Here is my review:
The third time's the charm for this author, who takes the crown of Cruise Mystery Queen with this third entry in her High Seas series.
Diane Rapp begins with an entirely different setting, a bit of nifty techno-magic and her most intriguing mystery.
Setting? This time we're Alaska-bound for an it's-about-time wedding between sassy Kayla Sanders and her fiance Stephen Young (a young Pierce Brosnan lookalike). The gorgeous ice-bound settings are enhanced by an ingenious art angle: an auction company, Genuine Fakes, will display and auction imitations of masterful paintings along with the originals. And Rapp brings her passion for art to bear in her descriptions of the paintings.
Techno-magic? The author intersperses a few lovely photos at just right the times: of animals or scenes. Back in the day when Lord Byron sprang to fame with Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, readers who hadn't traveled to his exotic settings thrilled at the descriptions. No cameras then, of course. Or cheap, easy means of image reproduction. But if there had been, we can be sure the showman in Lord B would have prompted him to make use of those means. This author has done that, precisely--allowing tradition-bound rivals to spend pages describing what she can show in a snapshot.
Another cool something-else: rather than lose any narrative speed, links are embedded in the tale for those wanting to know more about certain things.
And the mystery? It's a corker involving a ring of art thieves on the ship...the specific art they want to steal...why they'll kill to steal it.
Though the High Seas books aren't thrillers, it is a thrill to watch this author blend mystery, setting, character, humor and suspense.
Diane Rapp begins with an entirely different setting, a bit of nifty techno-magic and her most intriguing mystery.
Setting? This time we're Alaska-bound for an it's-about-time wedding between sassy Kayla Sanders and her fiance Stephen Young (a young Pierce Brosnan lookalike). The gorgeous ice-bound settings are enhanced by an ingenious art angle: an auction company, Genuine Fakes, will display and auction imitations of masterful paintings along with the originals. And Rapp brings her passion for art to bear in her descriptions of the paintings.
Techno-magic? The author intersperses a few lovely photos at just right the times: of animals or scenes. Back in the day when Lord Byron sprang to fame with Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, readers who hadn't traveled to his exotic settings thrilled at the descriptions. No cameras then, of course. Or cheap, easy means of image reproduction. But if there had been, we can be sure the showman in Lord B would have prompted him to make use of those means. This author has done that, precisely--allowing tradition-bound rivals to spend pages describing what she can show in a snapshot.
Another cool something-else: rather than lose any narrative speed, links are embedded in the tale for those wanting to know more about certain things.
And the mystery? It's a corker involving a ring of art thieves on the ship...the specific art they want to steal...why they'll kill to steal it.
Though the High Seas books aren't thrillers, it is a thrill to watch this author blend mystery, setting, character, humor and suspense.
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