17 July 2023.
ISBN: 979-885061291-7 (PB)
Amanda and Graham Mitchell are on a cruise to Greenland. Graham is working as a cruise lecturer on the ship The Sea Dream, giving regular talks on the history of the places they are about to visit. Also, as part of their duties, both Graham and Amanda are expected to escort some of the shore visits. For the past three years, Graham has lectured on Cygnet Line cruises, and, during that time, he and Amanda have encountered some difficult passengers, but none have been as verbally aggressive and obnoxious as the passenger who causes chaos when she loudly announces that somebody has stolen her handbag. According to another lecturer, who was on the same first trip, Doreen Bowland makes a habit of complaining about everything, usually at the top of her voice. Her behaviour embarrasses her husband and daughter, and she is consistently unpleasant to her son-in-law.
Although nobody likes Mrs Bowland, the last thing Amanda expects is to find her dead body in the lift. Nobody answers her calls for help, so she takes the lift all the way down to the medical centre and summons the doctor. Amanda had been certain that Doreen Bowland was dead when she discovered her and that proves to be correct, however, she does not agree with the attempts of the security officer and other crew members to claim that Doreen had felt unwell and cut her head when she collapsed. Amanda is certain that the position of the body contradicts this, but the security officer dismisses her doubts and warns her not to talk to anybody but her husband about what has happened, a command that is later reinforced by The Sea Dream’s captain.
Amanda understands that, if Graham wishes to continue to be employed by the cruise line, neither of them should do anything that might damage its reputation, but she is frustrated that, although Graham is concerned about her distress and wishes to comfort her, he dismisses her concerns that Doreen’s death may have been due to foul play. Despite this, Amanda continues to think about what happened to Doreen Bowland, and her suspicions seem to be confirmed when an unexpected passenger is taken on board and Amanda is convinced that he is a representative of the police, who has come to investigate Doreen’s death.
The cabin that Doreen shared with her husband is ransacked, which adds more weight to Amanda’s belief that something questionable is going on. She reasons that Doreen must have had some article that somebody is determined to gain possession of and she racks her brains to try to work out what it could be. An accidental meeting with Doreen’s son-in-law, when he is in need of support, gives Amanda an opportunity to get closer to the dead woman’s family, while being of service to them. She also manages to confirm her suspicions that the new arrival is indeed a police detective, and he proves to be more approachable than the ship’s personnel.
Amanda continues to support Graham’s lectures and to escort passengers on shore visits. It is on one of these trips that she meets Mona Etherington, a cheerful and friendly woman, who is fun-loving and outgoing and makes no secret of the fact that she was once a singer and even admits that her late husband may have had some slight connections to the criminal underworld. On one of the trips, Amanda has forgotten her gloves and Mona lends her a spare pair. Amanda agrees to meet Mona for coffee to return the gloves. However, Mona does not turn up and Amanda cannot find any trace of her onboard. Amanda feels increasingly concerned about her new friend’s safety and even more certain that something very wrong is happening aboard The Sea Dream. This makes her even more determined to discover the truth.
Passage to Greenland is the first in a new series featuring Amanda Mitchell,
during which it seems likely she will accompany Graham on cruise ships to
various locations. Like earlier books by this author, the insightful
descriptions of the various foreign locations visited are colourful and
fascinating. Amanda is an engaging protagonist, and it is interesting to
witness the way her confidence develops as she becomes increasingly determined
to solve the mystery of what is happening on board The Sea Dream. Passage to
Greenland is the first in delightful new series from an author who brings
alive the experiences and history of exciting foreign places and combines this
with intriguing cosy crime. I recommend it as an enjoyable holiday read.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron
Judith Cranswick was born and brought up in Norwich. Apart from writing, Judith’s great passions are travel and history. Both have influenced her two series of mystery novels. Tour Manager, Fiona Mason takes coach parties throughout Europe, and historian Aunt Jessica is the guest lecturer accompanying tour groups visiting more exotic destinations aided by her nephew Harry. Her published novels also include several award-winning standalone psychological thrillers. She wrote her first novel (now languishing in the back of a drawer somewhere) when her two children were toddlers, but there was little time for writing when she returned to her teaching career. Now retired, she is able to indulge her love of writing and has begun a life of crime! ‘Writers are told to write what they know about, but I can assure you, I've never committed a murder. I'm an ex-convent school headmistress for goodness sake!’ Her most recent book is Peril in Persia.
Carol Westron is a successful author and a Creative Writing teacher. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. Her first book The Terminal Velocity of Cats was published in 2013. Since then, she has since written 6 further mysteries. Carol recently gave an interview to Mystery People. To read the interview click on the link below.
https://promotingcrime.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/carol-westron.html www.carolwestron.com
http://carolwestron.blogspot.co.uk/
To read a review of Carol latest book click on the title
The Curse of the Concrete Griffin
