Murder Takes a Vacation - (Mrs. Blossom Mystery) by Laura Lippman (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"Murder Takes a Vacation has all Laura Lippman's trademark razor-sharp insight and effortlessly absorbing writing, plus huge amounts of warmth and fun. Mrs. Blossom is a pure joy, and I'm already hoping for more." -Tana French

Highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with an irresistible mystery featuring Muriel Blossom, a former private investigator and middle-aged widow whose vacation on a Parisian river cruise turns into a deadly international mystery...that only she can solve.

Mrs. Blossom has a knack for blending into the background, which was an asset during her days assisting private investigator Tess Monaghan. But when she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot, everything changes. She is determined to see the world that she sometimes feels is passing her by.

When Mrs. Blossom booked her cruise through France on the MS Solitaire, she did not expect to meet Allan on her transatlantic flight. He is the first man who's sparked something inside her since her beloved husband passed.

She also didn't expect Allan to be found, dead, twenty-four hours later in Paris, a city he wasn't supposed to be in.

Now Mrs. Blossom doesn't know who to trust on board the ship, especially when a mystifying man, Danny, keeps popping up around every corner, always present when things go awry. He is convinced that Allan was transporting a stolen piece of art, and Mrs. Blossom knows more than she lets on, regarding both the artifact and Allan's death.

Mrs. Blossom's questions only increase as the cruise sails down the Seine. Why does it feel like she is being followed? Who was Allan, and why was he killed? Most alarmingly, why do these mysterious men keep flirting with her?

Called "extraordinary" by Stephen King and "a brilliant novelist" by Gillian Flynn, Laura Lippman has been named one of the "essential" crime writers of the last century. Dive into her latest mystery here.

Review Quotes

"A rollicking adventure of the highest order." - New York Times

"This resilient widow proves she has what it takes to confront both gold diggers and killers in a plot that has the charm of a summertime caper." - Wall Street Journal

"It would be easy to underestimate Murder Takes a Vacation -- to assume it's just a Miss Marple-type romp. That would be a mistake. Where Agatha Christie, through Marple, investigated the invisibility of older women, Lippman perceptively explores how older women often collaborate in their own invisibility -- muting their appearance and their desires." - NPR

"Murder Takes a Vacation has all Laura Lippman's trademark razor-sharp insight and effortlessly absorbing writing, plus huge amounts of warmth and fun. Mrs. Blossom is a pure joy, and I'm already hoping for more." - Tana French

"Whenever a new Laura Lippman comes out there is reason to celebrate!" - Louise Penny

"I loved this book. Playful and witty and completely absorbing. More of Mrs. Blossom soon please." - Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author of the Vera Stanhope series

"I genuinely loved it. Laura's such a good writer - intelligent and literate - and at the same time knows how to write a compelling plot. I would say a page-turner if it wasn't such a cliche...I really hope that this isn't the last we've heard of Mrs. Blossom!"

"Energetically entertaining.... Lippman manages to combine a light amateur sleuth story with a harder-edged thriller, combining both types of mysteries, which seldom intersect, into a cohesive, solid plot." - South Florida Sun Sentinel

"I adored the vintage vibe of this meticulously written mystery." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Another gem from Lippman, with a heroine who elevates being ordinary to an art form." - Kirkus (Starred Review)

"Witty and propulsive. Lippman's fans will feel like they hit the jackpot with this warm and cozy romp." - Library Journal (starred review)

"Lippman triumphs with this charming mystery.... By the time the clever conclusion rolls around, readers will be sad to see this trip come to an end." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Cleverly plotted mystery and a heartfelt, humorous character study all in one. Fans of Kerry Greenwood, Richard Osman Agatha Christie will relish Lippman's top-notch first foray into the cozy space." - BookPage (starred review)

"Laura Lippman, one of our best stylists, has given us a new standalone and in it she sets sail for Richard Osman territory. I adored this romp of a book." - Deadly Pleasures

"The closest writer America has to Ruth Rendell...Extraordinary." - Stephen King

"In this funny, charming cozy about Mrs. Blossom's vacation, both the prose and the plot are playful." - Associated Press

"Lippman, long recognized as a master of plot and exposition, has been serving up psychologically rich slices of karma for years. Prom Mom [is] one of her best books yet." - Wall Street Journal on Prom Mom

"I read this acid-dipped beauty in two desperate sittings. Pure James M. Cain noir at its delirious best, it moves so fast and so skillfully, you don't fully grasp what it's really saying (about men, women, desire) until its final stunning pages." - Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Turnout, on Prom Mom

"The surprises, delivered close to Prom Mom's final pages, are the kind that might compel you to reread the whole story again, just to find out how Lippman layered this quadrangulate tale with clues and misdirection . . . . and how she managed to make such a classic form feel so of the moment." - Los Angeles Times on Prom Mom

"Laura Lippman is a seasoned pro at crafting mysteries and crime fiction." - Time on Prom Mom

"A writer at the peak of her powers." - Washington Post

"Laura Lippman is one of the best novelists working today, period. Seeing her name on the cover of a book is a guarantee of a highly satisfying reading experience...Laura Lippman is a major writer. If you don't know her, there's 25 books waiting for you." - Chicago Tribune

"Every time Laura Lippman comes out with a new book, I get chills because I know I am back in the hands of the master. She is simply a brilliant novelist." - Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

"Lippman is a writing powerhouse." - USA Today

"Her writing is very slick and intelligent noir."

"One of the smartest crime writers around." - People

"Laura Lippman delivers it all--suspenseful stories, characters so real . . . genuine emotion. I love her books."