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Iris Cooper #1
Death in a Deck Chair: An Iris Cooper Mystery
It’s 1927 and young Iris Cooper is sailing home to America after traveling all around the world with her Aunt Hermione in this affectionate homage to 1920s detective novels. Aboard the S. S. Irenia, she encounters an international cast of characters with secrets, and solves a murder with wisecracking newspaperman Jack Clancy.
"A delightful throwback to the 1920s . . . It's like turning back the pages to early Christie. . . . Beck handles familiar ingredients without slipping into cliche." - Washington Post Bookworld
"Very much like early Agatha Christie . . . unfussy energy and light, stylish period-flavor. . . . Good clean fun, in the most old-fashioned mystery vein--but written without a hint of camp or pretension." - The Kirkus Reviews
"Delightful period piece . . . just plain fun, well-written and a delight to read." - The Seattle Times
"A delightful throwback to the 1920s . . . It's like turning back the pages to early Christie. . . . Beck handles familiar ingredients without slipping into cliche." - Washington Post Bookworld
"Very much like early Agatha Christie . . . unfussy energy and light, stylish period-flavor. . . . Good clean fun, in the most old-fashioned mystery vein--but written without a hint of camp or pretension." - The Kirkus Reviews
"Delightful period piece . . . just plain fun, well-written and a delight to read." - The Seattle Times
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 1984
9 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
K.K. Beck
29 books27 followersKathrine Kristine Beck Marris (born 1950), known mainly by her pen name of K. K. Beck, is an American novelist. She has written over a dozen books, some of which were part of the Iris Cooper novel series and the Jane da Silva novel series.
An early novel of hers, Death of a Prom Queen (1984) was written under the pen name of Marie Oliver. She wrote a series of other novels, under the name K. K. Beck, such as The Revenge of Kali-Ra in 1999. One of her most recent works, The Tell-Tale Tattoo and Other Stories (2002) is a collection of short stories.
She lives in Seattle, Washington, and was married to the crime-writer Michael Dibdin, who died in 2007.
Series:
* Iris Cooper
* Jane Da Silva
An early novel of hers, Death of a Prom Queen (1984) was written under the pen name of Marie Oliver. She wrote a series of other novels, under the name K. K. Beck, such as The Revenge of Kali-Ra in 1999. One of her most recent works, The Tell-Tale Tattoo and Other Stories (2002) is a collection of short stories.
She lives in Seattle, Washington, and was married to the crime-writer Michael Dibdin, who died in 2007.
Series:
* Iris Cooper
* Jane Da Silva
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 14, 2021
2021 bk 142. I had read this book many years ago (probably when it first came out) and had forgotten I even owned it until I was weeding my personal collection. As I could remember nothing about it, I picked it up again. This is a transatlantic murder mystery set in the 1920's amidst the turmoil of royals being thrown off of thrones and young people seeking greater freedom from guardian controls. I like Iris, the main character. It was a fun read - but having read it a second time I think it is time that it adventures out into the world and finds another reader.
March 23, 2019
Fun cozy mystery.
Looking forward to reading the 2 sequels that I found. Hopefully they
are just as much fun to read as this one.
Iris Cooper is a very intelligent and plucky heroine who's
on her way home from a world cruise with her Aunt Hermione.
The male characters who attempt to help solve
the murders in the book are bossy, and irritating. Especially Jack the
news man. Ditto for the piano man Paul.
Iris manages to hold her own and after 3 murders she finds
out who did it.
Looking forward to reading the 2 sequels that I found. Hopefully they
are just as much fun to read as this one.
Iris Cooper is a very intelligent and plucky heroine who's
on her way home from a world cruise with her Aunt Hermione.
The male characters who attempt to help solve
the murders in the book are bossy, and irritating. Especially Jack the
news man. Ditto for the piano man Paul.
Iris manages to hold her own and after 3 murders she finds
out who did it.
December 19, 2007
One of Beck's Iris Cooper mysteries. Set in probably the 1920's, 18 year old Iris is finishing a round the world trip with her aunt before starting at Stanford University. They are crossing the Atlantic on the final legs of their journey returning to Portland, Oregon. Iris wishes for more adventure and she ends up in the middle of a double murder, political intrigue involving an obscure Balkan country, and romance with two young men.
The tone is light hearted, though the plot line is serious. It is not overly complicated and easy, fun reading.
The tone is light hearted, though the plot line is serious. It is not overly complicated and easy, fun reading.
June 12, 2024
Iris Cooper is a 19 year old girl in 1927, traveling by ship home to North America from England after a world tour with her Aunt Hermoine. Jack Clancy is a brash young newspaper man making his way home after covering a sports event in the UK. When a rather nondescript young man is murdered, the two pair up to solve the crime. Complete with dispossessed Eastern European royalty, determined anarchists, a British secret agent, this 1984-published cozy is great fun; I've already bought the other two in the series! (Read on vacation, so truncated review.)
August 19, 2023
My first book by this author!! The book I was reading, probably was from 1987 when it was published!! The writing is not too hard to understand, it’s not that ancient! Everything set on the ocean going ship and all the main characters are there! They have nowhere to run! It feels like an Agatha Christie novel figuring out who did it! It was your fun standard typical mystery. A bit of a surprise at the end. I’m always trying to figure out who did it in a mystery book. That’s half the fun!
February 19, 2019
Cozy cruise murder mystery from the early 20th century, with an amateur young woman sleuth and a brash American reporter to head up the zany group of characters. Fresh and fun and page turning, great for a bit of a break from heavy books and the surprise ending with how it all got figured out is worth the price of admission!
August 5, 2017
Cute story, charming twist!
September 15, 2017
Totally fun cozy. Great characters and the author has some really humorous lines. Had me cracking up out loud a few times. And the mystery was spot on. Some really good twists.
July 5, 2018
This is mystery light. It's not bad but very simplistic.
September 2, 2018
Fun period cozy
Great read for a lazy summer day! Not too deep but with plenty of twists to keep the story interesting.
Great read for a lazy summer day! Not too deep but with plenty of twists to keep the story interesting.
January 27, 2022
Fun whodunnit on board a cross Atlantic ship. Reminded me a bit of Nancy Drew mysteries!
February 27, 2022
Characters more interesting than the investigation.
November 8, 2022
Undemanding book with pleasant characters (although the whole plot about the royal intrigue was a bit trying) and a satisfying conclusion.
March 21, 2022
May found me struggling with a pretty epic book hangover after rereading my favorite mystery, Every Secret Thing. I’ll go into more detail about book hangovers later in the week, but I eventually found a cure while watching A Book Olive’s video, Spring 2017 Book Haul, Part 2: Fiction. (please check out her site as she is one of my favorite booktubers) Olive talked about picking up a few historical cozy mysteries by K.K. Beck and my interest was peeked. I started the first in the series, Death in a Deck Chair, on my Kindle that very night!
I am a fan of Beck’ Iris Cooper series. Death in a Deck Chair, finds 19 year old Iris returning to America via cruise ship after a around-the-world tour with her hilarious Aunt Hermione. I found Iris to be rather relatable and extremely likable; I enjoyed her intelligence, snarky whit, and unflapable curiosity. And I adore Aunt Hermione as well. I would have jumped at the chance of traveling the world with this woman and it’s obvious Iris inherited her spunk from her aunt. And don’t even get me started on Jack Clancy (you’ll hear more about him in the next few days!)
Each character was unique, with vibrant well developed personalities and each hiding their own secrets. It was easy to picture each of them sauntering along the upper ship decks by day and sneaking around the corridors by night. What’s even better is the lack of an insta-love story for Iris. Sure there is some flirting and the swapping of steamy kisses, but Iris doesn’t lose her cool over some good looking chap. She is there to find a killer!
My only negative point is that I wanted more. You will be able to read my review of the rest of the series, Murder in a Mummy Case and Peril Under the Palms, this week and my main complaint will be that I wanted just a little more from each story. I related with the characters and Beck provides decent descriptions, but I feel these stories would have better longevity just a few extra pages worth of detailed descriptions and enhanced development. The could just be a flection of the times as the book, though set in the 1920s-1930s, was written in the early 80s. *shrugs shoulder* Readers should also know thateven though I didn’t figure out who-dunnit before the end, there were times where I easily guessed what would happen next. So, those wanting a novel that will keep them guessing at every turn should probably steer clear of this series.
Death in a Deck Chair is a great start to a fun cozy mystery series and the perfect read for a racing summer day. Go ahead and pick up all the books, cause you won’t be able to put them down once you join Iris in solving the mystery!
Are you a fan of K.K. Beck? Have you read any of the Iris Cooper stories? Let me know what you think!
Lindsay
Check out more reviews at HistoryMysteryBooks.com
I am a fan of Beck’ Iris Cooper series. Death in a Deck Chair, finds 19 year old Iris returning to America via cruise ship after a around-the-world tour with her hilarious Aunt Hermione. I found Iris to be rather relatable and extremely likable; I enjoyed her intelligence, snarky whit, and unflapable curiosity. And I adore Aunt Hermione as well. I would have jumped at the chance of traveling the world with this woman and it’s obvious Iris inherited her spunk from her aunt. And don’t even get me started on Jack Clancy (you’ll hear more about him in the next few days!)
Each character was unique, with vibrant well developed personalities and each hiding their own secrets. It was easy to picture each of them sauntering along the upper ship decks by day and sneaking around the corridors by night. What’s even better is the lack of an insta-love story for Iris. Sure there is some flirting and the swapping of steamy kisses, but Iris doesn’t lose her cool over some good looking chap. She is there to find a killer!
My only negative point is that I wanted more. You will be able to read my review of the rest of the series, Murder in a Mummy Case and Peril Under the Palms, this week and my main complaint will be that I wanted just a little more from each story. I related with the characters and Beck provides decent descriptions, but I feel these stories would have better longevity just a few extra pages worth of detailed descriptions and enhanced development. The could just be a flection of the times as the book, though set in the 1920s-1930s, was written in the early 80s. *shrugs shoulder* Readers should also know thateven though I didn’t figure out who-dunnit before the end, there were times where I easily guessed what would happen next. So, those wanting a novel that will keep them guessing at every turn should probably steer clear of this series.
Death in a Deck Chair is a great start to a fun cozy mystery series and the perfect read for a racing summer day. Go ahead and pick up all the books, cause you won’t be able to put them down once you join Iris in solving the mystery!
Are you a fan of K.K. Beck? Have you read any of the Iris Cooper stories? Let me know what you think!
Lindsay
Check out more reviews at HistoryMysteryBooks.com
May 14, 2017
I was looking for something light and this book certainly fits the description with a plot bordering on silly. Nevertheless Iris Cooper is an appealing and intelligent heroine.
September 17, 2013
Charming Iris Cooper is on the last leg of her round-the-world travels, chaperoned by Aunt Hermoine, when she finds a murdered man in his deck chair. Since Iris knows shorthand, the captain and the few men who are helping him investigate co-opt her for the investigation. So does fast-talking journalist Jack, who talks in headlines and wants a scoop.
February 15, 2016
This book was very ordinary. Not terrible, but not gripping or terribly engaging either. I'd forgotten, but I read this series way back in the 1980s when it was new (I was fooled by the recent e-book publication date). I think I've become fussier...
June 1, 2019
Cute story. Engaging characters. Mystery a bit farfetched...felt reminiscent of 30's-40's screwball comedies plot...so hard to get too upset about any preposterousness. Better just to enjoy it for what it is...a lighthearted quick read that made me smile.
April 8, 2011
Fun romp, highly enjoyable! I love cruise ship mysteries.
November 17, 2014
good mystery, murder on the high seas with a limited list of suspects
July 3, 2016
Okay mystery not very engrossing.
July 5, 2008
DEATH IN A DECK CHAIR - Poor
Beck, K.K. - 1st in series
Very light, not well written.
Beck, K.K. - 1st in series
Very light, not well written.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews