“When you think that life cannot get better, Blake Pierce comes up with another masterpiece of thriller and mystery! This book is full of twists, and the end brings a surprising revelation. Strongly recommended for the permanent library of any reader who enjoys a very well-written thriller.”–Books and Movie Reviews (re Almost Gone) MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) is the debut novel in a charming new cozy … charming new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose Once Gone has over 1,500 five-star reviews.
When London Rose, 33, is proposed to by her long-time boyfriend, she realizes she is facing a stable, predictable, pre-determined (and passionless) life. She freaks out and runs the other way—accepting instead a job across the Atlantic, as a tour-guide on a high-end European cruise line that travels through a country a day. London is searching for a more romantic, unscripted and exciting life that she feels sure exists out there somewhere.
London is elated: the European river towns are small, historic and charming. She gets to see a new port every night, gets to sample an endless array of new cuisine and meet a stream of interesting people. It is a traveler’s dream, and it is anything but predictable.
But when a wealthy, high-maintenance passenger suddenly turns up dead outside of Budapest, the cruise has become a bit too unpredictable. Even worse: as the last person to see her alive, suspicion falls on London, leaving her no choice but to solve the crime (with her new sidekick, an orphaned dog), and save her cruise line and herself.
Laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, endearing, rife with new sights, culture and food, MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) offers a fun and suspenseful trip through the heart of Europe, anchored in an intriguing mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very last page.
Books #2-#6 are also available!
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I read quite a few books by Blake Pierce but none of them are so charming as Murder (and Baklava). The descriptions of Budapest and Gyor emphasizing their beautiful cathedrals and old buildings and sculptures leave the reader wanting to see more or read more about the places and – for sure – see some pictures. There´s also quite a bit of historic information, however, it´s laid out in an interesting and short way. The main character, London, is a woman who is caught up in accepting a more traditional way of life or going for her dreams (which she in fact ends up doing). She also manages to get a cute little dog who only lacks the capacity of talking! This line of writing, coming from Mr. Pierce is a positive and welcome surprise and I´m looking forward to the next books in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a delightful new character!
London Rose is quite something. I love how the story began giving me a glimpse into who London Rose is before jumping in to the mystery. And a great mystery it was! With all the red herrings, I was stumped until the end. I love the fact that London Rose is finally finding herself, especially the “spunk” that she didn’t realize she was blessed with coming to life.
I have long been a fan of Blake Pierce works. When I came across an opportunity to read an ARC for Blake Pierce, I was excited to accept the offer. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was the first book in a new series. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun whodunit. It was well-written, well-edited, and very entertaining. I appreciate the storytelling talent of Blake Pierce who is able to pen such a variety of series with each maintaining its own identity.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author via BookSirens. This gift did not affect my review of the book. This review is my voluntary and honest opinion.
London Rose is working an a river cruise ship when a passenger is murdered. The ship’s owner tasks London with catching the murderer. Light humor appears in the character of Sir Reggie, a yorkie. The crime has many suspects, the obligatory bulling policeman, and red herrings. It was an okay bok, not overly complicated.
This cozy mystery is a true page turner due to the the author’s superb writing style. The outrageous characters are intricately woven into the constantly twisting plot. It’s a baffling mystery which keeps you guessing until the very end. Being set on a cruise ships adds to the appeal of the story.
I love travel and cozy mysteries…this fills that niche!
As usual, his books are good. I read them all.
I enjoyed this book and was glad the main character followed her heart. Having cruised the Danube, I enjoyed the references to the area. I glad the dog had a happy ending!
I enjoyed the tour and how they figured out who the murderer was.
London Rose is my new hero.
Too many pages are turned before you arrive at the first (and thankfully), last dead body. Too many unnecessary descriptions of towns, streets, restuarant menus……
The authoress who quotes Agatha Christie would be wise to use her formula when writing a mystery novel – Stick to the plot, stick to a limited number of characters, limit the descriptions of weather, scenery, etc. and let the reader use some of his/her imagination.
Sweet Cozy Murder Mystery – Enjoyable story and characters. Lovely “touring” of Budapest and insight into Eastern European River Cruise. Nice fast, light read … with a bit of romance. Looking forward to visiting some of the sites mentioned on my Viking River Cruise this summer.
Just an enjoyable book to read.
This was a great introduction to the series. I will be reading more!
Light reading at its best. Good characters, interesting plot, and good ending.
An interesting entertaining storyline. A mystery that will keep you entertained until the end.
Every book by Blake Pierce is a winner. Always great characters, lots of action and amazing storylines.
A good start to a mystery series!
A little slow to start while establishing the main character but quite enjoyable one it got going. Made it easy to picture myself in these fat away places. I’m ready for a river cruse! (Without the body of course)
A very entertaining story of travel in Europe, which makes me wish Covid 19 had been defeated so that I could go and experience the places mentioned myself! A murder mystery which has to be solved by the social director of a river cruise boat, set in Hungary. Highly enjoyable.
An easy and relaxing read for armchair travel.