Murder on the High Seas is too short to be called a novel, the
term “novella” suits it much better. It is a very quick read, under an hour for
me. It isn’t a ‘whodunit’ kind of
mystery, there’s no murder to solve. The
title really isn’t representative of the story.
There were things that I liked. I did enjoy the main character being a
caregiver because that is something I can relate to. My mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s lives with
us so I could really sympathize with
needing time to be free of responsibility and I think that was represented
well. The character was likeable and
sensible most of the time. The
atmosphere aboard the ship felt real and that’s important to me.
There were things I didn’t like. The story was so short that the relationships
didn’t have time to develop naturally.
They felt rushed. The main
character seems to like or dislike people almost instantly which left very
shallow at times. She becomes rude with
one character after a very brief acquaintance and one that I did not feel
justified that rudeness. Several of the
characters were so stereotypical as to almost be caricatures.
It felt like the first draft of a story that should have
been expanded and filled out. Given time
for proper depth and proper character development, it could be quite
interesting but in it’s current form, it’s just too short for the story it
wants to tell.
- Would I pay money for it? No
- Would I read more by this author? I'd give her another try, yes
- Would I recommend this to a friend? probably not
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