On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
Danger on the Atlantic (A Jane Wunderly Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Crossing the Atlantic
Kensington (March 29, 2022)
Hardcover : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496725913
ISBN-13 : 978-1496725912
Paperback : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496725921
ISBN-13 : 978-1496725929
Kindle ASIN : B098KM1S4S
For young American widow Jane Wunderly, there are worse fates than adventuring aboard a transatlantic liner with the only man who could change her mind about romance. Unfortunately, her first-class itinerary has an unexpected—and deadly—addition waiting just below deck . . .
Atlantic Ocean, 1926: Voyaging from Southampton to New York, self-reliant Jane is determined to prove herself a worthy investigator on the stately ship—even awkwardly going undercover as the fashionable wife of her magnetic partner, Mr. Redvers. Few details are known about the rumored German spy the duo have been tasked with identifying among fellow passengers, but new troubles unfold once wealthy newlywed Vanessa FitzSimmons announces the sudden disappearance of her husband at sea . . .
Miles Van de Meter, the man Vanessa rushed to marry in Monte Carlo, has allegedly vanished into thin air along with his luggage. Redvers guesses the shifty heiress may be weaving tall tales for fun between flutes of champagne, yet Jane isn’t convinced—not after the stunning murder of a trusted acquaintance sends them into uncharted waters. Facing two dangerous mysteries and a boatload of suspects, Jane must navigate a claustrophobic quest for answers before the culprits can slip from her grasp on land . . . or, worse, ensure she and Redvers never reach their destination.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Crossing the Atlantic from Southampton to New York Jane and Mr. Redvers are working together on an assignment to identify a pair of German spies traveling with them to America. To do so, they are traveling as husband and wife, “The Wunderlys”, and sharing a stateroom. Jane wants to prove she is a worthy asset as an investigator while trying not to fall hard for Redvers’ charms.
Shortly after the voyage begins, a wealthy socialite Vanessa FitzSimmons asks for help finding her new husband. She married Miles Van de Meter in Monte Carlo but she hasn’t seen him since they boarded and now his luggage is missing too. Redvers and the captain feel she is just looking for attention and that there is no husband, but Jane saw her and a man board together. Can she help Vanessa find her husband and flush out two German spies? She has until the ship pulls into New York to find out.
Jane Wudderly is a strong intelligent woman who doesn’t back down. She and Redvers make a great team. They are the only characters that return from previous books and I must say I liked that. We get to know more details about Redvers past and that enabled their personal relationship to move forward as did sharing a stateroom. Their interactions didn’t always feel right though and I didn’t like that they investigated many times on their own only coming together to share information and make plans for their next steps. I also didn’t like that Jane doubted herself so much, she has great instincts and needed to follow them.
Several new characters were introduced, other passengers, crew, and the captain. Each was uniquely created and their actions reflected the time period very well. One woman was really over the top and I was happy to see that Revers and Jane could escape from the woman and her party a few times.
I enjoyed the setting of the ship. The author sets the scenes excellently from Jane sitting on the chilly deck under the blankets, to the formal dining room and ballroom, to Jane and Redvers stateroom, and more. It was very easy to envision everything.
The mysteries were very interesting. Jane and Redvers had a great plan to uncover the spies and messages received from Redver’s contacts helped firm up their theories. The missing husband was a little more complicated and put more people at risk including a crewmate working with “The Wunderlys”. The captain was also doing something shady which added to the intrigue. All were well-plotted and written. I was surprised that I was right about one of the mysteries early on. My amateur sleuth skills ferreted out a clue that could have easily been discounted but I hung on to it tightly. Another had my jaw dropping when the final scenes played out.
Danger on the Atlantic is a very enjoyable addition to this series. The characters are well-crafted and the mysteries are captivating. Ms. Neubauer adds humor with a precise hand and captures the time period nicely. I am looking forward to reading Intrigue in Istanbul soon. It sounds like Jane is going to have her hands full.
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