Voyages of the Queen: Book 1
Publication Date: June 15, 2024
October, 1929. Murder books passage on the British luxury liner Queen Victoria, turning ship’s nurse Maeve Chandler into an amateur sleuth apprenticing under the tutelage of mystery writer Agatha Christie. A passenger dies in full view of the first-class dining salon, followed by a millionaire apparently leaping overboard a day before the New York stock market crashes. Add in an abusive husband pushed down an open lift shaft and a crewman left to cook against a boiler in the ship’s engine room, and a killer will walk free when the ship reaches New York unless Maeve and Agatha can unwind the clues — but with 2,935 suspects on board, every revolution of the Queen Victoria’s propellers means time is running out.
Shadow of the Queen is the first book in the Voyages of the Queen series by Scott Finley, and I’m looking forward to reading more. A historical mystery set during a week in 1929, on the Queen Victoria crossing from England to New York City, my interest was held from the beginning.
The book is fast-paced with multiple storylines, a slew of characters, and many murders. Agatha Christie is posing as a passenger under another name, and she, along with the nurse and the head doctor on the cruise, piece together clues, sift through the red herrings, and solve the crimes and uncover the murderers before they become the next victims.
The story is told from Maeve’s point of view. She’s the nurse on the ship, and she and Dr. Harper work well together and also have an attraction. The descriptions throughout are vivid, and the story flows well, with plenty of twists and turns and quite a few surprises.
The finding out whodunnit was satisfying, and I can’t wait to delve into the next book, an excerpt of which was included in the back of the book, along with a Reader’s Group Guide and a glossary of terms and historical figures, products, and events that added interesting facts to what I just read.
Shadow of the Queen is a mystery waiting to be solved as we cross the Atlantic with a cast of characters, many of whom were beloved by the end.
Scott spent 39 years in broadcast for all four major network affiliate, followed by training and corporate videos, and then media for non-profit entities, including the Alzheimer’s Association where he covered their media for the entire state of Texas.
He collected one Emmy® nomination, 19 Telly Awards, three Aegis Awards, two Addy awards and five Best Newscast in Texas awards from the Associated Press.
Scott lives in Dallas, Texas with his legal counsel Gabrielle, two cats and a neurotic dog.
