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Secret Sleuth #1
Death on the Diversion
Final resting place? Deck chair
Death on the Diversion is the start of a brand-new cozy mystery series from a USA Today bestselling author.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sheila Mackey has a secret. To the world, she’s author of a blockbuster book. Her wily great-aunt, the actual author, orchestrated this mutually beneficial masquerade. Now the aunt’s retiring and Sheila must draft Act Two of her own life. This cruise is supposed to be the perfect time to do that.
Crossing the Atlantic on the Diversion, Sheila finds a dead body on deck.
She realizes she knows a whole lot more about the interactions of the victim and suspects than the ship’s officials do. She’s drawn into sleuthing, but finds herself hampered by a well-meaning but overprotective would-be Dr. Watson.
This murder mystery with humor is the first book in a new series, Secret Sleuth. In later books, amateur sleuth Sheila returns to dry land in the Midwest, where mysteries abound in her new small-town home.
If you like mysteries about the inner world of writers, set among the insular cruise ship community, where even the sleuth has secrets she’s hiding (and a dog to come in book two), then you’ll love award-winning Patricia McLinn’s newest whodunit with humor.
Get on board to sail away with crime, clues and memorable characters.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On the spectrum of McLinn's mysteries, the Caught Dead in Wyoming cozy mysteries are in the middle, Proof of Innocence is a edgier (and has more romance), and Secret Sleuth is a bit less edgy.
Death on the Diversion is the start of a brand-new cozy mystery series from a USA Today bestselling author.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sheila Mackey has a secret. To the world, she’s author of a blockbuster book. Her wily great-aunt, the actual author, orchestrated this mutually beneficial masquerade. Now the aunt’s retiring and Sheila must draft Act Two of her own life. This cruise is supposed to be the perfect time to do that.
Crossing the Atlantic on the Diversion, Sheila finds a dead body on deck.
She realizes she knows a whole lot more about the interactions of the victim and suspects than the ship’s officials do. She’s drawn into sleuthing, but finds herself hampered by a well-meaning but overprotective would-be Dr. Watson.
This murder mystery with humor is the first book in a new series, Secret Sleuth. In later books, amateur sleuth Sheila returns to dry land in the Midwest, where mysteries abound in her new small-town home.
If you like mysteries about the inner world of writers, set among the insular cruise ship community, where even the sleuth has secrets she’s hiding (and a dog to come in book two), then you’ll love award-winning Patricia McLinn’s newest whodunit with humor.
Get on board to sail away with crime, clues and memorable characters.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On the spectrum of McLinn's mysteries, the Caught Dead in Wyoming cozy mysteries are in the middle, Proof of Innocence is a edgier (and has more romance), and Secret Sleuth is a bit less edgy.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2018
1767 people are currently reading
820 people want to read
About the author
Patricia McLinn
127 books311 followersUSA Today bestselling author Patricia McLinn’s novels—cited by reviewers for warmth, wit and vivid characterization – have won numerous regional and national awards and been on national bestseller lists.
In addition to her romance and women’s fiction books, Patricia is the author of the Caught Dead in Wyoming mystery series, which adds a touch of humor and romance to figuring out whodunit.
Patricia received BA and MSJ degrees from Northwestern University. She was a sports writer (Rockford, Ill.), assistant sports editor (Charlotte, N.C.) and—for 20-plus years—an editor at the Washington Post.
She has spoken about writing from Melbourne, Australia to Washington, D.C., including being a guest-speaker at the Smithsonian Institution. She is now living in Northern Kentucky, and writing full-time. Patricia loves to hear from readers through her website, Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.
In addition to her romance and women’s fiction books, Patricia is the author of the Caught Dead in Wyoming mystery series, which adds a touch of humor and romance to figuring out whodunit.
Patricia received BA and MSJ degrees from Northwestern University. She was a sports writer (Rockford, Ill.), assistant sports editor (Charlotte, N.C.) and—for 20-plus years—an editor at the Washington Post.
She has spoken about writing from Melbourne, Australia to Washington, D.C., including being a guest-speaker at the Smithsonian Institution. She is now living in Northern Kentucky, and writing full-time. Patricia loves to hear from readers through her website, Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
March 12, 2023
My husband and I have been watching the original black-and-white Perry. Mason TV shows which aired in 1957 to 1966. One thing we've learned from these mysteries is "don't be the person everyone wishes to see die." As I began reading this book, it didn't take me long to pinpoint the person who obviously had never seen or read a Perry Mason mystery. I can tell you – Leah was it. What an unpleasant, completely self-centered, control freak, the one thing I trouble with was – why did her long time circle of cruise friends put up with her? Well, if Leah hadn't been murdered, I think this would have been their last cruise together.
Now you ask, why did I keep reading? Well, of course, I had to see who would murder the very deserving victim. However, the set up for the heroine of the series, Sheila Mackey, was very unique. You see it was a new identity for her. I wanted to see how she was going to navigate her new life. Also, I was intrigued by all the other characters. Great read herrings too. So why don't you see if you are as intrigued as I was! Plus, I did not guess who the culprit was till the very end reveal. Excellent! Right
Now you ask, why did I keep reading? Well, of course, I had to see who would murder the very deserving victim. However, the set up for the heroine of the series, Sheila Mackey, was very unique. You see it was a new identity for her. I wanted to see how she was going to navigate her new life. Also, I was intrigued by all the other characters. Great read herrings too. So why don't you see if you are as intrigued as I was! Plus, I did not guess who the culprit was till the very end reveal. Excellent! Right
December 31, 2022
I liked the main character and relative, but the rest were so annoying.
Read
October 22, 2021This has an interesting idea for a sleuth (someone who has been living as the public face of an author), but the mystery itself (involving a bunch of regular cruise ship travellers) didn't make me care about any of them or any of the things they did. Got to the end, but not going to continue.
February 13, 2020
"Snooze cruise"
The sheer thought of going on a cruise brings me out in a rash. I would be trapped on a floating care home with thousands of characters like those in this book. That's not for me; nor is this type of cozy mystery. The saving grace was there were no dogs or recipes in this one. It's time to give this genre a rest. I keep trying to find something I like, with little success.
The sheer thought of going on a cruise brings me out in a rash. I would be trapped on a floating care home with thousands of characters like those in this book. That's not for me; nor is this type of cozy mystery. The saving grace was there were no dogs or recipes in this one. It's time to give this genre a rest. I keep trying to find something I like, with little success.
August 30, 2021
Not that it matters to anybody, but I started this book on a whim - I have very few books left unread in iBooks, but iBooks is really good at staying dark to allow me to read at night - very important when you’re trying to get the kids to bed.
I don’t remember how I got this book - most likely it was a freebie and, since I love a good mystery, I took my chances with it. Just to get it out of the way and put it out there, it’s not the most interesting mystery (cosy or not) out there. It was engaging enough that I kept reading while on our flight back home, even though I had other options.
So - the good - I’ve never been on a cruise and have no intention to go in the near future. It gave me a pretty good idea on what to expect. I have my fair share of all inclusive resorts stats and, if you have the time and interest, these settings are amazing for people studying. Vanity Fair at its best!
The less good... I have thoughts. And things to say.
1. Sheila, the main character, is in her mid thirties. But she acts like a Victorian widower/old maid? The few hints at men expressing interest in her in a sexual manner are represented in a weird manner, like they’re all creepy stalkers. She is always escaping somebody’s unwanted attention. Even though there is nothing wrong with not wanting a partner (male, female or otherwise), the way it’s depicted gives me a weird weird vibe. Kind of like the author didn’t have a proper plan about this part of her life and decided to emulate other sleuths, who don’t have a real private life and are just dedicated to solving mysteries all the time (both Ms. Marple and Monsieur Poirot were not married or engaged in any serious way etc)
2. You like many characters? You get a whole lot of them here, very few memorable. The setting and the orchestration of so many figures and names reminded me of Death on Orient Express, by Agatha Christie. Similar enough concept - a bunch of privileged enough people embarking on a leisurely trip, along with crew/staff ensuring their comfort. A murder taking place in the middle of nowhere (snowed in mountains in Christie’s novel, ocean in the current variation), which excludes outside intervention and concentrates the reader and investigator’s attention to the people around the victim and delaying a proper police investigation.
3. What is believable in Christie’s plot - snowed in train, murder victim, a tightly orchestrated set of characters etc, Poirot’s investigation and authority being accepted etc. - is less so here. Sheila is a writer (allegedly :), what gives her the authority, even an informal one, to convince people to talk to her and give her information? The assembly at the end is very unbelievable - do you really want to tell us that, in a contemporary setting, this group of people who are mostly privileged and rich would spill the beans in front of people they have little care about, just because this author wants to play sleuth? without a care of things getting spilled on social media, tell all YouTube videos and no lawyers being consulted? Please. You have to build up your plot and set up and character arcs to make it convincing.
4. There are pacing issues, especially through the first half of the book. While the background information is needed, it took much time and way too many easily forgettable details to build it up. Patricia McLinn is not Agatha Christie, though. Her writing is pleasant, albeit a bit overwritten/overly old manners (I can’t find a better way to describe it than thinking middle aged Victorian lady trying to be witty while also a bit of an old maid). She sacrifices pacing and wittiness for plot details, trying to derail too much, instead of trying to make us build our own suspects. We don’t even get to interact directly with the victim or most of the suspects. If you noticed, Sheila doesn’t have a direct person to person conversation with Leah, without other people involved, and we only see Leah through the interactions the main character witnesses, which makes Leah appear caricatural, instead of a complex character. One of the few suspects Sheila interacts long enough is Odette and this is how we get the info-dumpish background story. A key element of the resolution is so unbelievable that it’s just there so allow the writer to solve the mystery with a bow, not to make sense or resemble any sort of true life situation.
Is it worth reading? Maybe, I’m not very convinced about that and I just finished it. 2.5* rounded to 3 because it kept my attention somehow and the writing was pleasant enough.
I don’t remember how I got this book - most likely it was a freebie and, since I love a good mystery, I took my chances with it. Just to get it out of the way and put it out there, it’s not the most interesting mystery (cosy or not) out there. It was engaging enough that I kept reading while on our flight back home, even though I had other options.
So - the good - I’ve never been on a cruise and have no intention to go in the near future. It gave me a pretty good idea on what to expect. I have my fair share of all inclusive resorts stats and, if you have the time and interest, these settings are amazing for people studying. Vanity Fair at its best!
The less good... I have thoughts. And things to say.
1. Sheila, the main character, is in her mid thirties. But she acts like a Victorian widower/old maid? The few hints at men expressing interest in her in a sexual manner are represented in a weird manner, like they’re all creepy stalkers. She is always escaping somebody’s unwanted attention. Even though there is nothing wrong with not wanting a partner (male, female or otherwise), the way it’s depicted gives me a weird weird vibe. Kind of like the author didn’t have a proper plan about this part of her life and decided to emulate other sleuths, who don’t have a real private life and are just dedicated to solving mysteries all the time (both Ms. Marple and Monsieur Poirot were not married or engaged in any serious way etc)
2. You like many characters? You get a whole lot of them here, very few memorable. The setting and the orchestration of so many figures and names reminded me of Death on Orient Express, by Agatha Christie. Similar enough concept - a bunch of privileged enough people embarking on a leisurely trip, along with crew/staff ensuring their comfort. A murder taking place in the middle of nowhere (snowed in mountains in Christie’s novel, ocean in the current variation), which excludes outside intervention and concentrates the reader and investigator’s attention to the people around the victim and delaying a proper police investigation.
3. What is believable in Christie’s plot - snowed in train, murder victim, a tightly orchestrated set of characters etc, Poirot’s investigation and authority being accepted etc. - is less so here. Sheila is a writer (allegedly :), what gives her the authority, even an informal one, to convince people to talk to her and give her information? The assembly at the end is very unbelievable - do you really want to tell us that, in a contemporary setting, this group of people who are mostly privileged and rich would spill the beans in front of people they have little care about, just because this author wants to play sleuth? without a care of things getting spilled on social media, tell all YouTube videos and no lawyers being consulted? Please. You have to build up your plot and set up and character arcs to make it convincing.
4. There are pacing issues, especially through the first half of the book. While the background information is needed, it took much time and way too many easily forgettable details to build it up. Patricia McLinn is not Agatha Christie, though. Her writing is pleasant, albeit a bit overwritten/overly old manners (I can’t find a better way to describe it than thinking middle aged Victorian lady trying to be witty while also a bit of an old maid). She sacrifices pacing and wittiness for plot details, trying to derail too much, instead of trying to make us build our own suspects. We don’t even get to interact directly with the victim or most of the suspects. If you noticed, Sheila doesn’t have a direct person to person conversation with Leah, without other people involved, and we only see Leah through the interactions the main character witnesses, which makes Leah appear caricatural, instead of a complex character. One of the few suspects Sheila interacts long enough is Odette and this is how we get the info-dumpish background story. A key element of the resolution is so unbelievable that it’s just there so allow the writer to solve the mystery with a bow, not to make sense or resemble any sort of true life situation.
Is it worth reading? Maybe, I’m not very convinced about that and I just finished it. 2.5* rounded to 3 because it kept my attention somehow and the writing was pleasant enough.
September 28, 2019
3+. I enjoyed the characters Aunt Kit and Sheila, but the first half of the book seemed rather slow. The second half made up for it, though, and the solving of the mystery was great!
March 29, 2020
Death on the Diversion by Patricia McLinn was a smoothly paced cozy mystery set on a cruise ship. Ms. McLinn's descriptive writing introduced not only the main character, Sheila Mackey, but life on a cruise ship in great detail. It was obvious who the victim was going to be in the first few chapters but it took too long for the murder to happen for me. An engaging read because I wanted to know which of the myriad suspects did it.
April 5, 2021
A relaxing cruise turns into a murder investigation when a dead body is found by a fellow passenger with a background of writing mysteries. I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. That being said, I had a problem at times of keeping track of who was who, even to the extent that at first I wasn’t even sure who was the murder victim. In spite of too many characters, I did enjoy the book. I always am glad to find a book that isn’t marred by bad language or lurid sexual details. I also enjoy my reading material without the need for the main characters to be involved with romance. This book fit the bill on all those points and I would recommend this book. I will definitely read more books by this author.
December 10, 2022
This was good, a pleasant debut. Sheila is a good protagonist but her inner dialogue with Aunt Kit gets tedious at times. Pernala seemed more like a caricature than a real character. The mystery was good, the reveal good enough.
August 16, 2020
What's a faux mystery writer to do when she gets entangled in discovering who left the corpse on the deck and why? Jump in and find the culprit.
Cute mystery with interesting characters.
Cute mystery with interesting characters.
April 22, 2020
Should Have Diverted this Book
This was a struggle. The premise was good; otherwise, I would not have download it. I do not give up on books, generally, but this one almost made me give it up.
Not sure if it was the fact there were so many characters or what. I don't think it would have helped to write them all down with the connections. I just lost track of characters so I found myself reading to see how the author would present the final solution.
The story seemed to go on forever. Also, while not a cruise expert by any means, I don't find it believable that you are constantly running into the same people over and over on the ship and excursions. At least, I never did.
This was a struggle. The premise was good; otherwise, I would not have download it. I do not give up on books, generally, but this one almost made me give it up.
Not sure if it was the fact there were so many characters or what. I don't think it would have helped to write them all down with the connections. I just lost track of characters so I found myself reading to see how the author would present the final solution.
The story seemed to go on forever. Also, while not a cruise expert by any means, I don't find it believable that you are constantly running into the same people over and over on the ship and excursions. At least, I never did.
March 3, 2020
I really liked this story. It is my first read by Ms McLinn, but I have several of her books on my Kindle, so it will not be the last.
Stella has been masquerading as the author of a book which was a big seller as well as considered a “major” book.. In reality, she was doing it for her Aunt Kit. Kit believed the book would be accepted better if it was thought to be written by an unknown.
Stella has been a celebrity for 15 years, but that time is coming to an end and she is on a cruise from Europe to the United States. She is accompanied by a distant relative who was a little difficult for me to like. But, she did create atmosphere.
The cruise passengers are made up of many people who have taken the same cruise many times. There are groups who are very old friends. Well, maybe not friends at all. Most of the passengers were not very likable for me. But, they played an important part in the story.
The crew members also played a large part in the story. Because on a long cruise, the crew members become quite familiar with passengers the reader gets to know them quite well.
While on an early morning walk, Stella finds a body. It just happens to be one of the most disliked women on board. She is hateful to everyone. She is married to the former husband of another passenger. She takes great pleasure in belittling everyone around her.
It is no surprise that someone killed her. I wanted to kill her and I was never the recipient of her biting wit.
Stella appoints herself to help find the actual murderer because it appears a member of the crew is going to be railroaded into being the prime suspect. That idea is not one Stella can accept.
There are many suspects. Many very good motives appear to be viable. Slowly, Stella works her way through conversations. People are generally happy to help her find the truth. In fact, people seem to simply want to talk about themselves and their observations.
The author has created interesting characters. Some of them are not very likable, but still quite interesting. The plot moves at a good pace and finding the true murderer is large part of that very entertaining plot.
I learned a great deal about cruising. Of course, I would like to believe most cruises do not include a murder.
All in all, this is a good mystery. I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading another book by Ms McLinn.
Stella has been masquerading as the author of a book which was a big seller as well as considered a “major” book.. In reality, she was doing it for her Aunt Kit. Kit believed the book would be accepted better if it was thought to be written by an unknown.
Stella has been a celebrity for 15 years, but that time is coming to an end and she is on a cruise from Europe to the United States. She is accompanied by a distant relative who was a little difficult for me to like. But, she did create atmosphere.
The cruise passengers are made up of many people who have taken the same cruise many times. There are groups who are very old friends. Well, maybe not friends at all. Most of the passengers were not very likable for me. But, they played an important part in the story.
The crew members also played a large part in the story. Because on a long cruise, the crew members become quite familiar with passengers the reader gets to know them quite well.
While on an early morning walk, Stella finds a body. It just happens to be one of the most disliked women on board. She is hateful to everyone. She is married to the former husband of another passenger. She takes great pleasure in belittling everyone around her.
It is no surprise that someone killed her. I wanted to kill her and I was never the recipient of her biting wit.
Stella appoints herself to help find the actual murderer because it appears a member of the crew is going to be railroaded into being the prime suspect. That idea is not one Stella can accept.
There are many suspects. Many very good motives appear to be viable. Slowly, Stella works her way through conversations. People are generally happy to help her find the truth. In fact, people seem to simply want to talk about themselves and their observations.
The author has created interesting characters. Some of them are not very likable, but still quite interesting. The plot moves at a good pace and finding the true murderer is large part of that very entertaining plot.
I learned a great deal about cruising. Of course, I would like to believe most cruises do not include a murder.
All in all, this is a good mystery. I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading another book by Ms McLinn.
August 20, 2020
A good murder mystery with some lighthearted humor thrown in. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars was that it was difficult to follow some of the characters because they were nameless, just identified by characteristics..."redhead" " woman with large derriere". Having gotten that out of the way, this story follows a woman who wrote a best selling book which was made into a movie. Actually, her much older great aunt Kitt wrote the book but wanted a younger person to be the "face" of her novel. So, for 15 yrs., Sheila kept her secret, did the interviews, made the TV appearances and lived in her house. Then, Great Aunt Kitt decides she wants to retire and sends Sheila, and a distant relative of Kitt's dead fiance, on a cruise. Once on board the ship they encounter the Bad Girls, a troupe of 5 woman with lacquered hair, SUPER white teeth, very tall heels and "endowments" for the whole world to see. Oh, and they are obnoxious, to the hilt. Before the boat has even left the dock, they barge into the salon, insisting that they be taken care of, no appointments...all. five. of them. These women were nicknamed the Valkyries, only two were actually identified: Coral and Piper. Those two got into a shoving match right after they get on board the ship. Bad blood between them. Then you also have a group called the Marry-Go-Round. This is an older group who have changed spouses amongst the group. It's no longer A+B, C+D, E+F. D died, so B comforted (and then married C), A grabbed E (and married him) leaving F all on her own. One of that group is Leah, who is a mean, nasty, arrogant, hateful, pushy, vindictive, spiteful person. She's not very nice. And that's how she is with her friends. With strangers (can't be bothered, they're not important enough), with crew and staff on the ship (underlings who are there to do her bidding), she's horrendous. People walk the other way when they see her coming. Someone trips on the stairs and has to go onshore for treatment; she comes back in a cast, presumably with crutches. Another person has a cane, but it's mostly for show, or as a weapon. Anyway, one of these someones winds up dead and it's up to Sheila to figure it out before they cart off the wrong and innocent suspect. I thought I was going to strangle Petronella.
August 10, 2023
I really hate to not finish a book, but I don't think it's worth the effort to slog through this when I have such a huge TBR pile.
The first thing that bothered me was that it really felt like this book needed a bit more editing. In the first chapter, two sentences struck me as poorly written, enough to stop me right there. And then other odd errors, like, "It was a stateroom, not a suite. Which suited me fine. Pun intended." Uh... How do you think those words are pronounced?
Also, it felt like chapter two was initially meant as the first chapter, as she says she needs to explain things, though she already spent the WHOLE first chapter explaining things. But then she forgot to go back and edit the second chapter after she added a new first one. I was just impatient for things to get started, and then she mentions that the murder was ten days later. Ugh.
And I couldn't get invested in the main characters (I'm disappointed that Petronella is likely not the murder victim. I couldn't tolerate a whole book of this drippy, ANNOYING woman). But I quickly noticed the lack of description. When Petronella is introduced, no description whatsoever is given, and it's only later that I picked up on the fact that she's apparently older. It just makes her more of a caricature.
And the main character just seems... mildly weird and annoying. I'm already sick to death of her thinking about Aunt Kit and I didn't even get to the murder. She seems to be from a different era (how does she know so few women who would "dare" to wear bathing suits? She sounds Victorian or something). And it's already super annoying that her pen name can't be mentioned. Like it's something from the real world that they don't want us to recognize. I mean, they gave the name of her masterwork, so we'd know her name if it was a real book. It's not cute, it's old after the second time she stops herself from mentioning it. It'd be extremely tedious through an entire series.
Sorry to be so harsh. I just expected a lot more. I tried to give it a chance, but there are no characters I care about, and everyone but the main two are already so hard to distinguish. I keep having to go back and figure out who's who. I won't finish.
The first thing that bothered me was that it really felt like this book needed a bit more editing. In the first chapter, two sentences struck me as poorly written, enough to stop me right there. And then other odd errors, like, "It was a stateroom, not a suite. Which suited me fine. Pun intended." Uh... How do you think those words are pronounced?
Also, it felt like chapter two was initially meant as the first chapter, as she says she needs to explain things, though she already spent the WHOLE first chapter explaining things. But then she forgot to go back and edit the second chapter after she added a new first one. I was just impatient for things to get started, and then she mentions that the murder was ten days later. Ugh.
And I couldn't get invested in the main characters (I'm disappointed that Petronella is likely not the murder victim. I couldn't tolerate a whole book of this drippy, ANNOYING woman). But I quickly noticed the lack of description. When Petronella is introduced, no description whatsoever is given, and it's only later that I picked up on the fact that she's apparently older. It just makes her more of a caricature.
And the main character just seems... mildly weird and annoying. I'm already sick to death of her thinking about Aunt Kit and I didn't even get to the murder. She seems to be from a different era (how does she know so few women who would "dare" to wear bathing suits? She sounds Victorian or something). And it's already super annoying that her pen name can't be mentioned. Like it's something from the real world that they don't want us to recognize. I mean, they gave the name of her masterwork, so we'd know her name if it was a real book. It's not cute, it's old after the second time she stops herself from mentioning it. It'd be extremely tedious through an entire series.
Sorry to be so harsh. I just expected a lot more. I tried to give it a chance, but there are no characters I care about, and everyone but the main two are already so hard to distinguish. I keep having to go back and figure out who's who. I won't finish.
September 30, 2022
A New Delight
Patricia McLinn continues to be my guilty literary pleasure. I would say I'm not a fan of cozy mysteries, but her blend of zany wit and quirky characters manages to hit just the right spot on my funny bone.
I discovered this writer through another series of hers, Caught Dead in Wyoming. This is the first book in a new series with all new characters. While I enjoyed it, I'm not ready to say it's as good as the Caught Dead books yet.
I enjoyed the basic concept, with a fairly young woman who has been riding the coattails of a great-aunt who wrote best-selling books but allowed the world to think it was our main character, Sheila. Did you have to read that sentence twice to get the idea? Yeah, sorry. It's tough to pin this one down into a couple of sentences. But this is a relax-and-enjoy-it read with witty banter, some snarky asides, and an inner voice that's a mixture of self-deprecation and great-aunt admonishments.
The ensemble cast features some remarkable personalities, including a group of friends who seem to change husbands about as often as they change their La Perla underwear. After meeting these harpies, you'll wonder how they could ever manage to net one husband, let alone multiples.
While I'm (of course) not yet as invested in these characters as I am with those from the previously mentioned series, I have high hopes for Sheila and her crew. I'll be picking up the second book in the series soon.
Patricia McLinn continues to be my guilty literary pleasure. I would say I'm not a fan of cozy mysteries, but her blend of zany wit and quirky characters manages to hit just the right spot on my funny bone.
I discovered this writer through another series of hers, Caught Dead in Wyoming. This is the first book in a new series with all new characters. While I enjoyed it, I'm not ready to say it's as good as the Caught Dead books yet.
I enjoyed the basic concept, with a fairly young woman who has been riding the coattails of a great-aunt who wrote best-selling books but allowed the world to think it was our main character, Sheila. Did you have to read that sentence twice to get the idea? Yeah, sorry. It's tough to pin this one down into a couple of sentences. But this is a relax-and-enjoy-it read with witty banter, some snarky asides, and an inner voice that's a mixture of self-deprecation and great-aunt admonishments.
The ensemble cast features some remarkable personalities, including a group of friends who seem to change husbands about as often as they change their La Perla underwear. After meeting these harpies, you'll wonder how they could ever manage to net one husband, let alone multiples.
While I'm (of course) not yet as invested in these characters as I am with those from the previously mentioned series, I have high hopes for Sheila and her crew. I'll be picking up the second book in the series soon.
February 7, 2020
More like a 3.5, but I rounded up because this book takes place on a cruise ship. Sheila has just retired from 15 years of pretending to write the books actually written by her Aunt Kit. She receives lot of attention for one book in particular, that was extremely popular and well-selling. Even Sheila's new name is actually a compilation of family names. Why didn't she just go back to her original?
I did think the writing was a bit awkward. Because of all the made up names used (The Red-head, the Leader of the Valkyries, etc) I sometimes didn't know who the author was talking about.
Sheila Mackey's travel companion, Petronella, was so meek and subservient that I wanted to smack her every time she said, "Oh, I couldn't".
Other passengers included 3 couples referred to as the "Marry-Go-Round" as they all seem to have been married to each other in the past and a group of trophy wives travelling with their much older husbands. Perhaps these particular trophies were only consolation prizes? The women are all loud, abrasive and trashy.
I was not planning on reading the next book in the Secret Sleuth Series until I read the preview - Sheila' new love is a large dog!
I did think the writing was a bit awkward. Because of all the made up names used (The Red-head, the Leader of the Valkyries, etc) I sometimes didn't know who the author was talking about.
Sheila Mackey's travel companion, Petronella, was so meek and subservient that I wanted to smack her every time she said, "Oh, I couldn't".
Other passengers included 3 couples referred to as the "Marry-Go-Round" as they all seem to have been married to each other in the past and a group of trophy wives travelling with their much older husbands. Perhaps these particular trophies were only consolation prizes? The women are all loud, abrasive and trashy.
I was not planning on reading the next book in the Secret Sleuth Series until I read the preview - Sheila' new love is a large dog!
December 23, 2018
Death on the Diversion by Patricia McLinn
Secret Sleuth Series Book One
Sheila Mackey, the name she was going by these day, was starting over. After fifteen years of being the face of a bestselling novel that had become a movie, she was retiring. She was a bit lost after so long, so her great-aunt sent her on this cruise. Along with a very annoying sort-of-non-relative.
Sheila did her best to enjoy her time, ignore her shadow who continually thanked her for taking her along and all but bowed to her and kissed her shoes—which she would have done if Sheila asked her. It was almost a relief to find a dead body and have a new purpose on the cruise...to find the murderer. What a way to start her new life...
This story is told from Sheila's point of view. I laughed out loud as I read it. It was a great mystery too. So many would be villains who could've done it. I like a mystery that keeps me guessing. Great story and looking forward to more in the series.
https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com...
Secret Sleuth Series Book One
Sheila Mackey, the name she was going by these day, was starting over. After fifteen years of being the face of a bestselling novel that had become a movie, she was retiring. She was a bit lost after so long, so her great-aunt sent her on this cruise. Along with a very annoying sort-of-non-relative.
Sheila did her best to enjoy her time, ignore her shadow who continually thanked her for taking her along and all but bowed to her and kissed her shoes—which she would have done if Sheila asked her. It was almost a relief to find a dead body and have a new purpose on the cruise...to find the murderer. What a way to start her new life...
This story is told from Sheila's point of view. I laughed out loud as I read it. It was a great mystery too. So many would be villains who could've done it. I like a mystery that keeps me guessing. Great story and looking forward to more in the series.
https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com...
January 3, 2019
Patricia McLinn's new series is out;)
"Secret Sleuth" Death on Diversion bk 1.
I love All of Patricia's books, as she was the second author to grab my attention when I got my kobo, five years ago!! and have not looked back, what a fantastic author. This new series is going to be great and is just as good if not better.
Patricia continues to write brilliant stories, this is full of suspense intrigue and of course will have you guessing right until the very last chapter. Patricia' s writing is so good you will be pulled into the story right from the beginning, and you feel that you are there too.
Our new heroine in this series is Shelia Mackey, who has a great aunt called Kit and together they were for 15 years working together writing books, one was made into a movie.
Here we find Shelia on a two-week cruise, Kit stayed at home and gave her place to another relative. Will Sheila rest for these two weeks ? or will she need the skills she used for their writing to help solve a murder!
A magnificent story, grab your copy today, you won't be disappointed.
"Secret Sleuth" Death on Diversion bk 1.
I love All of Patricia's books, as she was the second author to grab my attention when I got my kobo, five years ago!! and have not looked back, what a fantastic author. This new series is going to be great and is just as good if not better.
Patricia continues to write brilliant stories, this is full of suspense intrigue and of course will have you guessing right until the very last chapter. Patricia' s writing is so good you will be pulled into the story right from the beginning, and you feel that you are there too.
Our new heroine in this series is Shelia Mackey, who has a great aunt called Kit and together they were for 15 years working together writing books, one was made into a movie.
Here we find Shelia on a two-week cruise, Kit stayed at home and gave her place to another relative. Will Sheila rest for these two weeks ? or will she need the skills she used for their writing to help solve a murder!
A magnificent story, grab your copy today, you won't be disappointed.
March 11, 2021
This is an interesting plot but I did not care much for the characters. They seemed a bit one dimensional, except for the protagonist, Sheila Mackey. She is assisted by her travel companion, who is herself a bit stereotyped.
Cruising is a life style, and these people live to cruise. They also swap partners and aspire to be trophy wives - almost competitively so.
When the most disliked person is found murdered, it is a toss up which of the others did her in. Certainly everyone on the ship had a reason.
Sheila feels the need to investigate as the officials onboard are focusing on a crew member who had interactions with the victim but no real justification to kill her. She feels she is the best one to do this because she has learned the art of writing crime fiction at the feet of her aunt. This is probably not as helpful as she would like it to be but she receives encouragement from the aunt and others who agree with her.
This was nicely written but not compelling.
I received a free e book version and read it on my phone in bits and spurts.
Cruising is a life style, and these people live to cruise. They also swap partners and aspire to be trophy wives - almost competitively so.
When the most disliked person is found murdered, it is a toss up which of the others did her in. Certainly everyone on the ship had a reason.
Sheila feels the need to investigate as the officials onboard are focusing on a crew member who had interactions with the victim but no real justification to kill her. She feels she is the best one to do this because she has learned the art of writing crime fiction at the feet of her aunt. This is probably not as helpful as she would like it to be but she receives encouragement from the aunt and others who agree with her.
This was nicely written but not compelling.
I received a free e book version and read it on my phone in bits and spurts.
June 7, 2019
A step away from the norm for McLinn
I read all of Patricia McLinn's books; every single one! This series is definitely a change from her normal kind of story. It took me awhile to really get into the book, it was a slow read at first. I would read a chapter, or less, and put it down for at least a week or more and go to something different. I about gave up totally because I just couldn't get excited about the characters or storyline like I usually do. After I got about halfway through, I got more interested and wanted to finish and see what was going to be the outcome. I'm glad I finished it, it was good overall, just a slow start for me. I have already purchased the next book in this series, so I will start that now and hopefully now that I know the main character more, it will be easier to get into.
I read all of Patricia McLinn's books; every single one! This series is definitely a change from her normal kind of story. It took me awhile to really get into the book, it was a slow read at first. I would read a chapter, or less, and put it down for at least a week or more and go to something different. I about gave up totally because I just couldn't get excited about the characters or storyline like I usually do. After I got about halfway through, I got more interested and wanted to finish and see what was going to be the outcome. I'm glad I finished it, it was good overall, just a slow start for me. I have already purchased the next book in this series, so I will start that now and hopefully now that I know the main character more, it will be easier to get into.
July 7, 2021
#1 in the "secret sleuth" mystery series featuring mid 30 year old Sheila Mackey (not her real name, thus the secret sleuth moniker) who is known as the author of a blockbuster book and several follow ups which were actually written by her great aunt who hired her to pose as the author for 15 years. Her aunt is retiring, so Sheila is now creating her new life.
This cruise is supposed to be the perfect time to do that when she finds a dead body on the deck of the cruise ship "Diversion" embarking her on a new career as she realizes she knows a whole lot more about the interactions of the victim and suspects than the ship’s officials do. Thus, she becomes a sleuth. She is traveling with her aunt's distant relative, "Oh no, I couldn't" Petronella, who is a royal pain. Te scene when Sheila finds the body is pretty ridiculous.
This cruise is supposed to be the perfect time to do that when she finds a dead body on the deck of the cruise ship "Diversion" embarking her on a new career as she realizes she knows a whole lot more about the interactions of the victim and suspects than the ship’s officials do. Thus, she becomes a sleuth. She is traveling with her aunt's distant relative, "Oh no, I couldn't" Petronella, who is a royal pain. Te scene when Sheila finds the body is pretty ridiculous.
June 30, 2022
This is the first in the series. I listened to this while awaiting access to book 11 in the Caught Dead in Wyoming series.
It was at 47% when we encounter a dead body but by this time I knew it was coming. How couldn’t you. The victim was not a very nice person. The other character I had a hard time with was Patronella. I had enough of “I couldn’t possibly….” You can fill in the ending.
The story was interesting but dragged on forever. I felt the death should have occurred sooner and more clue finding. There were just too many weak characters in this cruise story. The Merry-Go-Round group was different.
I would have found others to hang out with and stayed away from the Valkyries and The Merry-Go-Round group.
I checked out book number 2 but will be returning it unheard.
I can only hope that book 2 is better after Sheila relocates to Kentucky.
It was at 47% when we encounter a dead body but by this time I knew it was coming. How couldn’t you. The victim was not a very nice person. The other character I had a hard time with was Patronella. I had enough of “I couldn’t possibly….” You can fill in the ending.
The story was interesting but dragged on forever. I felt the death should have occurred sooner and more clue finding. There were just too many weak characters in this cruise story. The Merry-Go-Round group was different.
I would have found others to hang out with and stayed away from the Valkyries and The Merry-Go-Round group.
I checked out book number 2 but will be returning it unheard.
I can only hope that book 2 is better after Sheila relocates to Kentucky.
December 20, 2018
Pleasant read
This is a fairly lightweight murder mystery, but it is an entertaining read, especially for someone who is familiar with cruising. I would have liked a little more character development, and a little less build-up - the murder happens nearly half way through the book - even though the likely victim is fairly obvious early in the piece. It is somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie, or Death in Paradise, so if you like them, you should like this.
As always, the writing is tight, and this is a pleasant read for a quiet afternoon.
The main character however didn't really inspire me (the lack of character development mentioned earlier), and coupled with the rather juvenile sub-title, makes me not entirely sure if I will seek out book two.
This is a fairly lightweight murder mystery, but it is an entertaining read, especially for someone who is familiar with cruising. I would have liked a little more character development, and a little less build-up - the murder happens nearly half way through the book - even though the likely victim is fairly obvious early in the piece. It is somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie, or Death in Paradise, so if you like them, you should like this.
As always, the writing is tight, and this is a pleasant read for a quiet afternoon.
The main character however didn't really inspire me (the lack of character development mentioned earlier), and coupled with the rather juvenile sub-title, makes me not entirely sure if I will seek out book two.
February 10, 2020
Humor served aboard this mystery
McLinn introduces a new series with Sheila Mackey’s cruise on the Diversion. The presumed author of a celebrated book, Sheila has taken the cruise to ease into her retirement (in her mid-thirties). She is pushed into the role of detective after she finds the body of another passenger and one of the crew is believed to be the murderer. With her author aunt, Sheila has thoroughly investigated criminal activity as her aunt’s mystery books were written. She is quite serious about solving this mystery, but her travel companion Petronella unwittingly provides herself as comic relief. Cozy mystery readers should enjoy following the further adventures of Mackey.
McLinn introduces a new series with Sheila Mackey’s cruise on the Diversion. The presumed author of a celebrated book, Sheila has taken the cruise to ease into her retirement (in her mid-thirties). She is pushed into the role of detective after she finds the body of another passenger and one of the crew is believed to be the murderer. With her author aunt, Sheila has thoroughly investigated criminal activity as her aunt’s mystery books were written. She is quite serious about solving this mystery, but her travel companion Petronella unwittingly provides herself as comic relief. Cozy mystery readers should enjoy following the further adventures of Mackey.
February 25, 2020
Shiela's Aunt gives her a cruise as a thank you for all her work helping to write mysteries. She is taking a repositioning cruise ending in Tampa. She meets many passengers including the Marriage to Round and the Valkeries. Both with some unpleasant people.
Sheila finds a body on a deck chair and rapidly gets involved solving the mystery.
An interesting read, especially if you have ever cruised. She interacts with the crew and learns lots of tips and secrets.
I enjoyed this story, though at time the many characters were confusing. Each group had 7-10 people in it and I sometimes got them mixed up, especially when I learned that some had changed their name and/or marriage partner
Sheila finds a body on a deck chair and rapidly gets involved solving the mystery.
An interesting read, especially if you have ever cruised. She interacts with the crew and learns lots of tips and secrets.
I enjoyed this story, though at time the many characters were confusing. Each group had 7-10 people in it and I sometimes got them mixed up, especially when I learned that some had changed their name and/or marriage partner
September 14, 2021
A mostly wholesome and swift read, this cozy mystery proved perfect for unwinding even if it did give me a hankering to take a cruise. Sheila introduces herself by stating that this is her new name. She no longer wishes to receive the attention she got in her previous life as the author of an unforgettable novel. While keeping her own secrets from prying eyes, she can’t help but take in the world around her with a writer’s eyes and ears. Soon she finds herself chasing an onboard mystery with a distant almost relative and the voice of her aunt Kit, a prolific mystery writer. Will all get sessions helping her aunt perfect crimes for her novels help Sheila keep the wrong person from being arrested?
February 9, 2020
I think that the author has not had very much experience with cruising--there are far more people on board, for example, to meet the same ones regularly. If you take the same cruise repeatedly, even with the same cruise lines, the actual ships will be different. On real cruise ships, the crew, staff and the passengers would not talk and gossip among themselves.
Her Agatha Christie-type ending was not effective because she depended on the characters to reveal their actions to her; most people would not because she had no real status in security. Remember the old adage: "write about what you know."
Her Agatha Christie-type ending was not effective because she depended on the characters to reveal their actions to her; most people would not because she had no real status in security. Remember the old adage: "write about what you know."
February 27, 2020
This is a cozy murder mystery that takes place on a cruise ship. Sheila Mackey is retiring from a job she never had (it’s a secret) so her aunt helps with the transition by sending her on a cruise. Her cruise companion is quite the character, Petronella, who works way too hard to be helpful, frequently at the expense of whoever she is trying to help. The cruise is going along swimmingly until Sheila realizes that the body wrapped in towels on the lounge chair is dead and not just relaxing. After reporting it to the powers that be and being questioned for hours on end, Sheila decides that she will figure out who did it on her own. A fun read!
January 20, 2022
A Fun Mystery
This was exactly the book I needed at the time I needed it. The action takes place during a cruise across the Atlantic. The characterization of the passengers is over the top in a good way. Along with the normal people, we have a group of senior citizens who epitomize too much togetherness and the an over-the-top Real Housewives of wherever and their nondescript husbands. My only regret is that we never actually meet Aunt Kit.
The writing is good, the solution to the mystery is unexpected, and the regular characters are likable. I'll be interested to see where this series goes.
This was exactly the book I needed at the time I needed it. The action takes place during a cruise across the Atlantic. The characterization of the passengers is over the top in a good way. Along with the normal people, we have a group of senior citizens who epitomize too much togetherness and the an over-the-top Real Housewives of wherever and their nondescript husbands. My only regret is that we never actually meet Aunt Kit.
The writing is good, the solution to the mystery is unexpected, and the regular characters are likable. I'll be interested to see where this series goes.
February 5, 2020
4.5 Stars
When you're a (fake) author on a final cruise to celebrate the end of your writing career and you find a dead body, what do you do?
There were so many fantastic turns-of-phrase in this book that I was hooked from the first moment. The setting was a dream: as close to the old-fashioned Christie mystery scenario where the sleuth is isolated with the suspects and little to no technology to help. While others found Death on the Diversion slow to start, I gorged on the well-written prose and was actually quite glum when it was over.
When you're a (fake) author on a final cruise to celebrate the end of your writing career and you find a dead body, what do you do?
There were so many fantastic turns-of-phrase in this book that I was hooked from the first moment. The setting was a dream: as close to the old-fashioned Christie mystery scenario where the sleuth is isolated with the suspects and little to no technology to help. While others found Death on the Diversion slow to start, I gorged on the well-written prose and was actually quite glum when it was over.
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