From a USA TODAY Bestselling author, the first book in the acclaimed Ginger Gold Mystery series.
Murder’s a pain in the bow!
It’s 1923 and war widow fashionista Ginger Gold (a former British Secret Service Agent) makes a cross-Atlantic journey from Boston to London, England with her lovable Boston terrier and good friend, Nurse Higgins. When the ship’s captain is found dead in a most intriguing … found dead in a most intriguing fashion, Ginger is only too happy to lend her assistance to the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed. Wearing her Italian T-strap shoes and pretty cloche hat she must outwit the killer before she finds herself in a deadly pickle!
This fun, jazz-age whodunit has readers saying “Lady Gold is a charming heroine” and “can’t stop reading!”
Get started and download the first book in this binge-worthy series today.
★★★★★
Researching for the Ginger Gold Mysteries has been so much fun. I hope you sense that as you read. Ginger Gold is smart, savvy, and delightful. The fashions, the dances, the CRIME. The character of Haley Higgins, a medical student at the London Medical School for Women allows me to further delve into another keen interest of mine: forensics. Never fear, the Ginger Gold Mysteries are COZY, so no scary, graphic on-stage violence. You’ll find these books to be clean reads, with no swearing or sex. I hope you enjoy the Ginger Gold Mystery series!
Hop aboard the 1920s!
THE GINGER GOLD MYSTERY SERIES
Murder on the SS Rosa (Book 1)
Murder at Hartigan House (Book 2)
Murder at Bray Manor (Book 3)
Murder at Feathers & Flair (Book 4)
Murder at the Mortuary (Book 5)
Murder at Kensington Gardens (Book 6)
Murder at st. George’s Church (Book 7)
The Wedding of Ginger & Basil (Book 7.5)
Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman (Book 8)
Murder at the Boat Club (Book 9)
Murder on Eaton Square (Book 10)
Murder by Plum Pudding (Book 11)
Murder on Fleet Street (Book 12)
Murder at Brighton Beach (Book 13)
Murder at Hyde Park (Book 14)
Murder at Royal Albert Hall (Book 15)
~more on the way!
A brand new 1950s series!
THE ROSA REED MYSTERY SERIES
Murder at High Tide (Book 1)
Murder on the Boardwalk (Book 2)
Murder at the Bomb Shelter (Book 3)
Murder on Location (Book 4)
Murder and Rock ‘n Roll (Book 5)
Murder at the Races (Book 6)
Don’t miss LADY GOLD INVESTIGATES, the short story companion series!
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VERY ENTAINING AND HAD A VERY GOOD PLOT
Cozy mystery
Great fun read. Enjoyed all the Ginger Gold books
An enjoyable read.
Love this series and author. Unique plots, great characters and excellent writing.
A so-so murder mystery of cliché’s and stereotypical players. Set in the 1920’s, it has the class consciousness of the era (e.g., an older woman who was assistant to an actress “wore a gingham day dress and low-heeled oxfords, quite suitable for the time of day and her station.”). It includes unnecessary descriptions of food (“The main course of moist baked halibut dressed in a creamy lemon and basil sauce with a side of buttery green beans arrived”), and overly detailed descriptions of clothing (“Ginger felt she’d hit a home run with a gold, straight-lined chemise dress with two shimmering layers that flowed from the waist. It was tastefully decorated with tiny metal sequins, sleeveless, with a wide bateau neckline that accentuated the creamy contours around Ginger’s collarbones.”) The speech patterns of the lower class were condescendingly imitated (“And it ain’t my place in this world to be wiv grand folks like yerself. Anyways, I ’ave me ol’ uncle to fink about.”) The rich were able to insert themselves inappropriately into police investigations and the investigation was poorly done at any rate. It was OK, just rather unoriginal.
A very ‘English’ detective story, well written, entertaining, great fun to read.
I enjoyed reading this and plan to read more of this series. I like the time period, the characters, the setting.
“Murder on the SS Rosa” by Lee Strauss is a murder mystery that takes us back to 1923 and introduces us to how using cruise ships for transportation to cross the Atlantic to get from Boston in America to Liverpool in England was a necessity at that time. Ginger Gold, a rich widow whose husband was killed in World War I, is traveling in First Class with Haley Higgins, the nurse who took care of Ginger’s ill father until his death and Ginger’s Boston terrier, Boss. Ginger is going to London, England to settle her father’s estate and Haley is going to England to attend the London School of Medicine for Women so she can become a doctor. The book reminds us of how the people addressed each other at that time, such as Mrs. Gold and Miss Higgins rather than by their first names, Ginger and Hayley. Ginger Gold has brought along a great deal of luggage so that she would have the clothes most first-class cruise ship passengers find necessary, gowns for balls, day dresses for use at breakfast and lunch and less elegant clothes for informal evenings. Haley has very little luggage and clothing with her since she is not in the same social class as Ginger and intends to just stay in their room and study most of the time, having no desire to partake of the activities for the first-class passengers. They meet Mr. Basil Reed who they do not learn is a London Chief Inspector until the Captain Walsh is found murdered and Basil Reed has to reveal his identity so he can investigate the case. Ginger decides to help the inspector sort through the suspects and find the murderer since she thinks he suspects her and wants to clear her name. Because her father knew the ship’s captain, Captain Walsh, Ginger and Haley are seated at the captain’s table for dinner, an award given to important guests, and they get to observe the relationships among many of the passengers. They meet the captain’s wife and see the captain stopping her from having too much alcohol and also observe how a Hollywood actress, traveling with someone she treats as her maid, makes sure that she has the captain’s attention. The book is delightful and readers can use their skills of deduction along with those belonging to Ginger and Haley to help Inspector Reed solve the case. I know that readers will enjoy “Murder on the SS Rosa” by Lee Strauss as much as I have.
I enjoyed the mystery plot immensley!
This is a historical mystery set on a ship. The characters are interesting and complex complete with good and questionable qualities. I found them engaging and found myself interested in their story. The mystery is complex, complete with subtle clues, numerous viable suspects, danger and suspense. I enjoyed the strong female characters and the witty dialogue. I found myself immersed in the time period and enjoyed the book very much.
This is an introductory novel, a “cozy mystery with a touch of downtown Abby.” Ginger Gold is a modern woman in the 20s , on an ocean liner bound to England to take care of her late father’s London estate when a dead body is discovered aboard. Ginger can’t help but get involved, especially with the gorgeous Chief Inspector Basil Reed leading the investigation! This book reminds me if the Me. Fisher mysteries. It a fun romp through the jazz age! Kept me reading into the late hours! Highly recommend this book for a nice get away from daily stress!
Ed
love the Ginger Gold series… fun to head back into fairly recent history for good cozy mystery reading
I really enjoyed this book. This is a great start to a new (to me) series that I’m looking forward to working my way through. I love the clothing descriptions! I appreciate the background details as well, it totally sets the scene and brings the era to life. I love Ginger and Haley so much! I appreciate the fact that they aren’t written as empty headed flappers but a strong, forward thinking women. Ginger has a misty, hinted at history of working undercover during the war. Haley is an accomplished nurse who will now be studying to become a doctor. Both ladies are intriguing and I look forward to finding out more about them.
A cross-Atlantic delight! The 1920’s is the perfect era for our intrepid, sassy, and redheaded Ginger Gold who is accustomed to moving in privileged circles. Perfect name for this rare young gem of an almost ingenue who unwittingly steps into murder and mayhem aboard the SS Rosa on her cross-Atlantic passage from Boston to England. Widowed Ginger is accompanied by her faithful companions, her saucy Boston Terrier, aptly named Bossy, and the down-to-earth family friend in Haley. There is a swirl of other colorful characters that make up this tapestry of a tale. Tiptop descriptions, dollops of humor, and a story that zigs when you were expecting a zag! I’m thankful this is Book 1 of a series…looking forward!
Excellent!
Charming mystery set in the 1920’s. Ginger is a wealthy widow & the description of her wardrobe is excellent. First book I’ve read ny Lee Strauss & it won’t be the last!
Suspenseful and full of fun twists! Ginger Gold is the queen of amateur sleuths! A must-read series!
early-20th-century, liner, atlantic-ocean, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, friendship
A nice, light cozy mystery set in the 1920s aboard a liner going from Boston to Liverpool. Ginger, her pet dog, and her friend are heading for London to settle her father’s estate and become involved in the investigation after the captain of the ship is found dead in a pickle barrel. There’s the disgruntled wife, the actress/mistress, the cook, the newly appointed temporary captain, and all tied together by the passenger who is a DI. Interesting characters and interesting sleuthing make this a fine read.
Narrator Elizabeth Klett keeps it perky and fun.
It’s always a wonderful thing to win an audiobook in a giveaway!
Some will not appreciate all the descriptions about clothing, etc. but I actually enjoyed them. That is the only thing I can think of that would make someone not like the book. I super enjoyed it. It is light hearted fun and I didn’t guess who the murderer was. Ginger was deeper than you might originally think and I really liked the character of Scout, who shows up in a later book as well. I didn’t notice any typos and that was a joy.