It is also obvious the author lives in Palm Springs, CA when she writes about critters that are abundant in VA and I'm thinking gee, they don't sound like that to me. I will never read another book by Elizabeth Adler, pure tripe. This is not something I would never have chosen to read, it was a book club read. Thank god the next selection is a good one!

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember all those old movies where all the suspects are gathered together in the big country house? Somehow there's always a thunderstorm with the light flickering on and off and a sinister old butler; there's creacking floorboards and poisoned wine and knives gleaming, and faces at the window and shadowy figures glimpsed in darkened hallways. Well it's going to be a bit like that, only instead of a gloomy country house, Daisy lass, it's going to take place on a high-class yacht, namely the famous Blue Boat, and at the Villa Bellkiss

[John Mcconahey]

Sailing to Capri by Elizabeth Adler



A great book for romantic right-brained types, Adler leads us through a mystery that leaves left-brainers doubtful.



Daisy Keane’s husband has dumped her for a 20-year old. Now depressed, divorced, and nearly broke, she moves to London for a change of pace. With her funds nearly dissipated, she meets a big, ugly, super-rich knight who hires her as a personal assistant. Fast-forward five years. Sir Employer is now dead, killed in and auto accident. Conveniently he has had a premonition that he will be murdered and arranges for a private detective to investigate a list of likely suspects he provides. These six folks are invited on a cruise to Capri, where the will is to be read. Of course, it wouldn’t be an Adler book without a massive dollop of romance.



I wasn’t comfortable with the nearly impossible way the stories of the various characters came together with Rube Goldberg-type precision. It wasn’t believable. On the other hand, once I got into this book, I couldn’t put it down until I was finished.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise: suspects invited to a yacht and one of them had committed a murder. I loved how different persons were and how some of them had less likable features of human nature.

Setting was amazing and I loved all the detailed descriptions. Well at some points the writing felt even too detailed. This would have been an amazing as a mystery! This made me to wonder who had done it but wasn't a mystery.

This was touching, interesting and I really enjoyed reading this! The beginning was slightly slow but I still liked it (I loved the storm and how snow blocked roads - like I said: would have been a great mystery).

I think romance was lacking some building up but ended up to like it too at some point.

[Mariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Para um livro intitulado "Viagem a Capri", a autora decidiu demorar imenso tempo até começar a viagem, mais propriamente metade do livro!
Esta história tinha potencial, mas não gostei da abordagem da autora.
O romance foi horrível. Super mal construido, se é que se pode dizer que houve algum tipo de construção. Sem pés nem cabeça, diálogos de fazer ranger os dentes de tão maus que foram.
Quanto ao mistério em si, confesso que fui surpreendida pela identidade do assassino. Nunca teria conseguido adivinhar quem era, mas a viagem até chegarmos lá, ao momento da grande revelação, foi penosamente longa.
Diria que este barco afundou logo no início para mim.

[Tempo de Ler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antes de morrer misteriosamente, Sir Robert Hardwick escreveu uma carta onde nomeava de antemão seis possíveis suspeitos para o caso do pior vir mesmo a acontecer. Além desta lista, Daisy Keane, a sua secretária pessoal, e Harry Montana, investigador contratado, recebem também instruções para embarcar num fantástico cruzeiro pelo Mediterrâneo com os suspeitos, com o objectivo de descobrir o assassino.

No geral gostei bastante de Viagem a Capri e, até agora, é o meu preferido da autora. A verdadeira classificação andaria por volta das 3,5 estrelas mas, sem essa opção, optei pelas quatro, especialmente por ter sido bem sucedido em me manter curiosa a tentar adivinhar a identidade do assassino até ao final. Mantendo um excelente ritmo, Elizabeth Adler avança pela narrativa com um escrita bem agradável e expedita, oferecendo-nos bom entretenimento.

Grandes marcas, boa comida, sítios maravilhosos - enfim: luxo! são elementos recorrentes nos livros de Adler, contudo, penso sinceramente que não havia necessidade de descrever minuciosamente a indumentária de cada um dos personagens cada vez que entrava em cena, resultando em parágrafos e parágrafos seguidos de descrição de roupa/sapatos/malas. Além disso fiquei desiludida que o mistério não tivesse sido resolvido no próprio cruzeiro com pistas obtidas na viagem e confirmadas depois…assim, o cruzeiro, ponto chave da narrativa, não serviu para nada!...

[Clarinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este livro conta-nos a história de um assassino, no qual a vítima, Sir Robert, sabe que vai ser assassinada e deixa, como último desejo, que o seu assassino seja encontrado e punido. Tendo como base, escolhas, segundas oportunidades, amizades fiéis e amor de uns e ganância de outros, a vítima consegue que o seu assassino se revele e que todos fiquem em paz.
Este trama passa-se num cruzeiro de sonho, fantástico, com destino a Capri, não deixando de contar com uma linda história de amor de permeio.
É uma história, repleta de belíssimas descrições, que nos transportam para os lugares mais variados. Com base num leque de personagens riquíssima, contada numa linguagem clara, que nos prende da primeira à última página num fernesim de descoberta do assassino e de torcer para que o amor de Daisy e Harry dê certo, é sem dúvida uma das história mais deslumbrantes de Elizabeth Adler.
Já li todos os livros desta autora, no entamto este é o meu preferido. Esta história de amor, amizade, escolhas e oportunidades, com um pouco de policial à mistura, está muito bem conseguida.

[Mariazita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais uma viagem com Elizabeth Adler, com este livro fui até Capri num cruzeiro pelo Mediterráneo, com muito luxo e lindas paisagens.
Depois da sua morte ,Sir Robert Waldo Hardwick que previa que iria ser assassinado, deixou uma lista de 6 pessoas, suas amigas, mas que tem algo contra Robert e que de certeza poderiam ter orquestrado o seu assassinato, para que todas embarquem num paradisíaco cruzeiro.No fim da viagem o testamento será lido e também quem foi o seu assassino.Montana e a assistente de Robert, Daisy irão ser os anfitriões desta festa em honra de Robert e também irão investigar qual deles poderia ter morto o seu patrão e amigo.
Gostei bastante deste livro, mistério, amor amizade e sempre as descrições soberbas que a autora já nos habitou .Adorei.

[Elif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert birinin kendisini öldüreceğinden şüphelenir. Bu nedenle de -ne yazık ki- ölmeden önce vasiyetini hazırlar.Kızı gibi sevdiği Daisy’den vasiyetini gerçekleştirmesini ister. Bu vasiyette Robert'in muhtemel katillerinin bir listesi yer almaktadır.Daisy ve Dedektif Harry katili bulmak için işe koyulurlar. Şüphelilerle birlikte Capri Adası’nda son bulacak mavi yolculuğa çıkarlar. Tabi bu da Robert'in planladığı bir yolculuktur. Sonunda katil çıkıyor ortaya ama 'Hadi yaa! Katil bu muymuş?' dedim. Aklıma bile gelmeyen bir kişiydi. 'Herkes ikinci bir şansı hakeder.' mesajı da veriyor kitap. Gayet keyifle okudum :)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this four stars because it kept my attention enough for me to keep trying to sneak away to read it. As other reviewers have said, it's a light read. It is definitely *not* a mystery - I wouldn't put it in that category as that was so relegated to the background that it barely counts. But I did like the lead characters and I liked their interactions. The problem is that it wasn't really a romance either, so if you're looking for that, this might not be enough. On the other hand, like I said, if you're looking for a book that isn't overly taxing or emotionally draining -- which is how I like my fiction -- I would definitely recommend.

[Sari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a entertaining who-done-it mystery, perfect for a summer read. I rated it highly because of the wonderful mix of characters, nearly all who are suspects in the murder of wealthy Sir Robert Hardwick.

Bob, as he is better known, anticipates that he will be killed and arranges that all the suspects will be invited on a cruise after his death. On that cruise, the murderer will be revealed. All the suspects have plausible motives, but this well-crafted story keeps the reader guessing throughout.

[Glenda L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of an Agatha Christi mystery (a group of suspects collected on a boat). But the author Elizabeth Adler thickens the plot by slowly building a sweet romance between two unlikely characters. This is about a "killer" cruise to find the murderer of one of the richest men in England. Bon voyage!

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost interest in the first few chapters but kept reading it anyway. As it got close to the end, it became much more interesting as the killer was revealed. It was just okay. I wouldn't read it again.

[Tessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time! The characters are poorly developed, and I didn't care a bit about who killed whom...or not...

[Joana Gonzalez (Elphaba) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para quem nunca leu Elizabeth Adler, como eu, não poderia ter encontrado melhor âncora para aproar-se às suas histórias. Estou completamente arrebata por uma viagem inesquecível...

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Elizabeth Adler's Sailing to Capri, this mystery is set on land and also on the ocean to take you on a majestic journey across the Mediterranean Sea. It all started for Daisy Keane, a divorced American who worked for English Tycoon, Robert Hardwick. He became her savior when she hit her lowest point and gave her a job at his home and a place to live. They became fast best friends. But when he mysteriously dies from a car accident, it's up to Daisy to follow his belated orders to track down a killer. With the help from Harry Montana, his hired PI, they rounded up six suspects and invited him to take a cruise to Capri when all would be revealed. Daisy didn't get along with Harry at the first, but they worked together to do some profiling on the true suspects which included his ex-lovers and his wife. Along for the ride, she invited her best friend Bordelaise to keep her company as they threw some red herrings into the mix. After all accepted the invitation that came with a money attachment, they sailed to Capri when secrets are revealed, true intentions are discovered, and the real killer revealed himself after the reading of his will. Almost everyone had gotten a second chance including Daisy who found a brand new start for her life too with a mesmerizing ending.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good.The premise was promising (murder suspects on a boat) and I thought there would be some interest in the Italian setting but not much to be gleaned there. Characters were totally cardboard and the book had a cheesy romance feel to it rather reading like a mystery. A far cry from Agatha Christie!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. Definitely a light read and the names of the characters induced much eye-rolling at first but once past that it was very entertaining.
I would compare this to a modern day Agatha Christie. Very well done!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery and romance always a good compo.

[Njalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yllättävän viihdyttävä! Olin aivan varma etten viihdy ja jaksa lukea ja vaikka mitä, mutta tämähän imaisi mukaansa. Epäuskottava tarina toki, mutta olishan se nyt tylsää jos kirjallisuuden pitäisi aina olla tiukasti todenmukaista ja samastuttavaa.

Tarina on aika tuttu ja perinteinen. Rikas mies pelastaa tyttörukan ja tyttö (tai siis nainen) pääsee ryysyistä rikkauksiin-meiningin pariin. Sitten rikas mies kuolee ja aletaan selvittää murhaajaa, mieluiten jonkun komean ja puoleensavetävän tyypin kanssa. Olen lukenut samaa kuviota noudattavia kirjoja useampia. Mutta aina ne silti viihdyttää!

Oli kiva tutustua vähän tarkemmin kaikkiin epäiltyihin, ja etenkin parin kohdalla mielikuva parani, kun päästiin vähän syvemmälle kuin katsomaan asiaa Daisyn näkökulmasta.
Murhaaja tuli lopulta yllätyksenä! Pisteet siitä. Joko asia peiteltiin hyvin tai sitten olen aivan onneton dekkarien kuluttaja. Kumpikin on mahdollista.

Helmet-lukuhaasteessa tämä menee useampaan kohtaan, kuten
12, kirjan nimi liittyy veteen
20, kirja kertoo naisesta, joka on matkalla
31, kirjan kansikuvassa on taivas tai kirjan nimessä on sana taivas

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não me deixou grande impressão.
Lê -se bem num dia de praia, mas não é memorável.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, fun little read.

[Elisa Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Digo nesta altura e confesso-me: achei que não iria gostar deste tipo de autora - sempre achei o epitome do "lovey-dovey" insipido que não me atrai nada. Mas, ao ser desafiada a ler algo em conformidade com o Dia dos Namorados fiz esta escolha, fora dos meus géneros habituais....e gostei.

Na verdade, voei pelas páginas - li o livro em 2 dias - tal é a fluidez e leveza da escrita que nos envolve, mas também estava bastante interessada no who dunnit, que é a base para o enredo deste livro.

Daisy Keane encontra por acaso numa festa Londrina o self-made man Robert Hardwick, que a salva dos efeitos de um divórcio e consequente pobreza associada, uma vez que o querido ex terminou o casamento junto com todas as poupanças que haviam acumulado durante o mesmo. Robert dá-lhe uma segunda chance de fazer algo por ela, pela vida dela, ao mesmo tempo que tenta curar as feridas psicológicas deixadas pelo divórcio.

Mas, eis que Robert morre inesperadamente num acidente de viação e entra pela vida cuidadosamente planeada e estática de Daisy o detective Harry Montana, um homem misterioso, que vem com uma missão igualmente misteriosa: descobrir quem matou Robert! Mas afinal, foi ou não um acidente?

O desenlace irá dar-se a bordo de um cruzeiro fabuloso pelo Mediterraneo e com uma leitura de testamento dramática numa villa lindissima em Capri. Tudo muito ao estilo de Agatha Christie, em que nada falta, nem uma tempestade, para completar o ambiente tétrico de revelação.

Na prática este livro fala muito de segundas oportunidades na vida, de erros que se cometem e que nos foram cometidos e se poderemos ou não emendá-los...ou emendar-nos ou consertar-nos. Material para reflexão.

Como disse em cima, a escrita é fluida, fácil de acompanhar e com uns cenários e sitios lindos só de ler as descrições. As personagens estão levemente estereotipadas, mas se procuram uma leitura descontraida, com um bocadinho - só um bocadinho - de tensão e amor, então mergulhem neste livro, que vale a pena. Eu, pelo menos gostei.

[Lida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sailing to Capri sat on my virtual shelf for a while until I could dig in to this pile of fluff, written in the style of those good old-fashioned mysteries where the suspects of a murder are gathered together to see what surfaces from their forced interactions and the killer is revealed at the height of a lightning storm at the villa on Capri. Really? No wonder it took a couple of tries. The character history reveals were mildly interesting, but not many of the suspects immediately likable. It’s hard for me to relate to a misfit bunch of people who feel wronged by a billionaire taking an all-expenses-paid cruise on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean with the hope of a payday when his will is read on Capri. Taking a cruise is putting it kindly; the mostly down-on-their-luck suspects were paid $100K to go, adding to the unrealistic nature of the plot. Add in a reluctant hostess (Daisy) and a sexy PI named Harry Montana from Texas (and there was a female red herring named Texas!), and you get some romance to spice it up. (The most ridiculous name was Daisy’s friend, Bordelaise.)

Also, I have a couple of notes about the book construction (audio, for me). The narrator changed perspectives between Daisy, Montana, the suspects, and the deceased billionaire, but I don’t get why when an omniscient narrator would have done just fine. And it was broken up into parts that were sometimes one chapter long. I found that unnecessary and meaningless.

All in all, the story was not bad for fluff, but it was also about as satisfying in the end.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concordo plenamente com a última frase da sinopse "Ninguém escreve viagens maravilhosas ou suspense como Elizabeth Adler". A Autora leva-nos a viajar com os personagens descritos na histórias. Fiquei logo com a pulga atrás da orelha com a morte do Sir Robert, e que deixa uma carta com 6 possíveis suspeitos da sua morte, começou logo bem. Daisy e Keane partem na viagem de forma a descobrirem quem é que matou o Sir Robert, mas não será tarefa fácil. Mas claro, como bom livro, Daisy e Keane acabam por descobrir que estão enamorados e tem que lidar com os sentimentos e também com o possível assassino. Adorei este livro policial com romance à mistura, foi diferente do que já tinha lido da autora mas adorei!

http://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.pt/...

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loved the locations the story was set in (Italy, France, England), but the plot was worthless. A rich man is murdered and he wants his personal assistant to find out who did it by getting all the suspects aboard a private yacht. Dumb.