Murder on the Med - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm happy to allow Neil Webster to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Neil on the pages of MURDER ON THE MED by Nancy Cole Silverman. This book is the third in the Kat Lawson Mystery series and was released last week.

A Man of Mystery

I have a name everybody knows. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you. I'm not just rich. I'm mega-rich. Heir to one of the biggest diamond mines in the world. My investment portfolio outperforms any in the market. My connections among those of the wealthy are beyond reproach. Some say I have a Midas Touch. Everything I do turns to gold. My name is Neil Webster. And while some may think they know who I am, there are only two people in the world who know who I really am. One is dead, and the other, I would trust my life to.

I've worked hard to keep my personal life private, and I like it that way. So I was surprised when I learned that my former business partner's wife, Dede Drumerhausen, had asked Kat Lawson, a reporter with Journey International, to come onboard Athena–my home away from home—to write a travel feature. Athena is the first of what I had hoped would be a series of upscale retirement communities at sea. An expensive venture, and frankly, one that lately hasn't worked out as I would like. I am hesitant to talk about anything to do with my business, much less my personal life, and now, with Kat Lawson onboard, I'll have to keep my guard up.

Regardless of my feelings, I made it my business to meet with Kat and welcome her aboard on our first day at sea. She was staying in Dede's suite while Dede attended several cooking schools in southern Italy. I always felt it best to keep those who could do you the most harm close to you. And journalists, I've learned from experience, tend to be snoopy and, at times, unscrupulous in their fact-finding. Hence, I wasn't about to risk Kat uncovering information about Athena that she didn't need to concern herself with.

I was most gracious. Charming, despite the fact I surprised Kat when she returned from High Tea and found me in Dede's kitchen, stocking her spice cabinet.

Kat's initial reaction was one of surprise—essential when one wants the upper hand. I assured her I had totally forgotten that Dede had arranged for Kat to stay in her cabin while away and explained that Dede and I shared a mutual interest in the culinary arts. I apologized for surprising her and explained that I had picked up some exotic spices and was merely stocking Dede's spice cabinet. I promised her I'd not surprise her again.

Kat reacted as I expected she would. She was alarmed that someone had access to her apartment, then chagrined when she realized I was Neil Webster—the Neil Webster—Athena's owner, one of the world's wealthiest men, and undoubtedly one of the most sought-after interviews any reporter could hope for. Kat played the scene favorably, aware of the opportunity versus the risk of my being anything but a gentleman. It all worked out exactly as I wanted.

I invited Kat to dinner. She countered with a challenge that since I consider myself a fan of the culinary arts, I might make dinner instead. I accepted. I'm a fabulous cook. I enjoy entertaining but insisted on one stipulation. Kat could ask me anything at all about Athena, her storied past as a Russian oligarch's private yacht. Her itinerary. Her crew, or even general questions about her residents. But my personal life and business affairs were strictly off-limits. Kat, of course, said yes. Whether she thought she might ply me with wine or slip flirtatiously beneath my defensive radar, I wasn't worried. I've no interest in women and a very loyal crew.

Kat's butler, Finn, is my long-time partner, and very little gets by him. I know everything that goes on aboard Athena, even when not onboard. Or at least I thought I did. 

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Review

MURDER ON THE MED by Nancy Cole Silverman
The Third Kat Lawson Mystery

 

A former investigative reporter now working for the FBI, Kat Lawson has certainly earned a vacation. Her cover magazine, Travel International, has arranged a cruise for her along the Amalfi Coast. She's to relax and write a puff piece about her ship, the Athena, which is actually a traveling home for wealthy retired senior citizens. However, two elderly women say that their friend, Dede Drummerhausen, whose cabin Kat is subletting, did not leave the ship as planned. They believe she was pushed overboard, possibly murdered! When Kat finds a gold coin hidden in her cabin, she wonders if something sinister could really be going on. Antiquities theft? Murder? So much for a peaceful relaxing vacation!

 

MURDER ON THE MED is a thrilling meld of mystery and history. One of the things I like best about the book is the fact that its senior citizens are vital, active people with brains and determination. They are actively pursuing their dream. Unfortunately, their dreams are nefarious and the Gang of Eight are definitely the bad guys! Marco and Dede are also vibrant seniors, each of whom gave me plenty of chuckles. I really appreciate Kat as a protagonist. She's smart and eminently capable. She thinks on her feet and has great insight, so important as she truly was just expecting a vacation.

I love how history and archeology are entwined in the story. I never knew about the Brutus coin and found it fascinating to learn about that, as well as the ancient underwater cities. A scene made more exciting by the fact that visiting them may have been a plan to kill Kat!

The third Kat Lawson Mystery is a bit of a cat and mouse game, or should I say Kat and mouse game. Each group trying to ascertain what the other knows and Kat trying to figure out not only what's going on, but who to trust. I was captivated.

With wily characters in a sumptuous setting on the sea MURDER ON THE MED is an ingenious mystery that will keep you guessing.

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 Murder on the Med: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman

About Murder on the Med

Murder on the Med: A Kat Lawson Mystery
Mystery - 3rd in Series
Setting - On a cruise ship in the Mediterranean
Publisher: ‎ Level Best Books (June 4, 2024)
Print length: ‎ 271 pages

A travel feature turns into a deadly investigation for Kat Lawson when she discovers a missing passenger, presumed overboard, may have been used as a mule to smuggle ancient artifacts aboard Athena, a luxury cruise ship designed for retired seniors at sea.

Kat Lawson has got a plumb assignment, or so she thinks. Travel International has rewarded her with a vacation cruise along the Amalfi Coast to report on a new floating senior retirement center. After working undercover as a travel reporter for the FBI and barely escaping her last assignment with her life, Kat's job is to relax, take notes, shoot pictures, and report back on an extravagant cruise from Napes to Positano. What could go wrong?

But once aboard, Kat quickly learns it's not all smooth sailing. Kat finds a handbag for Dede Drummerhausen, the woman who owns the suite where Kat is staying, and hidden inside is a gold coin. Rumor abound. Passengers and some of their possessions have gone missing. The residents are restless, and some on board are suspicious of a travel reporter who might uncover their secret mission. When Athena's captain discovers Kat snooping below deck, she soon realizes, like the antiquities hidden onboard, that she's been kidnapped and that her job and her life are in danger.

About Nancy Cole Silverman

Nancy Cole Silverman spent nearly twenty-five years in news and talk radio before retiring to write fiction. Silverman’s award-winning short stories and crime-focused novels, the Carol Childs and Misty Dawn Mysteries (Henry Press), are based in Los Angeles, while her newest series, the Kat Lawson Mysteries (Level Best Books), takes a more international approach. Kat Lawson, a former investigative reporter has gone undercover for the FBI as a feature writer for a travel publication. Expect lots of international intrigue, vivid descriptions of small European villages, great food, lost archives, and non-stop action. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and thoroughly pampered standard poodle, Paris.

Author Link: 

Website: www.nancycolesilverman.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.silverman.90/  

Threads: @nancy.silverman  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4027978.Nancy_Cole_Silverman  

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