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141st out of 285 books
—
260 voters
Death on Tour (Jocelyn Shore #1)
by
Janice Hamrick (Goodreads Author)
When the most obnoxious member of her Egyptian tour group is found dead at the base of a pyramid, Texas high school history teacher Jocelyn Shore mostly hopes her camel ride won’t be canceled. After all, a stranger’s unfortunate mishap shouldn’t ruin the adventure of a lifetime. But this death was no accident, and as the group travels south into the heart of Egypt, Jocelyn...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
April 26th 2011
by Minotaur Books
(first published April 15th 2011)
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Jan 25, 2013
Lisa Kay
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lisa Kay by:
Carolyn F.
Ancient temple of Karnak in Egypt
★★★★½ This book was recommended to me by a GRs friend and I’ve had it on my TBR shelf forever. However, since I’ve never read this author before, I requested my library purchase it. It took them forever (well, 17 months), but I finally got it.
I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved being on tour in Egypt with Jocelyn and her cousin Kyla. At times I felt I was right there with them. For a cozy mystery, there are the right ingredients for a near perfec...more
★★★★½ This book was recommended to me by a GRs friend and I’ve had it on my TBR shelf forever. However, since I’ve never read this author before, I requested my library purchase it. It took them forever (well, 17 months), but I finally got it.
I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved being on tour in Egypt with Jocelyn and her cousin Kyla. At times I felt I was right there with them. For a cozy mystery, there are the right ingredients for a near perfec...more
It would be very hard not to like this book.
Janet Hamrick's Egypt is vividly described, whether it is a sweatshop carpet factory or sunset across the Nile. There is the romance of travel (like The Towers of Trebizond), a love affair with misunderstandings (like Miss Bennet and Mr Darcy), and the endless antiquity of Egypt itself, but all is set in the familiar world of modern tourism, with airport congestion, armed-guard security, coach party dynamics, souvenir trash with its irrepressible sales...more
Janet Hamrick's Egypt is vividly described, whether it is a sweatshop carpet factory or sunset across the Nile. There is the romance of travel (like The Towers of Trebizond), a love affair with misunderstandings (like Miss Bennet and Mr Darcy), and the endless antiquity of Egypt itself, but all is set in the familiar world of modern tourism, with airport congestion, armed-guard security, coach party dynamics, souvenir trash with its irrepressible sales...more
I really enjoyed this first book by new author, Janice Hamrick. I thought the dialogue was fresh and realistic, and the interaction between main character, Jocelyn and her cousin Kyla rang true. But, towards the end of the book, Jocelyn started to become TSTL. It became increasingly obvious to her who the real culprit was going to turn out to be, but for some reason she ignored all of the evidence and still couldn't see who it was. And it was so obvious!!! The reader didn't know anything Jocelyn...more
Pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I would recommend as a nice summer fluffy read that actually involved using you "little grey cells".
Texas history teacher Jocelyn is taking a long-anticipated trip to Egypt with her cousin Kyla, but while the monuments are stunning, so is the drama. First one overly-nosy tour member gets killed, then a shopkeeper gets murdered right as the group is visiting a nearby monument. All along, strange Egyptians keep trying to get Jocelyn and Kyla to come with them, calling them sisters and asking if they're from Utah. And as things get stranger, Jocelyn starts suspecting everyone on the tour--includi...more
DEATH ON TOUR is an entertaining debut that offers much for the cozy crime reader, as well as anyone who enjoys stories that feature foreign travel. I picked it up based on the reviews and it being a First Mystery Award winner and wasn't disappointed.
The book summary is well represented in the Amazon description so I won't go into details here. But there was sufficient fizz and humor to keep me interested throughout the story. Jocelyn - a high school history teacher and Egyptophile(?)- is a youn...more
The book summary is well represented in the Amazon description so I won't go into details here. But there was sufficient fizz and humor to keep me interested throughout the story. Jocelyn - a high school history teacher and Egyptophile(?)- is a youn...more
I had a hard time getting into this book. It is a contained universe of characters (on a tour of Egypt) and I don't think the author did a good job of differentiating them. I prefer when there a few pages I can refer back to if I get confused later in the book.
But the second half may be close to four stars for me (and that is very high for me!). Once it got going, I thought the characters were fun and the plotting moved along at a nice pace. I have always wanted to visit Egypt and that made this...more
But the second half may be close to four stars for me (and that is very high for me!). Once it got going, I thought the characters were fun and the plotting moved along at a nice pace. I have always wanted to visit Egypt and that made this...more
There were two reasons I chose to read this book: 1) the cover that showed it concerned a tour group in Egypt and 2) the gold circle saying it was chosen as best mystery by a new author in 2011. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. First of all, I probably enjoyed it a lot because in November of 2010 I visited Egypt and during that time took a cruise down the Nile with my sister and her husband. We had a guide but were not part of a large tour group. Previously I had taken two bus tours w...more
As a lifelong mystery buff, I'm not easily surprised by the revelation of the identity of the killer(s) at the ends of the books. With "Death on Tour," the revelation did surprise me. Never saw it coming. Well done!
As for the journey to the ending, that was enjoyable as well. Jocelyn and her lookalike cousing Kyla (their fathers are identical twins) are tourists in Egypt. Bizarre things keep happening, not the least of which is the murder of one of their fellow tourists. And don't forget the goo...more
As for the journey to the ending, that was enjoyable as well. Jocelyn and her lookalike cousing Kyla (their fathers are identical twins) are tourists in Egypt. Bizarre things keep happening, not the least of which is the murder of one of their fellow tourists. And don't forget the goo...more
This is the first in a new series and I thought it was quite good. There were different subplots, a few red-herrings, and a touch of romance. The mystery wasn't too easy to solve, and the descriptions of the Egyptian tour spots were lovely and made me want to visit. I would have liked a bit more background of Jocelyn, and cousin Kyla drives me crazy, but overall this was a great introduction and I look forward to reading more by this author.
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Jocelyn and Kyla are cousins but look enough alike to be sisters. When Jocelyn's marriage breaks apart, the two decide to take a trip of a life time to Egypt with a tour group. As they get to know their travel mates, the group's busy body turns up dead. She becomes even more suspicious about the group after finding said busy body's pack with a note book full of observations about them. As the tour progresses, strange men approach Jocelyn and her cousin asking them i...more
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Jocelyn and Kyla are cousins but look enough alike to be sisters. When Jocelyn's marriage breaks apart, the two decide to take a trip of a life time to Egypt with a tour group. As they get to know their travel mates, the group's busy body turns up dead. She becomes even more suspicious about the group after finding said busy body's pack with a note book full of observations about them. As the tour progresses, strange men approach Jocelyn and her cousin asking them i...more
I liked this book, it is a cozy, but isn't too frivolous or superficial. The main character goes on a tour of Egypt and one of the tour members gets killed the second day in. Of course, all her fellow tour members are acting strangely, creating a perfect gaggle of suspects. The culprits were apparent to me before chapter 5, but I enjoyed the read immensely in spite of this. The backdrop of Egypt is always interesting and Ms. Hamrick does a beautiful job with her descriptions. Most of the charact...more
Apart from the actual mystery (which was so simplistic that I kept thinking my predictions couldn't possibly be right--but they were), there were so many other things going on in the novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the touring aspect of the story, the fact that one of them in the group is partaking in foul play and everybody's a suspect. The locale was also a real treat, it took me right back to our little stint in Egypt. The descriptions of the sightseeing was fleshed out enough to tak...more
I was attracted to this because I've long had a wish to see the Pyramids and everything else in Egypt-but my fantasy is really "Death on the Nile", that time period before there were a bunch of cars spewing pollution, and when people had the time to really take a leisurely tour, but I'd still want to carry a bottle of penicillin with me. Anyway, I liked this book a lot, it was an easy read and hard to put down, even though I guessed who the culprits probably were early on. I didn't see Alan's tr...more
Divorced history teacher Jocelyn and her best friend, cousin, and most constant annoyance Kyla are taking a long-awaited tour of Egypt. Most of their small tour group are congenial, but when one of their number dies mysteriously, Jocelyn gets suspicious. She especially wonders about handsome, single Alan Stratton, who seems to be ignoring beautiful Kyla to focus on plain-Jane Jocelyn. And then there are all the Egyptian salesmen and peddlers who ask her if she's from Utah--that's got to mean som...more
Jocelyn Shore and her cousin Kyla are on the trip of a lifetime to Egypt. Their fellow travelers are a definite mix of personalities and ages. On the first leg of the trip, one of their group, Millie Owens, takes a fatal fall off a Pyramid. Jocelyn is convinced it wasn't just a simple fall and she starts suspecting other members of their group. I loved this book, there were the quirky characters, the Dr. who loved to haggle for trinkets, the geriatric honeymooners, and of course the attractive s...more
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I thoroughly enjoyed Hamrick's debut mystery, starring cousins Jocelyn and Kyla. Having shared a love of all things mummies back in the day, they seem like perfect companions for a WorldPal tour of Egypt. The descriptions of their fellow tour mates and poor Millie, the deceased, are wonderful. Their reactions to most of the situations ring very true and it is only by accident that Jocelyn reaches certain conclusions and is drawn into the mystery. Although this will probably get shelved with cozy...more
Jocelyn Shore has wanted to see Egypt since forever. But when she and her cousin finally make it there, a member of their tour group takes a fatal tumble at the foot of the pyramids, threatening to ruin the trip. When it turns out that it was a knife that did in nosy Millie, and vendors keep approaching Joceyln mistaking her as having a sister and being from Utah, the mystery deepens. And is that attractive guy a good guy or a bad one?
Thoroughly engaging cast of characters. Several red herrings....more
Thoroughly engaging cast of characters. Several red herrings....more
Reading Janice Hamrick's DEATH ON TOUR was a delightful experience. As the protagonist, a high school teacher, is escorted through Egypt's antiquities with a group of interesting characters (a la Agatha Christie), she stumbles across a couple murders that, oddly enough, seem to be following their tour group as they move along the Nile to the various attractions. Hamrick writes well and the plot is paced nicely. Which I expected, frankly, because this book was the 2010 First Crime Novel Award Win...more
I enjoyed the background of this book, but as far as the mystery it was too easy to figure out "who did it". But there were a number of background mysteries that were not as clear and it was fun to see how they were resolved. What I loved most was the description of the tour to Egypt with a tour group. This was fascinating and the descriptions of the sites and what they had to do to navigate the tour was very interesting. Egypt is definitely on my list of places I would love to see some day, alt...more
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and I am looking forward to sharing it with my mom and sisters. The story was well written. There were enough red herrings in the plot to keep me guessing about whodunit and why. I was slow to warm up the the character Kyla and did guestion if the main character Jocelyn would really like Kyla even if she was her cousin and they had grown up like sisters. At times I did wonder if Jocelyn even liked her but it is an accurate portrayal of family. I have...more
I haven’t enjoyed a new mystery series in awhile, but I did like Death on Tour very much! Set partially in Austin, TX, but mostly in Egypt, it gives you the vicarious experience of travel on a group tour and is humorous as well with a likeable protagonist. Yes, I did guess the mystery, but even so, Death on Tour deserved to win the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur Books First Crime Novel Award.
~ Jacqueline Corcoran
Author, Month of Sundays, Backlit, Memoir of Death, Time Witch
http://www.jacqu...more
~ Jacqueline Corcoran
Author, Month of Sundays, Backlit, Memoir of Death, Time Witch
http://www.jacqu...more
Great first outing for author Janice Hamrick. I can see why she was a "first crime novel award" winner. "Death on Tour" is a really fun cozy mystery thru the ruins and sights of Egypt. If you have ever thought about booking a packaged tour you may want to think twice after reading the very funny but oh so nightmarish journey of Texas school teacher Jocelyn and her cousin Kyla.
Traveling to Egypt has been a lifelong dream of Jocelyn's. After saving every penny and skipping meals out, she has final...more
Traveling to Egypt has been a lifelong dream of Jocelyn's. After saving every penny and skipping meals out, she has final...more
This was a fun mystery with a great backdrop. Jocelyn is a high school history teacher from Texas who saves up enough money to take the trip she's always dreamed of, a tour of Egypt. Her cousin accompanies her and the rest of the tour-goers are strangers who all seem to have strange baggage of their own that isn't fully disclosed, at least not publicly and certainly not at first. At the beginning of the tour, an obnoxious busybody on the tour dies, most likely murdered, and Jocelyn finds herself...more
There are only a few authors that have made me laugh out loud and I can happily say that I am now able to add one more to my list. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character Jocelyn resonated with me on quite a few levels, from her insecurities as a female to her extremely witty tongue. According to the FTC guidelines, I do have to disclose that I received this book free through the Goodreads First Reads program. When I got the box in the mail, enclosed within was a thank you note from t...more
Jocelyn Shore and her cousin Kyla are on the tour of their dreams in Egypt when on the first day of the tour, the irritating and nosy Millie (also on the tour) is found dead in the sand. Bummer. Even bigger bummer when they soon learn that Millie was murdered. However, the tour must go on. But when another death occurs, the same way Millie was killed, Jocelyn is sure that the murderer is part of the tour group. Could it be the doctor who is constantly haggling with the locals? Oh, please don't l...more
First?
This is a readable and entertaining cozy mystery. It is the first novel from this writer and I look forward to more in this vein. The description of the tour was detailed and makes me want to cruise down the Nile! Agatha Christie started the touring murder mystery and there have been plenty of imitators over the years. However I never get tired of a good mystery set in an exotic location with a brunch of mis-matched characters, although somewhat stereotyped. Recommended as a good wet weekend rea...more
Death on Tour by Janice Hamrick is a delightful romantic mystery taking place in Egypt. Jocelyn Shore and her cousin Kyla take the vacation of a lifetime on a budget tour. Early on their tour, one of their fellow travelers is found dead. Was it an accident or murder? Between beautiful descriptions of Egypt and the historic sites, the mixture of characters involved, mistaken identities and a romance a wonderful comic mystery evolves. The book was laugh-out-loud funny and a very enjoyable book. I...more
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Janice Hamrick is the award-winning author of DEATH MAKES THE CUT (2012) and DEATH ON TOUR (2011), which won the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur Books First Crime Novel competition and was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Janice lives in Austin, Texas, with three dogs and cat, and when she is not writing, she spends her time traveling, planning to travel, or plotting murders (usuall...more
More about Janice Hamrick...
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Jan 25, 2013 07:04am
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