Poor Paul Delamare. In the first book from Orlando Murrin – Knife Skills For Beginners – he ended up stepping in to teach culinary classes after a so-called friend bailed out. The friend was later murdered, dragging Paul into the case.
And now he’s out at sea, on a SuperYacht, to help write another friend’s biography. Business woman and philanthropist Xera has recently married, and her new husband Billy is not Paul’s biggest fan. Joining them on the luxury cruise are Billy’s daughter and her husband, unhappy as they’re about to be financially “tapered off”, and Billy’s financial business manager and his mousey wife, who have their own secrets.
Things start to go wrong when a gift to Xera, a high value necklace, is stolen. And when Xera is later found dead, Paul finds himself trapped out at sea with not only a thief, but a suspected murderer. He knew Xera, and knows her death was not the accident being claimed.
Murder Below Deck has so much going on, the action is almost non-stop as Paul first tries to clear his name of theft, before working to find out what happened to Xera. The suspect pool is limited, but everyone seems to be hiding something.
And then the yacht itself seems to be going off course and heading into a storm…
Brilliantly written and sharply observed, this is an immensely readable novel. I found myself swept up in the story and had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Paul is a really likeable main character who has been through a lot in his life, and doesn’t seem to be able to get a break.
Surrounded by the ultra-rich in the opulent surroundings of a luxury SuperYacht, everyone and everything is over the top by design, leaving Paul feeling like the lone beacon of almost-sanity.
Murder Below Deck is a fabulously entertaining murder mystery, with plenty of action and genuine hilarity.
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