The Deadly Cruise (Abigail Summers Cozy Mysteries Book 10)

The Deadly Cruise by Ann Parker

A cruise to Norway should be the perfect escape for psychic medium Hayley Bennett and her police constable husband, Tom. But with Abigail Summers, dressmaker in life and brilliant sleuth in death, secretly on board, it isn’t long before The Deadly Detective Agency finds itself drawn into another chilling mystery.

When a former Scotland Yard officer is murdered during the voyage, the crime bears an eerie resemblance to one of the high-profile cases from his own book. Is the killer seeking revenge, or has the victim recognised a criminal hiding among the passengers?

Back home in Becklesfield, the danger continues when the body of Whipley Zoo’s head vet is discovered in the elephant’s hay. As secrets surface and old crimes cast long shadows, Hayley, Tom and their ghostly allies must follow the clues before another life is lost.

Blending cosy mystery suspense, gentle humour and a touch of the paranormal, The Deadly Cruise is the tenth book in Ann Parker’s Abigail Summers Cozy Mysteries series.

Read The Deadly Cruise and join Abigail Summers for a murder mystery where the past refuses to stay buried.

Excerpt from the book

A loud cheer went up when the Piece of Paradise left Southampton. The breeze was warm, even though it was only the end of April. Hayley and Tom were already in the party mood, helped by the complimentary glasses of sparkling wine that were being passed around on silver trays. They stood by the rails next to Tom’s friend and superior, Sergeant Dave Mills, and his wife, Isabella.

“Now DCI Johnson can’t get hold of us even if he tries. Next stop, Norway,” said Dave.

“Neither can Abigail and the others,” muttered Tom to his wife.

Hayley’s dressmaker friend, Abigail Summers, had burst into their home asking for help to solve her murder because Hayley was a psychic medium who just happened to be married to a police constable. With the help of some other ghosts from Becklesfield Public Library, they solved the case and started The Deadly Detective Agency. Tom was looking forward to a whole week without ghosts.

“No, that’s it now,” Hayley answered, while trying to stop her long black hair from blowing in her face. “We’ve left them all behind.” Although Hayley thought Abigail and the other spirits had been very quiet last night when they said goodbye and wished her bon voyage. They were either annoyed they weren’t invited or were up to something. Abigail had hardly moaned at all, and that was most unlike her. But there had been no sign of any of them in their car or Dave’s. And certainly no sign when they boarded and went to their cabin.

Hayley cast a worried look around, but there was nothing she could do now as land got farther and farther away. The only suspicious person she could see was a tall man in a tuxedo, who must have died at some point on a formal night in the past. And Hayley definitely didn’t want to make eye contact with him. When she did that, all they wanted to do was talk and get messages to loved ones, and she was on holiday.

The band was loud, and there was already some dancing happening. But the music couldn’t drown out the sound of a woman’s high-pitched laughter.

“Oh, Richard, you are a hoot. It’s a good job I’m single. But I couldn’t possibly. Maybe tomorrow. And I won’t be giving my cabin number to anyone, you saucy man. But it’s lovely to meet you. Come on, Amy, let’s mingle.” The tall, well-built woman in her fifties walked away. Her platinum-dyed, curly hair gave the appearance of her having an extra-large head.

“I pity whoever has the cabin next to her,” said Isabella. “They won’t be getting much sleep. I can still hear her.”

“I wonder who she is. She looks pretty wealthy going by her clothes and accent.”

The lady next to Hayley told them, “Sorry, I couldn’t help but hear. That’s Cynthia Clayton-Clark. We did a cruise to the Mediterranean last year, and she was on it. She seems to spend most of her life on ships. I think the mousy-looking girl with her must be a niece or companion.”