Review - Set Sail for Murder

The Latest Henrie O Murder Mystery by Carolyn Hart

May 3, 2007

Set Sail for Murder, Cover art courtesy of William Morrow

Henrie O is invited by a friend to sail the Baltic Sea aboard a luxury cruise. Not everyone is set on seeing the sights. One passenger has packed murder.

Carolyn Hart's lastest mystery novel, Set Sail for Murder, finds 70-ish retired journalist Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins ("Henrie O" to her friends and loyal mystery fans) answering a special request from her old friend, Jimmy Lennox. Although Henrie O rejected his proposal of marriage several years earlier, she still hold a fondness for him and their many shared memories. Now, Jimmy is married to award-winning documentary filmmaker, Sophia Montgomery.

In the last two weeks, Sophia has narrowly escaped being crushed by a boulder at their California ranch. In addition, Sophia's sure-footed sister-in-law, who lives at the estate, knocked over a carafe of wine, before it could be served to Sophia, and then immediately rinsed out the carafe. Jimmy believes someone is trying to kill his wife. Sophia dismisses the idea. To help him find the truth, he invites Henrie O on a luxury cruise on the Baltic Sea with Sophia, Jimmy, the sister-in-law, Evelyn, and Sophia's four grown step-children. Although she has misgivings, loyalty to her friend, demands that Henrie O accept.

No Lack of Suspects

En route to Copenhagen, Henrie O studies the material that Jimmy, another former journalist, has compiled for her. It seems that Sophia's former husband, Frank Riordan, left Sophia in charge of his sizeable estate when he died, including the four trusts he set up for his children. How the "children" are in their 20s and 30s, but Sophia stills controls their inheritence -- a recipe for resentment

The Riordan siblings include Alex, a 29-year-old entrepreneur, with less than stellar business sense and a spendthrift wife, Madge; Kent, a 28-year-old teacher; Rosie, a 26-year-old red-haired beauty, with a zest for life and a taste for living on the edge; and Valerie, a quiet 25-year-old independent filmmaker. Could one of these young adults really have murder on his -- or her -- mind?

Murder on the Baltic

As the Clio sails from Cophenhagen to the Polish port of Gdynia, the ancient city of Tallinn, and the magnificent city of St. Petersburg, Henrie O learns more and more about the family and its secrets. Can she find out enough information in time to ward off disaster?

Henrie O is one of my favorite mystery series characters. Unlike many slick, athletic heroines, she solves mysteries with her mind, not her body, and isn't afraid of showing the signs of "a life well-lived." To me, she is a sort of modern day version of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.

Set Sail for Murder combines a multi-faceted plot with a diverse array of characters and the spectacular scenery of the Baltic Sea and her port cities.

About Carolyn Hart

Carolyn Hart is the author of six previous Henrie O mystery novels, beginning with the 1993 Dead Man's Island. She has also written 18 novels in the popular Death on Demand series. She has been awarded two Agatha Awards and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a non-fiction work. Ms. Hart lives in Oklahoma City.