Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold: Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries by Denise Jaden #Review / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @denise.jaden

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold:
Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries
by Denise Jaden

About Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold: Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting: The Moonlit Majesty cruise ship, sailing the Caribbean
Independently Published (September 26, 2024)
Number of Pages: 297
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D81Q5JZW

Murder at sea!

Olivia Ocean’s dream job aboard the Moonlit Majesty turns into a nightmare when she witnesses an attempt to dispose of a helpless kitten at sea. Rescuing the kitty entails a chase, which leads her to discovering a dead body!

Armed with her camera and newfound feline friend, Olivia must navigate the ship’s dark corners, pounce on the clues, assist the swoon-worthy security manager, and capture the killer before the ship reaches its final destination.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Fueled by memories shared by her Gran, Olivia Ocean applied for and has been hired as a photographer aboard the Moonlit Majesty cruise ship. She quickly realizes she may have made a mistake but unless she gets fired, the ship will be her home for the next 9 months. She jumps right into the job without any instruction and she knows she hasn’t impressed Photo Manager Phillip Winston when he takes over her spot and sends her to the cargo hold to get a box of photo paper. As she tries to find Cargo Hold 8 and then the item she needs she hears several deckhands arguing about a kitten that has been found on board. One man is holding it over the railing of the ship. She screams and convinces the man to give her the kitten. Before he could pass her the cat the little guy raced through her hands and down the corridor and into the cargo hold she left open. When she finds the feline he is not alone. He is right next to a dead body.

Soon she is meeting with the Security Manager and he realizes she may be able to help him find the killer. He asks her to keep her eyes and ears open while she makes the rounds with her camera. Can she do that and stay under the killer’s radar? Or will she be the next dead body found hidden in the cargo hold?

I enjoyed meeting Olivia Ocean. Her grandmother had told her many stories about working on a cruise ship in her 20s and that her ship family became her real family. Now, that her Gran had passed away she has no one. So looking for a new family she followed in her Gran’s footsteps and took a job as a photographer on a ship. It didn’t start out well but her new roommate Becky takes her under her wing and helps her learn her way around the ship and the ins and outs of life at sea. Becky also falls hard for the kitten. After the murder, Olivia meets the Security Manager, Miles Blackwell. Their relationship really expands throughout the story. We also meet Olivia’s coworkers, Becky’s friends, and a few passengers aboard the boat. The core characters developed nicely throughout the story and the interactions with others made sense.

Getting a look behind the scenes of a cruise ship was interesting. Usually, cozy mysteries revolve around a passenger sleuthing around the ship. Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold is told from the viewpoint of a worker who puts in long hours with barely time to eat or sleep while trying to sleuth out a killer. Olivia learned the murder victim was also a photographer aboard the ship who had received some recent recognition. This put her co-workers at the top of the suspect list. I was entertained following her around the ship and on day trips off the boat as she tried to track down any piece of evidence to move the case along. She worked closely with Miles but that didn’t keep her from getting into quite a pickle. That’s a pun you will realize when you read the book. 

While Olivia’s first voyage didn’t live up to her Gran’s memories, I think that is going to change as she spends more time on the ship and has time to meet more people.

The one thing that I was struck by was when Olivia arrived was that she was handed a camera and just told to go take pictures and then her boss was upset because she was too slow and not taking the type of pictures he wanted. No training, no shadowing, not even a paper handout with a description of a job. She did take some great pictures which I would have liked much better than what her boss wanted but just a few minutes of instruction would have made her first day much easier.

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold has set this series off to a fine start with a fun and entertaining read. I am excited to cruise off with Olivia and her feline sidekick again soon. The possibilities of murder and mayhem while at sea seem endless.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.

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About Denise Jaden

Bestselling author Denise Jaden loves cozy socks, cozy cats, and cozy mysteries. She’s the author of several young adult novels, nonfiction books for writers, and cozy mysteries that will make you laugh out loud while dangling at the edge of your seat.

Prior to becoming an author, Denise worked at everything from mushroom farming to acting and Polynesian dancing. Now she does most of her writing in a holding tent in the background of one of the many film sets in and around Vancouver. Sign up for updates, and exclusive bonuses, and find out more about Denise, her books, and her crazy cat at DeniseJaden.com

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