Murder Takes a Vacation

A delightful minor character in the Tess Monaghan series takes on her own heroes journey on a trip to Paris. There are enough twists to make Christie proud.If you're looking for a summer beach read, this is it.

I've enjoyed Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, so when I saw what sounded like a cozy mystery with one of her minor characters from that series, I was intrigued. In typical Lippman fashion, she has crafted a riveting story with interesting characters.Sixty-eight-year-old Muriel Blossom, who has been a widow for ten years, finds a winning lottery ticket worth millions and decides to take a luxury boat cruise up the Seine. Not used to international travel or traveling in style, she is befriended by the attentive Allan Turner, who takes charge when Mrs. Blossom misses her flight from London to Paris. The attraction appears to be mutual, and the pair spends a romantic day in London before Allan puts Mrs. Blossom on the train to Paris. Once in Paris, Mrs. Blossom is soon visited by the police who tell her Allan has died from a fall from a Paris hotel room when he was supposed to be in London. When the mysterious Danny Johnson tries to strike up a relationship, Mrs. Blossom is suspicious and doesn't know whom to trust. Throw in a stolen art treasure and some misadventures, and Mrs. Blossom's life gets more complicated.Mrs. Blossom is a wonderful character. Both naive and savvy at the same time, she is a strong woman who is trying to cast aside her comfortable life and spread her wings. I found the book a wonderfully written page-turner filled with wit and intrigue. The plot is clever and the characters engaging. 4.5/5 stars.

I’m a huge Tess Monaghan fan and remember the character Mrs Flowers from one book. It’s great to now have her as her own starring character. She was a little too trusting in her debut but I suspect she’ll be more savvy in her next story.

Mrs. Blossom previously appeared in a Tess Monaghan book by Lippman, but I think I should be excused for not remembering her since, well, Mrs. Blossom has gone through life unnoticed (an asset when she was following people for Tess). Now in her late 60's and a widow, Mrs. Blossom's life changed when, first, her daughter and family (who she had moved to Arizona to be near) announced they were moving to Japan and Mrs. B was not invited to join them, then she found a lottery ticket in a parking lot and it ended up being a big winner! Mrs. B decides to take her best friend on a river cruise in France, first planning to visit Paris on her own for a few days. A series of mishaps on her way to Paris end with a new friend of Mrs. B's dying under what turn out to be suspicious circumstances, and when she realizes she is being followed, she wonders what the new friend may have gotten her into! This is very much a character-driven story, full of richly portrayed characters (and a special appearance from Tess Monaghan), but the mystery is also top-notch (even if I did figure out the key parts before the reveal) and there are many enjoyable moments along the way.

Muriel Blossom is 68 years old and a widow. A native of Baltimore, she had moved to Phoenix to help care for her grandchildren. But when her son-in-law gets a promotion and moves the family to Japan, she is not invited to join them. It's back to Baltimore for Muriel. But before she moves, she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot. With no one claiming the ticket, she is awarded $8 million. She promptly books a trip to France, which includes a river cruise with her friend Elinor, who will join her after a few days of travel in Paris. The vacation starts perfectly. She gets upgraded on her flight and meets Allan Turner, who is a charming attorney. Muriel believed that romance had long passed her by, preferring to look back on her happy marriage, and also because of her plus-size figure. She then meets Danny Johnson, an American who pays her an unusual amount of attention. When he follows her onto the cruise, Muriel knows something is not right, especially after her stateroom is left in disarray after she and Elinor leave port.Author Laura Lippman introduced the character known as Mrs. Blossom in her series about private detective Tess Monaghan. Although a minor character, Muriel excelled at surveillance work, with an ability to blend into the background. Now, as the star of Murder Takes a Vacation, Muriel is caught up in a mystery involving a stolen, bejeweled artifact worth millions, reminiscent of The Maltese Falcon. I thoroughly enjoyed this lighter-than-usual Lippman tale. Mrs. Blossom is a wonderful character you'll cheer for.4.25 stars.