Rigged For Murder

Windjammer Mystery #1

by Jenifer LeClair

On leave from the Minneapolis Police Department after being shot, homicide detective Brie Beaumont has gone to Maine where she has family roots. She ships out on the Maine Wind for an early season cruise with Captain John DuLac and eight others. Caught in a gale, they anchor off remote and windswept Granite Island. When someone aboard is murdered, Brie must single-handedly stage an investigation that moves from the ship to a small fishing village on the island. Plagued by flashbacks and fighting a growing attraction to Captain DuLac, Brie works to unravel a mystery that will place her directly in the path of a psychopathic killer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Amazon

205 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2008

About the author

Jenifer LeClair is the author of the award-winning Windjammer Mystery Series set on the coast of Maine and featuring homicide detective Brie Beaumont as the series protagonist and detective. "Rigged for Murder" and "Danger Sector" are the first two books in LeClair's gripping mystery series and are set aboard a historic windjammer and on the islands and coastal areas of Maine, where she has sailed since 1994. LeClair brings a remarkable authenticity to the remote and beautiful setting of her action/adventure mystery novels and has won Independent Publisher Awards for Best Regional Fiction for both "Rigged for Murder" in 2009 and "Danger Sector" in 2011. "Rigged for Murder" also won the 2009 RebeccasReads Written Art Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and "Danger Sector" was a finalist in the 2011 Midwest Book Awards. Jenifer LeClair lives in Minnesoata, but has adopted Maine as her second home and spends time there every year researching, travelling the highways and byways, doing photography, and sailing to various destinations in the Gulf of Maine and beyond. Her adventures aboard the Maine windjammers have taken her from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to Gloucester, Massachusetts and Mystic, Connecticut and to dozens of islands and coastal villages in between. You can visit and write to author Jenifer LeClair on the web at www.windjammermysteries.com and watch for her new book, "Cold Coast," coming in July of 2013.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Jenifer LeClair's Rigged for Murder, the first installment in the Windjammer Mystery series, get ready to set sail from the coast of Maine to go on an adventure. For Brie Beaumont, a Minneapolis PD detective who's on medical leave, she needed to get away from it all and relax on a sailing voyage. But it wasn't exactly smooth sailing for her and her shipmates, when they traveled to Granite Island. First, there's tension between one of the first mates and a couple of the fellow travelers. To calm down tempers, they had to prepare for a storm and ride it out at the dock. For Brie and the others, that became the first bump they've reached on their trip. While they docked for the night, someone screamed and alerted them of the murder of one of them on the Maine Wind windjammer, it's up to Brie to put on her detective's cap and solve this mystery. While grounded for the day, Brie needed to investigate this crime and looked for answers that's laid ahead of the ship. Meanwhile, she couldn't find the attraction she felt for Captain John DuLac, while tragedy strikes again for the Maine Wind, when someone confessed and committed suicide. Nothing looks or appears as it seams for Brie, while she needed to go for a closer look herself. And that lead her right into danger on the ocean with an unknown enemy who wants to run her aground.

[Helen Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brie Beaumont, a Minneapolis homicide detective, vacations on an early season cruise on a windjammer, Maine Wind. Caught in a storm, they anchor off Granite Island, where a crew member is murdered. This book is a first novel, which the author plans to expand into a series. It is written well but not having any background in sailing, half the vocabulary (in spite of the excellent glossary included in the book) "sailed" (LOL) right over my head.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mystery. I enjoyed the setting and even though I'm not at all familiar with ships and their terminology, I thought it was well described and helped me to picture the ship. The ending was good, but I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series.

3.5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Jenifer LeClair at the sale at the Landmark Center in St. Paul in December. She was selling her novels. I enjoyed speaking to her about her personal experiences sailing on schooners. I bought all of her books and she signed them all. I just finished reading the first novel in her mystery series. It is a very good mystery. It kept me guessing and I did not figure out who the killer was until Brie did. I love the character of Brie. Brie is on leave from the Minneapolis Police Department since she was shot and her partner was killed when they responded to a call. She goes to Maine to sail on the Maine Wind schooner since she is still struggling with the trauma of being shot and her partner being killed. She does not find a break from crime for long because one of the employees on the Maine Wind is murdered. Since the storms at the time are keeping the Coast Guard busy, Brie begins collecting evidence and investigating the murder. I love reading about the sailing on the schooner since it is something I have never done and I am not familiar with it all. LeClair does an excellent job of describing the schooner and the experience of being a passenger. There is a helpful glossary in the back of sailing terms that the average person may not be familiar with. I referred to it several times while reading the novel. I recommend LeClair's novels to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery was enjoyable but I could have done without the romance. That is my feeling with many mysteries, however. Why mess up a good genre?

[Evie Halfacre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

Not enough action......boring.....no suspense.....I did like Maine for the setting.....but that was about the only thing I liked....so boring.....boring....again boring...

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good murder mystery that requires patience. Not all the clues and relationship between the suspects are presented early in the story. Part of solving the murder involves investigating to discover clues and relationships. This investigation is conducted by Brie Beaumont who is a Minneapolis police detective on a leave of absence. She is on a pleasure cruise aboard a windjammer sailing ship off the coast of Maine. The pleasure cruise must temporarily put in at a small island off the coast of Maine due to a gale storm. At this point a crew member is murdered and because the Coast Guard is busy dealing with distress call in this gale, Brie must take over the investigation. The story proceeds from there and the first death is not the last. Brie will try to determine among the other passengers and crew members, who had motive and opportunity. The atmosphere created by sailing and the seas off the coast of Maine adds to the pleasure of reading this very good “who done it”.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the schooner and island setting in Maine but the plot and characters not so much. Mystery took second place to romance. Will be looking for more mysteries set in Maine but probably not the other books in this series.

Page 79 Captain DuLac tells his passengers and crew that the B & B has a great library that they are welcome to use. But, when they get there (page 83), Brie announces that she will be using the library "for a long day of questioning." So it is off limits for browsing.

Page 93 Questioning Alyssa turns into a therapy session. Is Brie a detective or a marriage counselor?

Page 107 Growing very tired of Brie getting hot flashes every time she sees John. Get a room!

Page 120 What the $%^& kind of police detective accidentally drops her gun off a cliff?!

[John Geary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable nautical whodunit. Like the last two mysteries I’ve read, this one was also set in Maine.
The main protagonist is a cop from Minnesota who is recovering from the trauma of seeing her partner shot to death.
She hopes to relax and let go of the past during an early season Windjammer sailing cruise, but murder finds a way onto the sailboat.
A bit reminiscent of the Agatha Christie style of stories where a small group of people is gathered together in one location and separated from the rest of the world and any help that might come from the outside.
Some really good twists and turns, I had no idea who the actual killer was until the very last chapter.

[Diana Brockelbank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brie Beaumont is a Minneapolis PD detective who is currently on leave. She goes to Maine and joins a windjammer cruise. While on board, there are two murders during a huge storm. As the current detective on board, Brie feels obligated to try to solve the murders and prevent another from being committed. The captain of the ship is rugged, handsome and currently single. Will Brie fall for his charms? This is one of those books I simply could barely leave alone! Can’t wait to read the next in the series!

[Patrick Chelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty rough sailing

Maybe the dimmest homicide detective in the universe. Terrible procedural.. really a romance set on a boat, with another tragically scarred heroine trying to overcome a past trauma while finding the love of her life while solving a murder. Yawn. And sadly not much nautical action either other than meeting in the galley to cram various gourmet meals into their mouths, over and over and over.

[Anna Renstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rigged for Murder was hard for me to put down once I started reading. Every chapter kept me wanting to know more. The author did a good job of keeping me guessing who the villain was. Exciting, mysterious and adventurous with just enough romance, it kept me enthralled the whole time. I’m looking forward to reading more by Jenifer LeClair. I will always treasure this book as it was a gift from my son and signed by the author.

[Heidi Gass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Met the author at a holiday fair and had to give this a read. A nice cozier murder mystery with a great setting. The beginning did have a bit too much sailing speak for my taste, but it takes down as the story got going. An interesting cast of characters and I really like the two main subjects. A great read to spend a quiet weekend with - and I found myself wanting to get back into the pages any time I had to put the book down. I will definitely read on in the series!

[Laura Tancredi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rigged for adventure and intrigue

Enough twists and turns to keep the reader fully engaged until the conclusion of the story. Loved the scenery! The view the author painted using colorful words was vivid. I felt I was aboard the schooner as an active passenger experiencing the wind lane the rain. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Minneapolis police detective on leave from her department takes a sailing trip in Maine to clear her head. While onboard, a storm hits, leading to a series of events that include a passenger on board the sailing expedition dead. Great story. Loved the twists and turns. This is a local author to me, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

[Tom Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realize this is a first book from the author and you would not expect as much polish as with a more experienced writer. For some reason, this writers approach did not pull me into the story. One bone I have to pick concerns the plot. When the story teller weaves a murder mystery but fails to give the reader all the information needed to solve it, you feel cheated

[Molly Ladhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasant and delightful surprise! The author was at a local fair so I picked this up and it was quite an enjoyable read. The images she evokes of the Windjammer makes me want to pack my bag and head to sea! The mystery was also well written, and the romance was a nice addition without feeling cheesy. I look forward to the other books in this series.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you can see I raced through this book in a couple of days. It helped that I just took a Windjammer cruise, so I had a good sense of what was going on when they were on the schooner. It's also nice when a book is set in your backyard. That being said, the characters were real and the plot moved quickly. I am already looking forward to the next in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would probably make a decent movie, but it was a pretty uninspiring book. In a movie you could focus on the beautiful Maine scenery and not notice the lack of character and story development. The heroine's ties to MN are fun, but then why does she have jurisdiction to investigate a murder in Maine?

[Becky Pardey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

The actual detecting a bit lacking but in a way that was consistent with the themes of the book. Many parts exceptionally well written, expressing very interesting ideas more in line with philosophical literature. Good pace, good characters. I’m going to read the next one in the series with hopes of a mystery with just a little bit more bite to it.

[Kenneth Clarke Carrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maritime Mystery.

Well put together story. The descriptions of boat , ocean, and the small island was right on. The mystery is interwoven between the different characters brilliantly.

[Bret Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent mystery. Good lead in that does drag out too long. Excellent setting and the plot flows well. Excellent build and good twist that kept me guessing. This is the first of the series and I’ll definitely read the second one.

[Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Cold Coast and Apparition Island first and then purchased the rest of the series. Rigged for Murder did not disappoint: excellent character development, a good story, and a surprise ending. I'm looking forward to my next LeClair read.

[Trudy Ackerblade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rigged for Murder was OK. I never really cared about the characters or the protagonist all that much. I kept having to go back and identify the characters from earlier scenes. There was quite an unexpected twist at the ned.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This murder mystery was the perfect book to read by the beach. Not Main, but Alaska. So, it was still cold, rainy and windy which set the mood perfectly! I'm not a sailor and know little about the subject so the glossary in the back was phenomenal! Looking forward to book 2!

[Sharon Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Windjammer tour in Maine
Murder onboard
Female Minneapolis police officer as the main character

I liked this book a lot!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but predictable. Clearly an author who knows about sailing.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

This is a well written murder mystery with a couple of twists but aimed at people who enjoy sailing & love stories as much as crime drama

[Debbra Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This book is very well done. Loved the storyline and the characters. Would recommend this book to everyone to read.

[Sherry McWilliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic mystery, I couldn't put it down. There were moments of biting my nails. If you want to read a fantastic mystery this is the one. Planned to read more in this series.