Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman | Audiobook Review

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“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. 

A New York Times “Best Beach Reads of Summer”

One of Washington Post’s “Best Mysteries to Read This Summer”

One of Boston Globe's "Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List"

One of Minneapolis Star Tribune's "24 terrific books for the beach, cabin or lawn chair you’ll want to read this summer"

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?

Why Did I Listen To Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman?

One trope that I absolutely love is old women solving crimes. It started with Vera Wong’s Unsolicted Advice For Murderers and certainly continues into Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman. The ARC showed up unsolicited and I thought, cool, this sounds good. THEN! The audiobook pops up on Libro.FM and I just knew I had to give Lippman’s latest a listen. I’m so glad I did, because it just continued to solidify my love of the trope. 

What’s The Story Here?

Murder Takes A Vacation follows an older Jewish woman called Mrs. Blossom. With her adult child moving to Japan with their family and her husband no longer alive, Mrs. Blossom steps outside her comfort zone to take a vacation in Europe. In particular, she is going to go on a European river cruise. She’s very excited about this because it is so outside the norm for her. Additionally, her best friend is joining her. However, things go a little sideways. You see, on the plane, Mrs. Blossom meets a man named Allan. Allan is charming and makes her feel seen and really good about herself. Of course, she believes he doesn’t bat for her team, but still he helps her self esteem. However, the friendship is short lived when Alan is found dead. 

After Allan is found deceased, a new man pops up. Danny — who is claiming that Allan was involved with transporting stolen art. He thinks that Mrs. Blossom is also involved somehow. She isn’t — however — she has some skills that make her really helpful in unraveling the murder mystery. You see, Mrs. Blossom tends to fade into the background which sounds terrible but it means that she can observe things undetected. She also used to assist a private investigator and has picked up some skills along the way. 

How Did I Like Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman?

I felt like Laura Lippman’s Murder Takes A Vacation was a fun transition to nicer weather read. There’s something about the summer time and a good mystery. I was truly transported with that mystery being set on the river cruise through Paris. Mrs. Blossom starts the book pretty unassuming with not a ton of confidence, but as the story unravels and we learn more about her, we see that confidence grow. We also see that she’s genuinely great. I loved her and wouldn’t mind picking up another book featuring her solving mysteries. However, keep in mind that one of my quirks is loving books about the elderly either being grumpy or solving mysteries.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Murder Takes A Vacation is narrated by Kimberly Farr. I thought Farr embodied Mrs. Blossom’s voice quite well and you could feel the transition to being more self confident that Mrs. Blossom goes through. I also liked how she voiced the other characters like Eleanore and Danny. The audiobook is 9 hours and 56 minutes, I did listen to it sped up and found it to still be easy to understand and retain. Overall, I would recommend this as a listen when you are prepping to be poolside.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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