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Death on a Longship

by Marsali Taylor (Goodreads Author)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 11 ratings · 8 reviews

When she talks her way into a job skippering a Viking longship for a Hollywood film, Cass Lynch thinks her big break has finally arrived - even though it means returning home to the Shetland Islands, a place she hasn't set foot on since she ran away as a teenager to pursue her dreams of sailing. When a dead woman turns up on the boat’s deck, Cass, her past and her family c...more

Paperback, 268 pages

Published August 15th 2012 by Attica Books

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Sep 24, 2012 Rebecca Graf rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like mysteries? I know I do. That is what drew me to this book as well as its unique title and storyline. Death on a Longship by Marsali Taylor is a very unique mystery.

Cass is a woman struggling with family issues that have haunted her since her teens. She is forced to face them again when she is made skipper of a longship for a movie production that her father is connected with. As she finds the body of one of the main people on the film crew, she thinks back over the last few weeks including...more Like mysteries? I know I do. That is what drew me to this book as well as its unique title and storyline. Death on a Longship by Marsali Taylor is a very unique mystery.

Cass is a woman struggling with family issues that have haunted her since her teens. She is forced to face them again when she is made skipper of a longship for a movie production that her father is connected with. As she finds the body of one of the main people on the film crew, she thinks back over the last few weeks including the complex relationships with her father and mother and how in the end everything ties together. Accidents on the set suddenly are not seen as such. Looks from members of the cast take on a different meaning. As Cass finds herself and her father as suspects, she begins to think back on incidents that she had dismissed before. Things are not as clear cut as she had once thought they were. There are many secrets within this production.

I have to admit that I was not too excited about the book as I began reading it. The style is very different than what I'm used to. Ms. Taylor is extremely descriptive which pulled me from the story a few times. I was even thrown off in her manner of writing but eventually found it flowed well. She has the story set at the time of the murder but spends a lot of time in flashbacks. I would say close to fifty percent of the time is in Cass reflecting on the past. That was bothersome at first, but then as the story progressed I saw how it actually benefited it and enhanced the story.

This story is set in Shetland and some of the dialogue is written in the native way of speaking. A few times I had to read out loud to fully understand, but that is me with any book that writes in that manner. There is not a lot of it so I did not spend a lot of time focused on interpretation.

You'll find yourself growing fascinated with the characters and wanting to know more. Even the characters that are on the sidelines but part of the story have lives that draw you in.

Ms. Taylor has a very subtle writing style that pulls you in without you even noticing it. As I said, I didn't like it at first but by the end I was enjoying it. In fact, I can't wait to read her next book.

As the winter approaches and days before the fire appear where you can quietly read a book, consider Death on a Longship if you like mysteries. You might find that you have a new author you'll be following.

Note: This book was provided as part of a book tour with no expectation of a positive review.(less)

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Jan 22, 2013 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

A lot of Shetland crime reading for me this year, which is ironic considering its virtually crime free status.

Cass is the skipper of a Viking boat being used for a Hollywood film (another everyday occurrence in Shetland) when she discovers a body of one of the film crew. She then has to find the murderer to avoid her family being under suspicion.

Marsali Taylor has lived in Shetland for a long time so her knowledge of the islands really comes from and I am really interested in Shetland dialect gl...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Kayla West rated it 5 of 5 stars

All my life I have wished to be able to sail along the sea. To be able to smell the saltwater fresh in the air and watch as the waves bob me along in my wooden contraption. To watch the sails billowing out as the wind filled them. Alas, I have never lived close by to the water so I have, as of yet, not been able to fulfill this very wish—which makes me greatly appreciate any author who can transport me into the role of a sailor or skipper of a beautiful ocean-bound vessel with just the magic of...more All my life I have wished to be able to sail along the sea. To be able to smell the saltwater fresh in the air and watch as the waves bob me along in my wooden contraption. To watch the sails billowing out as the wind filled them. Alas, I have never lived close by to the water so I have, as of yet, not been able to fulfill this very wish—which makes me greatly appreciate any author who can transport me into the role of a sailor or skipper of a beautiful ocean-bound vessel with just the magic of words.

Marsali Taylor, author of Death on a Longship, did just that when I began her spectacular book of seafaring murder. As with most of the authors I have read books from lately, Marsali Taylor is a name that I was not very familiar with before coming across her book (published by Attica Books). However, when the chance to read it fell into my hands, I took the book (or e-book, rather) and ran with it.

Death on a Longship is narrated by the main character Cassandre Lynch (or Cass as she is known), and it starts out with her discovering a dead body on the boat she has been hired to skipper for an upcoming film. After calling the police and blatantly disregarding their note of "Do not call anyone else" she begins warning some of the main makers of the film, the director, ect., of the fact that the victim is the understudy of their leading lady. Or so she thinks....

Soon, after the police arrive to investigate the murder, Cass is brought to a room, along with her engineer Anders, for questioning. Cass is questioned by a Detective Inspector named Gavin Macrae, while Anders is taken away to be questioned seperately. DI Macrae is a no-nonsense sort of fellow, wanting the absolute truth from Cass. He questions her about everything from the relationship with her father to her involvement with the victim to her reasons for being out the night before the murder on her own ship, Khalida. Cass delves into the very recesses of her mind to the occurrences from the start of the filming to the discovery of the body. She also delves even deeper explaining some of the quirks of the townspeople she has known her whole life to explaining another death which had happened almost ten years before. However, she voices few of her thoughts that do not seem to pertain to the questions he asks, which gives her a better idea than him of who really could have done it.

This book is a very wonderful read. It has twists and turns, and there were some instances where I wanted to scream and throw my Kindle against the wall in aggravation for some of the characters' actions. (That, to me, is the sign of a great book.) I must warn some potential readers, though, that there are some unfamiliar words to be found throughout this book. I recommend reading the word list at the back to gain some perspective about what some of the townspeople might be saying and for references to some of the terms used with just objects or places. That helped me a great deal. I could have probably figured it out eventually, but it was nice to have a guide.

In conclusion, (sounds like I am writing a book myself with this review) I found this book engaging, mysterious, enlightening, and it taught me about a place I had never even heard of before now. The setting of this book, Shetland, seems very beautiful. I was sad to close the pages of this book and be transported back out into the real world. I recommend this to anyone, anyone at all, because it truly is one of those books that needs to be read.

Win a free paperback copy of this book! Enter here:
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Sep 27, 2012 Brenda Sparks rated it 4 of 5 stars

I will not give away plot points in this review—nothing worse than knowing who did it in a who-done-it.

The story takes place in Shetland and follows Cass as she becomes skipper of a Longship. The story centers on Cass revisiting her past to learn that things were not as they seem. Ms. Taylor immerses the reader by giving vivid details about Shetland and the places there in. I felt like I was there at times, with her authentic dialog and descriptions.

The writing style is different than what I'm...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Christine Kling rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am always on the lookout for new authors who have a true gift for writing about boats and the sea, and I am pleased to say I can now add Marsali Taylor to that short list. I’ve just finished her debut mystery, Death on a Longship, about female sailor Cass Lynch who lives aboard her own little sailboat and then lands her first captain’s job as skipper of a Viking longboat being used in a film shot in her home waters in the Shetland Islands.

The first part of the book reveals Cass’s back story by...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Norma Bush rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a Good Reads giveaway.

Where to begin:

First -- if the author is interested in this book being successful in the American market, she would do well to edit using American English. British terms, such a "a page of A4 paper," will throw most reader off. And, there are a few typos, duplicate periods, and mid-sentence line breaks which could be removed in the process.

Second -- very few of the average readers live as close to the sea as the author does. I grew up on Puget Sound...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book as a goodreads first read. It took me a bit to get into it but eventually I got into the story and really enjoyed it. As another reviewer mentioned, there are a few formatting errors in the book and I would also recommend that the author review the dialogue--some of the things that the American characters said seemed a little out of place to me. However aside from that I thought it was a nicely written murder mystery with some great twists! I felt like I learned a lot about...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

An enjoyable mystery and I appreciated the Shetlandic glossary.

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Shelves: mysteries, mysteries-international, mysteries-police-pi-forensics

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About Marsali Taylor

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's a...more

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Shetland Plays: Suspeecion / Da Lasses o Haaf Gruney

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