Murder on the SS Rosa--A Sweet Ocean Voyage Murder

I listen to Audio books practically every day as well as read on my Kindle Fire and paper books. I have to say Elizabeth Klett performs Ginger Gold exactly as I pictured her in my mind's ear after reading Lee Strauss's first four cozy period mysteries. With such a great reading, I was able to simply enjoy the fine storytelling of our author without any distraction. Bravo!!! I highly recommend Murder on the SS Rosa! Give it a listen!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A Cozy Historical Mystery

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Murder on the SS Rosa is located on the SS Rosa, a ship going from Boston to London. Ginger and Haley are unlikely friends who are both on their way to London. Ginger is well off and needs to settle her father's estate. Haley is a nurse on her way to medical school. They became friends when Haley was caring for Ginger's father. The differences between classes in 1923 are apparent in some of their discussions.

The narrator did a good job with timing as well as the different voices. I would think it'd be difficult to go back and forth between accents, but she did very well.

Even though the murder mystery seemed secondary to me, with the historical fiction being the primary focus, I enjoyed the story of Ginger Gold and look forward to reading more of her mysteries.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Almost But Not Quite

I've listened to Elizabeth Klett before and she does a fair narration with a couple of exceptions. She's very good at distinguishing different accents, but everybody speaking with that accent sounds the same leaving me unsure who is actually talking. And, she's moving along at a good pace, conversations going well, then she emphasize the wrong word and it's like driving along and hitting a gigantic pothole in the road. Klett reads well, maybe she should highlight the words she needs to emphasize. As for the story to avoid hitting the wrong note. As for the story, it was ok and it was obvious the author is setting up for a series, which is fine but the end just didn't work for me. I've listened to just the last 5 chapters twice now, and I'm still not buying it. There's a nice little hook at the very end setting you up for the next book and, I must admit, it's tempting. But I'm so picky about narrators and there are so many excellent ones around. Ms Klett reads well most of the time. With more attention to emphasis and a bit of work separating characters, she could be excellent.`

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

A Bland and Standard Cruise with Good Narration

Another 1920s cozy mystery featuring a wealthy widow who loves Agatha Christie books and brooks social conventions. Though Ginger Gold, our protagonist, isn't particularly sassy, and does abide by many conventions, and although she seems to sympathize with the lower classes also appears to express a fair amount of condescension towards them. Mostly the protagonist seems focused on clothing but none of what she focuses on seems to carry much passion.

I enjoyed the idea of the story occurring while on a ship crossing the Atlantic allowing the reader to have a lovely self-contained environment for the mystery to unfold. However I found the characters and relationships between them to feel rather unremarkable and easily forgotten. Despite the excellent set up, potential for characters, lovely narration, I never feel really grabbed by anything, never drawn in, never feeling interest or concern or excitement for characters. I also am never really sure why Ginger Gold is even investigating. Ginger's relationship with her companion never takes off for me nor does what I suppose is suggestions of potential flirtation with Chief Inspector Basil Reed. The continued discussion of the dog, Boss, again felt like another detail that could have been more but just landed as not worthy of further thought.

Overall the story just feels okay, I'm not mad that I listened or feel that I wasted my time, but I didn't feel eager to hear more tales of Ginger Gold. Due to the lovely narration by Elizabeth Klett who does a very good job of creating different voices for each character I am mildly tempted to try the second volume to see if the story improves. Ginger just didn't feel as alive for me nor did the relationships and bonds the character was engaged in. I don't feel a strong dislike for the story, it is better than some I've read, but I would've have liked to be drawn in more and connect more with this character and I simply don't.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fun, Cosy Mystery

The first book of the Ginger Gold mystery series by Lee Strauss is a clever, fun read with a strong female lead. It’s 1927 and war widow Ginger Gold is crossing the Atlantic from Boston to London. Traveling with Ginger is her best friend Haley who is going to attend medical school when she arrives in London. Boss, Ginger’s Boston Terrier is also with her on the SS Rosa. Together all three have an eventful trip when the Captain is found dead in a pickle barrel! Determined to find out who is responsible for the crime, Ginger teams up with Chief Inspector Basil Reed from Scotland Yard who is also traveling aboard the SS Rosa. The characters are interesting and the story is engaging. A great introduction to a wonderful series. It is narrated by Elizabeth Kent who does a great job. A wonderful addition to your library if you are a fan of cozy mysteries!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Relaxing period mystery

Great mix of quiet paced mystery and character development. Not an edge-of-your-seat thriller packed with white knuckled action, just nice period drama with some tantalising early romantic interests and a good plot. Short and sweet. Good narration, believable accents.

Narrator monotonous, tendency toward vocal fry

This novella was ok, it could have been good if this experienced voice artist could use tonality variances that made dialogue sound different from a BBC news caster reading a press release. The American accents tended toward the common and irritating effect of ‘Voice Fry or Vocal Fry’, a dry grating sound to speech that is becoming a prevalent and wearisome habit heard in a variety of media.

A Nice Pleasant, Brief, Light, Mystery

This is a brief pleasant mystery story that is set in the 1920s on a passenger ship in the Atlantic. The protagonist is a thirty year old widow. There is a lot of description of clothing and fashion of the period that may prove interesting to some reader / listeners, more than to others. There is no foul language. The narration by Elizabeth Klett is pleasant and professional. I believe this is an introduction to a longer series of mystery novels. Although I liked it as a light listening experience I may not be continuing on to the rest of the series. It just did not really resonate with me. There is nothing wrong with the work, just a matter of personal taste. Thank You...

Captures the era...

Well crafted mystery. The narrator brings the story to life. You can almost smell the salt air. Looking forward to the next book.

Great historical cozy.

I really enjoyed this period cozy mystery set in the 1920's. I enjoyed the ship setting and the characters. This book was right up my alley. Haley was a little more serious than her friend Ginger, but I liked both of them. There was also a dog, Boss, in the book - Ginger's Boston Terrier. One funny line in the book was when someone said something like "you have to take your boss for a walk?" Then she had to explain that it was her dog and Boss was short for Boston. I would like to read more books in the series.

I was expecting Ginger to have an American accent (that's how I imagine it when I read the books) since I believe she lived in Boston for many years, but she had an English accent. I know she also lived in England.