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Killer Cruise
Onboard facilities Pool 1, Caribbean Deck
Met hot crewmember while soaking up the sun! The Santorini Restaurant, Olympia Deck
Heard about last year's mysterious disappearance on board. What could have happened? Movie Theater, Fiesta Deck
Still can't stand horror flicks. Too scary. Paris Boutique, Panama Deck
Then again, so was my near-death fall overboard last night . . . Glamorama Spa, Bermuda Deck
Must relax. No one's trying to kill me—I'm just being paranoid. Club Paradise, Diablo Deck
But what if someone does want me dead?
Met hot crewmember while soaking up the sun! The Santorini Restaurant, Olympia Deck
Heard about last year's mysterious disappearance on board. What could have happened? Movie Theater, Fiesta Deck
Still can't stand horror flicks. Too scary. Paris Boutique, Panama Deck
Then again, so was my near-death fall overboard last night . . . Glamorama Spa, Bermuda Deck
Must relax. No one's trying to kill me—I'm just being paranoid. Club Paradise, Diablo Deck
But what if someone does want me dead?
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
About the author
Jennifer Shaw
1 book6 followersJennifer Shaw is the oldest of four sisters and now lives in a much-too-small studio apartment in New York City with her dog, Delilah; cat, Miss Thing; husband, Julian; and her Archie comic collection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 6, 2011
Why would someone read this? I couldn't finish it. I didn't have to read the whole thing to see the vapid, conceited, superficial, self absorbed protagonist was unlikeable and unrealistic. The characters and the plot seem like stereotypes and formulas hatched by execs in a publishing house who tried and failed to figure out "what the kids will like." Funny, the copyright is not owned by Jennifer Shaw, but by John Scognamiglio!
September 7, 2009
Killer Cruise was a book I randomly stumbled upon while trying to fill out my A to Z Challenge (heard that one much lately?). And, similar to my other random choices, I really liked it.
The book is about New York socialite Ashley who goes on a cruise for her 16th birthday. Something comes up at work for her parents, so she goes with her 2 best friends, her boyfriend, her half sister and her boyfriend and her frenemy (which is her mom’s best friend’s daughter and Ashley’s biggest competition).
Within the first day, the drama starts and not until they’re back in New York does it start to calm down.
Freak accidents start to happen and it all goes back to Taylor who went missing last year. Is Ashley’s new crush, smoothie-maker Logan, behind all of the scandal? Like I’m really going to tell you.
There were some parts of this book I really like. I like that they used real movies, books, shows etc. When you talk about Project Runway, I know what you’re talking about. I hate when authors use made up titles. I have no idea what the shows about!
I also thought it was cute that each time the girls went somewhere, we always knew what they were wearing. From head to toe. This made it easy for me to imagine each one, each day.
Now there were some things I didn’t like about this book. And it makes me feel old to say this
1. Why is a 15 year old allowed to go on a cruise without any supervision? Yes, her older half sister is on board with her and yes, papa knows the captain, but are they really going to babysit? Doubt it. I don’t believe this is reality. I think it shows false hope for kids. And this is a young adult book, so those are the readers it’s geared towards.
2. The first day on the ship, the first day Ashley sees Logan, she already tells him she likes him. YIKES! Forward much? I know teens are love crazy, but this made me nervous to have kids.
3. Ashley didn’t hang out with her friends very much. There were days where she’d go all day out with a boy and not even see them. I couldn’t imagine bringing along my 2 bff’s on a cruise and ditching them for almost an entire week. This is another instance I don’t think parents would want their kids reading this book. When I was 20 years old and went to Mexico, I wasn’t allowed to leave my dads side, or be alone because he was afraid I’d get kidnapped. When you’re not in America, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you. You can’t just be running around with a stranger in the Bahamas and not be nervous that you may or may not get snatched.
4. One sentence: 16 year old sleeping in the same bed as a boy!
Ok, now I feel like an old prude after reading this book.
I didn’t start thinking about young adult books in this light until recently when my future sister-in-law was telling me one of the things that made her not love Twilight was that Edward stayed in Bella’s room. These books are geared towards teens and young adults. That’s not something they need to be reading about. I never thought of that, but I agree. My parents would NEVER have let me do that. Yes, Twilight is not real, but if Bella and Edward do it, why can’t I?
Although I ranted a lot about this book, I liked it and had to change my mind a few times about who the bad guy was before it finally came out. I give Killer Cruise 3 bookmarks.
The book is about New York socialite Ashley who goes on a cruise for her 16th birthday. Something comes up at work for her parents, so she goes with her 2 best friends, her boyfriend, her half sister and her boyfriend and her frenemy (which is her mom’s best friend’s daughter and Ashley’s biggest competition).
Within the first day, the drama starts and not until they’re back in New York does it start to calm down.
Freak accidents start to happen and it all goes back to Taylor who went missing last year. Is Ashley’s new crush, smoothie-maker Logan, behind all of the scandal? Like I’m really going to tell you.
There were some parts of this book I really like. I like that they used real movies, books, shows etc. When you talk about Project Runway, I know what you’re talking about. I hate when authors use made up titles. I have no idea what the shows about!
I also thought it was cute that each time the girls went somewhere, we always knew what they were wearing. From head to toe. This made it easy for me to imagine each one, each day.
Now there were some things I didn’t like about this book. And it makes me feel old to say this
1. Why is a 15 year old allowed to go on a cruise without any supervision? Yes, her older half sister is on board with her and yes, papa knows the captain, but are they really going to babysit? Doubt it. I don’t believe this is reality. I think it shows false hope for kids. And this is a young adult book, so those are the readers it’s geared towards.
2. The first day on the ship, the first day Ashley sees Logan, she already tells him she likes him. YIKES! Forward much? I know teens are love crazy, but this made me nervous to have kids.
3. Ashley didn’t hang out with her friends very much. There were days where she’d go all day out with a boy and not even see them. I couldn’t imagine bringing along my 2 bff’s on a cruise and ditching them for almost an entire week. This is another instance I don’t think parents would want their kids reading this book. When I was 20 years old and went to Mexico, I wasn’t allowed to leave my dads side, or be alone because he was afraid I’d get kidnapped. When you’re not in America, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you. You can’t just be running around with a stranger in the Bahamas and not be nervous that you may or may not get snatched.
4. One sentence: 16 year old sleeping in the same bed as a boy!
Ok, now I feel like an old prude after reading this book.
I didn’t start thinking about young adult books in this light until recently when my future sister-in-law was telling me one of the things that made her not love Twilight was that Edward stayed in Bella’s room. These books are geared towards teens and young adults. That’s not something they need to be reading about. I never thought of that, but I agree. My parents would NEVER have let me do that. Yes, Twilight is not real, but if Bella and Edward do it, why can’t I?
Although I ranted a lot about this book, I liked it and had to change my mind a few times about who the bad guy was before it finally came out. I give Killer Cruise 3 bookmarks.
April 12, 2011
Giving this book one star is being generous.
The main character is a self absorbed, conceited, and annoying.
Each page was pure torture to read. I became dumber with each chapter.
Honestly, how are people rating this as 4 or 5 stars?!
Save yourself and DON'T read this sad excuse of a book.
Dear Jennifer Shaw,
I would like to file a claim for the time lost reading this terrible book, the money spent on it, and the brain cells that died due to your less than average writing and storyline.
The main character is a self absorbed, conceited, and annoying.
Each page was pure torture to read. I became dumber with each chapter.
Honestly, how are people rating this as 4 or 5 stars?!
Save yourself and DON'T read this sad excuse of a book.
Dear Jennifer Shaw,
I would like to file a claim for the time lost reading this terrible book, the money spent on it, and the brain cells that died due to your less than average writing and storyline.
July 10, 2021
Killer Cruise by Jennifer Shaw is an easygoing YA cozy mystery.
This was the literary pick-me-up I needed. I nabbed this book at Dollar Tree years ago, and I’m glad I did. This book is a lot of fun. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. It’s light, well, about as light as a book involving murder can be. The settings are luxurious, and the author indulges us with details. Our narrator, Ashley, is spunky and self-assured. I’d love a fraction of her confidence. Also, this book is from 2008, when I was but a wee high school student myself, and all the cultural references take me back. The music, the fashion, everything. If you’re a younger millennial, I would recommend it for nostalgia.
I loved immersing myself in this book. I’ve never been on a cruise, or gone to a fashion show, and it’s been years since I’ve been to a pool, so it was fun exploring all of these settings. The mystery element was reasonably suspenseful, but it didn’t become central until the very end. In some ways, that was nice. It kept the tone of the story fairly lighthearted overall, with just enough scares and drama to keep some level of tension.
The book is not without its faults. It’s a little predictable. I figured out who the killer was before the big reveal. We get the ambiguous mental illness giving rise to evil motives trope, which is one of my least favorites. Ashley is privileged as all get out. Probably these things should bother me more than they do, but I had so much fun that these were minor nuisances at worst.
If you’re looking for a light, fun summer mystery and romance, you may want to check out Killer Cruise.
cw: murder, death, death of a child
This was the literary pick-me-up I needed. I nabbed this book at Dollar Tree years ago, and I’m glad I did. This book is a lot of fun. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. It’s light, well, about as light as a book involving murder can be. The settings are luxurious, and the author indulges us with details. Our narrator, Ashley, is spunky and self-assured. I’d love a fraction of her confidence. Also, this book is from 2008, when I was but a wee high school student myself, and all the cultural references take me back. The music, the fashion, everything. If you’re a younger millennial, I would recommend it for nostalgia.
I loved immersing myself in this book. I’ve never been on a cruise, or gone to a fashion show, and it’s been years since I’ve been to a pool, so it was fun exploring all of these settings. The mystery element was reasonably suspenseful, but it didn’t become central until the very end. In some ways, that was nice. It kept the tone of the story fairly lighthearted overall, with just enough scares and drama to keep some level of tension.
The book is not without its faults. It’s a little predictable. I figured out who the killer was before the big reveal. We get the ambiguous mental illness giving rise to evil motives trope, which is one of my least favorites. Ashley is privileged as all get out. Probably these things should bother me more than they do, but I had so much fun that these were minor nuisances at worst.
If you’re looking for a light, fun summer mystery and romance, you may want to check out Killer Cruise.
cw: murder, death, death of a child
October 24, 2011
Killer Cruise by Jennifer Shaw, is a page turning mystery book about a 16 year old girl named Ashley. Ashley goes on a cruise for her sixteenth birthday with her two best friends, her sister, and a few other people close to her. Throughout the book Ashley starts to believe that someone is out to kill her. First the railing came off her balcony, forcing her to quickly regain her balance, or plunge into the dark sea below. After that many other “accidents” happened including a huge bolder almost falling on her, finding a death message written in lipstick on her bathroom mirror, and someone from a bustling crowd pushing her onto the busy street. I think the authors message in this book was that you can’t be liked by everyone. Also that you should be careful about who you suspect for different things, it could be anyone. This book was amazing. It kept me turning the pages and almost every chapter ended on a cliff hanger, making me read more. I would recommend this book to a girl or woman of all ages, I really enjoyed reading this book and I think you will too.
Killer Cruise is an amazing book written by Jennifer Shaw. I believe that there are many factors that can make a book a good mystery. One factor is there has to be very good description. If there is not good description in a book then it is not as engaging as it could be. Another factor is there has to be a serious crime done, usually a murder. If there is no crime, and no mysterious details that have to be solved then the book is not really mystery. A third factor is there has to be someone trying to solve the crime, such as a detective, the police, or even just the main character. There are many other factors that will make a book a good mystery, but these three I believe are the main ones.
Killer Cruise is an amazing book written by Jennifer Shaw. I believe that there are many factors that can make a book a good mystery. One factor is there has to be very good description. If there is not good description in a book then it is not as engaging as it could be. Another factor is there has to be a serious crime done, usually a murder. If there is no crime, and no mysterious details that have to be solved then the book is not really mystery. A third factor is there has to be someone trying to solve the crime, such as a detective, the police, or even just the main character. There are many other factors that will make a book a good mystery, but these three I believe are the main ones.
January 20, 2025
Kind of like if MTV circa 2001 tried to do an Agatha Christie ripoff and all the characters were annoying as hell.
February 15, 2016
I CALLED IT SO HARD IN THE THIRD CHAPTER
July 15, 2024
I read this book at the perfect time! This book takes place on a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas — and I read it while on a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas! I loved the cruise ship setting. The story wasn’t the greatest. If I hadn’t loved the setting so much I probably would have rated it lower. Ashley was quite a brat.
November 22, 2017
I love this so much! It's something I randomly picked as a kid who wants to start reading books and this got me started.
It's intensity drives me crazy to know what happens in the end. The writer really know how to draw out the perfect and detailed surroundings in a 12 year old kid's mind.
It's intensity drives me crazy to know what happens in the end. The writer really know how to draw out the perfect and detailed surroundings in a 12 year old kid's mind.
July 14, 2022
I loved it, kept me on my toes I couldn't put it down. I also did not guess the killer that's how unexpected the killer was. Great suspense also a wonderful romance to put a smile on your face.
June 29, 2023
3.5 rounded up just because of the background and setting. It was a light summer read. Nothing more.
June 7, 2024
Mid. It was fast-paced, fun, and a short read. I figured out the plot twist really quickly. It's not a bad book, maybe just not for me?
September 10, 2024
this book was so silly 😭 the climax was like two pages long and the ending / “epilogue” was so random and unrealistic well the whole book was unrealistic but damn somehow it got worse
July 9, 2025
I love this book! The plot twist = chef’s kiss! I just wish the epilogue was a little bit longer and had more detail!
October 24, 2008
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Ashley Bishop is going to have the best Sweet Sixteen birthday party. She's asked to forgo the traditional celebration in lieu of a birthday cruise. And her father has agreed to the idea. So Ashley and her boyfriend, half-sister, and four others are off on a cruise to the Bahamas.
Ashley's half-sister, Charlotte, moved in with Ashley's family not too long ago. Charlotte had been living with her mother on the west coast. But after her mother is killed in an accident, their mutual father brings Charlotte to New York to live with them. Ashley is determined to make her feel part of the family. She is excited to have a sister that she can share everything with. The only problem is Charlotte doesn't know the meaning of fun and she's very reserved. She only wants to spend time with her boyfriend, Sam, and obsessing about getting a scholarship to a good university.
On the first day of the cruise, Ashley meets a waiter, Logan Gallo. They immediately click, and agree to meet up at the dance club that night. One small problem, though - Ashley's boyfriend, Finn, is along on the cruise. However, after Finn scares her in the hallway, it's the final straw. Ashley has been trying to break it off for weeks with Finn but could never go through with it. But the fright gives her the courage to break up with him. He threatens that she'll be sorry. After all, Ashley and Finn are two of the most popular kids at their high school, and Finn has never been the dumpee before. But Ashley is relieved she's finally done it, and vows to enjoy her cruise.
But too many strange coincidences start to happen... After the scare from Finn, the railing on her balcony breaks off and plunges into the water. Only by quick action on her part does she keep herself from following the railing. It doesn't help when her friends tell her at dinner that the previous summer a girl around the same age went missing and was never found. Rumors are that Taylor fell overboard.
In the course of the week-long cruise, too many close calls happen to Ashley that it's getting a bit too uncomfortable for her. Except for her friends and her budding relationship with Logan, she is starting to get quite antsy. At one time or another, she suspects almost everyone at trying to harm her.
To find out what happens to Ashley and how she makes out, you'll just have to pick up your own copy of KILLER CRUISE. The story is a quite heart pounding page-turner. I stayed up till after midnight to finish the book. I had to find out who was behind everything. It wasn't who I expected!
I enjoyed KILLER CRUISE a lot and hope that Ms. Shaw writes more books in the future. I know I'll be in line to read them if she does!
Ashley Bishop is going to have the best Sweet Sixteen birthday party. She's asked to forgo the traditional celebration in lieu of a birthday cruise. And her father has agreed to the idea. So Ashley and her boyfriend, half-sister, and four others are off on a cruise to the Bahamas.
Ashley's half-sister, Charlotte, moved in with Ashley's family not too long ago. Charlotte had been living with her mother on the west coast. But after her mother is killed in an accident, their mutual father brings Charlotte to New York to live with them. Ashley is determined to make her feel part of the family. She is excited to have a sister that she can share everything with. The only problem is Charlotte doesn't know the meaning of fun and she's very reserved. She only wants to spend time with her boyfriend, Sam, and obsessing about getting a scholarship to a good university.
On the first day of the cruise, Ashley meets a waiter, Logan Gallo. They immediately click, and agree to meet up at the dance club that night. One small problem, though - Ashley's boyfriend, Finn, is along on the cruise. However, after Finn scares her in the hallway, it's the final straw. Ashley has been trying to break it off for weeks with Finn but could never go through with it. But the fright gives her the courage to break up with him. He threatens that she'll be sorry. After all, Ashley and Finn are two of the most popular kids at their high school, and Finn has never been the dumpee before. But Ashley is relieved she's finally done it, and vows to enjoy her cruise.
But too many strange coincidences start to happen... After the scare from Finn, the railing on her balcony breaks off and plunges into the water. Only by quick action on her part does she keep herself from following the railing. It doesn't help when her friends tell her at dinner that the previous summer a girl around the same age went missing and was never found. Rumors are that Taylor fell overboard.
In the course of the week-long cruise, too many close calls happen to Ashley that it's getting a bit too uncomfortable for her. Except for her friends and her budding relationship with Logan, she is starting to get quite antsy. At one time or another, she suspects almost everyone at trying to harm her.
To find out what happens to Ashley and how she makes out, you'll just have to pick up your own copy of KILLER CRUISE. The story is a quite heart pounding page-turner. I stayed up till after midnight to finish the book. I had to find out who was behind everything. It wasn't who I expected!
I enjoyed KILLER CRUISE a lot and hope that Ms. Shaw writes more books in the future. I know I'll be in line to read them if she does!
July 28, 2019
4/5 ☆ rating for this one. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book was. I started out being really annoyed by how self centered our main character Ashley was but as the story progressed, I could relate a lot to her actions as compared to mine as a teenager! There were times I was uncomfortable reading about two teenagers and their exploration of sexual tension and the talk about sleeping together that popped up a lot but overall, a great book for summer!
August 4, 2010
Ashley goes on a cruise with her half sister she doesn't know and her boyfriend, her two best friends, a frenemy, and her soon to be ex-boyfriend. When attempts on her life are made on the same cruise ship where a 16 year old disappeared the year before Ashley starts to wonder if it could be her frenemy, her ex-boyfriend, her half-sister's boyfriend or the cute guy she just met that happened to be dating the girl that disappeared the year before.
Sometimes the book seemed to drag with all her inner speculations of who might be doing all these things to her. I think the author tried to do a good job of leading you in various suspects directions. I did guess correctly. Still it was a fun read I thought her and her new perspective boyfriend seemed to moving kind of fast when you kiss before even going on a date. But that is just me. I suppose it was to end to the intended suspense of the story.
Sometimes the book seemed to drag with all her inner speculations of who might be doing all these things to her. I think the author tried to do a good job of leading you in various suspects directions. I did guess correctly. Still it was a fun read I thought her and her new perspective boyfriend seemed to moving kind of fast when you kiss before even going on a date. But that is just me. I suppose it was to end to the intended suspense of the story.
November 4, 2008
My book- Killer Cruise, was about a teenager, having her birthday on a cruise. She invited her closest friends, also her boyfriend, which she broke up with on the first day they were there. Ashley kept on having very weird encounters on the cruise. She was determined someone was out to get her. She should of died around five times on the cruise ship. She found a lover on the cruise. She did have a good time, her friends did also. Her ex-boyfriend was out to get her. She really didn't know how to cope with the fact that, he was acting like nothing was happening and he would just pick up random girls, like he wasn't shoving it in her face..
The book was a really good book, it actually kept me entertained, and I really liked the fact that I had a lot in common with Ashley and her friends. We are big flirts! :]
The book was a really good book, it actually kept me entertained, and I really liked the fact that I had a lot in common with Ashley and her friends. We are big flirts! :]
February 7, 2016
This was very fluffy and cute. This kind of reminds me of the modernized version of A Summer in Paris with added murder, or a more modern/fluffier Fear Street book. It is not groundbreaking or incredibly deep, but if you're expecting it to be, you're going in with the wrong idea and you're going to be disappointed. I mean, there are pink hearts on the cruise ship and on the anchor, people. Read the rest on my blog.
January 28, 2014
I literally read this in middle school. My library was selling fairly new books which is how I got this one for 50 cents a few years after it came out. It was a good book but it set expectations super high. I went on a cruise this month and being fifteen, my parents allowed some freedom. I got my own room with my two older sisters and I didn't have a curfew. I spent my days with them and after dinner with the fiends I made. There was no possible was my parents would have let me go by myself. Like seriously? Who would let a fifteen year old? Aside from minor plot errors like that it was a good and enjoyable book. I wish I could find it so I could read it again!
July 24, 2011
it was pretty good for a fluff teen mystery novel that you generally read at the beach or sitting around the pool. it was kinda strange and a totally predictable. i saw every single "shocking twist" coming several chapters before thay actually happened. you have to be in the mood for this kind of thing in order to enjoy it. i would suggest that you only read this if you are under age 16 and/or you are looking for mindless fluff to read. definetly a beach read.
January 6, 2009
A wealthy girl takes her half-sister and friends on a Sweet 16 birthday cruise, and someone keeps trying to kill her! She thinks it might be the new guy who works on the ship, or maybe the boyfriend she just broke up with (while on the cruise), but it turns out to be...I won't spoil this one because it's half the fun! Teen fluff, of course, but fairly entertaining.
August 11, 2013
One of the best books I've read! It wrapped mystery, romance, fashion, and a fabulous cruise vacation all in one. Killer Cruise was indeed...killer. The twist at the end will get you, and you'll find yourself questioning who you can trust. This was all around a great book, and I hope to find more like it, or more from this author!
February 14, 2016
Okay this book actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It got better as it went on. I thought I knew who the killer was, but boy was I surprised. There's a huge clue as to who it is so don't miss it. Ashley's killer isn't the only mystery that gets solved. Start reading now so you can find out all the twisted details!
July 17, 2016
This book was terrible. I wanted to read a book with a cruise setting and I had read many Harper Teen books before so I figure I would give this a try. It was really hard for me to finish this book because it was so awful. The main character is a spoiled brat and not relatable at all. The way this book was written is just terrible. Bad. I really have never disliked a book this much....
December 23, 2008
This book was very predictable. It wasn't her crush or her ex(whom she hates), it was her "angelic" and "bookish" sister, Charlotte! Duh, we all knew this! Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, it was just an easy read.
Read
March 19, 2013Maybe I'm finally outgrowing these books, or maybe this one just didn't pull me in, but I couldn't finish it. I didn't care for the characters and it was taking too long to get into the meat of the story. I finally just gave up and peeked at the end to find out whodunit. :P
October 14, 2013
I love this book because though I suspected the killer halfway through the story, the climax and ending still made me shiver. A quick but good read and it can even be made into a tv-movie! Rating: 4 stars
Read
May 27, 2009love it
October 22, 2009
This book was absolutly amazing.So much mystery.Who is trying to kill ashley bishop...read this phenomonal book and find out!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews