Who knew a New Year’s trip to Budapest could be so deadly? The tour must go on – even with a killer in their midst… penniless on Christmas Eve.
Dotty Thompson, her landlord and the owner of Wanderlust Tours, is also in a tight spot after one of her tour guides ends up in the hospital, leaving her a guide short on Christmas Day.
When Dotty offers her a job leading the tour group through Budapest, Hungary, Lana jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect way to ring in the new year and pay her rent!
What starts off as the adventure of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare when Carl, her fellow tour guide, is found floating in the Danube River. Was it murder or accidental death? Suspects abound when Lana discovers almost everyone on the tour had a bone to pick with Carl.
But Dotty insists the tour must go on, so Lana finds herself trapped with nine murder suspects. When another guest turns up dead, Lana has to figure out who the killer is before she too ends up floating in the Danube…
Introducing Lana Hansen, tour guide, reluctant amateur sleuth, and star of the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for Lana, often turn deadly.
Feel-good stories about friendship, travel, and celebrating new experiences. Coming soon: Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris (Books 2) and Death By Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam (Book 3) in the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series!
more
Another intriguing mystery from Alderson!
Alderson pens an intriguing story in Death on the Danube, which is the start of a new series from Alderson. It’s a cozy mystery, and I enjoy this genre. I was excited to read another book from Alderson. I am a big fan of her work. Alderson brings the stories to life. Alderson introduces the reader to Lana, and how she ends up in the middle of a murder mystery with the suspects. It’s fun and interesting, and the story is so great to follow. Alderson always writes a great mystery, and I loved this book. It was one that kept this reader turning the pages, reading every word, and sometimes flipping back to the previous page to read it again. The author uses her knowledge of travel and location to paint the perfect scene for murder and mystery. Each character had depth, and his or her own discerning traits, which made the mystery all the more engaging. This story was intriguing and kept the reader guessing. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This author’s characters develop and interacts well with the other characters. As always, it is a joy to read Alderson’s work. You never know what will happen next as she brings the reader on a wonderful journey to figure out the mystery. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.
Binge-worthyYou are hooked as soon as you start reading…
Very anxious to read more . . .
Next please More and more difficult to put down . . .
I love that Lana jumps right in to help on the tour and then uses her investigative journalist skills and contacts to help solve the murders. The Fabulous Five are a delight and I hope they will return, maybe with a new member. I couldn’t put this book down and already have the next tour in hand to start. Wonderful learning about the sights and tastes of Budapest. A fun new series to me.
Really enjoyed Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest. Recently divorced, jobless, behind on her rent, Lana Hansen is in dire need of a break which her landlord, Dottie Thompson, owner of Wanderlust Tours, offers her. Lana agrees to fill in as a tour guide for Dottie in Budapest and is in for quite an adventure, including some amateur sleuthing. Recommend this book and looking forward for more of this series.
Lana Hansen is down on her luck after losing the job she loved and the break up of her marriage. She’s facing a bleak New Year when her landlady, the delightfully eccentric Dottie, offers her a job as a tour guide on a trip to Budapest. The original courier has been forced to cancel but Lana’s co-guide, Carl, is very experienced, and there will be local guides to help too. All Lana will need to do is keep the smiles and the drinks coming and make sure that the guests have a great, hitch-free time. What can possibly go wrong? Plenty, of course.
The story began with a fair amount of backstory but the pace soon picked up and the fun began with lots of twists and turns, leading to a dramatic denouement at Budapest’s grand opera house on New Year’s Eve. I enjoyed all the descriptions of the city with its splendid architecture, interesting monuments, and colourful Christmas fairs. I could smell the spices and traditional delicacies. The author also took us on the Danube and out to nearby villages where the tour members were treated to local music and food as well as lots of fruit brandies! I’ve only been once to Belgrade and then very briefly. Now I want to go back. If you’re looking for an entertaining, winter mystery, I recommend this.
As far as cozy mysteries go, this one is a Winner! Not only do we have the lite mystery and the kind of characters you would find on an actual tour but Ms. Alderson has addded her unique descriptive abilities to make you feel like you’re walking side-by-side with her protagonist and experiencing the beautiful city of Budapest through her eyes. You can’t go wrong with this book.
A fun way to spend the afternoon.
Once again Jennifer S. Alderson has written a fun cozy mystery with interesting characters. She has a wonderful ability to describe the places her characters travel to. Budapest was not on my wish list before, but it definitely is now!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
It’s Christmas Eve, she’s behind on her rent, has no real worthwhile job in her future, and she is still stinging from her divorce. Then landlord Dotty Thompson makes Lana Hansen an offer she just can’t refuse. Dotty owns Wanderlust Tours and one of her tour guides has ended up in the hospital. She needs Lana to jump on a plane to Budapest, Hungary to ring in the New Year and lead the tour group through the remaining days of the tour.
Lana takes to the job like a fish to water until her fellow tour guide Carl ends swimming with the fishes in the Danube. Accident? Murder? In just her few days with the group, Lana has learned that Carl has a good share of enemies, some right within their group. When a second life is lost and the police eyeing the wrong individual Lana realizes it is up to her to find the real killer.
I had read several reviews praising this book that I knew it had to be one of the first books I read in the new year.
Ms. Alderson not only takes us on an outstanding virtual escape to Hungary but she gives us a fun mystery to solve as well.
Lana Hansen is an excellent protagonist. She is smart, has a great sense of everything around her and I found her to have a very positive outlook even after all the bumps she has had in her life. As a former investigative reporter, she knows how to dig deep and use her research skills to point her in the right direction. She knows how to link the clues together, take good notes and allow time to think over all the details she has found so that after several twists and a few extra clues she can actually prove whodunit and why.
The suspects included all the members of the tour but Carl had rubbed some people in Budapest the wrong way too. I really liked the “Fabulous Five” a group of mature women who were a whole lotta fun. I quickly eliminated them from my suspect list as did Lana. This is a group of ladies I would love to travel with, they have become great friends who really look after each other. The other members of the group all remain viable suspects. I hope they show up on a future tour.
The author has fully fleshed out all the characters. They truly came to life on the pages. Because this book is only 172 pages I am very impressed at how well she did this. The dialogue between the characters was crisp and realistic as well.
The other thing she did so well was to bring Budapest to life. Everywhere the group traveled was fully described and created wonderful pictures in my mind. She made us feel the cold and the wind too. It was a great trip.
I loved the quick pace and the short chapters. Death on the Danube was a totally entertaining read and I am really looking forward to reading Death By Baguette which will be released February 14, 2020.
Death on the Danube by Jennifer Alderson is a captivating tale of greed and misdeeds.
Who would kill Carl? He was just a tour guide…
Lana Hanson
Lana is our main character, point of view, and our sleuth. Things haven’t been going the way that Lana had planned. First, she lost her dream job as an investigating journalist, and most recently, her husband left her for another woman. Lana takes this tour guide position at the last minute because she needs the money and a change of scenery. Lana is a great amateur sleuth, she is inquisitive, and people tell her things.
I like that Lana does her best to remain positive. I also like that she can admit that she still cares about her ex-husband, wants to move forward but is taking her time. She is a realistic character. Lana is also a dreamer, and I look forward to seeing her find who she is again.
The Mystery
The mystery was good, lots of clues scattered throughout, and plenty of red herrings. Once you combine all that with the setting of Budapest, it was marvelous. I enjoyed learning about the culture and hearing the opinion of the others taking the Wunderlust Tour.
Four Stars
Death on the Danube by Jennifer Alderson is an entertaining story. I truly enjoyed it, and therefore, I am giving it four stars and recommending it to all cozy fans out there.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death on the Danube by Jennifer Alderson.
Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Death on the Danube was a wonderful start to the Travel Can Be Murder cozy mystery series. It was great to go back to a place that I have actually visited, the vivid descriptions of the sights, sound and smells made me feel like I was right there along with the tour group.
Lana Hansen is newly divorced and feeling a little down bringing in the new year on her own, so when Dotty offers her a job to lead a tour group through Budapest, Hungary, she jumps at the chance. Not only is it an adventure of a lifetime, but it means she can afford her rent for the next few months. Once arrives in Budapest she begins to get a feel for the people attending the tour, but when her fellow guide Carl is found floating in the Danube River, it may have been an accident by Lana soon discovers that just about any on the tour had a reason to be a suspect making this accident seem more like murder.
It reminded me of Murder on the Orient Express – everyone had a motif it would seem, but who actually did it and why was a mystery right up until the reveal for me. This was a great clean cozy mystery, featuring great characters and set in an even better location. I look forward to reading more on the series and can’t wait to see what is in store for Lana in book 2 Death By Baguette.
5 stars
A group tour of Budapest and a cruise along the Danube, and of course, a body or two. New tour guide, Lana puts her amateur sleuthing to the test.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more in this series.