Eggnog notwithstanding, travel agent Cyd Redondo is not looking forward to the holidays. The borough of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn – along with most of her family – holds her responsible for landing her Uncle Ray in a minimum security prison. So, when Cyd’s ex-husband, Barry Manzoni, announces his parents have disappeared from an Australian cruise, she rushes Down Under to enlist the help of travel … travel liaison and friend Harriet Archer, who offers a free cabin on the Tasmanian Dream and insider assistance with the search.
Cyd’s flights are delayed, so she hitches a helicopter ride to the ship – which lacks a heli-pad. She and her Balenciaga bag barely survive the harrowing drop, landing on a gorgeous man in a Speedo. When she finally makes it to her cabin, she finds Harriet dead, lying in a pool of blood.
The ship’s doctor/coroner – now wearing a tux instead of his Speedo – declares the death an accident and Darling Cruises hurries to cover up the “unfortunate event” and sanitize the crime scene. While scrambling to preserve evidence and find the Manzonis, Cyd stumbles into a heist of the world’s last Tasmanian tiger.
Her search for Barry’s parents and Harriet’s killer unearths more comic and deadly surprises on ship and on land – where a Tasmanian asylum awaits – as Cyd, red purse in hand, finds enemies, allies, crimes, and romance in the most inconvenient places.
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It’s the week before Christmas, and Cyd is dreading the upcoming holiday filled with rumors, whispers, and awkward family moments. Then Barry Manzoni comes to her for help. Barry is a childhood friend and Cyd’s ex-husband. His parents are on an Australian cruise, and they vanished part way through. Even though they didn’t book with Redondo Travel, Cyd still begins to use her contacts to see what she can learn. In fact, she uses one of those contacts to get herself booked on the next cruise their ship is taking, which is following the same route. Okay, so she might be using the trip to avoid Christmas with her family, but she does want to help Barry.
After a whirlwind trip half way around the world, she arrives on the ship only to find a dead body. The crew want to say it is a tragic accident, but Cyd suspects foul play. Does this tie into the disappearance of the Manzonis? Can Cyd trust anyone on board?
If you haven’t read the first book in the series, a warning – this book does by necessity spoil some of the events of the first book in the series. If you have read the first book, you know exactly what to expect here, and you won’t be disappointed. We’ve got a fast-paced story with twists that keep Cyd hopping as she tries to uncover what exactly is happening. There is a strong screwball comedy element that keeps us laughing, although some events and Cyd herself keeps us grounded. I did feel the book got a bit frantic at times, but it never lasted too long. The characters are a little caricature as well, but that just makes them fit perfectly into this world. There is a smattering of foul language here. We also have a very strong sub-plot with another endangered animal, but there is no animal cruelty involved this time around. I enjoyed the different take on the Christmas setting – since the book is set mostly off the coast of Australia, we don’t have cold and snow, after all. This is a fun ride, so pick up this book and hold on tight.
“Drowned Under” by Wendall Thomas is the second in the “Cyd Redondo Mystery” series. New readers will find that Cyd shares all the needed background information right as she goes along. Things always begin with her introduction “Hello. Cyd Redondo, Redondo Travel.”
Cyd’s first person narrative begins in December when ex-husband, Barry Manzoni asks her to find his parents. Her former in-laws took a cruise to Australia and are missing. On a happier note, they did win the shipboard a dance competition the night before docking in Tasmania. Thus begins an adventure that will make readers laugh and never ever want to set foot aboard a ship.
The story unfolds in Cyd’s first person narrative, and the situation driven plot is guided by her conversations with those she meets. She reflects on her decisions. (“This was crazy. Why was I doing this?”) She tells readers her plans. (“I’d ask her about that later.”) She recounts her experiences. (“I’d been forced to arrange a few speedboats for tardy clients.”) She shares evaluations. (“They sailed to bucket list locations and hadn’t had a norovirus /fire in the engine room/ sinking disaster in the past few years, so I felt better putting my clients there.”) Readers trust her instincts and her strategies for maximizing travel rewards. (“I was able to combine my credit card frequent flier points, travel agent discounts, and three coupons to upgrade Harriet’s coach seat into Premium Economy for both legs, round trip.”) However, even Cyd has her limits, (“Look, as far as accessories go, I’m strictly a purse and shoes girl. No murders.”)
Descriptions put readers right into the drama, even while laughing, (“A pack of life-jacketed tourists surrounded us, like aggressive Cheetos.”), or while cringing, (“I grabbed a green apple out of my bag, ate a few bites, then promptly threw up over the railing.”)
“Drowned Under” is definitely not a travelogue. Nothing is even close to reality, (I hope) but Wendall Thomas fills each page with absurdity as Cyd navigates drug smuggling, missing persons, romance, endangered animal smuggling, seasickness, and murder, all on board a cruise ship. I was given a copy of “Drowned Under” from Wendall Thomas and Poison Pen Press. It was hilarious, outrageous, and funny. I learned that even a $4000 handbag should have Tupperware and Band-Aids.